Benefits of a Broken Heart

Chapter 3 Something Different

---Austin's POV---

I couldn't feel worse right now.. I just wasn't paying attention because of my guy friends talking with me.. and I accidently ran into this woman running around in the kitchen working hard to put together this meal for us and I couldn't be more grateful because I'm starving right now. I apologize just trying to be as polite as possible but accidently offended her more. She has beautiful annoyed eyes, as weird as that may sound. Her hazel orbs are just filled with a type of passion for her project at hand and it is a little enticing to say the least.

I thought by how she was dressed and acting that she wasn't apart of this party, but that offended her more and I didn't mean to.. The more time I spend in this kitchen, the more I make her mad or maybe just annoyed, but I can't get myself to leave now.. I want to make this up to her.. She is just here to have a fun time at home and I'm here making her feel bad one way or another.

I stand there not knowing what to say as she nicely states, "You're right, I'm nothing like them.. thanks for that.. shouldn't you be on your way out there to join them?" She looks away from me putting the Lasagna into the oven and pushing buttons here and there on top of it before she steps back.. We both now notice the stain to her white and black flannel, She groans out as she slips the shirt off. But our unexpected mess isn't what shocks me. That shirt was so big on her, draping off like a robe.. covering everything up.. But when it was slipped off I can see her volumptuous curves being held in by her jeans making her bubble butt look delectable. She has and belly shirt on that's just plain black, but looks so good on her olive colored skintone. Her dark black hair drapes all the way down over her back, almost covering her exposed curves. But I saw them and completely enthralled. I came here to get to know Michelle, not because I'm really interested, but because she won't stop hitting on me and I was hpping this would help ease hwr mind.. so I said f*#k it.. and made my friends come with me.. so just in case she was a psycho killer type.. So I wasn't alone and could get away if needed.. and now I'm here.

I watch this girl huff as she scrubs the stain on her shirt over the sink. I step closer, taking a big gulp of the beer in my hand as I say. "I'm sorry about your shirt, but I swear I can just get you a new one." I stare over at her. She is not normally the girls I go for.. It's normally the blonde hair, blue-eyed beauties like Michelle that I do tend to go for, but she is beautiful in her own way.. She isn't skinny like the others, but has some nice curves that make me wonder what it would be like to grab hold of them.. Michelle is skinny yes, but no curves.. This is the first time I think I would take curves over the flat-stomach skinny girl.. surprising for me.

I get locked into another intense stare with those big hazel doe eyes as she states. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't want another shirt.. I want this shirt.. so don't worry about it. I have saved this shirt plenty of times and I won't get rid of it whether the stain comes out or not.. so don't let it bother you." she lets the soap sit on the stain off to the side of the sink, hopefully helping it disappear as she quickly turns away from me and grabs a mixing bowl as she starts pouring ingredients into it. She turns and spins around grabbing everything she needs, looking as if the kitchen is her second home by how natural she is in it.

"What's so special about that shirt? Is it a boyfriends? Ex Boyfriends? or something else?" I ask her curiously as I lean against the island in the kitchen, watching her move around the kitchen as if I'm not there. I take another drink awaiting her answer as she shyly says. "It was my grandpa's.. it's my favorite one.. It was the only one I grabbed from his closet after he passed away.. before my grandma packed away all of his stuff and moved away." I wasn't expecting that answer, as my mouth drops open, but I don't know what to say to that. "I'm sorry for staining it.. I can pay to take it to the dry cleaners if your soap trick doesn't work." I offer her, not knowing what else to say.

I watch her head shake as she replies. "That's sweet but I swear it's fine.. don't worry about it." she stirs the spoon in the mixing bowl to the beat of the music playing, as she glides across the floor to the pan she is carefully pouring the batter into. It ends up being next to me. So I just reach over and run my finger across the inside of the bowl to get some batter on my finger as I lick it off and moan out. "Mmm chocolate.. my favorite." I look down at her as she stares at me and my finger for a moment before quickly looking away looking more shy then before.

"I don't know if the princesses will eat it, but I can't make a dinner for people without making a dessert, so here we are." she says to me as she hands me the bowl and spoon to lick as I willingly take it from her. "So you cook often?" I ask her as I lick the spoon staring at her curvy frame moving around the room to clean up the dishes. "Yea I love cooking actually." She says softly as I move across the room right next to the sink. I lean up against the counter looking over at her as I still lick the spoon. She glances over at me only for a second before she quickly looks down and continues to scrub one dish after the other in the water.

