Molly didn’t seem to respond to Freya’s question, or even her appreciation, making her even more nervous. Her eyes shifted towards a clock nearby. It had only been five minutes?! She was going to die if nothing happened.

Hearing footsteps approaching, she looked towards the hallway curiously. It had only been five minutes. At the sight of James, she relaxed a bit, looking surprised when a handful of suckers were placed on the table. She smiled towards him, a silent thanks as she picked up a sucker. “Hmm…this looks like it might be…watermelon?” Freya unwrapped the sucker, and put it into her mouth, a small sound of delight soon following. “It is!” She giggled.

Soon enough though, they were summoned to the kitchen, and Freya had gone through three of the suckers, wanting to not eat too many since she was going to have to eat actual food and give feedback. The first thing she noticed was how grumpy Rebecca seemed. She looked as if she had smelled funky cheese, or something. Taking a seat, she thanked James as he had pulled her chair out for her.

With the appetizers being set in front of them, Freya blinked, a smile crossing her features. They looked beautiful. The presentation definitely made her want to hurry and dig in. Remembering her sheet, she jotted down her initial thoughts on the dish, simply from the aesthetic. Picking up a shell, she decided to get it all at once, and a light ‘slurp’ was made as she got the contents out of the shell. Freya had a second one, and remembered to write down her thoughts. Freya enjoyed writing. Her handwriting was something she took great pride in, taking care to make sure her cursive was sleek and elegant.

‘Appetizer Thoughts: The presentation of this dish is simply wonderful! It jumps out to the eye and invites you in to taste! Some might be put off by the act of slurping to eat, but I found it to be rather fun and a unique approach to most appetizers! The mushrooms compliment the scallop very well. I do however, though it is a nice pop of color, wish that the garnish was as fun as the rest of the dish.’

Molly had the other two servings at her disposal, and Freya cleansed her palate with a cup of tea, not really liking coffee in the first place.

Unlike Rebecca who seemed to be rocking back and forth on her heels waiting for the girls to give their impressions, James had unintentionally dived into butler mode as he smoothly put together two small plates of the main course. His body moved with practice and grace and it was obvious for the new girls in the house that it was attention grabbing. That and he was in jeans, apparently him in jeans was a sight for girls who didn’t see him in out of his standard dress clothes. He could feel a set of eyes on him every once and a while and when he looked back, all eyes would be off of him. Odd…

Soon they were finished with their notes and Rebecca removed the plate of appetizers. Next was the main course which they each got their own plates with a small portion. “Take your time; we have enough of it to give you more servings if you want to focus on only a couple questions at a time.” James said with a nod as he stepped back from the girls to let them do well.

“James?” Rebecca whispered as they stood off to the side. “Do you have any plans for the coming spring break?”

“Actually I…”

“Because I was thinking you and I should hang out sometime. Maybe go out, get something to eat, spend the day at the park…”

“I’m flattered,” He said softly before shaking his head, “But I’m going to have to turn you down. I have a date over spring break I have to plan for and that’s going to take up most of my time. I’m sorry.” He said with a nod before looking back at the girls as they tried the food and instantly changed the topic back to the food and the project despite the disgruntled look from Rebecca. Obviously that wasn’t the response that she had wanted and it was apparently that he didn’t care.

The change in James didn’t go unnoticed by Freya, who tried her best not to giggle at his sudden shift in demeanor. She couldn’t really blame the other girls for watching him as he moved about. He was rather graceful when he got into a rhythm. As the main course was placed in front of them, Freya smiled towards James as he explained they didn’t have to be shy with wanting seconds – of course to fully help them articulate what they needed to give feedback wise.

As the Foie Gras arrived, Freya’s nose wrinkled slightly at the presentation. She herself wasn’t a fan of the figs used. She knew they were meant to compliment it…but…still, she felt as it took away from the elegance of the dish. Quickly noting it down, she sliced into it, and blinked as she looked down at the fork and knife. She could tell something was just a bit off. Eating a small portion she had cut off she glanced up towards the pair as they returned after a brief moment, no doubt to give the girls time to think. It was slightly overcooked…From what she could gather, it stayed in the pan just a bit too long. Were the figs on this meant to cover up that fact?

