Ghost Scarab

Grilled Cheese

Sorry, this chapter is a little on the short side, but hopefully, you will still enjoy it.

We were silent in the car. My hands were shaking from spent adrenaline and my ears were straining for the sound of police sirens.

Blake's hands were clenched on the wheel as he headed back into the South of Broad territory. His eyes were dark and his jaw was tightly clenched making me feel beyond anxious. There were several times where I debated trying to jump out of the car but I had come this far with Blake, I wanted to see this through.

When we pulled into his driveway I immediately regretted not having fled when I had the chance. Blake was going to have questions for me, questions I didn't want to answer.

Blake hopped out and had the car door open for me before I had even gotten my seat belt off. I wanted to believe that this show of good manners from him was a good sign but it was possible that such behavior was so deeply ingrained in him he wasn't even fully aware he was doing it. I was very familiar with deeply ingrained habits and behavior.

Blake's shoulders relaxed imperceptibly when I followed him without complaint back to his house. He led me into the kitchen. "Have a seat." He motioned to the kitchen island and I took a seat at one of the stools there.

I watched him as he poked around his freezer until he found what he was looking for and pulled out a box of frozen microwave hamburgers. He smiled sheepishly at me, "I know these aren't what I promised you but are you okay with these for lunch."

Now I'm not a picky eater, I can't afford to be a picky eater, but I have never been a fan of overly processed food. Maybe because I was never allowed to eat it growing up and then when I started buying my own food it just wasn't the most economical option. Cooking for myself was the cheaper option, I could buy myself a bag of rice and dried beans for about the same price as those hamburgers, and get more meals out of it as well.

However, I didn't want to be rude so I forced a smile and nodded but he could clearly see how unenthusiastic I was about the idea and grimaced.

Tentatively I suggested, "I could make grilled cheese sandwiches if that's okay with you." For a moment it looked like he was going to protest, probably on the grounds of good manners but I hurried to interject, "Please, your kitchen is amazing. I would love to get a chance to cook in it, even if all I am making is something as simple as grilled cheese sandwiches."

A small smile played across his lips, "Well who am I to deny a beautiful woman her heart's desire." His tone was a mixture of playfully teasing and suggestive that left me feeling slightly breathless.

"Could you please pull out some bread for me?"

As Blake got bread for our sandwiches I gathered everything else I would need for them. The kitchen was amazingly well organized and I had little trouble finding what I needed.

Once he got the bread out Blake seemed content to sit and watch in silence as I cooked, at least until I started adding sliced apple to one of the sandwiches. Blake stood and moved over to where I was working with the grace of a panther.

"You put apple in your grilled cheese sandwiches?" Blake didn't sound disgusted, if anything he sounded intrigued. Nevertheless, I blushed, well aware of how weird this must seem to him. Neither my mother nor Marie was ever willing to try my grilled cheese.

I shrugged casually in an attempt to disguise my insecurity, "You'd be surprised how good it tastes." I paused for a moment before adding, "I can leave the apple off of your sandwiches if you want."

"No, don't," he spoke softly, snagging one of the apple slices from the cutting board and moving back to his seat. "I'm looking forward to tasting it; you just caught me by surprise. I'd never seen anyone make a grilled cheese that way."

I smiled at him and continued cooking. Faster than I would have liked the food was ready. I knew once we had eaten Blake would have some questions for me and I was not looking forward to it. As we sat down to eat I began to wish I had chosen a recipe that would take longer to make, like homemade ravioli.

"You were right sugar, this is delicious," Blake said, finishing the last bite of his first sandwich and starting on his second.

"Thank you," I said with a smile. I wasn't used to having people compliment my cooking and it was a nice feeling.

I was just starting on the second half of my sandwich when Blake asked, "By the way can I have my wallet back?"

I could feel my face heating up and I just knew I looked like a lobster right about now. Setting my food aside I reached into my pocket and slowly pulled out a wallet.

He glanced at the wallet in my hand, "That isn't my wallet."

You could have probably set fire to my face and I wouldn't have noticed, my face was already so hot with embarrassment. I quickly produced the correct wallet and laid them both on the table between our plates of food.

Blake picked up his wallet and checked the contents. I idly wondered whether it was possible to spontaneously combust from embarrassment and was beginning to seriously hope it was.

"I didn't take anything," I mumbled, refusing to look at him.

"But you did sweetheart," he said, gesturing to the other guy's wallet. "You took that."

"He was pointing a gun at you."

He squinted at me, "I know, I was there. You pickpocketed an armed robber. How did you learn to do that."

I froze, not wanting to answer, the food I had eaten churning unpleasantly in my stomach.

Sounding frustrated he asked, "Who the hell am I fighting crazy accusations from? What kind of agency sends a girl like you after me? Please, tell me who you're working with."

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?" he asked brusquely.

I gulped, "Both."

"Darling," he barked causing me to jump slightly. He leaned forward and gestured towards the other guy's wallet. "This isn't some hobby you pick up casually. Why are you really here?"

I bit my lip, I couldn't, wouldn't tell him about the guys, or the Academy. At the same time, I had also promised him I wouldn't lie to him. I felt stuck in a quandary.

I looked into his hazel eyes and saw a miasma of emotions swirling within him, frustrations, hurt, confusion as well as others I couldn't identify. At last, he rested his head in his hands. "Fine, I can't win." He checked his watch. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"Ready to learn what my deep dark secret is."

I may just feel this way because I was raised vegetarian and have been vegan for the past nine years but to me, microwave hamburgers sound about as appetizing as eating cardboard. Veggie burgers taste terrible if you microwave them so seems the same would hold true for hamburgers.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who has read, voted, commented. Maybe now I will be able to sleep.