His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 188: Creamy, Sweet, and Salty

** Eli **

Having thus decided on a schedule, Eli spent the next day and a half preparing for their next date. Or their first checkbox-ticking activity.

To be honest, he wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about Harper not remembering most of her list-sharing-while-drunk. On one hand, he was a little disappointed that she wouldn’t know how much she had touched him with those simple words, or how much trouble he had falling asleep that night because of it. But on the other hand, he was glad that he got the opportunity to surprise her with secret knowledge of her to-do list ... which was exactly what he was doing right now.

He checked all the arrangements carefully one last time, just before the knock came on his door.

"Hey. I came with an empty stomach as you requested." Harper chirped merrily from the doorway before she even stepped in, peeking behind him into the dining room. "Is there a surprise dinner plan tonight?"

Eli grinned. He liked seeing her like this, curious and energetic, fully recovered from the awkwardness yesterday that didn’t suit her at all. "Yep, there is." He nudged the eager girl toward the kitchen. "And you’ll be part of its making."

It took her no time to figure out his plan, laid out in an orderly assembly on the counter — sliced portobello mushrooms, minced shallots and garlic, fresh thyme and parsley ... "No way!" she gasped in delight. "I told you that I wanted to learn cooking?" frёewebηovel.cѳm

"You did." Eli left out the part where she leaked her own "surprise" plan to him though. "And you seemed to like the risotto from last time a lot, so I thought it’s a good option to get started with. It might take a little while, but the dish isn’t otherwise demanding on the skills. All you need is some patience."

Harper looked up at him with a spark in her eyes. "Well well, I think I’ve proven by now that I’m a good student when it comes to picking up new skills, haven’t I?" She rubbed her palms together in a "challenge accepted" declaration.

Eli chuckled, delighted by her enthusiasm. "Quick learner, yes," he agreed. "Patience, on the other hand ... Hint hint, maybe this is also an opportunity for you to learn how to improve on that, too."

Her glare of feigned offense was precisely what he wanted to see. Eli chuckled again, and he reached for the aprons, getting them started on the brand new type of lessons.

~ ~

As expected, Harper proved herself once again to be a stellar student. She watched and listened with intent focus as he showed her every step, explaining the key points as he went — how to toast the shallots and garlic to release the richest aroma, how to shimmer the rice to make it starchy and creamy — and when it was her turn to practice the essential process of stirring in the broth, she followed all his instructions flawlessly, giving her first culinary attempt all the patient work it required.

"Not gonna lie, this is completely different from what I thought it’d be like," she commented as she added another half a cup of broth, already looking like a pro in the smooth way she did it. "I thought it’d be super boring to keep stirring a pot for so long ... But somehow, this actually feels really nice! Maybe I’m starting to understand now why you said cooking is your secret way to destress."

A wide smile stretched over Eli’s lips. When he first passed the spatula to the newbie chef, he had been just a little concerned that she’d find the task a tedious chore. But who knew she would adapt so fast and even start to agree with his nonstandard view on cooking already?

With a proud nod, he passed her the sauvignon blanc that they started the shimmer with. "It’s especially nice when you have a bottle of wine in hand while you’re at it," he offered with a wink. "Cheers to a delicious meal from a rising new star."

Harper laughed and took a big draw, without bothering to take the bottle from his hand. Then she quickly turned back to the pan and double checked on her stirring.

Eli brought the bottle to his own lips and savored the crisp wine that had just touched her sweet mouth. As he watched her studiously tending to the dish, adding broth and stirring the rice, he felt a sense of familiar warmth bubbling inside him again. The feeling of pride over her achievement slowly turned into something else ... something not unlike what he had felt the other morning when she made him those half-burned pancakes.

It was the feeling of ... home, subtle yet unmistakable as the steam and fragrance of dinner drifted around them in the kitchen, as they shared a bottle of wine and chatted around the stove about nothing in particular. It was the sense of belonging that still felt foreign to him, yet at the same time, already so entrancing and perfect and ... right.

And he liked it, more than he ever thought he’d admit.

"So, how do I know when it’s done?" Harper asked, slamming a break on his wandering thoughts. "Or do I just keep going indefinitely until we’re out of broth?"

Eli blinked, snapping out of his daze. "Oh, it’s based on the texture of the rice." He reached over, holding her hand and scooped up a small spoonful of risotto. "It’s good when it’s al dente to the bite, and then it’ll be time to add in the butter and parmesan. You can taste it as it goes, until it gets to just the way you like with the right balance of creamy, sweet, and salty."

He hadn’t chosen his words carefully there. Or with any special intentions. But as soon as the sentence left his mouth, Harper’s eyes gleamed again with that sly light he was all too familiar with. "Just the way you like with the right balance of—" She batted her pretty lashes. "Hmm, and which way is that?"

... Oh.

The bold version of this girl was back, and Eli loved it.

If only she knew the rest of the arrangements he had made for tonight.