She didn’t really touch the dish after her initial taste, not wanting to really finish it. Picking up her pencil as she gently pushed the first part of the main course away, she began writing:

‘Foie Gras not as pleasing to the eye as appetizer. Too much going on? Suspect whoever prepared my Foie Gras was distracted, for it was overcooked. I think the presentation would fare better from perhaps a citrus or plum reduction instead to really let the sear of the meat shine, instead of covering it up.’

Turning to the second portion of their main course, Freya was pleasantly surprised to see that the presentation was rather minimal. Fitting in her eyes as they winded down. It was a rather clean taste, the potatoes doing wonders to naturally clean any duck notes off her tongue, which she noted.

‘Confit was beautiful in presentation, palate cleansed with the potatoes. Seems like a good strong dish here.’

She dared not say anything about the dish being overcooked aloud, knowing that feedback sheets were there for that very reason. They cleared the main course off, and brought dessert. Seeing that it was, her eyes widened. This reminded her of the appetizer, so interactive and fun!

Dipping the bread into the melted cheese mixture, she rolled it through the crumbles and ate it with delight. It was so simple, yet so engaging. It wasn’t long before she had her fill.

‘Camembert was incredibly pleasing and simple! Perhaps offering different dried berries would help add a variety to the kind of taste you get from dessert? It was very interactive, but I would have enjoyed it more if I could play with different flavors.’

As she and Molly finished filling out their sheets, she handed the completed form over to James when he came by. “I hope that helps.” Freya smiled. She stood from her place at the table, and moved to go sit back in the living room. They would need time to review the feedback that they had gotten, and could ask any follow-up questions to the girls if they needed to. When Molly joined her, she took another sucker, finding this one to be cherry and looked over towards her. “What did you think of the samples?”

Upon the end of the taste testing, the two gathered their tester’s papers and read them over. The two took the seats that the girls were at and ate over the left over pieces for themselves. James ended up with the same cut as Freya had and instantly noticed the difference. His face cringed slightly and his blue gaze turned to Rebecca who had asked what was wrong.

It took him a moment to figure out his proper wording, he wasn’t dealing with a chef in the kitchen, he was dealing with a fellow student and the last thing he wanted to do was come across as a know-it-all. He used the excuse of ‘still chewing’ to pick his words kindly. Surprisingly enough, James’ wording didn’t hurt her feelings and they were able to use the feedback provided by the girls to aid their final grade!

“James really is an amazing cook.” Molly said as if she was gushing towards the door. Her actions were those of flirtatiousness and her voice held a dreamy tone. “He’s always so attentive during class and so smart.” It wasn’t long before Molly went on and on about how popular James was in class, not really caring where Freya may sit on the level of importance to James.

Soon the two students came back out to living room looking over the papers.

“Thank you both for your input. We have fantastic suggestions to make an A meal. Thank you both for your help.” James said with a nod of thanks before handing Rebecca a couple bags. “Thank you for bringing the supplies, I’ll clean up.” With that he ushered the two women out the door and shut it behind them with a click of a lock.

Once back inside he flopped down on the couch and turned his gaze to Freya. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Rebecca gave you her plate. Would you like a plate of mine?”

Freya sat staring at Molly a bit dumbfounded for a moment. Was she even listening to what she had asked? And the way she was talking…It bothered her a little, but in a way she couldn’t quite explain. She almost instantly regretted asking her a question, thinking it might have been better to leave the young woman in her own thoughts because soon she was simply rambling on and on. It was…rather unsettling if she was to be honest. She did keep a polite smile on her face, nodding occasionally to show she was in fact, listening. Not that she thought Molly was actually talking to be heard by anyone else.

Was James really that popular? Looking up as the pair returned from the kitchen, she nodded. “Of course, it wasn’t a problem. I know you two will make something fantastic for your midterm test.” She stood, giving a small wave towards the girls as they were ushered out, no doubt with some protests about why Freya herself wasn’t being excused.

How swiftly he locked the door made her giggle. “You know James, here I thought you actually liked entertaining guests.” She teased, sitting back down beside him as he returned to the living room. When he mentioned Rebecca’s plate she shook her head. “It’s fine. I don’t know if Molly would have caught that it was overcooked. It’ll help her maybe pay a bit more attention to the foie gras when it goes in the pan.” At his suggestion for her having something she cook, she gasped, looking at him rather shocked.

