A vein throbbed in her temple as she tried to explain to him again why lobster would not be an acceptable substitute for the Canadian bacon. For one it was too expensive and two it was not the classic way to make eggs benedict.
"You have to crawl before you walk Tsuruga-san. Learn how to properly make the dish before you try to change up the ingredients." She said placing the Canadian bacon in the cart.
"All I'm saying is that it's supposed to be a fancy dish and all the fancy people I know," mainly his parents and Lory, "they say that lobster on eggs benedict is fancier and tastes better."
"If by fancy you mean rich then I don't want their opinion. Traditional eggs benedict is high class and delicate enough without adding things to it."
"My dad used to eat it with lobster." He said not bothering to mention that his dad would have eaten it with the cheapest deli meat they could find. Not that anything would be cheap in this store.
"If you buy lobster I'm going home." She declared with an angry pout up at him.
"Fine, let's move on." He said and she smiled proudly to herself. He didn't care what meat they used because he was having fun shopping with her. Arguing about food was just part of the fun of spending time with her.
"Alright, we'll need vinegar and lemons." Kyoko said to herself as she led him through the store. "Cayenne pepper, parsley, chives…" As she listed things off, he held up both the expensive and inexpensive store brand for her placing the one she pointed to in the cart.
"Good now just the eggs, butter, and wine." She said.
"Wine?" He asked dropping the expensive butter into the cart.
"Yes, a chardonnay." She said nodding as she plucked the butter from the cart and swapped it for one that was less expensive but higher quality. "How many times do I have to tell you that flashy packaging does not equal better quality. You have to read the labels."
"Isn't all butter the same?" he asked with a small shrug. "It's churned cream."
"Yes, but some brands fry better, some melt better, and others are smoother and make for better cookies, or in our case a better hollandaise sauce." She explained trying not to find his hopelessness cute. "As for the eggs, these are free range chicken eggs, and these are caged. These ones are fresher, you can tell by the color while these over here will expire soon." She said acting like a teacher giving her student a lesson. She pointed to the different cartons opening them to show him the differences in color and shine of the eggs.
"Sensei! Sensei!" Ren enthused raising his hand. "What are these little speckled ones?"
"Those are quail eggs." She replied and chose a carton of eggs.
"Couldn't we get the quail eggs? I think they're cute and you know how much I like cute things. Like you, sensei." He said teasingly.
"We don't need those." She said not losing her teacher's voice despite his teasing. "Now pay attention because there will be a test later."
"Oh?" he intoned lowering his head to look her in the eyes. "Do I get a prize if I pass, Mogami-sensei?"
Blushing she turned away from him saying, "No but you'll get detention if you fail."
"Detention with you? I might like that." He flirted.
"We need the white wine and then we'll be done." She said. She had to close her eyes to the intense emperor gaze he was giving her.
"I'm not sure I should be buying wine for you." He said feeling weird about supplying her with alcohol despite knowing she lived in a restaurant that served alcohol. She probably had her first drink at a younger age than he had.
"I've had wine before." She said as though it were no big deal. Yayoi had let her taste all the alcohols they used to cook with. It was important for her to know what each tasted like so she could know what could be added into different recipes. "I prefer sake though."
"Remind me to lock my liquor cabinet later." He joked and she rolled her eyes.
Once they had acquired all of the needed supplies, he paid, and they left for his apartment. The cashier scrutinized them with a confused expression but ultimately shrugged it off. It wasn't like it was his first time seeing the young woman with Tsuruga Ren but after the rumors about Kana he had assumed Kyoko would stop coming over. He was sworn to secrecy though as the privacy of the celebrities living in the building was of the utmost importance. Still, he was glad that Kyoko was still around as he found the couple to be cute together.
"I should have worn a disguise." Kyoko said worrying her lip as she looked over her shoulder. "What if that cashier says something? Then weird rumors will start."
"It's fine." Ren said leading her down the hall. "He's seen us before and hasn't said anything."
"That doesn't make it fine! It makes him more suspicious." Kyoko countered. "He could be gathering evidence for now and then one day bam pictures of us all over the tabloids. I'm so stupid! I never should have come here. What was I thinking coming over and at this hour?!"
"Stop it. Everything is alright. Yashiro-san wouldn't have let you come over if he wasn't certain that it was safe." Ren said annoyed but looking at her worried face as she chewed on her lip he softened. "Next time you can give me a list and I promise to read the ingredient labels and only buy what you say. Please don't stop coming over. Even at this hour."
"You'll only get exactly what is written on the list?" she asked.
"Promise." He said holding out his pinky to her.
She hooked her pinky in his beaming up at him. The tip of his nose brushed against hers and her heart skipped. Closing his eyes, he backed away just as suddenly as he had leaned down and he motioned for her to walk in front of him. He breathed in deeply then released it trying to calm himself and prepare for the long night he had ahead of him.
A/N: I should be writing my other stories I know but I couldn't resist. Next chapter they'll be cooking eggs, not very exciting but I'll try to make it cute and fluffy. It's been forever since I've made Eggs Benedict but I can't be bothered to look up the recipe so it might be all wrong.