Chapter Seventeen #2
They’d worked so hard for Jason and me that once I’d started making money, I’d insisted on doing more for them.
It had been hard at first because they’d always been an independent and free-spirited pair, but eventually they’d conceded and allowed me to pay off their mortgage, refurbish various rooms, and spoil them with holidays.
These days they spent half their time abroad exploring the world and sending Jason and me endless selfies from faraway places. It was nice to see them so happy.
“What exactly were you doing?” Alex asked as he followed me through to the kitchen.
There were bowls and bottles all over the side, the sink was full of dirty dishes I’d meant to wash before he arrived, and the rest of the spare surfaces were covered in plates of dumplings.
And there was still two-thirds of a bowl of filling and at least forty or fifty wrappers left.
“I made dumplings,” I said, pointing at the plates.
“My mum used to make these all the time with Jason and me when we were growing up. We’d literally spend a whole afternoon just filling them, and then we’d eat a ton of them for dinner and put the rest in the freezer.
So I thought I’d make some for us. I rang Jason for the recipe but I stupidly didn’t think to check the quantities before I started…
I should have known something was off when the list Jason gave me said I needed two packets of dumpling wrappers. Each packet’s got about a hundred.”
“You made two hundred dumplings?” Alex stared at me, and I could see him fighting back a smile.
“Technically, it’s more like a hundred and twenty, maybe thirty? I’ve still got some left.” I gestured at the bowl. “But yes. I made a ridiculous number of dumplings. I hope they taste okay. Otherwise I’m fucked.”
Alex laughed and shook his head. “I’m sure they’ll be great.” He stepped closer to me and leant up to press a kiss to my cheek. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, swallowing hard. “If you give me a minute, I can finish tidying up and we can—”
“Will you teach me?”
“What?”
“Will you teach me?” Alex repeated as he walked across to the bowl of filling and the pile of wrappers. “To fill dumplings. I’ve never made them before. I’ve not actually eaten that many of them either. It’s not something anywhere round here does, and I… er… I don’t travel much.”
He seemed embarrassed by that. Like I’d think less of him for staying in his small corner of the world.
“Of course,” I said. “I can’t promise I’ll be the best teacher, but I’ll try.”
Alex washed his hands and I took everything we’d need over to the dining room table wedged into the corner of the living room, since it would be easier to sit down and work. I’d only stuck to the kitchen because I’d naively thought it wouldn’t take me long.
I sat down next to him, his knee bumping against mine.
“So, there are several ways to wrap dumplings but this is the easiest, at least in my opinion.” I picked up one of the wrappers and dipped the tip of my finger in the little bowl of water between us.
“You want to dampen the edges so they stick together. Then you want to add about a teaspoon of filling. I just kinda eyeball it these days but don’t worry if you get it wrong at first. You just don’t want to overfill them or they’ll burst when you cook them.
” I added some filling to mine, using the large cooking chopsticks I’d grabbed in the Asian supermarket.
I’d put a spoon out for Alex and he watched me carefully before grabbing his own scoop.
“What’s in them?” Alex asked. “They smell really good.”
“These are pork and cabbage,” I said. “Then they’ve got soy sauce, oil, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, bit of salt and pepper, and that’s it.”
Alex nodded. “Sounds good. What do I do with it now?”
“Okay, you fold the two halves together and pinch it together at the top, then…” I thought for a second, my fingers working through the motions.
“Shit, you need to… you have to just kind of fold it? Like a fan, I guess. Two folds on each side.” I looked down at my dumpling and realised I’d finished it without thinking.
“Bollocks. Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. ”
Alex laughed. “I’m guessing you haven’t taught anyone to do this before?”
“No. I can’t even remember the last time I made them,” I said offhandedly, then paused and turned to glance at Alex.
The tips of his ears had turned pink and it was starting to spread down his neck.
I smiled to myself. I wasn’t going to point it out or ask why Alex was blushing because I guessed he’d clam up and pretend it wasn’t happening.
