Oh my god, I can't believe it. When was the last time I wrote? Ages ago *turns away in embarrassment* Forgive me, I have committed a fanfiction sin: Abandoned a story! I can't even begin to describe what happened, but I will continue this story anyway, it deserves an ending. This chapter is kinda long, I hope that it makes up for the long wait! Follow, favorite, review and let me know what you think.

PS. The clue from last chapter was Ethiopian, all will be revealed!

I stepped into the vehicle and cursed how wet my cardigan had gotten, cringing at the horrid smell that would come from the wet wool. Kevin was wet too; he stared contemplatively at his sweater, before he slipped into the back seats to rummage through his boot. He emerged soon after with two hoodies and handed one to me, before jumping into the driver's seat.

The hoodie was grey with green footballs decorating the heavy fabric. It smelled faintly of Kevin, and I blushed as I recalled being in his arms when he caught me. I clutched his sweater tighter, cursing the blush that was appearing on my cheeks.

"Are you going to put it on or what, Dork?" Kevin said suddenly, pulling me out of my trance. He must have seen me stare at the sweater like a dazed damsel. I hurriedly shrugged off my cardigan and pulled the hoodie on. I was lost in the mound of fabric that engulfed my body, seeing as my stature was half that of Kevin's.

Satisfied with my acceptance of his hoodie, Kevin pulled off his own sweater, to reveal nothing beneath it. I blushed and averted my eyes, but nothing would remove the image of his body. That one glance was enough to engrave the image of a chest. A chest so perfectly balanced, my mathematical brain was certain is was defined by the golden ratio! A torso sculpted and chiseled so precisely that even the Ancient Greek would believe it to be a god's! So anatomically accurate, that medical students would pay a heavy sum to study the perfect male physic! I was fully aware that my admirations were hyperbolic, but I could not deny the majesty of his physique.

I decided to glance back and saw that he had pulled his hoodie. I felt a pang of disappointment, though I knew it was best; I did not need any more fuel for my raging desires. Eddward Marion, in the name of all that is scientific and decent, what are you thinking?

The car began to rumble, and I realized that in my reverie, Kevin had already driven out of the parking lot. I sat silently and looked around the small vehicle, before curiosity once again reigned,

"Uh, Kevin, it surprises me that you own a car. I always imagined that your bicycle would morph into a motorcycle as you grew older"

He laughed ruefully and said, "Yeah I thought so too. I do have a bike, but something is wrong with it, and I don't know what! And I don't have enough cash to take it to the mechanic, so I'm stuck with this borrowed crap from my roommate who is doing an internship in Taiwan"

"Oh" was all I said, but realizing that wasn't very helpful, I added, "That's a shame"

"Yeah, you can say that again" he muttered.

We sat in silence as we drove through the campus, the tall old buildings glistening with moisture from the recent rain. I risked a side glance in Kevin's direction, and noticed him quickly look back to the road. Had he been looking at me? I wondered, a bubble of excitement growing in my stomach. No, it was probably nothing, I attempted to convince myself, turning back to the window. We were now on a street full of restaurants on either side, with different cuisines as well as cafés and shops.

"Wanna get something to eat?" Kevin finally offered, turning to me with a smile. I blushed slightly and shrugged, "The interview is over Kevin"

"So? Our catching up isn't" he mused, pursing his lips and continued down the street before stopping outside an Ethiopian cuisine restaurant. He switched off the car and grinned at me.

"Ready for a taste trip?" he said, nudging me. I looked from him to the restaurant. It had a crudely drawn pot and gourd with the word "ABYSSINIAN DELIGHT" across in green. The windows were tinted, but laughter and melodic music streamed from inside.

"It seems exciting, but I don't handle exotic food very well" I offered, trying to smile sweetly, but certain I looked pained. My last experience was with my parents at a Thai restaurant, where the day after was spent in the toilet.

Kevin laughed and got out of the car, disregarding my warning. I joined him outside, wrapping the hoodie around me. I hesitated at the door. He watched me for a bit and with a roll of his emerald eyes; he opened the door and led me into a new world.

The air was thick with spices and incense, which was billowing softly around the room like a phantom. The place was full of people sitting at low tables, on large plush cushions. Amongst them were plates of aromatic dishes that steamed appetizingly. I felt my mouth water at the smell, but from what I could see of the food, it was not what I was used to. The room itself was small and narrow, with carpets draped from the walls and coffee pots as ornaments on small shelves.

A waitress walked up to us and smiled saying, "Welcome to Abyssinian Delight, how may I help you?"

"Uh, yeah, do you have a table for two, maybe in the back room" Kevin said smoothly, flashing a toothy grin. She blushed slightly and said, "Follow me"

We crossed the room to a carpet that in fact served as a door and lead to another room that was darker, lit only by candles. There were fewer people, and from what I could tell, they were mostly couples.

We were lead to one of the low tables and I took a seat, crossing my legs as I tried to get comfortable on the cushion. I shifted continuously until I was mostly comfortable. Kevin sat down smoothly and looked around the room, smiling at students that he seemed to recognize, before turning back to me. I was removing my hoodie, and as I did so, he watched me intently.