“James, honestly…You’re sitting here asking me if I would like some of your cooking? Please.” She smiled and stood to head into the kitchen, soon returning with a small plate that James had cooked, and a warm cup of tea she had poured. Biting into this one was what she had expected to taste, a small moan of bliss escaping her throat as she held one of her cheeks. “That is sooo good! You always amaze me in the kitchen James.” After finishing it, she drank her tea little by little, and when it was gone as well, leaned her head against James’ shoulder. Glancing at the clock, it was close to 2pm. That didn’t take a terribly long time.

“I’m glad I could help you today, James. It feels really nice to be useful. Although…” She gave a slight pause, and her fingers moved to gently grip at the fabric of his shirt. “…Molly gave off the impression that you’re quite ah….popular…with the ladies in class..” Freya cleared her throat. “Goodness, I…I don’t know it was a little weird? Not to mention the looks I got, haha.” She sighed softly, her fingers letting the fabric slip through them as she sighed. “I sound ridiculous…” The young woman stood up and ran a hand through her hair before picking up the dishes she made, and turned to head towards the kitchen again. “I’ll help you get everything cleaned up.”

Entering the kitchen, she grabbed a few pans off the stove and began washing them, trying to move on and focus her attention on something else, besides the annoying feeling in her stomach of other people gushing over James.

Watching her gush over his food made him smile, correction it made him beam. She liked his food and to him that was really important. He loved the idea that he could impress her with his cooking and used those looks that smile, as a motivation to continue with his studies. If he could make her happy with his cooking that was just one of the many ways he could return the happiness she gave him.

However, her sudden exit from the kitchen after admitting that he was quote ‘popular with the ladies’ said something more. His head jerked back slightly as he processed what she had said. Now James may not be the brightest when it comes to women, he may not recognize when someone was hitting on him or giving him ‘the look’, but he was aware enough to know when certain things were said that he needed to pay attention to him. Taking a moment to register it, he rose to his feet and walked to the doorway of the kitchen and watched her scrub away on the pans.

A smile moved across his face as he walked up behind her. Reaching around her, he slowly took the sponge from her hand and dropped it into the sink. His arms gently wrapped around her waist and his forehead rested against the back of her head, an honest smile across his face. Leaning around her, he placed his chin gently on her shoulder and whispered softly to into her ear. “Freya… are you jealous?” His gentle breath softly dancing on her ear and neck as smiled.

Staring into the soapy water that she had created, she narrowed her eyes, focusing her attention on some of the bits of grime stuck to the pan for a moment, but it came off with relative ease. Of course it would, the pans that she had gotten for James were non-stick to allow him free creative range for cooking. Finishing one, she rinsed it and put it on the rack nearby to dry and started scrubbing at the next one, when she heard footsteps behind her. Tensing slightly, her grip on the pan and sponge tightened.

James eased the sponge out of her grip, and she puffed out her cheeks, making a small noise of displeasure. “I was using that James,” She sighed, moving to grab it again when she felt his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. Her cheeks flushed slightly at the sudden move, and she let go of the pan, it falling back into the water with a gentle plop. “What is it? Was it what I said? Listen I already said it was ridiculous so—“ She gave pause, feeling his chin on her shoulder and him accusing her of being jealous.

Her eyes went wide. “J-J-Jealous?! Me?! Wh…Why would I need to be jealous?!” She sneered, clearing her throat a few times. She could practically hear him smiling. “It’s not funny!” Freya whined, curling her fingers into small fists. “Who cares if…they’re all ‘Ooh, look at James!’ or ‘He’s so hot, ohmahgosh’, or – or here’s a riot! ‘He’s a wonder in the kitchen—‘ Okay that one is true, I-I mean not to say that you’re not…attractive…I just…”

She was digging a small hole for herself, it seemed. “I don’t…” Her gaze fell and she managed to turn to face him. “I don’t like the way they look at you! Molly hardly cared about helping with the midterms! I mean – did you see how she was dressed? I was cold for her! And…And…” Freya gently bit her bottom lip, her arms moving to rest at James’ hips. “…I don’t know.” She gave a small defeated sigh. “I just...if nothing else is good about leaving, I’ll have you to myself, and be away from the peering eyes of all those…girls.” She huffed, raising her arms to fold them over her chest.

