Chapter 5: Trenette Al Pesto

DESMOND'S APARTMENT

POV DESMOND

I dropped the bag in my hand and reached to take Hades away from Nathaniel. I stopped when I realized that Nathaniel was laughing. Hades had climbed up onto his shoulders and was avidly rubbing his face against Nathaniel. I could already see black hair sticking to Nathaniel's shirt.

"To answer your question," Nathaniel said as he scooped Hades up to plop him on the floor, "I am very fond of cats. They are also unnaturally fond of me." Nathaniel brought his foot up to scooch Hades back inside. I opened the door the rest of the way and switched on the lights.

"The kitchen is just down there and to the right," I motioned as I grabbed the fallen bag outside the doorway. I dropped my keys and briefcase on the side table before following Nathaniel to the kitchen.

Nathaniel gazed around the kitchen, "This place is massive. You live here all by yourself?"

"Indeed," I responded, setting my bag next to his. "It's just me and little Hades." I looked below the counter to see Hades staring expectantly up at Nathaniel. I rolled my eyes at him but found myself grinning as I fetched his food bowl. "Please feel free to use anything here. I have the basics when it comes to kitchenware. I'm not much of a cook but I should have anything you need."

Nathaniel started to unload his ingredients onto the counter. I opened the lid to Hades' food, which sent him sprinting over to his bowl. I chuckled, "You act like I don't feed you. The vet is still on me about your weight, you know." Hades ignored my comments and started gulping down his food.

I heard Nathaniel opening and closing cupboards behind me. I stood up to see that he had already laid out a few pots and a pan. I knew almost nothing about cooking, but Nathaniel looked so comfortable in the kitchen. He started chopping vegetables, his powerful arms slicing them to perfection. I suddenly felt very awkward in my own home.

I have had people over before, but it was mostly for meetings with clients. Nathaniel brought a warm, new light to the space. Nathaniel stopped chopping and met my eyes, "Would you like to join me?"

I realized I had been caught staring again and went to fidget with the buttons on my cuff. "I don't feel that I would be of much help," I said and walked up to the counter.

"Nonsense," Nathaniel admonished. He waved the knife in his hand to have me come over, "let me teach you. Cooking with others always makes the dish taste better anyway." I relented and joined him on the other side of the counter.

"What would you like me to do first?" I asked, looking at everything on the counter. I already felt nervous that I was going to mess this up somehow.

"Go ahead and take these green beans over to the sink," he responded and gave me a handful of beanstalks. He laid a small bag in the sink and brought out a knife, "Just cut the top and bottom tips off and then cut them into smaller pieces."

He did one to show me how small they should be and grinned as he laid the knife in my hand. "Just don't cut yourself," he winked and turned back around to his station.

"Ha, ha," I mocked as I started cutting the tips off the beans. "What are you making anyways?" I questioned, setting the beans on the cutting board next to the sink. Nathaniel came up behind me and reached around with a pot. I stopped cutting and froze. He reached for the spout and filled the pot halfway with water.

"A very special dish," he whispered in my ear. "Something I only make for certain people in my life." His breath was hot, and I could feel the rumble of his words on my back. Nathaniel turned off the water. I could see from the corner of my eye a dangerous smile on his face as he moved to the stove.

I let out a breath, I could already feel the heat pooling underneath my shirt. I moved on to chopping the green beans into smaller portions. Nathaniel had already completed chopping everything else and started boiling pasta. He brought another pan onto a burner and was bringing ingredients over to pour into the pan. I set my board of beans next to the other chopped veggies, "Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

"Yes actually," Nathaniel said, bringing a spoon up to my lips, "taste this for me." I opened my mouth, suspicious of the green sauce. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "It's pesto."

Nathanial laughed, "You act as if you've never had it before."

"I've only had it a few times," I said, leaning up against the counter, "my mother used to make it when I was young. I haven't had it in a long time." Nathaniel reached up and swiped his thumb across the corner of my mouth. His eyes flicked from my eyes to my mouth.

He brought his thumb up to his mouth and licked the sauce off. He reached past me and grabbed the green beans to toss into the saucepan. My mouth tingled from his touch.

"Did your mother not teach you how to cook?" Nathaniel asked, dumping the pasta into a strainer.

"She taught me a few things, but she died along with my father in a car crash when I was ten," I said, feeling the tingling dissipate. Nathaniel turned off the stove and turned toward me, worry shown clearly on his face. I held up my hand, "Please, don't. It's been a very long time since then. I do miss them, but I treasure the memories I made with them."

Nathaniel took a step toward me and reached for my hand. He interlaced our fingers, his hand felt rough but still soft to hold. He turned them and brought the back of my hand to his lips, giving it a soft kiss. I suddenly felt too hot and looked at the ground.

Nathaniel took his other hand and used it to lift my chin, making me face him. "She, and your father, must have been wonderful people. I mean, they raised a very attractive, smart man after all." I couldn't help but look at his lips, his words soothing the somber tension. Nathaniel stepped away, letting go of my face and hand. He opened a few cupboards before he found bowls and set them on the counter.

