Against Everything Else

17. Come here

Avery's POV

"So that was your cousin?" I leaned over the kitchen counter as Vince plated our dinner. He had told the men to leave after their conversation had ended and insisted on cooking for us instead of heading out for food.

He nodded, carefully scooping the pasta out of the pan and placing it on my plate.

"And you guys do business together? But he manages the ones here? And you manage the ones back at home?" He smiled, his eyes still focused on the pasta as he sprinkled some chilli flakes on both of our plates.

"If he's your cousin, then why did you hit him? Isn't that going to cause tension in the family?" He grabbed both the plates and nodded his head towards the balcony, still not saying a word.

I hopped off from my seat and walked over to the glass door, pulling it open as he walked past me with the plates of pasta in each hand. He put them down on the little black table and pulled the chair out, looking at me expectantly.

I blushed and made my way over towards him, letting him tuck me in before he sat in his own seat across from me.

"You said home before." I tilted my head at his comment, so he continued, "You said that my cousin manages the business here and that I manage the one back at home." He smiled softly at me, "I'm glad you're feeling more comfortable."

"Oh." I bit my lip as I felt my cheeks heating up at his observation. I guess he was right; I was feeling more comfortable around everyone, and the mansion was starting to feel more homey, even if it wasn't my home.

"Try it." He nodded towards the steaming plate of pasta in front of me, "Before it gets cold."

I gave him a small smile and picked up my fork, admiring the carefully plated pasta in front of me before placing a forkful of it into my mouth. The creaminess of the pasta, along with the sourness of the tomatoes, balanced perfectly with the chilli flakes that he had added on top. I couldn't help but widen my eyes at him as the flavours all exploded in my mouth.

"How?!" I scooped up another forkful, nodding my head happily as I ate. "How do you know how to cook so well?"

"My mother taught me when I was young," He looked at me, a smile forming on his lips as I continued to nod my head in approval. He chuckled at my reaction and leaned over the table so that we were just inches away from each other. I froze, feeling my stomach churn as he used his thumb to wipe off a bit of sauce on the corner of my mouth.

Without taking his eyes off of mine, he brought his hand towards his lips and licked the sauce off his thumb before leaning back against his seat, creating distance between us again.

I coughed, placing my fork down as I reached for the glass of water, chugging it down desperately in the hopes that it would stop my heart from trying to leap out of my chest.

"It's too easy to make you embarrassed." I glared at him as he picked up his own fork and started eating.

We sat like that for a few minutes, eating silently, enjoying each other's company amongst the beeps and honks coming from the cars below us, the Eiffel Tower standing proudly in the near distance. I still couldn't believe that I was finally here, in Paris.

As we ate, I couldn't help but stare into the distance, taking in the full view of the city. I had wanted to come here for so long, and it felt so unreal to see these lights in front of me. And as much as I don't want to admit it, I'm glad he brought me here, even though he had to work.

"Vince?" I asked softly, causing him to turn his attention away from the view and back on me.

"Hm?" He hummed.