This was way too adorable. She was jealous, honestly jealous that someone else was looking at him. However, her reason for being jealous was unnecessary, for in his eyes, no one could compete with her. Her words made him smile. She did find him attractive and she enjoyed his skills in the kitchen. Those were two things that were important to him that she felt. If there was no attractiveness, than there was nothing that could happen and if she didn’t enjoy his passion and his skills than that would be a problem; and look, she likes both!

When she finally turned to face him, his hands dropped to her sides as he listened to her speak. Watching her dig herself deeper and deeper into a hole was adorable and it should come as no shock that a small smirk moved across his face as she admitted that she liked having him to herself and away from the peering eyes of the other girls. Leaning forward, he gave the end of her nose a small kiss. It was nothing big, it was nothing crazy but it was soft, tender and gentle much like the beautiful girl in front of him.

“As you say.” He said softly in a gentle whisper to her as he stood upright. Reaching out he gently unfolded her arms and took one of her small hands into his big ones. “I am yours.” He said softly as he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand before giving her a gentle pull. “Please come and sit with me. We were interrupted when they arrived and I’d much like to watch a movie with you.” He took a step towards the living room before stopping and turning to her. “Unless you don’t want to, which I will respect.”

Her cheeks couldn't help but flush as he simply kissed her nose. He wasn't really saying too much through it, and she wondered for a brief moment if perhaps she had rambled on just a little too much. His statement confused her, and she raised an eyebrow as he moved to unfold her arms. A small smile crossed her lips. "Good, I'm glad." Him moving back towards the living room and giving her arm a gentle tug caused her to look towards him. At his offer, and him leaving her a way out, she tugged back on his arm, moving him towards her. "Don't be silly, James. I'd love to spend time with you." She leaned on her tiptoes and softly kissed James on the cheek, before quickly moving back and smiled shyly. "I don't mind watching something, but I might want to do something else..." Freya rubbed her arm. "You know, it's still early in the afternoon. I know you..just spent the afternoon cooking but.." She gently kicked at the tile floor, as if something was there.

"Would you...want to make dinner together?" She herself had to leave an out for James as well, not wanting him to feel locked into any one decision. "B-But we don't have to! We could ah...order takeout or pizza or...or...go somewhere? Maybe we...should order something? I don't...know if you're tired from cooking earlier. It was a lot of prep work.." Freya sighed. "I-It's just a suggestion, James. Let's go watch that movie, we can talk about dinner afterwards? Let's just.." Freya gave pause, and took a deep breath, forcing herself to breathe a moment. "Let's just enjoy each other right now, yeah?"

Leading James into the living room, she unfolded all the sheets, snuggling up to James. "Have you ever thought about getting one of those couches that turn into a bed? It'd be super useful for when we want to snuggle up. I can't imagine you're comfy on the couch all the time." She teased. Passing James the controller, she shrugged. "I've been picking these last few times, you decide James."

She was so shy, so gentle and so adorable that James just found himself grinning at her. Freya was without a doubt a different person compared to the rest of the world and he was really enjoy his time with her. The small thought in the back of his head made him wonder if their relationship would forever be a secret or if they would move forward and he would be able to tell her how he felt properly.

Still might want to do something else… Her words stopped trying to turn and shoot his blue gaze back to her. His eyebrows rose up high in confusion as his face turned red including his ears. Wwwwhat….??? Then she began to speak and he let out the air he had be holding in. Whoa, something about that wording took his thoughts into a different direction. Did she really not know exactly how things can be translated in a man’s brain? Her explanation made him grin and he nodded. “We’ll make pizza. I’ll teach you how to make the dough and sauce than we’ll put the toppings on yourself. We can go shopping after the movie.”

With that he followed her into the couch and settled in beside her. His arms wrapped slowly around her and pulled her to him. A gentle sigh left him as he felt his body relax as he held her. Then he heard her statement about the couch that pulls out into a bed and he chuckled as he used his arms wrapped around her to control the television and find a movie. “If you really want to cuddle on a bed, we can always go into the bedroom. We can watch movies on the tablet and lay down.” Leaning down, he kissed her gently on the neck before whispering in her ear, “As long as I have you in arms I really don’t care where.”

