The high-pitched ringing of Clary’s alarm filled the room, and she rushed to the oven to take out the lasagna. It smelled incredible, and as I walked over to help her plate it up, I could see it looked just as good. Clary’s arms brushed against mine as I helped her serve the food. She seemed oblivious to the moment we touched, but I couldn’t seem to focus on anything else. Could she really not feel how our bodies gravitated toward each other? Couldn’t she feel the same sparks that flashed across my skin when she was near?
She was so focused on the food a bomb probably could have gone off in the backyard and she’d have no idea. Clary looked up and shared a smile with me as we served the last plate. “Not bad for your first time,” she said.
“Like you said, I’m a quick study.” I grinned. “Plus, I had a pretty awesome teacher.”
She blushed prettily and glanced away. I wasn’t sure why she found my compliment so hard to take, but she quickly refocused on carrying the plates to the dinner table. I missed her presence at my side and hurried to follow her with the two remaining plates.
“Wow, this looks amazing,” Mom said as I placed her dinner on the table.
“And you didn’t screw it up!” Elliot added. It might have sounded like a spiteful remark, but I think my brother was actually trying to be supportive because he was nodding at me cheerfully.
“Thanks.” A sense of pride swelled in my chest. I’d never cooked anything edible in my life, and it was a strangely pleasurable feeling to put something I wasn’t completely ashamed of on the table. We still had no idea if the food was any good, but the fact Clary had taken charge of the meal almost guaranteed it would be amazing.
A grin spread across my face as we started to eat. Damn, Clary knew how to cook. The lasagna was full of flavor and baked to perfection. I almost felt the urge to roll in the layer of white sauce, and the fact I even knew there was a layer of white sauce only boosted my sense of achievement.
We’d all been talking and joking while completing the puzzle, but everyone was silent as we ate dinner. I liked to think it was because they were all enjoying it so much. I certainly was, and I already couldn’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow.
“So, I think Clary should have her own cooking show,” I said as I finished my last bite of food. “Or maybe even open a restaurant. This was so good other people deserve to eat it.”
“You did most of the work,” Clary replied with a smile.
“Okay, so it can be a joint cooking show,” I said. “We’ll call it Clary Teaches Aiden to Cook.”
She laughed. “Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”
“The Clary and Aiden Cooking Bonanza?” I suggested instead.
She scrunched up her nose, clearly not a fan of that one either.
“How about Clary Cooks While Aiden Tries Not to Burn the Kitchen Down?” Elliot suggested.
Clary pointed at him and nodded. “That, I like.”
Everyone at the table laughed, but I scowled at them all. “That was one time,” I grumbled.
“And let’s hope it stays that way,” Mom said as she started to stand. “Thank you both for dinner. Elliot and I will do the dishes.”
“But, Mom,” Elliot groaned. She gave him one stern look, and my brother simply sighed. “Okay, okay,” he grumbled. He picked up his plate and Clary’s before heading toward the kitchen.
Mom reached over for my plate but didn’t walk off straightaway. “They’ve called me into the hospital tonight.”
“What? It’s your first day off in forever.”
Mom shrugged. “They need me.”
“And you need rest. Tell them you can’t go.”
She shook her head. “I’m not going to do that.”
I stood from the table, frustration lashing through me. “You’re dead on your feet. Get them to call someone else.”
“You know that’s not how it works. This is my job, Aiden, and we’re fighting a pandemic. The virus doesn’t take days off.”
I couldn’t listen to her anymore. Mom always put others first, but if she kept going at this rate, it was going to kill her. She wouldn’t even consider telling her work no, and I knew there was no way I could change her mind.
“I have to go do my homework.” I stalked from the room.