After he had filled both bowls, I led him around the corner to the dining room on the other side of the kitchen. He placed both bowls on the table and pulled out my chair. "Thank you," I said, taking my seat, "it smells delicious." Nathaniel let his hand run over my shoulders as he made his way to his seat on the opposite side of the table.

He took his seat and fixed his hair into a neat knot. "So," I continued, "are you going to finally tell me what this special dish is?"

"It is called Trenette al pesto. I was in Italy when it had begun to get popular." Nathaniel motioned for me to try a bite. I swirled the pasta around my fork and put it in my mouth. The pesto was creamy, and the green beans and potatoes added a nice texture to the pasta.

I closed my eyes and groaned. I couldn't remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal. I ate a few more bites in silence and could feel a soothing warmth spreading throughout my body.

I looked up at Nathaniel before taking another bite and saw him resting his chin on his folded hands. He had a crooked smile and was just watching me eat. I set down my next bite, "Aren't you going to eat?" Instead of answering me, he got up and sat in the seat next to me.

"I find watching people eat my cooking to be more enjoyable than eating," he said, facing me. I shrugged my shoulders; I wasn't about to stop eating something this good. Nathaniel set an elbow on the table and rested his head on his fist, continuing to watch me. I'm sure I was quite the sight as I practically shoveled the pasta into my mouth.

Once I was done, I set my fork down and leaned back in my chair, enjoying how full I felt. Nathaniel put his hand on my thigh, "Would you like more?"

I chuckled and shook my head, "No, thank you though. This was possibly one of the best meals I've ever had."

Nathaniel lightly stroked my thigh, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's not very often that I get to cook for someone as lovely as yourself." I could feel a different type of heat pooling in my stomach this time. Before I could respond Nathaniel got up and took both bowls to the kitchen. "I'll package the rest up so you can enjoy more later," he said from the kitchen.

I looked out at the giant glass windows that stood opposite the table. I could tell the sun would be rising soon. Which meant that Nathaniel would have to leave soon. I got up and headed toward the kitchen, "Let me help clean up."

"Don't worry, I've already taken care of everything."

I walked into the kitchen and saw that everything had already been wiped down and the dishes were clean next to the sink. "How did you…" I wondered, looking around at the kitchen.

"Vampire speed is a helpful tool when it comes to cleaning up," Nathaniel said while he put the leftovers in the fridge. I realized our evening was about to come to an end and I wasn't ready for that.

"Did you want to watch a movie?" I blurted. I fidgeted once again with the buttons on my cuffs. If I didn't stop, I was going to ruin another shirt with my nervous tendencies.

Nathaniel smiled, "My dear Des if I didn't know any better, I would think you're trying to keep me here." I stopped fidgeting with my buttons and stuck my hands into my pockets. He always seemed to know how to keep me flustered.

"Well, I just thought, since you wanted an evening with me, we could use the whole evening," I said motioning to the couch. Nathaniel sauntered over to me and took my hand. He led me out of the kitchen and sat down on the couch, pulling me down with him. I reached for the remote and turned on the TV. "Is there any genre of movies that you like?" I asked, flipping through the channels.

"Just put on whatever movie you like the most," he said, stretching his arms around the back of the couch. I scrolled through a few more before landing on a horror classic. I set the remote down and leaned back on the couch. Leaning into Nathaniel. I felt stiff, like I didn't know how to properly sit next to someone.

Except this wasn't just anyone, it was a six-foot-three, erotic vampire. I felt my pulse start to race and I tried not to fidget anymore with my cuff buttons. Seeming to sense my nervousness, Nathaniel started lightly stroking my arm.

"Relax," he whispered. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding, feeling ridiculous. Nathaniel bumped the side of my head with his nose. I turned my head to look up at him. His eyes were hooded, and his mouth parted. My pulse was still racing but I felt myself being drawn to him. I licked my lips and slowly raised myself to meet his.

His lips tasted like sin. A sin I was happy to keep kissing. Nathaniel groaned and brought his other hand up to cup my chin. He deepened the kiss, pushing me back onto the couch.

Just then there was a loud knock at the door. I opened my eyes; Nathaniel was already at the door. "It's your uncle," he said, looking out at the peephole. I shot up from the couch. What in the world was he doing here? I stopped and took out my phone. I had eight missed calls from him. I swore.

"Crap, I'm so sorry but he cannot find you here," I said looking around for somewhere for Nathaniel to hide.

"Is there a balcony?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yes, but it's upstairs. There isn't a fire escape attached to it." I said, still spinning around in circles trying to figure out where to put him. Without another word, Nathaniel quickly made his way upstairs. I followed him, wondering what he was going to do on the balcony when the sun was about to come up.

He opened the doors and went to the edge. "What are you doing?" I asked as Nathaniel began to climb the ledge. He stood gracefully on the railing and turned towards me. I went up to him and grabbed his calf, "You can't just jump off! We are 14 stories up!"

Nathaniel laughed loudly and crouched down to meet my face, "Do not worry my little fox. I will see you soon." And then he jumped.