Self

Chapter 33

The guy’s hand was long and with knuckles that stood out. She glanced over and saw nothing but microwave meals in his cart. When she looked up, he was already peering down at her.

Yara grinned. “You’re not seriously calling that dinner, are you?”

He cleared his throat. “Sometimes get back late and don’t feel like ordering out. I just grab whatever’s easy,” Wade said, playing it cool.

“I did the math. This stuff has all the protein, vitamins, and carbohydrates a person needs for the day.”

Yara could not help but laugh at his reasoning. “Professor Shelton, it looks like you’ve got it all figured out. But hey, what would it be if you had to choose between a fresh, hot meal and this stuff?”

Wade clammed up. It was a no–brainer–hot food beats instant food any day.

Yara’s smile turned mischievous. “So here’s the deal, Professor

Shelton. I’ll cook dinner, and all you have to do is one little favor for me.”

Half an hour later, Wade stared down the fish on the chopping board. ” This looks tough.”

Yara coughed lightly. “You know, there’s usually a pro at the

supermarket who slices fish, but it was so packed today, they just did a quick job. If you want to-”

Wade pushed up his sleeves and popped off his glasses. “I’ll give it a shot.”

“Sure.” Yara nodded, impressed by his eagerness.

The fish slices soaked in the tangy pickled cabbage juice tasted.

better in thin slices. It was a hassle to cut up raw fish, and Yara had hoped to sneak in a little shortcut.

As Wade stood in the kitchen, she felt a pang of guilt. He was a physicist, and she wanted him to cut fish?

Five minutes later, she stared at the perfectly even fish slices and mentally ate her earlier words.

Waste of talent? More like a hidden genius.

“Did I do it right?” Wade asked, drying his hands.

“Absolutely! You’re practically a pro with that knife!”

Wade chuckled at her praise, a sly grin on his face. “I don’t cook, but dissecting stuff in bio class paid off I guess… ahem!”

After Yara picked up the fish, Wade, not to be outdone, grabbed some meat and veggies, and they cooked themselves a fine meal.

Post–dinner, Wade insisted on dish duty.

With the kitchen almost back to normal, Yara said, “It’s late. You should get going. I’ll handle the trash.”

A regular night runner, Wade agreed it was too late to linger; it was nearly midnight.

Yara had napped earlier. She was worried she would be up all night but drifted off soon after Wade left.

She slept soundly, without a single dream.

The next morning, she was up by seven.

Rainie’s voice came through the screen. “I’m so jealous of you. You’re only studying and sleeping while I’m stuck with early morning blind dates.”

Rainie was half–heartedly applying her makeup, dreading the thought

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of meeting her barely–known date, her enthusiasm waning by the

second.

“Jealous of me? Then come hit the books with me at the library today, “Yara teased, picking up on Rainie’s grumpy tone and swiftly steering the conversation elsewhere.

Rainie made a face. “Pass. I’d rather go on a blind date.”

She knew she was not scholar material. Landing a spot at Bellmere University was a fluke, and she was still celebrating it. With a brainiac like Wade in the family, she figured she did not need to join the

academic rat race.

“Oh, I touched up the pics from our last outing. I’ll send them your way.”

“Sounds good.”

Bing!

Rainie sent the photos over.

Yara scrolled through them. In a couple, she sported a fox headband, Rainie squishing her cheeks, her expression a mix of innocence and distress.

Others captured Rainie after their roller–coaster ride, which made her look like she had just dodged a bullet. Yara could not help but laugh.

As she was about to close out, her solo shots revealed two familiar figures in the pedestrian backdrop.

She bit her lip, realizing she had inadvertently caught Xandra and Yale in the frame.

She was the star of the photo, but the couple in the back, hands intertwined, seemed to pull her focus. It was as if she had stumbled into their world by chance.