We are brought out of our comfortable moment, as I hear. "Austin? Are you joining us outside?" from Michelle, who is staring at me intently from the patio doorway, as I lift the bowl and spoon in my hands, before retorting. "I'm helping this talented woman with clean up at the moment, but I'll join after." She glares over at her next to me and spats, "Tay Tay.. how about you leave those dishes there and join us outside?" In the most annoyed tone. "Thanks for the invite Michelle, I will be out there soon, but I'm almost done so I'm finishing this first." She reasons in a shy songbird tone that sounds so sweet.. Tay.. I like that. I watch Michelle turn around pretty quickly, looking more irritated than before, but I don't care.. She is annoying and I was trying to be nice and maybe get some fun out of it.. but not right now.. I have more interesting people to talk to.. or at last more interesting to me because I can't figure this mysterious woman out.. but I want to know more.. Once I hear the door click behind Michelle, I turn and look back at.. Tay.

"Tay.. Is that what you're doing for a career?.. because if not, then I think you need to change that.. You're amazing at it, you can already tell and I will be your guinea pig anytime. I love food and eating. My name is Austin by the way." I say to her staring at those plump lips that form into a smirk as she softly says to me. "Nice to meet you.. I would love to have my own restaurant some day.. but if I can't get that, I at least need to be a professional chef by that point.. whatever comes first I guess.. hopefully.. I do have a chance to audition for a sort of, developing chef internship at Masala's on Monday.. and to say I'm nervous is a complete understatement."

"That new place down on 5th? It will be popping for sure.. I have no doubt in my mind that you will blow them away. So, you let me know when you start working there and I'll be sure to come support you by eating all the amazing food you make." I say to her handing her the spoon as I use my finger to really clean the inside of this bowl. But I'm not the only one interested in licking every bit.. by my peripherals, I can tell that she is just as interested in me licking this as I am. So I slow it down for her as she bites her lip but doesn't say anything as I make eye contact with her, so she turns and looks back to the sink and away from me.. but I know I had her attention.. just like she has mine.

"Thanks for that confidence booster.. hopefully it will go well." She says to me, still scrubbing the dishes as I grab her phone that's on the counter, getting her attention, but she can't grab it from me because her hands are still soaked with soapy water. "I'll put in my number so you can let me know when you get that job." I explain to her but I can't get the phone open because of her fingerprint that needed.. dammit. She watches me struggle with it for a moment, until I put it down, and reply in defeat. "Fine, give me your number and I'll make sure to call you so you have my number to keep me updated."

She smiles at me again as I pull my phone out and wait for the numbers to be named off in order for me. She looks nervous but practically whispers the numbers to me as I quickly push each number then pushing send to make sure it's the right number. I watch her phone light up with my number across it, as I smirk in victory at her. She glances up at me again before saying. "I'll be sure to tell you how it goes." I nod at her as I watch the background picture appear on her phone. It shows her smiling a gorgeous, big, genuine smile with a white older male at her right and a little older black woman at her left.

"Is that your family?" I ask curiously staring at her phone as she whispers back. "Yea that's my mom and dad." I look up and stare at her features again.. Maybe that where she got all those curves from.. her mama.. who knows, but either way, the olive-colored skin tone from her father is beautiful. "You're half black?" I ask her as she shyly nods at me. "That's cool.. do you have any siblings?" She shakes her head at me and replies, "No.. Do you?" I nod at her as I state honestly. "Yeah I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters." I watch her eyes widen with shock. "6 kids?!" she blurts out, making me chuckle at that reaction as I correct her. "Well 7 including myself, of course."

"Are you the youngest? Oldest?" She asks me as I say. "I was lucky number 6."

"I bet holidays are chaotic at your house.." She responds quickly as I do just the same. "Yea a little, but I'm used to it.. Does that mean yours are pretty quiet?" I ask her as she nods and replies. "It's just the three of us since my grandpa passed.. so not too much crazy around."

"That would be crazy to imagine a civilized holiday with my family... nope not even possible to imagine.." I say to her making her giggle and shake her head as she dries off her hands with the towel, glancing at me before hanging it up to dry. We started at each other for a moment in a very intoxicatingly comfortable moment before there is a loud beep echoing in the room. "Lasagna is done." She says quickly turning around and pulling the pan out with little oven mits on her hands. "That smells amazing I can't wait to dig in."

"Well can you please let them know dinner is ready so they can join?" She asks me as I quickly shake my head. "No screw them I want this dinner for us." She giggles again at my comment, sending chills down my back, at that spine-tingling sound. "Please.. Austin." I smirk, just loving the sound of my name coming off of her lips, so I somehow give in instantly. "Of course Tay." I look over at her as I wiggle my eyebrows at her, headed to the patio door.. This makes her face change to a shade of pink that she never expected.. adorable.