“Great!” Orsu said a little too excitedly. He coughed to cover up his enthusiasm and repeated himself in a more measured tone. “That’s great.”
I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing.
“I’ve already got everything set up, actually. Do you care to join me?”
I could feel the stares of the other women at the table, but I pushed those thoughts aside. Now was not a time to be shy, not when I had an opportunity to cookandspend time with Orsu.
I walked with him behind the cookfire station. It was impressive given that he didn’t have any grills or appliances. What was once a small boulder was now a flat surface with a fire pit in the center and holes on each side that acted as their stove to cook things on.
There were stone shelves carved into the wall behind the cooking station that were full of supplies and spices.
“This is where I keep all the bowls,” Orsu pointed out. He grabbed one of the smaller bowls and placed it on the flat surface of the cooking station that was far away from the fire underneath. Next to the bowl was a large container of grain and a wooden jug of water.
“This is the base of the breakfast porridge: water and grains. I use twice the amount of water than I do grain. Go ahead and pour some in,” he encouraged.
I stood beside him and poured in the two ingredients.
“Behind us, I have a shelf of my most used spices and herbs. You can go through and sniff each one to see if there are any you’d like to add.”
I did as he suggested and investigated each jar. Orsu kept a very organized and clean workstation and I appreciated that very much.
One of the jars I picked up was heavier than the rest and smelled extra sweet. “What’s this?”
Orsu’s hand brushed mine as he tilted the jar down so he could see what was inside. He ran deliciously hot and I loved it. The heat of his hand reminded me of how nice and warm I was when I slept on top of him. Last night I’d felt so chilly despite all the blankets I’d had.
“That is saba syrup. It comes from the saba tree.”
“The syrup smells delicious.” I inhaled the sweet scent again. “Do you ever drizzle it over the porridge?”
“I haven’t before, but today is your day to do as you wish. My cookfire is yours. I’m just here to show you where everything is stored.” Orsu grinned down at me and I couldn’t help but grin back. Having him look at me like that made me feel things I hadn’t felt for anyone before.
“You’re very generous, Orsu. I don’t want to take over your cookfire.”
“Bah, you are only learning how to use my stuff, but if you wished to cook for the dekes everyday, I would be happy to step aside. I can see by the brightness in your eyes, cooking brings you great joy.”
I couldn’t disagree with Orsu; I did enjoy cooking and doing so put me at ease. Whenever my hands got to work preparing a meal, all my worries seemed to melt away.
“Maybe we could cook together?” My stomach filled with butterflies at the thought of us working side by side everyday.
Orsu's face lit up with an unabashed grin. “I would like that very much.”
He reached out and tucked some hair behind my ear but let his hand linger as he grazed my neck with the gentlest of touches. My heart raced and I wanted more. When our eyes locked there was an undeniable heat there. A heat I wanted to explore.
Okay, I was ready to admit it: I was falling for this bear shifter.
Orsu
“This is delicious. I would have never thought to add the spices that you did along with the syrup.”
I commented and Julie beamed with pride. She truly had made an amazing dish. The power of the spices was cut with the sweet syrup in the most delicious way.
“Maybe tomorrow we can share my recipe with the dekes. You can make one bowl and I’ll make the other.”
It took two of my largest bowls to feed everyone now, which meant it had taken me twice as long to make breakfast this morning, but with Julie by my side, it wouldn’t take long at all, and it would be twice as fun.
Again a warning sounded in the back of my mind. I should be concerned about the amount of food it was taking to feed the dekes, but I couldn’t be bothered to think about that now, not when Julie was looking up at me with such joy in her eyes.
“Nothing would make me happier,” I agreed and Julie’s cheeks flushed red again. I was starting to grow addicted to the red blush that showed on her tan skin. I loved making her bashful. Every blush was accompanied by a smile and if I had my way, Julie would spend every moment of every day full of smiles.
