Watching her gush over his food made him smile, correction it made him beam. She liked his food and to him that was really important. He loved the idea that he could impress her with his cooking and used those looks that smile, as a motivation to continue with his studies. If he could make her happy with his cooking that was just one of the many ways he could return the happiness she gave him.

However, her sudden exit from the kitchen after admitting that he was quote ‘popular with the ladies’ said something more. His head jerked back slightly as he processed what she had said. Now James may not be the brightest when it comes to women, he may not recognize when someone was hitting on him or giving him ‘the look’, but he was aware enough to know when certain things were said that he needed to pay attention to him.  Taking a moment to register it, he rose to his feet and walked to the doorway of the kitchen and watched her scrub away on the pans.

A smile moved across his face as he walked up behind her. Reaching around her, he slowly took the sponge from her hand and dropped it into the sink. His arms gently wrapped around her waist and his forehead rested against the back of her head, an honest smile across his face. Leaning around her, he placed his chin gently on her shoulder and whispered softly to into her ear. “Freya… are you jealous?” His gentle breath softly dancing on her ear and neck as smiled.