Chapter 10: Al dente.
Humphrey's POV:
I quickly showered and freshened up a bit for the day before heading back downstairs, grabbing an apple from the kitchen and eating it as I checked that the house was locked up. After ensuring that the doors and windows were indeed secured I headed for the garage, grabbing the key Charlie had left me from the counter and pocketing it as I left. I spent the next several hours driving around town, stopping at various shops to buy things that I needed, the majority of which was clothing since what I had left was sparse to say the least.
Several hundred dollars and a few hours later I was headed home, my car filled with shopping bags. As I pulled out of the multi storey car park I let out a small sigh grateful at least that I hadn't needed to buy any furniture on top of all this since I had spent all the money Charlie had given me as well as what little had remained of my savings. 'At least I won't be completely broke.' I thought to myself as I remembered that I had my inheritance allowance due to come in any day now. That being said it wasn't a huge amount and I mused with myself as to whether or not I should try to get a part-time job.
I spent the remaining drive home considering my options but couldn't reach a conclusive answer so I shrugged, figuring I could ask Charlie when she returned home. Once I had unpacked all the clothes and put them away I nodded to myself in satisfaction as I looked around my room, feeling as though I had finally settled in. As I went downstairs I saw that I still had several hours to kill before Charlie got home and decided to finish cleaning the garage.
Once that was done I washed and spent an hour or so doing maintenance on my car but it turned out to be redundant, as the guy at the DMV had said it was in immaculate condition. With nothing better to do I went for a run along a small track around the three paddocks that bordered Charlie's house, which wasn't a particularly exhaustive distance for me but the uneven ground coupled with the fences that needed to be jumped and the fact that 75% of it was uphill meant that I was quite tired by the time I got back.
After a quick shower to remove the sweat from my body I saw that it had just ticked over 6pm and went into the kitchen, setting about preparing dinner.
Charlie's POV:
Charlie let out a relieved sigh as she pulled into her driveway, pressing the button on her remote to open the garage. It had been a tiring day and to top it off the staff meeting they'd held had lasted almost two hours which meant she would be working late tonight to be ready for tomorrow's classes. As she pulled into the garage she noticed that Humphrey had not only properly tidied his side but hers as well, leaving the dual-port garage cleaner than it had probably ever been. She smiled at the effort he had put in and made a mental note to remember to give him the spare remote for his car as she got out and headed inside.
"Hey Humphrey, I'm back." She called as she walked through the doorway into the main room. As she did so she noticed a delicious smell coming from the kitchen and turned that way to see Humphrey in there busy cooking. 'I had no idea he knew how to cook.' She mused to herself as he turned around and smiled.
"Hey Charlie. Dinner will be ready in ten 'kay?" He replied before returning to the salad that he was preparing. Beyond that Charlie had no idea what he was preparing so she simply nodded, slightly nonplussed as she headed upstairs to wash up a little before dinner. A few minutes later she returned downstairs just in time to see him placing the food on the table. As she moved to the table and sat down she saw that he'd cooked lasagne with a side of salad and some sort of dressing. A fairly common dish but it smelled divine and the way he'd plated it made it look gourmet.
"I know it's a little plain but I figured I'd make you something as thanks for... everything really." He said with a little chuckle as he sat down.
"Honestly it looks amazing Humphrey. But you really didn't have to." Charlie replied, to which he just shrugged in a way that said, 'I wanted to.' Charlie couldn't resist the enticing smell any longer and dug in, unsurprised that it tasted just as good as it looked. After devouring nearly half what was on her plate she looked up to see Humphrey looking at her with an amused smile on his face.
"I take it you were hungry?" He asked, to which she nodded and blushed a little, realizing she'd been a little uncouth and took a deep breath, slowing down a bit.
"Sorry, I was starving and it's so good." She said, taking a drink of water before continuing. He laughed at her comment, "Well thank you, it's been a while since I've prepared this one but I'm glad you like it." He said, looking off a bit as though he was remembering something, making Charlie wonder just how much of a past this boy had. They spent the rest of the meal more or less in silence and once she finished Charlie sat back and let out a contented sigh.
"So where did you learn to cook if you don't mind me asking? Most boys your age wouldn't have a clue." She spoke up after a moment, hoping to learn a little more about him.
Humphrey's POV:
I finished eating and sat back as well, considering Charlie's question for a moment.
"Well my mother taught me originally." I said slowly, pausing for a moment when my voice threatened to shake as I remembered those times. "After that I spent some time with families in France and Italy. I learned a few things from all of them but two happened to run restaurants. I worked there to help repay them for letting me stay and they taught me some more." I continued to explain after a moment. I looked up to see Charlie shaking her head a little with a disbelieving expression but I didn't know why.
"Well thanks again for dinner Humphrey, it really was delicious." She said after a moment, as she stood up, beginning to clean up. I'd already cleaned up most of what I'd used so there wasn't much but I jumped up, stopping her.
"You're welcome Charlie but let me do that. This is my way of thanking you after all." I said, taking the plates from her and heading for the kitchen. I heard her sigh and could imagine she was shrugging and shaking her head.
"Then I won't argue." She said from behind me as I heard her walk over to the stairs, heading up.
"I'll be upstairs if you need anything." She called back over her shoulder as she ascended. I quickly cleaned up the remaining dishes and followed her upstairs, flopping onto my bed. After a moment I pushed myself up from the plush comfort and prepared for bed, remembering at the last minute to put my phone on charge and set an alarm for the morning. 'Can't be late on my first day.' I thought to myself as I closed my eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.