Dishonest side

Steve was waiting anxiously for Maria's answer. In the seconds that were between his question and Maria's answer, Steve's head was filled with worries and questions, while his face remained unchanged and revealed nothing of what was going on in his mind. He had been rejected more than once today, the last one bruising his heart quite a bit. So, it had him worried that she might say that she indeed preferred for him to go upstairs. Though there was still a sense of hope. This was mainly him hoping that he hadn't been even further off in his estimation of the progress that had been booked between them. That his feeling of him and Maria getting closer and of her being more open to his advances, weren't just in his head. Fortunately this time Steve wasn't rejected.

Maria shook her head and said, "No, it's okay. You can stay here." Steve immediately felt his worries melting away and a smile appeared on his face. He was beaming from joy. Yet, despite him having nothing left to desire at that point, fate had more for him in store. Because not only did Maria allow him to keep her company, she even offered to include him in what she was planning for herself. She asked him, "Do you want something to eat? I was planning on making myself some French toast. I could make you some too if you like. Or something else if you aren't feeling like eating that." Steve couldn't be happier as he shook his head. "No, I am good. It's a little too early for me to eat anything. But you go ahead. I'll just watch." Though he said this and he meant it, he really appreciated Maria's offer. It made him happier than she could probably imagine. Since he couldn't show that appreciation by accepting her offer, he tried to show it by making an offer himself. "Can I help you with anything?"

This time it was Maria who shook her head and she said, "I am used to cooking alone. That is why I don't like having anyone in my kitchen while I am cooking." Thinking that she could tease him a bit Maria added, "But if you really want to help, you can do the dishes when I am done. Because I sure hate doing those." However Steve wasn't shy from a few dishes and said without any hesitation, "Deal. You do the cooking and I'll do the cleaning while you eat. That way we both have a part in the process where the other one can only sit and look." Maria was surprised and didn't expect Steve's reaction at all. She was just joking and since in the past all her boyfriends had rejected to clean right away, no matter if she had been joking or serious, she had been expecting that same reaction now. In fact, the guys she had been with in the past, they hadn't even offered to help with the cooking much less the cleaning. Meanwhile Steve had offered her both. With no expectation of anything in return.

There was no denying it, his place in her heart was growing. She felt herself being mesmerized and couldn't drag her eyes away from him until she was woken from her little daydream by Steve saying, "A bit of shell fell in just then." Maria blinked and said with a dazed look on her face, "Hmm?". Steve lowered his head for a brief moment as he chuckled before looking back and saying with an eye catching smile, "I said, a bit of the egg shell fell into the batter just then." Maria looked down at the bowl holding her mixture of milk and egg and saw the small piece of shell in the bowl. "You are right. What a clutz I am being. And here I am offering to cook you something while I can't even properly make something for myself without your watchful eye. I am quite embarrassed." But Steve shook his head.

"I didn't say it to make you feel embarrassed. I was only trying to prevent you from cutting your mouth. I tasted plenty of your cooking to know how talented you are. The fact that you managed to drop a bit of shell in your mixture because of my presence is something I consider to be quite the compliment." This was when Maria's dishonest side took over and her face instantly shifted from looking a bit awkward and embarrassed to looking defensive with a frown and a glare. As she aggressively stirred the mixture some more she said, "Who said it was because of your presence? Arrogant much?"

Though she regretted the words the very moment they left her mouth, glancing up at Steve every few seconds to see his reaction, she couldn't help herself. Her protection mechanisms were stronger than ever and Steve was a natural at triggering them. Plus, she didn't like admitting defeat and him knowing that he could affect her so much just by being there, felt like defeat to her. But because of that, she was currently her own biggest enemy. Fortunately for her, Steve was not only not offended by her words but seemed to see right through them and got a great sense of amusement from it all.