Chapter 8 Tastes & Teasing
Chapter eight
Tastes & Teasing
Yuri
“Alright, now I want your honest opinion of this one,” Mei said with her hands on her hips, as she handed the steaming plate of food to me.
As I took it, my fingers brushed hers and lingered, almost of their own accord.
I felt like a moth drawn to a flame, even knowing what coming close to it, to her, would do to me.
Our differing temperatures clashed in the small booth, so that the food wasn’t the only source of steam.
“On a scale of one to melted ice sculpture, how spicy is it?” I eyed the plate of rice warily. I would prefer to preserve my tastebuds, if at all possible.
“Erupting volcano.” She laughed when my eyes went wide. “Just kidding. Not everyone in town loves a ton of spice, so this Fire-Mushroom Risotto is very creamy. I’d even call it closer to warm than spicy.”
“That’s…reassuring.” I set down the plate and picked up my fork.
As I filled the fork with steaming rice, I distantly wondered if agreeing to her deal had been the wisest choice.
Even gnawing on a frozen hunk of meat was preferable to chili peppers.
Then again, I had learned a lot about Glacius today, even if I had wanted to argue with what I heard, and I didn't exactly regret spending more time with Mei…
I put the fork in my mouth, and braced for the pain.
To my surprise and delight, I hardly detected any spice at all. In fact, the creaminess of the sauce hardly had any heat. And with the bursts of flavor from the chicken, it was actually incredibly good.
“So?” Mei leaned forward eagerly, her braided ruby hair falling over one shoulder and catching fire in the golden light. “What’s the verdict?”
“Surprisingly good.” I took another bite.
“Surprisingly?” She pouted, her lips snagging my gaze before I hurriedly returned them to the plate.
“What I meant is that the lack of heat and the rich cream taste really good to me,” I hurried to add.
Her smile returned, like the sun emerging from behind a cloud. “Really?”
“Really. I think this would be a great dish to serve to the folks who aren’t keen on lots of spice at the Feast. You could make a vegetarian version for the elves, too.”
“That’s a great idea!” Mei’s face lit up. “If they like it at the Feast, they might even become patrons of the diner! And then my parents will finally see—” She clamped her lips together.
“Finally see what?”
“Nothing.” Mei’s cheeks reddened, as if attempting to compete with her hair.
“You can tell me.” I met her eyes, hoping to convey with them what I couldn’t with words.
Her expression softened, and she bit her lip. “I just… It always feels as if no matter what I do, my parents are always disappointed in me. So while they were away on their trip, I was hoping to prove to them that I can run this place on my own. That I can be more than just…a waitress.”
Her words struck far closer to home than I could have imagined. My heart of ice started to melt a little, going out to the kindred spirit who was meant to be my sworn enemy.
I caught her hand, and waited for those alluring golden eyes to return to mine.
“You have always been more than your job description. Your job is not the reason you are able to touch so many lives, or to breathe warmth into the coldest hearts. I have seen the way you treat even your most difficult patrons with kindness—my former self included.” I chuckled drily, trying not to cringe at the memory of how I’d behaved towards Mei at first.
“I’ve had worse,” she said teasingly, with the smallest of smiles.
“What I mean to say is that I understand where you’re coming from.
How the pressure your parent pust on you can be…
stifling, to say the least. But I’ve found, from personal experience, that sometimes it becomes necessary to ask whether what your parents want for you is also what you want for yourself.
” My heart ached as I spoke some of my most hard-won conclusions aloud.
Mei wasn’t the only one whose parent was overbearing.
As if conjured by the thought, I caught a flash of white hair from the corner of my eye. A quick glance out the diner’s windows revealed only a deserted street. My mind must be playing tricks on me.
“I do want to run the diner. I love cooking, and I love spending time with all the people who come here,” Mei said slowly. “But I wish that I could do that without feeling their constant, disapproving gazes on my back.”
“And you believe that pulling off a flawless Harvest Feast will show them how competent and trustworthy you are?” No wonder she was so anxious to create the perfect recipe.
Mei nodded.
“Then how about we try a few more recipes tonight?” I hesitated for a moment before offering, “I actually have some ideas for a combo dish that dragons might enjoy—with or without the spice.”
The sweet look she gave me was worth the inevitable heat I knew was coming.