I gently push Bai Lei away and walk over to the door. I open the door knowing it's Ted. Ted smiles and walks in with a few bags. "I was already at the store grabbing stuff for him." I laugh at him and close the door as I say "Always one step ahead."
Bai Lei watches the interaction with dark eyes as Ted brings the bags to the table. "If you need anything else, just let me know. If I can't go, Chase or Nick can go." I nod and tell him thanks as I send him cash to his phone.
"I'll make you a snack before you go back," I say walking into the kitchen. I pull out the chocolate pudding packs and whip cream.
Ted looks over to Bai Lei and gives him a polite smile as he asks "So... how do you like our world so far?" Bai Lei stares at Ted before saying "I don't." Ted nervously licks his lips and nods his head as he looks back over to Nova in the kitchen.
Bai Lei moves over and stands in front of Ted, effectively blocking his view of Nova. Ted looks into Bai Lei's dark eyes before looking back to the kitchen with a small smirk. "You... you like Nova?" Ted asks with a smile.
Bai Lei clenches his jaw but he nods his head once causing Ted's smile to grow. Ted looks back to the kitchen once more before leaning closer to Bai Lei and whispering "Do you want me to give you a few pointers?" Bai Lei's eyes widen a bit before he nods his head once again.
Ted grabs Bai Lei's arm to lead him over to the living room but he stops short and squeezes his arm in amazement. Ted looks back up to Bai Lei to find him frowning at him so Ted gives him a quick thumbs-up before draging him to the couch.
"Okay, women from this world are very different from the women in your world. Women here are fierce, independent, and capable. They don't need men to survive... but if we can woo them, they will date us!" Bai Lei scrunches up his face in confusion as he says "Who protects them from danger then? What is date?"
Ted sighs and says "We have lots of laws and police here to help keep everyone safe so it's really not needed... that and some women are terrifying! If you like a woman then you must woo them in order to date them... if you can successfully date them, you can fall in love and even marry!"
Bai Lei continues to frown in confusion as he says "Why can't you get married first?" Ted throws his hands up in the air and says "Do you want to know how to get Nova to like you or do you want to keep questioning everything I'm telling you?"
Bai Lei quickly clears his throat and says "What must I do?" Ted smiles in triumph as he says "This is what you have to do...."
I put the chocolate pudding in three small glass bowls and spray the whip cream on top of them. I then grab sprinkles and toss them on top to add a little flare. It was a truly easy and simple snack but it was always a favorite of mine.
I put them all on the wooden tray and walk them over to the living room. I find Ted hunched over whispering to Bai Lei... I clear my throat and the two quickly jump away from each other. "Uh... I hope I didn't disturb anything..." I say eyeing the two of them.
Ted burst out into a nervous laugh as he shoots off the couch saying "I just remembered I have something important to do! I'll let you know if anything happens at the office!" Ted quickly walks out of the house, leaving Bai Lei and I alone.
"He's always so strange... Would you like a desert cup? It's nothing special but it is one of my favorites." I say turning to look at Bai Lei. He looks at the pudding cups and nods his head, making me smile. I hand him one and sit next to him with one of my own.
I hand him a spoon and turn on the TV. Bai Lei watches me take a bite before doing the same thing. His eyes light up as he takes another bite. "Do you like it?" I ask with a smile. Bai Lei nods his head and says "It's good but really sweet..."
I nod in agreement and go back to watching the news. It looks like a storm is heading our way... I should probably get a case of water and a few snacks. Suddenly Bai Lei's long finger gently brushes the side of my lip, turning me into stone.
I slowly turn to him with wide eyes as he brings his finger to his lips. "You had a little on the corner of your mouth..." He says looking at me with serious black eyes. The lights from the TV bounce and reflect off his dark eyes making it look like stars were dancing within his eyes.
I quickly wipe my mouth and stiffly nod my head as I mumble "Thanks..." I try to go back to watching TV but I can feel him staring at me from the side. I bite my lip and slowly turn to look at him with confusion "Is something wrong?" He nervously licks his lips as he says "I need to relieve myself..." I blink several times before it finally makes sense! He needs to use the bathroom!
"Oh! Of course... um, let me show you." I awkwardly say as I stand. Bai Lei places his half-eaten bowl of pudding next to mine as he silently follows me. I open the door and quickly turn the lights on as I say "This is a bathroom... you use the bathroom in here and take baths.."
Bai Lei walks in and looks around in confusion. I bite my lip and wish I had thought of Ted showing him this earlier.