With that he turned on Zootopia and pressed play.

"I don't think I've ever made pizza dough before." She smiled. "I can't wait!" Happy to hear that James wasn't completely against cooking again so soon after he had just done so relieved her. And they were going shopping after! Did they have everything they needed here to make dough? It didn't seem like James had much in his own apartment. Right. Duh - he said they would go shopping afterwards. Freya giggled. "Well, yeah probably, but still! Think of how cool it would be! It's like a little hidden surprise." Shaking her head, she smiled. "No, I'm already super comfortable where I am right now." With that, she wiggled a little to secure herself in and her eyes widened feeling James' lips on her neck. She shivered slightly at the tingly sensation it left on her skin.

Just when she thought she had a small bit of time to recover, his breath was in her ear and she felt her cheeks get hot. What was that for? She turned her attention to the movie, deciding to withhold payback until after the movie was over. This was a movie she did want to really see, after all.

As the credits began rolling, she moved her arms above her head to stretch a moment. "Okay, James. It's time!" She turned around, pinning him to the couch. Leaning in, she paused by his ear. "Payback time." Freya whispered, and returned the same kiss on his neck that he had given her. Deciding to add to the payback though, she kissed his skin again, this time going for his collarbone. Leaning back, she let him go, seeming pretty satisfied with herself, even if her cheeks were a little red still. Clearing her throat, she shifted to move off of him.


"Now then...L-Let's go to shopping!" She announced.

The movie ended with a satisfying feeling which made James nod with approval. As she moved from his arms, he let her go and stretched himself. However, before he could sit up, his body was pushed back down onto the couch and she loomed over him. Swallowing hard he stared up at her as she said something about payback. What?? Even his internal voice stuttered in surprise and he opened his fine lips to protest; only to find her leaning down and pressing a kiss to his neck.

His large hands gripped the couch cushion beneath him as her soft lips hit his skin. Hoping it was done after she pulled back; he felt her lips trail down to his collarbone. A small soft groan left his lips before she pulled back. When she finally did, he let out the air he had been holding back, his face was on fire and he was nearly white knuckled on the cushion. A long breath left his chest as she turned away from him. Oooohhhh god what was that?!

He slowly let go of the cushion and climbed to his feet. His face bright red and his body shaking slightly, “Yes, yes let’s go.” With that he gently took her hand and let her out the door.

Had she gone too far with her teasing? James' face was quite red...He didn't seem to say much as they headed out of the apartment and climbed into the car. The drive towards the market was rather quiet. Clearing her throat after some time had passed, she gently twiddled her thumbs. "S-Sorry...Maybe that was...uncalled for." She retreated. "Back at the apartment. I just..." Freya moved a hand up to the area where James' lips had come into contact with her skin. "You made my skin all tingly when you did what you did. I thought payback was only fair."

Perhaps James was already past it and she as talking for no reason, though? Sighing softly, she turned her attention out the window, watching the many buildings get further apart until they were on the highway towards the store. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable if I did." After a few minutes went by, she glanced towards him as they pulled into the parking lot of the store. "I am still looking forward to cooking with you, though..." Freya smiled, and as James shifted the car to park and cut the engine, she emerged from the vehicle, shutting her door behind her. Once James had come around to her side, she embraced him, her arms going around his torso. Pulling back, she offered her hand to him.

"Let's go in and get some pizza ingredients, hm?"

Heading towards the building, she made sure to grab a cart, pushing it along as they explored he various aisles. "What sorts of toppings do you like for pizza, James?" She asked, as they walked down the baking aisle, grabbing flour, yeast, and a pan to cook the pizza on. Getting to the sauces, she looked at all the selections. Would it be better for them to use a jar or pre-made sauce or make it themselves? Looking to James, she looked between him and the sauce on a shelf just out of her reach. Pushing on her tip toes, she could barely touch the shelving with her fingers. Blowing air out of her mouth in small frustration, she put a hand on her hip.

