Cooking Lessons pt. 1
Rose knew soon after moving into town that she had to get to know Reina better. She’d been almost instantly enchanted by the dark-skinned young woman. Sweet and friendly, Rose could feel herself becoming more invested this woman who she had only just met. But, she was not adventurous, romantically-speaking.
Her previous life as an adventurer made it so she didn’t have to approach women. Often in the past, they approached her. Coming into a bar looking as though you’d been ruffled and a roguish wink did a lot for her. It was an easy conversation-starter to explain what she’d been doing all day. But here in Mistria, she wasn’t an adventurer anymore, mostly. She was a farmer. Her days were very often much of the same, so unless the seasons were turning over, she didn’t have much new to say in that regard. She was doing alright, but she felt like she still didn’t know anyone—like everyone was still kind of an acquaintance.
Never was this made more apparent to her than during the Shooting Star Festival. People in town told her that this was a festival was typically one for lovers or good friends—if you were close to someone, ask them if they’d like to watch the stars with you. Rose saw this as a perfect opportunity to ask Reina out. But when presented with the invitation, Reina said “I’m sorry, I don’t think I know you well enough to go with you. It’s for people close to you. There’s probably someone else in town who’d be a better fit than me, no?” Rose smiled and tried to take it on the chin. She was used to rejection and pain was far from new, but this felt a little bit different. She checked in with a few of her other friends like Elsie and Ryis, but after a few hours of moping, she went and watched the stars, alone. Afterwards, she slunk home to curl into bed and try not to think about it.
Reina, for her part, was extremely kind after the fact. She never brought it up to Rose and never treated her any different either. It was a bit difficult for Rose to not acknowledge it—she wanted to talk it out and apologize for being awkward. But, she let Reina decide if she wanted to talk about it and she never did. Rose worked on putting her anxiety aside and letting things be. It wasn’t easy, but Rose was happy to keep making friends with people in town, even if she was a little more careful, a little more guarded. She wasn’t going to make a move until she was a bit more sure of how the other party felt.
In Fall, Rose learned something new about Reina that made things a bit easier for them. She knew Reina was the chef of the Inn, but outside of the ocassional request for some ingredients, Rose was never sure what Reina liked for herself. Anything she delivered, Reina would put on the menu at the Inn. One evening after her garlic crops started growing, she came in with her hands smelling of the herb and Reina commented on it.
“Rose! Are you growing garlic?” Reina said excitedly when she walked in.
Rose looked at her with surprise and nodded, “uh, yeah. Just harvested some this morning…”
Reina sighed and leaned against the bartop, “gosh, I just love garlic. It’s one of my favorite things to cook with!” She explained.
Rose tried to hide her excitement at the new information, “oh yeah? Well, I can save you some from the next crop, if you want.”
“Oh, I’d love that! I’m looking forward to it!” Reina gushed, “Hayden grows some, but with him as our only farmer, there’s only so much he can provide by himself, especially when there’s the whole town to supply, you know?”
Rose nodded and held out her hand. “It’s a deal. I’ll start setting aside some crops, including garlic, for you guys here at the Inn.”
Reina smiled and took her hand, shanking it gently. Gosh, her hand was so warm and soft against Rose’s. “It’s a deal,” she said. Then, “I’m glad you moved here.”
A week later, after she dropped off some of the most recent garlic crop, Rose got a letter from Reina. It was thanks for the herbs and a recipe for garlic bread. Rose looked at the recipe carefully and wondered if she could make it at home. She had a kitchen, but she hadn’t used it all that much; she could go and grab food from the inn easily and it was where the townspeople gathered. Most nights, it was a good way to wind down and get to know everyone in town. Only when she knew she was going into the Mines did Rose really bother with cooking. She didn’t feel she was good at it. It was at this point, as she stared at the recipe in her hands, that an idea occurred to her.
Rose made a batch of garlic bread and then headed to the Inn. Reina was there, working on prepping for the night’s dinner. She paused as Rose walked in and sniffed the air. “Did you make garlic bread?” She asked, a sly grin on her face.
Rose walked up to the bar and put down a loaf of the fresh food and smiled. “Sure did,” she replied, “thought I might give that recipe of yours a shot.”
Reina looked longingly at the steaming loaf on the counter, saying nothing. “You can have some of it, if you want…” Rose said, taking out her knife and cutting a piece off. Reina grinned and took the knife Rose offered, cutting herself a piece. She threw the slice in her mouth at once and started munching away.
“Oh,” she cooed, “I LOVE garlic bread. It’s not enough for a meal, obviously, but damn, sometimes I’d like to try.”
Rose laughed as she took a bite of her slice. “So, I didn’t screw it up, then?”
“Not at all!” Reina slapped her hands on the countertop, “you did great!”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Rose scratched the back of her head, ”never thought of myself as much of a cook, to be honest.”
Reina looked at her seriously, “you’re tellin’ me you’re always eating dinner here cause you ain’t sure how to make it yourself?”
Rose looked up at her, noting how pretty she was when she was focused. “It’s a reason…” she said. Reina quirked an eyebrow in response and Rose continued, “I also like seeing everyone… and you.”
Reina blushed a little at this and waved her hands as if trying to ward herself from Rose’s affection. “Oh, stop that! You’re just trying to make you blush!”
Rose grinned, “if I’m trying, it looks like I succeeded.” And Reina’s blush deepened.
“Rose!” She huffed, “stop teasing me!”
Rose couldn’t help but laugh. God help me, she’s cute. “I’m serious, I like spending time with your Reina.”
“That’s very sweet of you, Rose,” she replied, trying to regain her composure, “but you don’t have to come around at dinner time just to see me.”
“Well, I wanted to talk to you about that, actually…” Rose said, suddenly feeling nervous, “I was wondering if you could teach me to be a better cook. Everything you make is so good and I know I gotta feed myself sometimes.”
Reina looked taken aback and paused for a moment. Rose braced herself internally for another rejection and then Reina’s mouth opened again, “I think that I could do that,” she said, smiling confidently.
Rose tried, and failed, not to beam at Reina.