SAM's POV

~Sunday, after work~

When I entered Jake's house, I was attacked with the smell of something spicy and greasy. As I followed him into the kitchen, I saw a black cast iron skillet full of something that was frying in oil. It smelled like chicken.

"Ay, you're right on time! I'm just frying the chicken wings now..." Jake enthuses as he runs to the stove with a pair of tongs, his back towards me as he works on the food.

"You frying chicken wings? Ooh..." I reply with an impressed smile. "No wonder it smelled like a Black grandmama's kitchen up in here."

Jake chuckles a little then says, "Well, I'm almost done so we can eat in a minute. Make yourself comfortable, Sam. By the way, you look good..."

"Thank you," I reply to his compliment.

I glance at the long dining room table which sat in the middle of the kitchen -- the same table that held 10 laughing and smiling people just last week for Ms. Rosalita's birthday. The table had a simple dark green table runner down its center, and there were only eight wooden chairs today. I hung my small purse on one of the chairs and caught glimpse of the setup. There was a big bowl of some kind of rice dish with two sunny side up eggs on top, then two sets of a smaller bowl, plate, glass, and silverware on either side of the table.

"What's this?" I asked with curiosity.

Jake turned his head to glance at you and said, "I made some kimchi fried rice with corn cheese to go along with our chicken wings. How does it look?" He smiles.

"Ooh, Korean food? It looks good! It's making me hungry..." I reply while rubbing my stomach.

"We're gonna fix that real soon," he replies.

"Do you need help with anything?" I asked.

"Nah, go ahead and take a seat. I'm pretty much finished." I watch as he takes the perfectly cooked chicken wings out the skillet and sets them on a bed of napkins on a large plate. Mm, it smells so good!

"You sure? I'm here to help, not just sit and look pretty... although I can do that too," I say with a flip of my hair and a grin.

"Oh, I know you can," he flirts back. "Actually, you can grab the sauces from the refrigerator."

"Okay," I reply as I walk to the fridge to my right which has lots of magnets on the front of it of random foods, quotes, and other icons. I open the fridge and am surprised to see it packed with different fruits, canned drinks, packs of tortillas, and Tupperware containers. "Um... where's the sauce at?"

"Oh, it should be on the lower right side," Jake replies as he places the plate of chicken on the table and cleans up the stove. "It should be buffalo, honey bbq, and Korean bbq."

I look down and see the three bottles of sauces that he's talking about sitting next to a bottle of syrup and a pack of batteries. You grab the bottles of wing sauce before asking: "Why do you have a pack of batteries in the fridge?"

"Oh... don't ask. I don't really know either but it's a Hispanic thing," he chuckles which makes me giggle.

I close the fridge and set the bottles of sauce on the table as Jake grabs another small plate and begins pouring small portions of each different sauce on them.

"Yo, this looks really good!" I say.

"Thank you. Just a little something. Light work..." he says with a smile.

"I'm gonna need some hot sauce and ranch though, too. Do you have any?"

"Of course. Take a seat, I'll get it..."

After a bit of running around and setting up the table, it was finally time to eat. He poured us each a glass of sparkling cider before taking a seat across the table from me, his back to the stove. He holds up the glass and raises an eyebrow.

"A toast to my beautiful girlfriend, and to our relationship..." Jake says.

I hold up my glass and we clink them together before taking a sip. The bubbly cider stung the back of my throat and gave me a sudden burst of energy.

"Cider was such a good choice. I haven't had it in forever," I say.

"Mmm. Me neither. I remember used to drink some as a kid, and I thought I was the coolest thing. Did you ever used to pour your drink in the little bottle cap and act like you were taking a shot?"

"All the time," I say with a chuckle.

"Haha. Man, we really thought we were doing something too..." Jake chuckles. "Anyway, I hope you enjoy the meal I made. It's not like I sweated in the kitchen for hours or anything trying to prepare everything..."

"Stop lying. Kimchi fried rice takes like 15 minutes tops."

He grins, "Alright. Alright. I was just joking. But the cheesecake took like five hours just for a bake and chill," he replies.

My eyes widen at the mention of dessert. "Cheesecake? You made cheesecake?!"

"Mhm. Just for you," Jake says with a wink. "Ya man got skills."

"Ooh, I wanna eat that first!" I bounce in my seat with a huge smile.

"I knew you would. But you gotta be patient, okay? The best things in life take time."

***

"It's so good and spicy... but I need a little bit more," I say as I grab the bottle of hot sauce and sprinkle some drops onto my rice.

"Ooh, you like it spicy, huh?" He asks with a creepy grin. 

I kick his leg under the table. 

"Ah! Why'd you kick me?"

"Stop making it sound weird..."

"I just asked if you like spicy food..."

"Yeah, whatever..." I squint my eyes at him and take another bite of my meal before asking: "So what made you wanna make kimchi fried rice? I'm just curious."

He finishes chewing before he answers. "I saw this really cool recipe online, so I saved the video to make it later. And later is today."

I nod my head. "Ah, okay. Do you like finding recipes and stuff online?"

"Mhm. Ever since I was a kid, I liked making new dishes and trying new foods. Also since my mom is a cook, I kind of naturally watched her cook things and helped her in the kitchen growing up, so... it's like second nature," he explains.

"That's cool. I never cooked when I was a kid, and I don't cook now. I'm more of an eater..."

"Ah, I see..." Jake chuckles.