"Did you want to go with pre-made sauce?" Freya huffed, a bit embarrassed she couldn't go for any of the sauces out of her reach. There were many selections. Garden Combination, Tomato, Onion, and Garlic, even Meat flavored Sauces! The possibilities of sauce flavors were endless it seemed.

She always jumped to conclusions. Always and it made him chuckle softly and it wasn’t until they were in the car that he brought her hand to his lips and gave it a tender kiss. “It’s okay.” He replied softly. Despite his reassurance, she continued to panic and all he could do was smile knowing this was her and this is what she does.

The arrival at the grocery store was a nice one and they held hands on their way in after exchanging an affectionate hug. After going through the store, he couldn’t help but chuckle as she struggled to reach the container. She was so innocent, so tiny and so charming he couldn’t get over it. Stepping up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a small hug from behind. A gentle sigh left him before he let her go and reached past her grabbing the garlic flavored sauce. “Tonight we’ll do a pre-made sauce. We can’t overwork you too much since we’re making the dough.”

Grabbing two containers he pulled them from the shelf and placed them into the cart. His face scrunched together in a questioning form before he turned to her. Stepping to her, he gently placed a large hand on her cheek, his thumb running softly along her smooth skin. “Freya, I have a question for you. And I wanted an honest answer…” His voice was in a soft whisper as he worded his question to her, “Do you know what those kind of actions you did on the couch do to a man? Not a butler, but a man.” If she didn’t and she was just saying and doing things without this knowledge he… well his heart wouldn’t be able to take it if she didn’t realize how her actions could be taken by the men of the world.

Feeling James' arms go around her she flinched slightly in surprise, but quickly relaxed. Watching him reach up and grab two of the garlic flavored sauces with ease she smiled. His judgement call was correct though. Best to not take on more than she bargained for. Now that she thought about it, this would be one of the first times they would be making something together casually. Sure, for her father's birthdays on occasions she would help in the manor kitchen to prepare things and check on organizational tasks, but this was different. Freya was going to head off towards the produce section, she gave pause as she felt James' warm hand against her cheek.

Raising an eyebrow, she blinked. "Sure.." Waiting for him to ask his questions, she took a moment to think. "Well..." She sighed softly, rubbing at her arm. "Uhm...Yes? Well, I mean what you did made my skin all tingly and my heart beat faster...I imagine it's something similar for you, isn't it? Your face was red like mine was afterwards.." Is that was he was talking about? "I haven't done that with anyone else, if that's what you're asking..." Her cheeks flushed at the thought, and she adverted her eyes.

No, no...She wasn't being completely honest with herself or James here. She herself hadn't done anything physically with anyone. She'd only read books that went into some more...graphic content. If she thought about it, whenever the characters she was reading about were getting along quite nicely and went to the bedroom, they always mentioned... Cheeks darkening she gasped. "Are...Are you feeling..." Freya had to take a breath. Glancing about the aisle to make sure nobody was nearby, she leaned in close to whisper. "...Turned on?" There. She said it. But she only kissed his skin, was...that enough to make him all hot and bothered?

His hand gently left her face as it fell to his side. That was until she saw the realization come across her face. James’ blue gaze moved from her, and his hand moved to his neck. During her gathering of her thoughts he felt his face flush red and he looked everywhere else but at her. It wasn’t something he wanted to admit but if she was approaching other men like she was with him, she needed to know they could have the same reactions.

Her question caused his body to explode in embarrassed heat. His hand fell from his neck and he placed his hands on the cart before finally turning his blue gaze to her. He locked his eyes in with hers while his face was bright red with a small smile on his face. After a gentle moment of silence he tilted his head to one side and left her with a passing thought. “I’d be inhuman if I wasn’t by the girl I have a crush on.” With that he turned his head forward and started down the aisle before calling back softly and playfully. “Come on Freya.”

Watching James' cheeks fill with color only affirmed what she had come to think. He was avoiding looking towards her, and she frowned, trying to get into view, but with James being taller than she was, it wasn't too hard for him to avoid her. She sighed softly and watched as it looked like he was just going to start continuing into the store like nothing happened. Freya took a step forward, her intent to stop him from going any further. He couldn't simply just leave her standing there without answering her question. However, he was looking back towards her, giving his own witty remark and causing her to be the embarrassed one. "W-Well, yeah..." She puffed out her cheeks slightly.

