Emily was working hard in the kitchen, humming contentedly as she prepared the meal. She held her hair back as she leaned in, taking a deep sniff of the pan and satisfied herself that it was going well. She was never a particularly fussy cook, but tonight, she wanted everything to go perfectly.
It wasn't easy being a Samurai at the best of times, but recently things had become so much harder as she found her feelings for Mike growing. Even though they had talked, and he had said he felt the same way, the fact was that they hadn't really had a chance to explore those feelings and really figure out exactly where they stood with each other. As much as she loved the others, the fact was that living in the same house just meant that privacy was next to impossible to come by. Tonight though, they had the house all to themselves. Jayden had taken Mia and Kevin to the cinema, something that neither she nor Mike would be able to afford for the foreseeable future after replacing Mentor Ji's television, and Mentor Ji...she thought about it for a second and realised she had no idea where he went. He was a strange, mysterious kind of guy. Outside of training them for their duties as Rangers, she really knew nothing about him, indeed none of them did. He didn't talk about his family, his home, his past...he didn't really talk about himself at all. Outside of his name, they really knew nothing about him.
Jayden did, from talking to him, they had ascertained that he had been living with Mentor Ji since he was a kid, and they had known each other for years. That said the truth was she didn't really know anything about Jayden either. He was such a closed, guarded person. He was always kind and decent and he had never done anything to harm his team, but whenever the subject came around to his past, he always answered in one or two word sentences with no elaboration if he bothered to answer at all, and changed the subject. She couldn't explain why she felt comfortable enough to trust her life to a guy that so far couldn't even bring himself to tell her about his family, but she did. She jumped with a start as she felt an arm snaking its way around her stomach.
"That's not really the reaction I was looking for." Mike whispered into her ear. "It smells great."
"It's Swiss Steak." She told him, settling into his arms. "Mom made it for me and Serena whenever there was a special occasion."
"So this is a special occasion?" He asked her with a wry grin on his face. He had to admit enjoying this all too rare occasion where they had the house to themselves. Like Emily, he liked the others, but he had to also admit that sometimes he just wished he could get a few minutes to himself, or like now, with Emily.
She felt good in his arms, soft and warm, and so at ease with him that being with her was like second nature. She giggled a little as he tightened his grip, squeezing her a little.
"What do you think?" She asked him, turning to face him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "When are we likely to have the place to ourselves again?"
She drew him in, kissing him softly. She turned back to the cooker, checking on the dish and reached for a couple of plates and starting to dish it up.
"There's some candles on the table, would you light them please?" She asked him. Mike just nodded and headed through to the main room. Striking a match, he lit the candles, illuminating the room, bathing it in a soft, orange glow. He saw the bottle of wine on the table and picked up the corkscrew.
"You know, I've been looking forward to this for a while." He told her. "The others should be gone all night."
"That's the plan." She replied as she came through, carrying two plates. She laid one down in front of him as he popped the cork on the bottle. He started to pour the wine as she knelt down by the table.
"Here." He said, handing her a glass as he picked up his own. "To us."
"I like the sound of that." She replied, tapping her glass to his and taking a sip. Mike did likewise, before picking up his cutlery and starting on his dinner. "So what should we do after this?"
"I was thinking of a movie." She told him. "I have Dead Poets' Society on DVD."
"I've never seen it." He admitted. Emily gulped down a mouthful and stared at him in disbelief.
"You've never seen Dead Poets' Society?" She asked him incredulously. "How could you not have seen it? It's a classic!"
"I guess I'll get a chance tonight." He answered with a shrug as he put an arm around her. "This is great."
"I'll say it is." She answered as she settled into his arms. "Mike...can I ask you something?"
"Anything." He replied. She looked up to him as she smiled.
"Are you trying to get me drunk?" She asked, pointing to the glass of wine. He just shook his head.
"That's not my style." He told her. He drew in, and pressed his lips to hers.
Later that night, Jayden, Kevin and Mia came into the house, laughing and joking; Kevin and Mia were carrying ice cream cones.
"All I'm saying is his technique was off." Jayden concluded. "I mean, holding a sword like that, it's amazing he didn't get disarmed in like ten seconds."
"I don't think that's exactly the point of the film." Mia suggested as she shoved him playfully. "Besides, I doubt the producers made the film with the idea trained Samurai would be in the audience."
"Hey, check this out." Kevin whispered, pointing into the living room.
There, lying on the couch in front of the television, Mike and Emily had fallen asleep watching the movie. Mike's arms were wrapped around her, holding her into himself. Emily barely stirred as they approached. Mia smiled to see them, taking a picture with her cell phone, before looking around, finding a blanket and draping it over them.
"Shouldn't we...?"
"Just leave them." Mia told the guys as she guided them out the room.
Emily started to come to, looking around as she realised they had fallen asleep. The television was off, and they had been covered with a blanket, indicating that someone had already found them. She felt a warm weight behind her and looked over her shoulder, finding Mike sleeping there peacefully, his arms wrapped around her. Pulling the covers around them, she settled into his arms and fell back to sleep, a large smile crossing her face.