She cried out. “No. Okay. Hell no. There is no way you and I can ever be friends.”
“I do happen to like Halloween. All laughing and joking aside.” He chuckled. “You’re a goofball. Do you enjoyHalloween?”
“That I do. I love Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. When we lived in England, we had Bonfire Night as well. Good times.” She looked at the abundant vegetables he was preparing. “What are you cooking?”
“My signature dish, a good old stir fry.” He held a wok up in his hands.
“Your signature dish?”
“This is where I started to practice. Where I got it all right.” He winked at her. “You should feel honored.”
She placed her hand over her heart. “Oh, I do. I cannot wait to try it.”
He continued to chop. Jaxson had rolled up his sleeves, showing his impressive tattoos.
“Did you ever get told off for all the ink you have?” Teal asked.
“No. My ability to teach isn’t compromised by what I enjoy.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Teal, relax, you ask about the ink, and it’s a natural response I have. Trust me, I get asked it all the time. I’ve also had parents question my ability to teach.”
“That must be awful.”
“It is what it is. Personally, I’ve found that it has intrigued the kids more.” He shrugged. “But what do I know? I got the ink before I became focused on being a teacher and I’m not going to get them removed because I enjoyed getting them.”
“I think one day I’d love to get a tattoo,” she said.
“You would?”
“Yeah, nothing daring or scary, or anything like that. Just something fun. Maybe a rose, or a dolphin, or a heart.” She wrinkled her nose. “Nah, not that. Ugh, I don’t know. Besides, I’d have to be living on my own by then.”
“You would?”
“My parents’ rules. While ever I’m under their roof, I will follow their rules.”
“The standard, old parental ways.”
“You got it.”
“You should do as your parents say,” Jaxson said. “They do have your best interests at heart.”
She stared at him as he got the wok on the heat, and he added a little oil, which instantly started to smoke.
“You’re not going to convince me to go on my own path? To follow my own dreams?”
“I’m going to make sure you do the right thing. Your parents want what is best for you.”
She couldn’t help but wonder about that.
Her precious parents were in another country. They were more focused on their own problems than concerning themselves with their daughter.
“I’m not going to get a tattoo.”
Jaxson added some sliced carrots, followed by the onions. He gave them a stir and immediately added some peppers. He used his knife to add the chopped garlic, but he did use some ginger from a jar, which he spooned into the mix.
With the vegetables charring, and it smelled amazing, he chopped up some of his leftover tofu, which he’d surprised her with. Considering he wanted meatballs on his pasta, she hadn’t been expecting the tofu.