just ask my name

Mercy scoffed and backed away, shaking her head. “I don’t do that, one night stands, and you know that. Now food, that I enjoy.” The blonde sat down and watched him, “you better get going. I’m getting hungry.”

     “I’m the host, not the slave… you might wanna recheck your words there. And you’re a horrible guest if there ever was,” he sighed. “You’re definitely not getting any of this food when I get it finished up here. Since you’re already on the counter, you’re gonna make yourself pretty useful by grabbing a box of ziti from the cupboards.” 

“I’ve been here too much to be a guest. I am the woman of this house!” She bellowed, emulating a queen. “And you better serve me peasant,” she ordered as she opened the cupboard and read the titles of boxes. “I don’t know what ziti is.”

    “I heard that,” he countered. “I’ll be sure that you’re the one not getting any of it by the time that we’re done cooking it. Or, if it does turn out to be a bit of a flop, I’m gonna make you buy the pizza for us.” Which, he would at least pitch in for, but Jake really wanted to get a rise out from her. It made things more fun while they were continuing to cook things up. But it surprised him to feel something wet and saucy on his cheek, blinking a few times to register that she swiped sauce on his face. He looked at her quizzically. “That’s not how I learned how to taste test something…” 

“What was that again? I’m buying what now? I’m guessing you want tomato sauce on your face too.” Mercy giggled, sliding the pan with the chicken over to him. She figured that he’d take care of the rest since she’d done her job. Finally relaxing, she hopped up and sat on the counter. “Cook slave, I want my food now!”

“Oh, c’mon, I am not that old and for your information, I am a fucking great catch - your friends have every right to be jealous” He bit his lower lip, trying to come up with a compliment for the blonde. “Mhm… I like your smile. It’s cute and it’s kind of sexy. Most beautiful smile I have ever seen…”

“Aww, you flatter me,” she gave him a wide smile. “For what it’s worth, your scruff’s kinda cute and your accent does amuse me, makes me want to listen to you talk more. And I can’t imagine anyone really wanting to listen to you talk.” The blonde stuck her tongue out at him while shifting closer to him.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and cocked his head to the side. “So you love being spoiled by charming older men because boys your age can’t afford to buy you things… And tell me, what else do you like about me?”

“Lastly, I like that, despite the fact that you’re eighty-five, you have a baby face and could easily pass for twenty. Making my friends think I found a catch rather then I have daddy issues.” She reached out and shoved his shoulder playfully. “How about you, what is it about me that keeps you coming around, sober or otherwise.”

“Oh, come on… Don’t be so mean to me, sweetheart. You’re breaking my heart here, I mean, there must be something you like about me… “

“Hmm,” she paused, pretending to think, before answering, “I like that, due to your age, theoretically, the stability of your job allows you to buy me things without worrying about whether you’ll have money left for tuition or dinner, which is what boys my age think about. And I love that you can buy me drinks.”

“Yeah, I can tell, you have to share with me. And your workout routine too!” She began to squeeze his bicep and poke him in the stomach. “Gosh, I wish I could get abs this firm.” She tried being as awkwardly touchy-feely as possible. It was payback for him rushing her while they were out earlier. “I try to hang out with my friend and he doesn’t even share his health secrets with me.”

     “I’m not being feisty… I’m requesting for you to help me, there’s a difference,” he countered, mixing a couple of ingredients into the skillet. Without the garlic, he knew that it wasn’t going to taste the same. But maybe… just maybe he had some onion or garlic powder in the pantry? Close enough, he supposed. Jake gave a soft laugh at her quip. “Y’know, that’s close enough. Just as long as this tastes okay, we’ll be fine. You, ah… wanna season the chicken then?” 

“Feistyy,” she sung under her breath as she poured the ketchup into a bowl and sprinkled seasoning on top of it, hoping that it would all come together well. She mixed it in the bowl and then took a brush from the drawer to spread it on top of the chicken. “Alright, well, I seasoned it.... I think. Hopefully this tastes god and, if not, we can order a pizza.” The blonde looked over at her friend and a mischievous smile overcame her, she outstretched her hand and swiped some of the sauce on his cheek. 

     “Hey, I at least tried… sue me,” he let out on a soft snort. Checking down at the skillet of chicken that he had browning, Jake gave them a gentle turn with a set of tongs before looking over at Mercy. “Now, instead of criticizing my cooking, how ‘bout you start helping me?” 

“This one’s feisty,” she giggled as she rummaged through the cupboard. She took out a few bottles of spices before moving to the fridge and picking out a bottle of ketchup. “So I never said I knew how to cook, but I did watch some of the staff make stuff so I’m going off of a ten year old memory. Nothing can go wrong here.”

mercifulmercy

“Chicken caprese,” Mercy toyed with the word in her mouth, she glanced quizzically at her friend. “Do you even know what that is? I think you’re missing more than two ingredients. How about we improvise instead?”

“I suppose you’re right,” the blonde sighed as she got out of her bed. Finding herself wearing nothing but underwear reminded her that this wasn’t all a dream. A blush came over her and she gave the other girl a sheepish smile before quickly finding a large t-shirt and some shorts. She was quiet as she turned to leave the room, motioning for her new friend to follow.

“Well, hello gorgeous…” He replied with a charming smile over his lips. He was not drunk, just buzzed but James was a romantic - he liked to believe that the presence of a beautiful woman could bring out the best of him and make him… nicer than usual. “Bought a bottle of vodka but you don’t look like a vodka kind of girl, so I also bought a bottle of champagne. Can I come in?”

“How could I ever say no to a man with champagne and an accent.” She said, giving him a weird look but stepping aside anyway. “Two questions: what has you in such high spirits and should you be drinking?” Mercy walked into the living area and turned on the tv for some background noise, leaving James with the bottles. She figured he could open them much easier than she could.