“Why today then?” he asked.
“I just… it’s silly but I wanted to share them with you.
Making dumplings with my family was such a big thing for me growing up, whether it was for special occasions or just because it was a rainy Sunday afternoon and we wanted them.
” I smiled at him, hoping he’d see. “That and I really wanted dumplings.”
He turned and grinned at me, the hint of a blush still lingering on his cheeks. “I guess we better finish making them then. Show me again, but slowly this time.”
It didn’t take long for Alex to get the hang of folding dumplings, and his reaction when he’d finished his first was so goddamn adorable I thought I’d pass out.
We chatted as we folded the rest of them—Alex telling me about his week at Novel Tea while I told him all the random stories from the set I hadn’t mentioned in the endless messages we exchanged every day.
At some point, Alex put some music on and we worked through everything from albums we both knew and loved to things one of us didn’t.
Neither of us talked about the fact our relationship was now public.
We both needed to shut the world out for a while.
Time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, but it didn’t feel rushed. I felt like I’d been snuggled in a blanket and given something warm to eat—like a perfect wonton soup with thick, flat rice noodles that made my soul happy. It was the most settled and at peace I’d felt in a long time.
After we’d finished folding them, I led Alex through to the kitchen and started rooting around in the cupboards to see what pans I could find.
“Okay, since you’ve never had these before, I’m going to cook them two different ways: boiled and pan fried.
Then you can see which ones you like best. I’ll make a quick sauce too.
Are you okay with it being a little spicy? ”
“Sure, what do you need me to do?”
“Stand there and look pretty?” I teased and Alex snorted.
“Actually, if you can stick some of the spare dumplings on trays with baking parchment, please? Nice and spaced out. Then I can try and get the trays in the freezer later. You have to freeze the dumplings on their own first before you put them in a bag all together. Otherwise they all stick to each other and it’s a pain in the ass. ”
“I don’t think you’re going to get any trays in your freezer,” Alex said.
He had a point—the freezer section of the cottage’s fridge-freezer was tiny and Kane, Cas, and I had already half filled it with frozen chips, ice cream, and some turkey dinosaurs that Kane had bought one night when he was tired and cranky.
“I’ll figure it out,” I said as I filled a saucepan with water and put it on the hob. “And if not we’ll be eating dumplings for a few days. I’m sure Gemma and Tamsin would help me out. You could take some too.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, why not? You’re my boyfriend and I want to share these with you.”
“That’d be great, thanks.” Alex nodded and grabbed the roll of baking parchment I’d picked up at Tesco before starting to line some trays.
It was like he hadn’t expected me to give him anything, and I wondered if he was so used to being on his own that he just assumed that was the way it would always be.
But I knew he’d lived with Noah for a long time, and from what I’d gathered they were thick as thieves, so I doubted he and Alex hadn’t taken care of each other.
Maybe Alex just wasn’t used to the idea of someone who wasn’t one of his close friends wanting to do something for him. Maybe he’d assumed they were it for him, and anything or anyone else didn’t fit into the equation he’d drawn up for his life.
It seemed like a lonely way to live.
I closed the distance between us and plucked the roll of parchment out of his hand, putting it on the counter next to us.
Alex opened his mouth as if to speak and I closed that distance too, pressing my lips to his.
I wrapped one hand around his waist and the other around the back of his neck, cradling it gently as I pulled him against me.
His lips were soft and warm, and I wanted to kiss him forever.
“What was that for?” he asked as I slowly released him, not letting him go far.
“Because I wanted to,” I said simply. I knew this was new to Alex, and he wasn’t used to affection. But I wanted him to be. I wanted to shower him with kisses and soft touches and kind words and everything I could give him every single day until he finally believed he was worthy of attention.
Of being loved.
“Oh…”
“Is that okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.” Alex nodded, wrapping his arms around me in return and brushing his lips against mine. “Yeah, it really fucking is.”