Neviara
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Cycle 34-6: Feeding Frenzy
🕑 Added 2024-05-29 16:00:09 +0000 UTCThe door to Kaitlyn's dorm swung open, revealing the brightly-lit interior. The window stood open and filled the entire room with fresh air and sunlight. For a brief moment, Kaitlyn feared that she'd forgotten to close it when she left. But the sight of Heather sitting at her desk alleviated those worries.
"Hey, Kate!" The blonde beamed in her direction. "What's up? Done with classes?"
She stepped inside and headed for her own desk. "For now, yeah. Just grabbing some stuff to cook."
"Ooh," Heather's eyes sharpened hungrily. "Whatcha making?"
"Nothing big. Just a bit of food for him." She nodded toward Ian, who still stood in the doorway. "This is Ian."
"Oooh, he's getting special treatment?" The blonde waggled her eyebrows suggestively before turning to the guy. "I'm Heather. Nice to meetcha!"
"Oh! Er, nice to meet you, too." Ian shifted awkwardly, his face turning beet red at the unexpected attention.
Kaitlyn kept one eye on the interaction as she began pulling ingredients out of their mini fridge. Heather had never shown any interest in Ian before, so them meeting like this didn't strike her as risky. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. Luckily, Heather's interest seemed to be more on Kaitlyn's food than the blushing boy.
"You know, if you happen to have any extra…"
Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "It's the same stuff that I'm making for tomorrow, you know."
"I mean, sure, but that's tomorrow! This is today!" The blonde practically pouted.
"Don't worry, I'll bring up the leftovers if I have any. I'm not making too much." Straightening, she glanced down at her supplies. "Ian? Can you help me carry some stuff?"
Glancing over, the chestnut-haired guy was still standing in the doorway, looking around the room as though it were some kind of uncharted land. "Er, sure. Just…"
Heather giggled into a delicate hand. "You can, like, come in, y'know? We don't bite."
His face went even redder at that. "I just… never mind."
The guy awkwardly stepped inside and grabbed an armful of tupperware containers at Kaitlyn's direction. Bidding goodbye to Heather, they headed out to the main common room area so that Kaitlyn could get started.
Right. He hasn't eaten yet, so I should get him something quick and small first. While he's eating that, I can work on the main course…
Once Ian set down his load, she plucked the containers of pre-sliced lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and other fixings from the counter and got to work. Each component found its way into one of the Cappy's bowls she kept on hand. The tomatoes she always sliced fresh. Otherwise, she'd have to refrigerate them as well, making them go mealy and lose their flavor.
They already aren't the best tomatoes around. If I stick them in the fridge, then I might as well not include them at all.
Her knife flashed, leaving a neat pile of red cubes in its wake. Scooping them into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients, she called back over her shoulder. "Do you like dressing on your salad?"
"Er…" Ian had taken a seat at the table as she worked. He was staring at her, a look of astonishment written plain across his features. "Yes?"
"Alright. One sec." She rushed to combine some of her pre-squeezed lemon juice, a few spices, and salt in a measuring cup. Grabbing a whisk, her hand practically blurred as she began mixing the concoction with a slow drizzle of olive oil. A few moments and a quick taste later, the vinaigrette was finished.
Kaitlyn pushed the bowl and measuring cup of dressing in front of Ian. "Alright. Snack on this while I make the rest."
"The rest? What do you mean?" He looked between her and the salad, eyes wide with disbelief. "And how did you make this so fast?!"
She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face, reaching up to pin it back. "What do you think I mean? You haven't eaten all day, and you think a salad's going to be enough for you? And it was fast because I already had the stuff prepped."
"Ok, sure, but the dressing? Kay, I saw you literally just make that!" He gestured to her containers of lemon juice and spices. "Who does that?"
"Eh. It tastes better this way." Kaitlyn shrugged and turned back to her work. "This one'll take longer, so don't eat too fast."
With that, she dove into her work. She wasn't planning to cook an entire bulk meal like usual. Even with all of the prep work she'd done, that would take too long, and she preferred to serve Kate's Kitchen food fresh.
It's been a while since I've made a meal for one. Let's hope I'm not too out of practice…
Luckily, the meal she'd planned for was a pretty easy one to scale down. It was a Korean-style beef stir fry that she'd come to really enjoy. The veggies were already cut up and the meat had already been marinating for a while, though it would have even more flavor tomorrow. All she needed was to make the sauce and fry things up.
As she got to work preparing the pan and everything else, she heard the sound of Ian's fork against the bowl behind her followed by a crunch. It took a bit of effort to keep herself from turning around expectantly. At this point, she was pretty confident in her own cooking, but still. It was hard to shake the fear that he might not like it.
Shoot. What if he hates lemon or cucumbers or something? I should've asked…
"This is really good. Like, really good."
A quick glance back at Ian revealed that he was tucking into the salad enthusiastically. "Wow. You really like salad that much?"
"I really don't. It's just… this might be the best salad I've eaten. It doesn't even count."