"Do you watch those cooking shows, too? Like 'Top Chef' or 'Hell's Kitchen'?"

"Ah, hell yeah! Those are my shows. I watch pretty much everything on the food network... I even watch 'em with my grandma when she comes to visit," he says with a proud grin.

"Wow... I didn't know that," I reply with a grin of admiration.

"Yep," he flashes a satisfied smirk. "Well, you got all night to know even more about me. Whatever you're curious about, I'll tell you."

"Mmkay..." I replied before finishing up my dish. I wiped my plate clean! That food was so good, no lie. "Honestly, you learned from the best because everything tasted really good."

"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it," Jake replies with a humble smile, placing his hand on his chest and bowing his head.

"I'm kinda full..." I say with a chuckle.

"Really? Do you have room for some dessert?"

"Oh! There's ALWAYS room for dessert... what kinda question is that?" I ask.

"Alright!"

Jake stands up and takes both of our empty dishes, placing them gently into the sink beside the refrigerator. Then, he opens the freezer part of the fridge and takes out a round chocolate cheesecake covered in plastic wrap, walking over to the table and setting it down between us. He looks super proud of his creation as he takes off the plastic wrap and grabs two plates from the cupboard and a large knife from the drawer.

I lean closer, licking my lips as I admire the chocolate cheesecake with millions of little chocolate chips sprinkled on top, and thick, chocolate drizzles of fudge resting on a chocolate graham cracker crust.

"Oh... my gosh. This looks like chocolate heaven," I purr out.

Jake chuckles at my dramatic reaction. "I know, right? Just wait 'til you taste it."

"I can't believe you actually made this yourself..."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Just a little something. You know."

"Okay, you don't have to be all sly... I see you."

He chuckles and begins cutting the cheesecake as I watch him like a little kid in a candy store.

"So... what else do you have up your sleeve?" I ask.

"I was thinking we could watch a movie. Something simple. We can lounge on the couch downstairs as we eat dessert... or I can feed you dessert. Or give you a backrub or whatever you need. It's all about you today. I just want you to be comfortable," Jake replies as those cute dimples come out from hiding.

"Ooh... fancy. That sounds good."

"Good? Cool..." Jake continues to grin.

***

"I have to give you your props, Jake, you really did ya thing... this cheesecake is slammin'!"

"Thank you. It's all for my baby..." He says from behind me as he kisses my ear. We were laid back on the couch, sitting sideways so our legs rested on the seat. I sat in between his legs as my back leaned against his chest and his legs were on either side of mine as we held our plates of cheesecake. His body warmth and the lingering sparking cider in my system were making me a bit sleepy...

The lights in the downstairs family room were completely off; only the television was on. I don't remember what we were watching, but it doesn't matter. I was feeling super relaxed in my man's arms and I didn't want to leave.

"Imagine if we lived together. I'd cook for you like this every day..." Jake says in a low voice, his breath tickling my ear.

"Living together?" I reply while raising my eyebrows.

"Mhm... just imagine... anything you want, I got it. I'd be like a personal maid..." he continues.

"A maid?" I chuckle.

"Mhm... I'd take care of you like this... I'd feed you like this..." He places a forkful of cheesecake to my lips while looking down at me. I feel kind of embarrassed at his sappy gesture - like something they'd do in romance movies - but I open my mouth and allow him permission to feed me. "I'd brush your hair... give you a massage... anything you wanted."

"That sounds like a lot of promises..."

"I wouldn't speak about it if I wasn't 'bout it..." Jake replies and I can tell he's wearing the most confident grin.

"Mkay, playa. Since you fantasizin', what else would you do for me?"

"I'd clean the house... wash the dishes every day..." He grabs our empty plates and sets them on the floor. "And give you a thousand tickles... like this!" He instantly starts tickling my stomach which causes me to squirm around in his lap on the sofa.

"Ahhhhh! STOP! Hahaha, stop!" I giggle loudly while trying to guard my stomach with my hands.

"I didn't realize you were so ticklish..." he says as his fingers graze every crevice of my abdomen.

"I am!"

"It's really cute..." he says as he moves his fingers under my armpit, which really catches me off guard and causes me to flip off the couch, barely missing landing on our empty plates. He chuckles so more and watches me regain my balance.

"That's not funny!" I frown as I crawl slowly back into his lap and rest my back against his chest. His left arm wraps way around my chest, his hand clasping onto my right arm while rubbing it with a gentle touch. Mm... his touches make me sleepy.

"I'm sorry... I won't do it again. At least not today," he replies. His right arm envelopes my waist as he squeezes me in a sort of bear hug but from behind.

There's a small silence in our conversation, and my eyes begin to close. The TV murmurs in the background as I feel Jake's soft lips peck my left ear. I tilt my head to the right as he continues.

"You smell good..." his voice whispers.

"So do you..." I reply in a dazed voice.

"I know we're supposed to be watching a movie... but I don't want to," he says.

I grin. "Me neither..."

"I kinda wanna do something else..."

"Like what?"

"Well, I could show you better than I can tell you..." he mumbles into my ear causing my cheeks to blush and my heart to race. "Have I ever shown you my room? I really wanna introduce you to my bed."

"Jake!"

"What?" He chuckles in my ear and then places another kiss on it.

"Why are you so... thirsty?" I chuckle.

"Only for you, baby..."

"Oh my goshhhhhhhhhhhh!"