Chapter 7
Elle
Gabe’s kitchen was amazing and state-of-the art. I had wanted to cook in it from the moment I had seen it. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen but it was the first thing I had wanted to do when I got to his place.
I hadn’t thought he was going to be home.
I certainly hadn’t thought the evening would end with him sitting in front of me while I cooked for us while we drank some very nice wine.
The entire night had been a roller coaster of emotions.
First, with Sarah saying I could move in, to moving in, then having Gabe yell at me to leave, and then asking me to stay.
He looked genuinely remorseful when he came to my room.
I could tell he wanted to make this work and I did, too.
Even with her optimism, Sarah was right, this was the best place for me.
I hadn’t wanted to stay; I wasn’t going to stay if Gabe didn’t want me there, but he had changed his mind.
I wasn’t going to be petty and tell him no.
My pride wasn’t that strong and my need for a place to stay was stronger.
As promised, Gabe had gone to his cellar, wherever it was, and brought back a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. He had shown me the bottle and I had looked at it like I knew what I was seeing.
“Do you approve?” He asked and eyed me over the bottle.
I looked at the back of the bottle trying to find something that I could say about it but I couldn’t. I lifted my eyes to his and he gave me a crooked smile. I had a feeling the bottle was expensive, that he was testing me somehow, and I wasn’t sure why.
“Considering I have no nothing about this bottle, vintage, or anything about it, I will have to trust your judgment,” I said.
“It could be horrible, vinegar even. I could be trying to kick you out by offering you some bad wine,” he suggested.
I looked at the bottle and then back at him. “I doubt that,” I replied.
“Oh, why is that?” He asked.
“Well, first you told me you don’t have any bad wine in your cellar. Second, you don’t strike me as a man who would drink bad wine, much less have it in your apartment. Lastly, if you wanted me to leave, you would have just let me walk out the door.”
“Good point, points,” he said and went to open the bottle.
I didn’t watch him but went back to chopping up the vegetables.
I heard him get glasses out and then open the wine.
It gave a satisfying sound when it opened and I turned and looked at him.
Gabe had the bottle in his hand and was pouring a small amount of wine into the glass.
He swirled it around, looked at the wine, took a sniff, and then a small sip.
When he was done, he gave a nod, and then poured more wine into the one glass and then filled the other.
“This is a Cabernet Sauvignon from a small winery near Paso Robles, which is in Central California. I visited the area a few years ago and happened upon the winery,” he said as he handed me the glass.
“How does one just happen upon a winery?” I asked as I took the glass.
I took a sip of the wine. It was smooth, with a hint of cherry and cinnamon. It was strong and had a bite to it. I was slowly learning more about wine and had a feeling this would go great with the steak I was preparing.
Gabe laughed. “Okay, I might have gone looking for it and asked a few people in the area where there was a good winery to find some Cab Sav. When I went to this winery, it did not disappoint.”
“So, did you buy a case?” I asked and took another sip.
“No, two,” he said and I almost spit out my wine.
“Two? Why not three?” I teased.
“It was a small winery and I didn’t want to buy out their entire stock.”
“But you thought about it?” I asked.
“Maybe.” He smiled at me as he took another sip.
I watched him. His green eyes held mischief and I almost thought he was flirting with me.
I quickly dismissed it. He was only being nice to me.
He wanted me to feel comfortable in his home; he was doing a great job by talking to me and letting me cook.
He was just being friendly. I shouldn’t look into it like anything more.
“It should go great with the steaks. They should be ready shortly,” I said.
“Is there anything I can help with?” He asked.
“No, you’ve done more than enough by getting the wine and letting me stay. It’s a bonus that I get to cook,” I said.
Gabe went and sat on the other side of the island, taking his wine glass and the bottle with him.
He didn’t say anything but watched me finish chopping up the vegetables and put them on the stove to simmer.
I brought out the steaks and added some spices to them.
I almost asked if he had a grill outside I could use.
I hadn’t seen one but it might be hidden.
The steaks would taste better cooked there but it was late and I didn’t want to push my luck.
They would be fine on the stove top. I mixed the vegetables as I got out the cast iron skillet and heated it up.
When I turned back around, I saw Gabe looking away from me. There was something about his movement that made me think he might have been looking at my ass. The thought excited me but I quickly pushed it aside. Even if the man was, and I couldn’t blame him if he had, it didn’t mean anything.
My shorts were snug and form fitting. They showed off my ass and legs.
I hadn’t thought I would be standing in front of my best friend’s father cooking him dinner when I put them on.
Though knowing that he had been looking at me didn’t bother me.
In fact, it did the exact opposite. My ego had taken a hit tonight.
It was nice to have it restored somewhat by having an attractive man checking me out.
“What got you into cooking?” He asked.
“I don’t know. I just started doing it when I was younger. Both my parents worked and while my father tried to help around the house, my mother didn’t like him to. I think he wasn’t very good at it. I wanted to help her out and one night decided to make dinner so she didn’t have to.”
“How was it?” Gabe asked.
I flipped the steaks and leaned on the counter to look at him. I took a sip of my wine before I answered. “It was horrible. We ended up ordering pizza.”
Gabe laughed. “Was that your plan all along?”
“No. Though funny, my father thought the same thing. My mother didn’t. She could see what I was doing and enrolled me in a cooking class. It was just a basic class, how to chop vegetables and meat properly, What the different knives were and when to use them.”
“I take it you liked it?”
“Obviously. I’m sure you think it’s weird that the first thing I wanted to do in your place was cook, but it was.”
“It’s a great kitchen and one that should be used. I’m glad to see someone other than me doing so,” Gabe said.
“So, you cook, right?” I asked and flipped the steaks again.
“Why do you sound so shocked? Do you think I would buy this place with such a great kitchen if I wasn’t going to use it?”
“Stranger things have occurred. I’m glad to see it has been used and are you okay with me using it while I’m here?” I asked.
“I would hope you would. I want you to feel comfortable here. I want you to think of this as your home. I’m sorry I was such a jerk to you earlier, but I hope we can and will start over.”
“Thank you, I want that too,” I said.
“Good,” he said.
He walked over towards me. I stood up taller as he did, not sure what he was doing.
My body tensed and clutched my wine glass in both hands.
His eyes held mine as he walked up to me.
I opened my mouth but no words came out.
I watched transfixed as he stood in front of me.
He didn’t say anything but lifted the wine bottle and filled my glass.
I looked at the glass as he did, then up at him.
He didn’t move away but held my gaze. My eyes darted to his lips and then to his eyes.
I felt something moved between us. I held my breath as I waited for him to do something, say something.
“The food smells amazing. I can’t wait to have it,” he said.
I smiled at him and turned away from him. I shut off the stove and then looked at him over my shoulder and said, “It’s a good thing it’s ready then.”