A wide grin spread across her face. "Good. Just wait till you get the main course."
At the rate Ian was eating, that snack wouldn't hold him over for long. The thought kicked her into high gear.
C'mon, beef. Brown faster.
The thin slices of brownish meat and onions sizzled intoxicatingly from the stove. To keep herself from just staring, she began mincing up the remaining sauce ingredients and combining them in a large bowl. That, at least, would keep just fine in the fridge. Besides, preparing a big batch for tomorrow would save her some time and effort.
After what felt like an eternity of frenzied cooking, Kaitlyn finally turned off the heat. Placing the food into a bowl with a quick garnish of green onions and sesame seeds, she allowed herself a brief moment to enjoy the sweet-and-savory scent of the dish. The meat was deliciously browned, the onions seared attractively to add just a bit of char and character. The whole thing glistened slightly with a thin coating of sauce.
Nodding in satisfaction, Kaitlyn set it in front of Ian with a small bowl of extra sauce on the side. She noted that he'd finished the salad, leaving only the tiniest bits of lettuce behind. Hopefully he hadn't been waiting too long.
With a sigh of relief, she slid into the chair across from him. "There. Eat up."
Ian rubbed his temple. "Seriously, Kay. How did you…? When you said you'd make food, I didn't think…"
"I told you I have a cooking business, didn't I?" She wiped her hands on a towel and relaxed. "This is literally what I do. There's a bit of extra in the pan, by the way."
"Do you want any?"
She shook her head. "I'm good. Unlike some people, I actually remember to eat lunch. Thanks, though."
His eyes darted one more time between her and the admittedly well-plated meal before him before he started eating. Kaitlyn just put her chin in one hand and watched as his eyes lit up at the first taste.
There was always something so satisfying about watching people try her food. Not just Heather and her over-the-top reactions, either. While those never failed to make her smile, even the more subtle shows of appreciation were nice. They made all of the work and practice of perfecting a dish worthwhile. And even if Ian wasn't wiggling in his chair, he was clearly enjoying it.
It probably helps that he's starving. Hunger is the best spice and all that.
After a few moments of silent eating, his eyes flicked up to meet hers. He swallowed. "What?"
"What do you mean, what?"
"You're, uh, smiling at me."
Kaitlyn blinked, straightening. "Ah. Sorry. Didn't mean to make you feel awkward…"
"Ah, it's ok! I just… don't worry about it." He swallowed another bite before clearing his throat. "Kay. This is… this is really good. Like, I would pay for this."
She shot him a cheeky smile. "A lot of people do. I'm glad you like it, though."
"Can I—?"
"Nope. On the house. Call it my good deed for the day, feeding the hungry."
He let out a sigh. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" When she stuck her tongue out in response, he just shook his head. "Fine. I guess I deserve it… Really, though. Thanks. You didn't need to."
"I know. But I wanted to. I told you, I like cooking."
"Are you trying to be a chef or something?" He gestured down at the bowl. "I mean, you definitely could be. I think. You made this pretty fast."
Kaitlyn blinked. It was something she hadn't really thought about.
I've spent so much time in the loop that thinking about what happens after feels like a luxury. Like it's so far off that it may as well never happen. But… what DO I want to do?
"I'm… not sure," she admitted honestly. "I guess there's a few things I could look into, maybe? I mean, there's a lot of things I enjoy doing. But as a career… I really hadn't considered it."
"Oh." He paused. "Then… are you going to the career fair?"
Kaitlyn's eyebrows rose. "Maybe. Why?"
"Did you maybe want to go together? You don't have to, of course. If you weren't planning on it. But if you were, then I figured I should ask…"
That surprised her. Kaitlyn had known that Ian attended the event, of course. She'd seen him at the encounter often enough and even gone with him during the bad ending. But he'd never been the one to invite her along. It felt even more out of place given his shift in focus this loop.
"Sure? I mean… sure!" It took her a moment to collect herself. "Yeah, of course! I'm down."
"Cool. That's cool. It'll feel way less weird than going alone, you know?" Ian let out a long breath, staring down into his bowl. "But uh, no pressure. Really."
"I already said yes, Ian." She couldn't help but chuckle a little. "You don't have to seem so worried."
"Ah, right. Sorry. Just habit, I guess…"
As he continued to eat, Kaitlyn stood to package up the leftovers for Heather. It felt a little less intrusive than continuing to stare at the guy. But soon, he leaned back in his seat contentedly. "That was awesome. Thanks, Kay. Seriously."
"Anytime!" She grinned proudly. "Does that mean you're ready for dessert?"
"Dessert? There's more?" Ian blanched. "What, are you actually running a restaurant?"
"Well, only if you're still hungry." She raised an eyebrow at him.
He glanced down at his stomach. It took a bit of effort to suppress her amusement as he seemed to debate over whether he still had any room left. His stomach won out. "...I mean, if you're really ok with it…"
With a small chuckle, she pushed back her seat and stood. "Give me one second. I've got some fudge in the room."
Comments
Geoff Urland
Dawwwwwwww
