Forbidden Love [BxB]

Chapter 12

"Is this what turns you on?"

I quickly snatched the bag of pasta from his grip, spinning away from his embrace. I struggled to speak calmly, stammering my words, and trying to hide my blush as I did so. "I just got uncomfortable..." I took a breath. "Since you invaded my... p-personal space," I added, my hands trembling slightly even though I was able to open and dump the pasta into the hot boiling water. As I did so, I added a pinch of salt before stirring gently.

He chuckled as he stood next to me, his tone of voice sarcastic as he said, "Weren't you the one who invaded my personal space when I was asleep?" I froze in my tracks, my blush instantly spreading across my cheeks as I realized the truth in his words.

I snapped my gaze at him as I got flustered, my English accent coming through more than usual. "I also was asleep! It was unintentional!" I exclaimed, a tinge of embarrassment coloring my words as I attempted to defend myself.

Parsa leaned his back against the cabinet next to the stovetop, his arms folded across his chest as he observed me. He seemed to have gotten over his brief amusement at me as his expression was back to a more neutral one. "You shouldn't lower your guard around others that easily though," he said, speaking with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Anyone can hurt you if you stay like this."

I stared at him in silence, wondering what was going through his mind. He was always unpredictable, and I couldn't understand him despite all my efforts.

"Ten... Nine... Eight..." He started counting, and I knew what it meant if I failed to respond before the time ran out.

"I k-know!" I finally managed to stutter out. "It's just... that I'm still sick... I'm not as weak as you think," I said as I shifted my gaze to the pot in front of me.

~

The pasta seemed to be perfectly cooked, but to my surprise, the pot was heavier than I had initially felt it to be. I tried to lift it up but instantly put it back down with a grunt, realizing that it was too heavy for me to handle.

"Heh..." Parsa laughed mockingly as he easily pushed me aside, lifting the pot up to empty out the extra water. "Get the colander from that cabinet and put it in the sink," he instructed, already walking towards the sink himself as he gave me his order.

Can you stop embarrassing us in front of him? My inner self scolded me silently as I walked quickly towards the cabinet and retrieved the colander, placing it into the sink somewhat awkwardly.

He poured the macaroni into the colander and placed the pot aside, then picked up the colander and easily shook it to get the extra water out. "We can feed the whole neighborhood with this," Parsa said jokingly.

I was so on edge that I forgot to only add pasta for two and ended up using the whole pack instead. Feeling the flush rising on my cheeks, I bit my lip nervously, realizing I had just hit the jackpot of embarrassing myself.

Parsa placed the macaroni back into the pot calmly and asked in a mocking tone, "What's the next step, Remy?"

"Remy?" I tilted my head to the right in wonder.

"The Mouse in Ratatouille," Parsa answered dead seriously as he stood still, his face betraying a slight smirk.

I pouted on my lips as I frowned in response, realizing he was making fun of me again, which annoyed me to no end. I spun around, opened the fridge door, and searched for cheddar cheese along with cream cheese, hoping I could find some to put in the pasta pot. Douchebag!

Once I found the cheeses I needed, I placed them on the counter and said with some annoyance, "Put the pot back on the stove, Alfredo."

He warned me as he placed the pot back on the stove. "Don't forget to add a 'please' to your sentence when you need my help."