Page 94 of Sinful as They Come
“If you cook anything like your mom, I think I’ll like it.”
The compliment about her made me smile. “Well, we’ll see if I can live up to her sandwiches. You wanna cut some vegetables with me? What do you like?”
It didn’t take long for an array of cut up vegetables to be scattered across the chopping board. We had some carrots, green beans, and broccoli. Sawyer insisted that he’d hate broccoli, but I convinced him to let me leave the ingredient in. Soon me and Sawyer were standing side by side at the stove, stirring the chicken and vegetables around. The savory smell met my nose and I realized then how hungry I was. I didn’t eat much during the day thanks to being upset about the whole Carter situation.
When dinner was finished, I clasped my hands together and turned to Sawyer. “Okay, hopefully that was helpful. Or maybe I just convinced you to never cook again.”
Sawyer laughed, popping a fork into the fry pan so he could eat a piece of chicken. “Nah. This was good. This was… This was helpful. Thanks.”
I gave him a little shrug before looking at the clock. “No problem. I guessI’ll get out of your hair. I’ll see you at school. You know, whenever your suspension is over…”
Sawyer bit at his bottom lip and just stared at me. There was a look in his eyes I had never seen before. There was usually so much hate in them. But he was staring at me with what felt like curiosity.
“Do you wanna stay for dinner?” he asked lowly.
My eyebrows rose. “You mean like…?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Do you wanna eat dinner with me?”
Why did that sound like a date? It wasn’t. I knew it wasn’t. But the situation and his words and the fact that we were all alone with nothing and no one to get in the way were all so appealing to me.
“I’d like that,” I whispered.
Sawyer said nothing as he grabbed some plates and cutlery for us. He did the work, getting our plates ready as we sat down at the round dining table. It was small but cozy; our dining table at home was so big that eating meals together often felt like an empty experience. But this was nice. It felt warm and wholesome, like how meals were meant to be experienced.
Sawyer’s eyes shut for a second as he ate some of the stir fry. “Fuck, this tastes good.”
I giggled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I can’t remember the last time I had a proper, home cooked meal,” he mumbled, taking a few more bites. “Must have been when my mom was still here. You and me didn’t even know each other then. That’s how long ago it was.”
Again, I resisted the urge to ask for more details about her. “There should be enough for Brodie when he gets back. And for some leftovers tomorrow.”
“I’m not sharing with him.” Sawyer shook his head. Then he sat his fork down. “Thanks for doing this.”
I waved a hand at him. “The groceries were no problem.”
“No, I mean… Not just that. Thanks for cooking. For teaching me. I don’t know if I retained any of that information, but I appreciate it, anyway.”
“I’m glad I could help. Anytime.”
Sawyer sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m not really used to people lookingafter me. Sometimes I don’t…reacttoo well to it. I don’t wanna be anyone’s charity case.”
“You’re not a charity case,” I said quietly. “I don’t see that when I look at you. You deserve help. Everyone deserves help. And you’ve helped me too. And I don’t just mean defending me today…”
He turned to face me, his eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
I shoved my fork into a piece of chicken, avoiding his gaze. “I mean… All the other times… With Carter. At Alden Lake, and at the party… You kept saying the same thing. That I’m smarter than this. I think I needed someone to make me realize that. I wish I had been able to force myself to wake up earlier. Especially at Alden Lake when Carter was acting like an…” My voice trailed off, not quite sure what to label his actions as.
“Entitled, pushy prick?” Sawyer huffed, his eyes growing dark for a moment.
I smacked my lips together. “That sums it up. I was so upset that night. The way he was treating me… The way he wouldn’t let up. You helped me. You didn’t have to do—”
“Yes, I did,” Sawyer said sternly. “You think because we didn’t get along I wouldn’t help you with something like that?”
There was a key word there.Didn’t. Past tense. But I didn’t bring it up.
“Well, either way,” I carried on, “you could have laughed right in my face. You could have laughed at my tears, but you didn’t. You helped.”