"May I help you Kevin?" I asked, feeling self-conscious. He shook his head and said, "I really like this place, this is where I come when I want to get away from everything and eat really good spicy food"

"Yes, well spicy is not necessarily my preference. I have a very sensitive stomach" I reiterated, trying to remind him of my previous comment. But suddenly I was conscious of how whiny I must have sounded and withdrew slightly. I didn't want him to regret bringing me there.

"Well, get ready to go to the pooper, because you're eating a bucket load of Wat tonight"

"What?" I blurted.

"Exactly, Wat" he laughed, as the waitress returned. He gave in the order as "The usual". She smiled and walked away.

"So what did you order us?" I asked; shifting again on my cushion as the blood circulation ceased in my lower regions.

"You'll see, a little bit of everything, extra mild" he smiled slyly, "Do you drink?"

"Yeah, water and tea mostly. My mother insists I stay hydrated" I responded before Kevin's laughter interrupted me.

"No, as in alcohol" he clarified. I was taken aback and shook my head vigorously, recalling a time when Eddy decided to have a "vodka party". I did not fare so well.

"Oh come on, have a little fun Dr. Dork" he said, waving over the waitress. He requested some "Tej". She disappeared behind a curtain of beads that served as a doorway and returned with a large glass flask, which she held in both her hands. She offered me some and I blushed, declining graciously, but Kevin would have none of that, "Give him some please. Dork, you're drinking it, I don't care"

I rolled my eyes, as the waitress laughed and poured some cloudy, honey colored liquid into a small glass.

"Be careful, it has high alcohol content" she warned, before moving onto the next table. I stared at the cloudy liquid for a moment, and sniffed deeply. It smelled of fermentation and sweetness.

"What is it?" I asked, internally convincing myself to take a sip. Kevin smiled bemusedly and clarified, "This is Tej, a tranditional Ethiopian drink. Probably the only alcoholic drink sold anywhere near campus legally. Another great reason why I come here"

I was still apprehensive, and held it gingerly in my fingers.

"Just drink it! Here, let's have a toast" he said, raising his glass.

I did the same, and asked, "What are we toasting to?"

He pursed his lips and squinted, "To new friendships I guess"

I nodded and repeated, "To new friendships" and our glasses clinked delicately above us. I took a sip and winced at the sweet alcoholic drink. This once more caused Kevin to erupt with laughter.

I had never known Kevin to be so noisy, but his hearty laugh brought a smile to my face. He laughed with his head facing the ceiling, and his eyes completely shut; the image of ecstasy. His cheeks took on a slight pink color, and once he opened his eyes, they were glazed over with pleasure. He smiled, his pink lips forming a shallow arc across his freckled features. He was stunning.

"Double D?" he asked, the smile disappearing. I blinked a few time and lamely went, "Hm?"

"You totally zoned out man" he said. I blushed and quickly grabbed for my drink. He simply smiled.

While I sipped my drink, the waitress returned with a large flat plate. She laid the plate on the table and wished us a good meal.

The plate was completely covered in what seemed to be a large flat pancake, more similar to a crepe, and top of it sat various stews, differing in texture and color. Some were dark and smooth, while another was chunky and a pale yellow. The only familiar thing on the plate was a small serving of salad. The waitress also brought some moist towelettes, which smelled strongly of lavender.

"Don't look so scared, it's just food" Kevin teased, reaching for a towelette and expertly cleaning his hands. I proceeded to do the same, suddenly aware that there was no cutlery. This was to be eaten by hand.

Kevin then reached for the plate. I watched as he tore a piece of the crepe, and delicately scooped some of the dark stew into it, before swiftly popping it into his mouth. He chewed slowly and deliberately, looking at me the whole time as though to prove that he was not about to die from poisoning. I sat silently until he swallowed and said, "Now you try"

I turned my attention to the plate and reached for some pancake. I then attempted to scoop some of the stew, but there was too little pancake and it ended up all over my fingers. I sighed.

"Here, let me help" he said, before expertly preparing the mouthful that I had just failed miserably. He reached out and held it to me. I attempted to take it from him with my hands but he pulled away.

"With your mouth, stupid. It's an Ethiopian tradition called gursha, where you feed each other as a sign of friendship"

I stared blankly at him for a moment before asking, "You want me to eat from your hand?"

He nodded, extended his arm farther to ensure it was right in front of my mouth. The spices accosted my nose and made my mouth water. It it's a normal custom, nothing suspicious, I see nothing wrong with it…

I leaned forward and opened my mouth, however I seemed to over-estimate how far Kevin's hand was, because as the food touched my tongue, so too did his strong calloused fingers. I pulled away, my lips dragging across his digits, and began to chew shyly. This was probably the most awkward thing to have happened all day; his germ infested fingers had been in my mouth. However, I was strangely aroused by the action.

I looked up at him, certain he was scowling in disgust and requesting a bottle of hand sanitizer from the waitress. However, I was met with hooded green eyes staring at me intently, his lips pursed in thought and the fingers that had recently been in my mouth rubbing against each other. We stared at each other for a moment before he said, his voice husky, "I hope you liked that, I mean, it"

I hope it was good enough, again I'm so sorry, this will be finished!