The Shadow Alpha

Chapter 10: Too Much Temptation

Chapter 10: Too Much Temptation

Holly

             So we do.

             We both get our plates and dish out our servings. I smack River's hand as he dips his finger into the saffron sauce and he laughs while licking it off, as mischievous as a ten-year-old sneaking a cookie from the jar.

            Then we sit down and we begin to have a surprisingly normal  and even natural conversation. I explain to him all the people Desiree introduced me to today and asked him some follow-up questions to help clarify as to who was who. With his help I feel just a little bit better about recalling the names and identities of my new pack members.

             He all but begs me to share my secret to the saffron sauce, and when I deny him the answer he all but pouts and shakes his head.  I then opt to distract him from his annoyance by asking how he knows so much about cooking. He explains that growing up with his mother and grandmother, they were always cooking. So he naturally caught on to the skills of the kitchen as well.

            Our conversation flows well and freely, almost as if we were any other normal couple who are beginning to live together.

            We gather the dishes together, and after insisting I  be the one to put things away as to familiarize myself with the house, River gives up and submits to simply washing and drying while I search for the right locations.

            It turns into a bit of a game as I go, guessing where the various dishes live, and which cabinet holds which kind of item.

          I have a particularly hard time finding where the cutlery goes, and after ten minutes of wanting to pull my hair out and River's constant laughter at my expense, I finally locate the smallest drawer imaginable, finding the cutlery inside. The drawer is unassumingly tucked between the fridge and the drawer where the spatulas and other large utensils go.

             "Why the bloody hell would you put them here?!" I exclaim while slamming forks and spoons into their proper slots.

            "Because it's the perfect size, obviously!" He retaliates and I shake my head in annoyance.

             "Total nonsense..." I grumble and he just laughs more.

              We put everything away and I wipe down the counters and dining table.

             "What are you doing tomorrow?" He asks me this out of the blue as he comes back from tossing the tablecloth into the laundry.

             "Probably going to try and remember all those names of those I met and maybe find a job." I say honestly and I feel River stiffen from where he stands. It's just a slight change in the air, but I still notice it as easily as smelling smoke.

            "Well, don't do anything after five tomorrow night okay? Also, dare I even ask the reason why you want a job?" He asks me, his tone taking on that authoritative edge and I sigh, not at all wishing to argue about this.

             "Because sitting around here all day makes me feel incredibly useless. I could be out there really getting to know people and instead I'm forced to either go to Desiree or you." I shake my head. "I want to be part of the community and bring in some money too. The best solution seems to be finding a place to work."  I explain as simply as I can, hoping he can understand, and we avoid having our nice evening snowball into an argument. 

             He crosses the floor to stand in front of me, reaching out and placing his fingers on the underside of my my chin to tilt it up, looking into my eyes. His gaze is dark and dances with confusion. Again, he has a way of making me feel incredibly vulnerable despite how much we have begin sharing about ourselves.