Freya quickly closed the distance between them, following him about the store, picking up the rest of the ingredients that they needed. Heading towards the checkout, she payed for the items, grabbing two of the lighter bags, already knowing that if the tried to carry the heavier ones, James would just slip them right of her hands like he had done many times before. Heading outside, she placed the bags into the trunk of the car before returning to the passenger side. Even with that embarrassing moment behind them, she fidgeted a little in the seat. "Hey, James? Our...date. Were we going to do that when we return from the manor? I don't see us getting away often. I'm sure Adrian is going to be all ears for what you've learned so far." She smiled.

Passing through downtown, she sighed happily once they drove by the large empty lot that housed the small fair not that long ago. "I can't wait for the fair to come back into town again...Will we be able to make the pizza this evening, James?"

Good, she didn’t bring it up again. James felt his face return to normal as they went through the checkout line and he grabbed the heavy bags at the end. Once to the car and the things were loaded, he climbed into the driver’s seat and buckled in. As if it was a pure natural thing to do, he reached out and took her hand once more; lacing his fingers in with hers. Something about this, this gentle touch made him feel all fuzzy and warm inside. What was this feeling? And why was it happening… who was he kidding, he knew why. He knew exactly why.

Her question made him nod as he brought her hand up to his lips and placed a small kiss on it as they drove down the road. “Yes, we will make the pizza tonight.” A small sigh left him before he continued. “Freya, I need you to understand something about the position we’re in.” He said softly, it wasn’t the best topic to talk about but he couldn’t leave her in the dark about it either. “It’s not… against the law for us to see each other but… it is severely taboo for someone of your status to be seeing the… well help.” His head rose and fell with a nod as he gave her hand a small squeeze. “If I had my way I would screen it from the rooftop but I do think we should talk to your father if… if you might want to… uh….” His face turned red as he tried to continue to focus on the road. “Make us… official…”

Glad that they would get to cook together tonight, she turned her attention towards him as she heard him sigh. Nodding slowly, she waited for him to continue. Needless to say, James referring to himself as 'the help' caused a distasteful frown to cross Freya's usually smiling features. Just like clockwork though, his words made her frown disappear, replacing it with embarassment. Would he seriously shout it from the rooftops if she asked him to? Getting back on topic, she bit her bottom lip nervously as he mentioned coming to her father about their relationship and where they wanted to take things. "O-Oh...Well..." She cleared her throat. "I'm sure we can...talk to him about it. I'll...try to get a word in. I still have to attend the party that father is arranging. There are going to be plenty of his friends and their heirs around at the party. It would be a useful time to network, so I'll be counting on you to make sure everyone enjoys themselves." She smiled. "I'm sure we won't run into those issues, but we will...talk to him about it. I'm really not sure how he'll react to the news.."

Sighing softly, she squeezed James' hand. "I'm not saying that he'll be against it, but he's kind of been working towards the whole 'strong financial ties' and all that. Don't get me wrong, James! I don't care that you're not some heir of a company or whatever. I'm just...letting you know what we'll be up against is all." Facing towards the road, closed her eyes, leaning her head back on the seat. "I'm not saying to push this off for another time, or that I don't think it's important, but we're having a wonderful evening so far. Why don't we just get back to the apartment and enjoy our time together, hm?"

Happy to feel the car settle into park, Freya moved to grab a few bags out of the trunk and made her way up the stairs. Figuring most of the things they would need would be in her apartment, she moved over towards her side and inserted her key, smiling when it gave the click to let her know it was unlocked. Getting the door open, she shut it behind James and put the bags on the counter top. Looking towards James, Freya pulled her hair up into a messy bun to keep it out of her face, and the food before rolling up her sleeves and washing her hands at the sink. Unsure if she would be cutting anything, she grabbed her knife set that she had bought when they had replaced James' culinary set. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she turned to James. "What do you want me to do, James?"

~*~*~*~*~

Working with James in the kitchen went smoother than she thought it would! Freya had been afraid that she would get in his way with her inexperience, but they were able to make the dough and get the pizza in the oven in no time! Now they just had to kill twenty minutes while the pizza baked. Suggesting that they put on the television to watch an episode of a cartoon that was playing, the timer went off before she knew it. Standing, she stood to the side as she watched James pull the pizza out of the oven. "It looks great!" She cheered, jumping up and down a little from her excitement. "I can't wait to taste it!"

