Chapter Seventy-Six

"You're really not going to let me help?" Edward sighed as he leaned his head on his hands. He was seated on the other side of the nearest counter to the living room— where a few stools were placed near the counter to create a makeshift bar. Leila looked at him from inside the kitchen and quickly shook her head. As she tied a black apron around her back, two delivery men brought in boxes of groceries, each filled with a different produce of some kind. Most of them went directly into his fridge, while a few managed to find their way on top of his counters or inside his freezer.

This amount of groceries was more than Edward had ever seen in his life, yet he didn't pay a single cent for them. Working with Mrs. Snow might've been the best decision of his life. After a minute or two, the two delivery men gathered their broken-down boxes and left the apartment, leaving Edward and Leila alone. Ikarus walked out of Edward's bedroom once the delivery men were gone before strutting up to Edward. The young dragon hopped onto the seat on Edward's right before turning to watch Leila.

"Ikarus, I'll be making sure you're eating healthy while I'm here," Leila chuckled. She looked at Edward and smiled, "And no, you are not going to help. There wouldn't be any point in showing off if I'm not doing it on my own, is there?"

"Alrighty then," Edward sighed.

"Just go watch TV or something until I'm done," Leila told him. Edward shrugged and turned around in his stool. As he walked back to the living room, Leila began to prepare the various ingredients and gather the necessary utensils to begin cooking her planned meal. Ikarus turned to look at Leila one last time before hopping off of the stool to join Edward.

Edward and Ikarus spent the next few minutes on the couch as they watched TV. Ikarus was mostly interested in the moving images, as he was still having difficulty understanding English, but Edward kept stealing a glance toward the kitchen instead of focusing on the TV in front of him.

Truth be told, he couldn't cook that well, despite having lived on his own for the last three years of his life. He had a roommate in the first year of his college career who had a small business cooking for the entire floor, so Edward never had to learn. Afterward, that roommate upgraded his dorm to a better quality for a higher price and Edward was left using his cooking skills on easy meals like macaroni and ramen. With Leila here, he would've had the first decent homemade meal— On Earth— in a long time.

After a few minutes, a pleasing aroma began to emanate from the kitchen, causing both Ikarus and Edward to turn their heads in curiosity. 

"It's done," Leila's voice announced. Edward and Ikarus stood up and made their way to the kitchen. Three plates were resting on the counter, each paired with a separate glass of water. As Edward and Ikarus sat down, Edward looked down at the meal waiting for him. Leila had prepared spaghetti and meatballs— but not the kind that even Edward could make. The spaghetti was drizzled with genuine Alfredo sauce and the meatballs weren't the prepackaged kind. Next to the spaghetti was a serving of green beans topped with small red chili peppers, as well as a small golden-baked roll.

"This looks delicious," Edward gasped.

"It's an old family favorite," Leila smiled, "My great-grandparents were immigrants from Italy and would serve this to my paternal grandmother every Sunday. It's become a family tradition since then."

Edward smiled and picked up his fork to take the first bite. He carefully wrapped the spaghetti around his fork and then smothered it in the sauce before taking a bite. 

"Wow, this is really good," Edward smiled. He looked at Ikarus and laughed when he saw the Dragon's carefree method of eating. Most of the Alfredo sauce had found itself on Ikarus's lips and oversized front fangs, "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," Leila laughed as she took a bite as well. Edward and Leila talked for another minute or so until their meal was gone. Edward insisted on doing the dishes, so Leila returned to the living room to watch TV with Ikarus. She made sure to translate what was happening in the show so Ikarus would understand.

Afterward, Edward went into his room and pulled two of his blankets off of the bed. Then, as he approached Leila, he handed her one of the blankets before sitting next to her.

"Are you going to tell Brandon?" Leila asked as Edward sat down. He looked at her, surprised, before sighing.

"You heard about that?" Edward asked.

"Mrs. Snow visited me during my tests and talked to me about it. She's very interested in meeting both Markus and Brandon, you know," She told him.

"Of course she is," Edward smiled. He turned to Leila, "What do you think I should do?"

"Talk to him. As soon as possible," Leila answered, "You don't want Brandon to find out the next time he visits your family, does he?"

"You're right. I haven't even seen them since I ascended, so none of them know about my new appearance, either," Edward sighed.

"Talk to Brandon tomorrow, tell him you want to meet IRL," Leila continued, "But not at your usual place. Try somewhere more discreet, like a public location far from your family or even your workplace. It doesn't matter, so long as you can get a few minutes alone with him without your family finding out."

"I'll think about it," Edward told her. Leila shrugged her shoulders before turning back to the TV. Edward couldn't concentrate on the show, though, as his mind was flooded with thoughts.