Finn chuckled and pointed to the rest of the uncut vegetables."Don't cut them too big."
"Yes, sir," Prince replied with a laugh as he got to work.
Finn turned his focus back to his preparations.
They worked in comfortable silence.Finn tended to the steaks while Prince focused on the vegetables.Once the steaks were grilled to his preferred doneness, Finn removed them from the grill and set them aside to rest, just as his grandmother's cookbook had instructed.
Then he moved on to sautéing the vegetables and preparing the buttered herb orzo.
"I picked out a bottle of Malbec that would pair well with dinner," Prince said as he uncorked the bottle and set it aside to breathe.
Finn had just finished adding the final touches to the steak sauce with the leftover marinade.He hadn’t even planned on making such a spread, but he had everything he needed in the kitchen.And as much as he loved Gray, who had not yet made an appearance, he was about to share a meal with actual human company and wanted to show off a little.
"Sounds good," Finn said with a smile."Let's eat."
Prince nodded and filled their wine glasses before sitting down."Everything looks delicious," he commented.
"I hope you like it."
"I know I will," Prince replied with a smile.
Finn didn’t eat right away.Instead, he waited tensely, watching as Prince took his first bite.
Prince closed his eyes,savoring the first bite.The steak was cooked perfectly, the orzo was tender, and the herbs blended seamlessly with the butter.It was rich without being heavy and complemented the vegetables, which were cooked just right.To top it all off, the steak sauce brought everything together.
“So?”
Prince opened his eyes, only then realizing he had closed them.He looked across the table at Finn, who had not yet started eating.From the expectant look in Finn’s eyes, Prince understood immediately.
“I’m mad,” Prince said.
“What?”Finn’s eyes widened, looking as if he were trying not to tear up.“Is it that bad?”
“No, I said that wrong.”Prince shook his head.“I’m jealous that Bevin gets to eat like this.You’re going to make someone really happy in the future.It’s good, babe.”
With that, Prince went right back to eating.
"I'm…"Finn cleared his throat before speaking again."I'm glad you like it."
His ears tingled, and his heart still hadn’t slowed down after being called babe.Prince kept eating as if nothing had happened, as if it had been a simple slip of the tongue.He had no desire to examine the feeling too closely, so he pushed it aside and began eating.Still, his heart refused to settle.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to culinary school after you graduate?"Prince asked, taking a sip of his wine.
They had already finished their meal but remained seated at the table, enjoying a pleasant conversation.
Finn chuckled at the suggestion."Cooking is my hobby.I have other plans after I graduate."
"Like what?"Prince leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other, his fingers tracing the stem of his wine glass watching Finn with genuine interest, wanting to hear about his future plans.
After taking a sip of his wine, Finn explained that he hoped to land a full-time position at the company where he was currently interning, just to gain some experience.His ultimate goal, however, was to start his own investment firm.
He shared a few details about the business proposal he had already written, something he planned to use to attract a few investors.But for now, without any name recognition, he couldn’t move forward.
Finn knew people who could get him in the door.He could easily pitch his ideas to his friends, since many of them came from influential families.Still, he wanted to make a name for himself first.
"That's a sound plan," Prince told him.
"Thanks.I know it will take some time, but I'm determined to make my dream happen."Finn smiled.