Gingerly grabbing a piece after letting it sit a minute, she 'mmmm'd in delight. It was so cheesy! And gooey! Swallowing the cheesy goodness, she giggled. "Thank you for teaching me how to do this, James! It was a blast!" She leaned up, placing a soft kiss to his cheek. "Let's go watch a comedy sketch and maybe head to bed? Before you know it we'll be getting ready to head back home." Freya moved to the couch and watching the comedy special, was in a fit of giggles near the end. With pizza finished, she looked towards James. "We should totally cook together more often, James. I had a lot of fun!" Standing up, she stretched upwards.

"Ready to turn in for the evening?" She moved towards her bedroom door and gave a small yawn. "I'm going to shower and head to bed. You want to go change and come back?" She asked curiously as she pushed her door open and grabbed a change of clothes, coming back into the kitchen as not to leave her question unanswered. "It's not weird for you to sleep in my room tonight, is it?"

Her father had a point when it came to what/who he would want her to be with. She was the heir to a fortune and a business that much more intense than people know; so being with someone who could relate to her situation would be beneficial. But when it comes to the basic functionality of the business her father treasured so much, the butlers knew a lot. Including James who was the head butler’s right hand man; anything the master knew, between the two of them they knew it all too. With just a little more training, James would be able to run his master’s business if allowed.

A firm nod rose and fell his head when she had expressed that she was counting on him to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves. There was no doubt that James took a great deal of pride in his work and his job for the family, for her to have faith him, it made him feel even more determined. It was wonderful to be able to share this moment, that feeling that she felt the same rang through the car and they know they had some challenges ahead but… what situation doesn’t come with some challenges. But for now, there was a new challenge and that was cooking together!

~~~~~~~~~~~

The two cooked together and had a wonderful time. James found himself enjoying his time with her cooking, especially with her inexperience more than working with the people in his class. He left like a teacher with an active beautiful student. There was a mix of laughter, chatter and instructions given between the two of them as they put together the food and enjoy each other’s company.

Soon it came to the moment of truth as he pulled the delicious looking pizza from the oven. “Mmmmm!!” He said loudly as he pulled it out and began to cut the slices. At the table, the two sat and eat away on the pizza making happy noises as they did so. “Thanks for letting me teach you! It’s a lot more fun to cook with someone else and you’re an excellent student.” He said with a broad grin as she two took their things to sink and cleaned them quickly so they could watch the comedy special.

Laughter filled the living room as the two sat comfortably on the couch together watching the show. Soon it came to an end and James gentle removed some laughter tears from his face. “Yeah…” He said softly sounding disappointed as he rose from the seat and ventured back into the kitchen to finish cleaning. “We do need to leave tomorrow by no later than noon because your dad’s going to want to spend some time with you and I need to report to Adrian.” He called out to her as he began to work in the kitchen.

At least he was he heard her question. He stopped scrubbing the cutting board and froze at the sink, listening for her to return to the kitchen. Did… did he hear her right? Sure enough, she stood at the entrance to the kitchen and repeated herself once again. Oh my god she was serious! A smile moved across his face showing his straight white teeth, “If you’re okay with it, I certainly have no objections. I’ll be back.” With that he finished up the dishes and left for her to shower.

In his apartment he found himself leaning against the door he had just closed in his bathroom. She has to know what something like this would mean to him right? Something like this was something you should only do with someone you care about deeply and sincerely and yet she was offering it to him freely. A long happy sigh left him and he got himself into the shower before questioning whether she knew how spending the night in her bed could be lead through his mind. A gentle sigh left him as he finished cleaning himself and climbed out of the shower. Soon he was in a pair of fluffy pajama bottoms and a tight black shirt.

He locked the apartment behind him and went back into hers, locking the door behind him. He could still hear the water running in the shower. Shrugging to himself he walked into her bedroom and placed his keys and his wallet on her dresser. Climbing into the bed he covered his lower half with the blanket and opened his book so he could read a bit before she returned.