Cherry

Chapter 24

Cherry

"You hold it like this, see?" Ethan tells me as I watch him properly hold a chef's knife; his hand wrapped around the handle but his thumb flat on the lower side of the blade.

"I didn't know there was a practicality with knives," I giggle.

"Well, now you do," he smiles and I watch creases dance across his face aesthetically.

He picks up a long, thin carrot for the salad that's going to be a side for dinner tonight. I watch as he makes his left hand look almost like a claw, as his fingertips touch the carrot and his wrist stays arched. He moves the knife in a graceful motion, not just a plain up-and-down cut, but a cut with grace.

"It's important to keep your index finger away from the top because if you apply too much pressure, you could slice straight through."

My eyes go wide from his warning, which makes him laugh. "I don't know if I should be left alone with such a dangerous knife," I laugh, though I'm actually hiding behind nerves.

Ethan chuckles, "Here, I'll help you."

He hands me the knife and I hold the blade as far away from my body as possible, not wanting any blood spurring from me tonight. I walk up to the counter where the cutting board rests. I grab the half-chopped carrot with my left and move the knife toward it slowly and carefully.

Right before I go in for my first cut, Ethan interrupts by saying, "You're holding it the wrong way. Here."

He steps right behind me, leaving no space between us. His chest is resting on my back, and he stretches both of his arms around me to grab the knife. While the knife is still in my grasp, he uses both of his hands to help my hand get into the correct position. He delicately moves my thumb from under the handle and onto the side of the blade.

"There," he says quietly into the crook of my neck.

I keep my hand on the knife as he now focuses on my left hand. He grabs my wrist gently to correct its posture. His hands graze down my hand smoothly, almost sending goosebumps all throughout my body. Ethan spreads my fingers, and then tells me, "Now you're all set."

I move the knife towards the end of the carrot, making sure to not move any fingers since Ethan put my hand in the perfect formation. As I finally cut into the carrot, and with my back still pressed against him, I ask, "Like that?"

"Yes," he kisses my neck.

"How do you know so much about cooking?" I ask as flames build in me from the kiss he ignited on my neck.

Since Ethan can see that I'm cutting the carrot correctly, he knows that he no longer needs his hands out to help guide me. So, he wraps both of his arms around my body, hugging me so tight like he never wants to let me go. He places his chin in the crook of my neck and tells me, "Whenever my parents were working long hours, I'd have to cook for myself. So, I have years of practice."

"I learn something new about you almost every day," I smile to myself as I finish off the carrot. "I've never been a good cook. Last summer, I tried cooking these little pizza bites in the microwave. I read the package wrong and put them in for 11 minutes instead of two minutes."

"How do you mess up that bad?" He laughs.

"I don't know," I laugh along with him. "I read the instructions for the oven instead of the microwave."

I hear Ethan laugh harder, and since I finished chopping the carrot, I put the knife down and spin around to face him. I look up at him as he smiles brightly, and I feel him place his hands on my hips.