Take My Breath Away

Blair could only watch helplessly as Wesley put his phone back in his pocket.

It wasn't long after that Talbot finished cooking. When he walked out of the kitchen with a plate of food, an awkward silence hung between Blair and Wesley. But he was too slow to realize it. "Come and get it!"

Wesley shot to his feet first and went to the kitchen to help Talbot set the table.

Blair followed him and began to ladle porridge for them.

Just as she picked up the ladle, someone stopped her. "You scalded your arm, remember? Let me do it," said Wesley.

He took the ladle away from her without a second thought and began to dish it out into the bowls.

Blair shrugged and sat at the dining room table, waiting for the two.

Talbot's cooking skills were amazing, like he said. Blair raved about the dishes, telling him what a terrific cook he was.

The cook, however, blushed. He tried to change the topic. "Have some more. Try this Chinese yam. Easy on the stomach and good for healing."

Blair nodded. "Thanks, Talbot." After she ate it, she exclaimed, "Wow! That's really sweet!"

"Of course! I picked it myself. Hey, you know how to pick Chinese yams?" Blair shook her head, so Talbot continued, "Make sure they're firm all the way around, and the skin isn't all wrinkled. And you don't want any cracks in it, either." It was obvious he was passionate about the subject.

Wesley, who kept silent all this time, watched Talbot continue to heap food onto Blair's plate while the two laughed happily. As time went by, anger rose in his heart.

After dinner, Blair sat on the sofa to get some rest.

Talbot cleaned up, while Wesley washed the dishes.

Talbot came over to Wesley and whispered in his ear, "What's going on, Chief? Yeah, I saw you at dinner. You sure there's nothing between you and her?"

Wesley cast a scornful glance at him and asked in reply, "What's it to you?"

Talbot scratched the back of his head and gave him a shy smile. "I figured I'd ask her out. But if you like her, I'll back off."

Wesley pushed him away and spat out, "I don't like her!" He had a murderous look on his face, his hands balled into fists. Talbot steeled himself in case Wesley tried to swing at him.

This was not the way he expected the conversation to go. He took a few steps back, murmuring in a low voice, "Hey, hey. I'll drop it, okay? You don't like her."

When Wesley said those words, Blair happened to walk past the kitchen. "Hey, who were you guys talking about?" she asked casually.

Talbot was still trying to defuse the situation, and still stunned at Wesley's reaction. Without a second thought, he answered casually, "You."

Blair and Wesley lapsed into shocked silence.

There was no taking that one back.

The moment Talbot uttered that word, he realized something wasn't right. He raised his head and saw Blair standing at the door to the kitchen.

"No, no, not you. I meant me. Our chief said he didn't like me," Talbot said hurriedly.

Blair smiled and patted his shoulder. "It's fine. I know he doesn't like me." 'He made that pretty clear, ' she thought, sad and dejected.

"You already know?" Talbot asked with the utmost care.

Still, Wesley remained silent.

"Yeah. I'm the one with the crush. He probably has his pick. Are a lot of women into him?"

The two acted as if Wesley weren't right there. Talbot nodded. "Oh yeah. Don't get upset. He doesn't really date anyone. We're used to it."

"Fine. Seems like I'm no different from any other woman, at least where he's concerned. Hey, Talbot. Do you like fruit? I'm putting together a fruit plate," she offered and opened the refrigerator.

Talbot put the mop away and took the apple from her hand. "Let me make it. I slice, I dice, but wait, there's more," he said, mocking the knife commercials. Blair laughed in delight at his wit.

Since Wesley had no feelings for Blair, Talbot decided to woo her. He thought he might have a chance.

"Come on! I'm not disabled. You already cooked dinner," Blair argued and took the apple back.

"No, no! You're still sick. Your arm is hurt, and you shouldn't overextend yourself. I'll make it," Talbot said anxiously.

Before Blair could even say another word, Wesley threw the chopsticks into the sink heavily, spilling water on the floor.

The two who were fighting for the apple turned to look at the angry man at the same time. While holding half of the apple, Talbot asked his superior innocently, "What's going on, Chief?"

Wesley washed his hands under the running water and ordered, "You, wash the dishes!"

"Yes, Chief!" Talbot answered by instinct. He let go of the apple.

But Blair didn't have a good hold on it either, and it dropped onto the floor, rolling in Wesley's direction. She was about to pick it up, but Wesley turned his foot sideways and kept it from rolling further. "Get out! You're not well, and you need your rest!" he spat. Then he picked the apple up, walked to the refrigerator and took out several other varieties of fruit.

'Is he angry? Why?' Blair really couldn't figure out the reason he was so hostile.

'Poor Talbot!

He has to worry about his commanding officer blowing his top constantly. He cooked and cleaned, and now he still has to do the dishes.'

Soon, Wesley brought the fruit platter out to the table. But when Blair saw it, her face twitched. He simply had no cutting skills at all! The apple was simply cut in half. The dragon fruit was in large, uneven pieces.

He didn't even remove the cantaloupe seeds.

Blair began to wonder whether Wesley could even cook. Maybe he wasn't exaggerating about how bad he was.

"Why aren't you eating?" Wesley asked when Blair didn't move.

Seeing no other choice, Blair speared a piece of dragon fruit with her fork. It took her five bites to finish it!

Instead of wondering if he cut it right, Wesley rolled his eyes and spat, "You could've finished it in one bite. If you didn't want it, then why did I make it?" In order to prove himself, he picked up a piece of dragon fruit and ate it in one bite.

"No, I'm full. I left it for you to enjoy," Blair explained in a hurry.

Wesley looked at the kitchen, and Talbot was still washing the dishes. They could clearly hear the clatter of dishes and utensils, not to mention the running water. "Real men don't eat sliced fruit!" Wesley said, deliberately loud enough for Talbot to hear. And Wesley wasn't finished yet. "Wuss!" he snapped.

Blair couldn't believe her ears.

'Seriously? Is he trying to mess with me?' She took a deep breath to calm down. "Are you trashing fruit? How is a man supposed to eat fruit, then?" she asked in a calm voice.

It took a Herculean effort to keep her voice even, because deep inside, she was quite unhappy.

"Like this!" Wesley took a piece of apple which had been cut in half, and took a large bite. He ate so much of it that only a smaller bite would be needed to finish it off.

Blair's eyes almost popped out of her head.

She also realized Wesley was in a bad mood and would find something to bitch about no matter what she said or did. She decided that saying nothing was better than having her head bitten off.

But she was wrong. Wesley was not trying to mess with her. For some reason, he was angry at Talbot, calling him a wuss. What a way to repay him for that delicious meal he cooked!

When Talbot finished washing the dishes and left the kitchen, his jaw dropped when he saw the fruit platter. He picked up a hunk of dragon fruit and looked at it, a dubious look on his face. "Chief, did you use a pickax to cut this?" he joked.

Wesley was boiling with rage. "Fuck off. I worked my ass off to make this."

"Sorry, Chief. It's fine." Talbot made a face and stuck out his tongue.

"You always bully Talbot like this?" Blair asked.

'Bully?' Talbot shook his head. "Don't worry. Our chief never bullied us. This is how he talks to us. He's actually a great guy."

'Except that he's a hothead and a relentless taskmaster, ' Talbot thought.