Demarien huffed a quiet laugh. For a moment, the only sound was the clink of a spoon against the pan and the low hum of the stove.
Boone leaned his hip against the counter, watching him more closely now. “You haven’t been cooking a lot lately. Did you miss it?”
Demarien shrugged. “While I enjoy eating in restaurants, cooking myself keeps my hands busy.”
“And your mind?”
Demarien hesitated for just a second, then stirred the pan again. “That too.”
Boone nodded slowly, not pushing. “Well, it smells like progress.”
Demarien gave him a small smile. “You should see what I have planned for Thanksgiving.”
“If you let me, I’ll be there this year.”
“Consider yourself invited.” Demarien reached for a lemon, slicing it cleanly in half. “You could help, you know.”
“With what?”
“Anything. Stir. Set the table. Pretend you’re useful.”
Boone considered that, then grabbed a fork and stepped closer to the stove. “I can stir.”
“Can you?” Demarien took the fork and handed over the spoon, their fingers brushing briefly. “Careful. Don’t burn it.”
“No promises.”
They stood side by side for a moment, the space between them easy, familiar. Boone stirred with exaggerated seriousness, while Demarien measured out capers and added them to the pan.
“Will your parents mind if you come to the inn on Thanksgiving? What do you normally do?”
Boone shrugged. “They’ve never been keen on holidays. Usually, they travel. When I was a kid, I spent the holidays here with Grandad. Since he died, Patrick and I get together with some of our friends from our unit.”
“They’re all welcome here, too.” Demarien snuck a peek at his alpha. Boone looked unusually relaxed and happy, and it made Demarien feel good to know he had something to do with that.
“I’ll invite them.” Boone grinned, eyes sparkling. “Patrick will be here by then, so I can say he’ll come for certain. The others, I don’t know.”
“I’ll prepare Felix.”
Boone hummed under his breath. “He’s pretty skittish around alphas, I noticed.”
“He’s always been that way.” Demarien sighed. “He has his reasons, but he’s been working hard on being more self-confident.”
“Do you think he’d help me with my self-defense lessons? I could use an assistant, which might help him boost his confidence. I’m assuming he took lessons like you, too.”
Demarien paused and stared at Boone for a moment. “Hey,” he said after a beat, quieter now.
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad you’re here tonight.”
“Me too.”
Demarien shook his head. “No, I’m glad you’re here, period. Thank you for being you, Boone.”
Red climbed across Boone’s cheeks. “Can’t be anyone else.”
Demarien didn’t answer right away. He just watched the pan, then glanced at Boone, something softer settling in his expression. “I’ll ask Felix if he wants to help you. How are the lessons going, by the way?”
