Page 86 of Monster's Obsession

"I need to learn to make my mate’s favorite dish," he said seriously, and I swooned.

"All right, the secret to good macaroni and cheese is that you have to boil the noodles in the milk and that helps add to the creaminess."

Steele nodded, studying the noodles and milk intensely, but not moving towards them. Almost as if he expected them to start cooking themselves.

"Will you grab that pot?" I finally asked, and he nodded sheepishly before darting to it and setting it in front of me like an offering. I managed to hold in my giggle.

Who knew cooking could be so much fun?

He watched as I carefully poured the milk into a clay bowl roughly the size of a measuring cup.

"I think we’ll need at least eight scoops of the noodles.” Bane snorted at my comment, not trying to hide it at all. I gave him the side eye.

"My monsters have big appetites, and I want to make sure there's enough for me,” I explained haughtily.

He held up his hands in front of him. "I wasn't saying anything," he responded, the mirth in his voice clear.

Ignoring his attitude, I resumed working on my macaroni and cheese. I went over to the stove, which was more of a fire than anything else, and I placed the pot of milk on top of it. Steele popped one of the raw noodles into his mouth, grimacing as he crunched down. "Something's wrong with the noodles. I think I got the wrong kind," he growled, annoyed.

This time, I couldn’t hold in my laugh. “There’s nothing wrong with the noodles. They just have to be cooked before they taste good, and even then, you have to smother them with cheese to get the right effect.”

There was a slight flush to his cheeks, and I cocked my head, examining his embarrassment.

“You lived on earth fora while. What did you do to survive?”

His blush deepened. "A lot of take out," he finally drawled. "I tried to cook once, but I burned down my apartment, so after that, it was just easier to buy premade food. I know absolutely nothing about cooking."

For a second, I imagined how we could have been on earth, living in an apartment or a house, cooking in our kitchen together like this. It was a beautiful thought, and one I’d had often when I’d been on earth, but the idea wasn't as bright as it once had been.

Somehow, standing here in this monster kitchen, with eyeballs and gray balls of goo, and Steele in his monster form…it just seemed much better than what I’d once envisioned.

My life had certainly changed.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly, as the milk popped with bubbles and I poured in the noodles to cook.

"I used to imagine moments like this. I’d see you in the cafeteria and I’d pretend we were actually eating together. And then, of course, my thoughts would spiral from there, and all of a sudden, I’d be daydreaming about us in our own house.”

Steele’s answering grin was beautiful. He was clearly happy to hear me admitting how much I'd thought about him.

"I never imagined it would come true like this. But somehow it's even better than what I used to dream.” I bit my lip and stared down at the frothing milk. "Did you ever think about things like that?"

I didn't know why I felt so weird asking the question, but I did. Our mating bond meant that I could feel how true his feelings were, but it would probably take years for my brain to get on the same level as my heart…thanks to my terrible upbringing.

"I never dreamed of cooking with you simply because I didn't cook…But I thought about doing everything else with you. You were all I thought about. I lived for those moments when I saw your face. I'm sure you weren't even aware I was watching you most of the time."

I leaned against him, absentmindedly stirring the noodles so they wouldn't clump together. "It still feels unreal that you're here.” He took my face in his hands and brushed a kiss across my lips.

"And now I get to do my best to make sure your whole life is a dream."

Bane snorted nearby, breaking the moment. My cheeks flushed, and I glanced at him, embarrassed.

"You're both going to make me sick, and you’re going to ruin your dish,” he offered calmly.

I cursed when I realized he was right, and the noodles were almost too done. I took it off the fire and then grabbed the cheese we'd already shredded, beginning to sprinkle it into the milky noodle mixture and stirring slowly. Steele hadn't known all the things to get, but luckily Bane had some spices that, while not exactly the same, were similar enough that I could finish the dish. I poured the cheese and noodle mixture into another pot, and then stuck it in the oven to bake. Steele had tried to grab bites the entire time, but luckily my food was mostly intact. He'd seen I was a bit feral about the dish.

I went back to helping Bane with the other meals, finally stopping and letting him take over when I cut into some kind of slug and it squirted green juice all over me.

Bane was much more efficient than I was, and by the time the macaroni and cheese was done, and he'd taken over, the rest of the dishes were finished in a flash.