Page 25 of Love Limits

Eventually Zhong waved his hand downward in Ash’s direction to get his attention. I’m unfortunately going to need those back if we want to eat dinner. The chicken was browned, and he regretfully couldn’t wait any longer.

Ash raised a hand to scoop them up.

Wait! Can I just look first?

Ash beamed.

Zhong thought about taking a picture, but his hands were wet and he wasn’t sure if that would be weird. Ash didn’t seem to think much of their creation, even though he was impressed. It had a feeling of movement to it, small patterns emerging spontaneously and harmoniously amidst the larger whole.

Thanks, he finally signed.

Ash shrugged and scooped everything together onto the cutting board. Zhong dumped them into the wok. If he’d planned this better he would have put the veggies in at different times, depending on how long they’d need to cook, but this was totally worth it.

I know I’ve said this before, but I’m really impressed that you can just… make that out of nothing. Like, if I sat there with a bunch of vegetables all day and a plan, I couldn’t make something so cool. I’d probably sort them by size or something.

Well, I couldn’t make it into a delicious dinner, Ash replied. That’s why I live on M&M’s and chips. They looked over at the two sorry bags that were still sitting on the table.

That sounded horrible, especially for someone who loved the bright colors and tastes of fresh foods as much as Ash appeared to.

Do you ever cook?

Ash shook their head. On my off days, I’m usually catching up on things or doing something artistic, and then I completely lose track of time. They laughed, but Zhong worried about them spacing out and missing all those meals.

He had an idea, but he didn’t want to overstep. Dustin was always teasing him about using food to express affection. But the thing was, it was a good way to make friends. And if there was ever someone who needed a home-cooked meal it was Ash.

It sounds like I need to feed you more often, he joked.

Yes, please!

So… maybe later this week? I could cook again. You’re off Thursday, right?

Ash clasped their hands to their chest and pretended to swoon. You really are the perfect package, aren’t you. Scrabble, home cooked meals, and cuddles. What more could anyone want?

Ha. That was just what he’d been thinking. I can give you the leftovers for lunch tomorrow, too, if you like. Now he was wishing he’d added a bit more to the pot.

You would be my hero. Ash gave him a sweet smile. Thank you for taking care of me.

Zhong smiled back. He was already going through everything in his kitchen, thinking of what he could pack for them. Definitely more of tonight’s meal. And some fresh fruit for dessert. Though Ash had said often enough that they loved chocolate and ice cream, and Zhong was pretty sure that he didn’t have any in the house. Even growing up in the U.S., he’d eaten a mostly Chinese diet at home and never gotten used to sweets.

He could give them the M&M’s they brought, of course. But he wanted it to feel special. He checked his cabinets and found a package of guava hard candies that Mei-Lin had left one time. The writing was all in Chinese, but they looked like candies and had a picture of a guava, so he figured Ash would get the idea.

That would be perfect.

He could pack it all up when it cooled down and send Ash off with something to take home.

Next time he cooked, he’d have to make a double batch.

Chapter 6

Ash

Let’s eat on the couch, Zhong suggested. The cuddling is better over there.

Ash put a hand over their heart, hoping it wouldn’t beat out of their chest. They’d been joking around about Zhong being the perfect package, but it might be true.

They felt themself beginning to hope. Actually, they were way beyond just hoping.

They’d maybe dropped the Daddy thing into their message conversation a dozen times, and Zhong hadn’t said anything. But when it got late he told them to sleep and when he texted them at work it sounded like he was already trying to figure out their schedule and whether they got enough to eat.