Eating Well

"What are you doing here?" I asked the giant of a Chinese boy walking equally as fast as I am.

He looked down at me and scoffed before holding his head high and facing forward again, "Oh, hi Mmber, I didn't see you there," he said with an uppity air as if he were better than me.

This guy is such a diva...

"How can you not see me? I am the darkest thing out here," I started to explain; slightly irritated that he got such an attitude just acknowledging me.

"Yes dark, it is night time, the only thing I really can see is that white T-shirt you are wearing," he sighed out.

I stopped walking and looked at his retreating back before calling out to him, completely ignoring his insult, "Yah! Why are you walking anyway? Don't you do Wushu? What do you need the exercise for?"

He stopped and turned around to face me before making a teasing face. I don't know what this guy’s problem is, but ever since he moved in next door to me, he has been a complete pain!

All he does is go on and on with long winded explanations for the simplest of questions. If you ask him how is the weather, he would reply with an 'the weather is hot, but according to the way the wind blows, it might become cool when the sun goes down at the time it is said to set everyday.' Or if I asked him how his day was he would reply with a explanation on why the traffic to work was such a bother and how many people couldn't understand what he was talking about, and on and on!

Hey Tao, I have an idea! How about if you just answer the question with a yes or no, then people will understand what you are talking about!

I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts completely missing whatever reason he gave for wanting to exercise.

"Yeah whatever," I answered, pretending that I heard what he said.

"No, I am serious, walking calms my nerves. Especially walking alone but some people act like they don't get the hint," he said emphasizing every other word that I am guessing are referred to me.

"You do realize you are in a public park on an exercise walk way, right? This is not some secluded beach where you can take simple little strolls, alone, but some people act like they don't know that," I also emphasized.

I saw him crack a little smile at my remark. I smirked myself knowing that I had won this round, but I am sure there are many more to come. He continued walking even though he slowed down considerably. I was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable since we had made it around the mile long track but were still walking like two...friends? I don't know what to make of it, especially since I am used to him having some kind of smart reply, or anything to say really. But it is quiet, and we are not talking...did I mention that this is making me uncomfortable?

"Huh?" I snapped my head in his direction catching that sinister smirk on his face. He raised his eyebrows at me before making some confused face.

"Are you hearing things? I didn't say anything," he scoffed.

With a slight roll of my neck and quirk of my top lip, I said "Oh well excuse me!" causing him to laugh at me.

"What are you laughing at, Mr. 'I like to play with my Wushu Stick' no matter how wrong that sounds?" he immediately stopped laughing.

"I just like it when you act like that," he snickered again.

"Oh so now you like things about me?" his face lost all sense of amusement after I said that.

Ok so maybe I pushed it too far...

"I am going home," he stated, turning away from me.

As his face turned in the direction of the street lights, I saw the slightest hint of a blush on his face. My eyes got slightly bigger at the sight of my 'tough as nails' Tao, blushing!

He walked away from me as I finally realized that I just might have the upper hand in this...whatever it is we have.

"Hey Tao!" I called out to him again, slightly jogging to catch up, "I am glad you came to the park tonight, can we walk home together?"

There it is, his ears just got the slightest bit redder. And if that tell tale smile that he is fighting to hold back is any indication, then I would say he is definitely blushing.

"Ahem, yeah, um, sure I will walk you back to our place, I mean your place," he started to nervously chuckle, "Ha, sometimes speaking English, I forget that if you add 'Y' in front of 'Our' you get 'Your', you know?" he chuckled again.

"Why are you so nervous all of a sudden?" I asked, he was beginning to make me uncomfortable again.

"Who is nervous? I am doing just fine," he stuck his chest up straight and held his head up higher, "Let's take a selca!" he shouted.

"Uh no. I am sweaty, this is not the time for a picture," I started while grabbing for his phone in his hand.

The sudden contact of our hands gave me a shock. I pulled my hand away and held it close to my body, wondering if he felt that as well. It seems he did since he was mimicking my exact posture. He rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile before turning away signaling for me to come along. I trailed behind a little ashamed for some reason.

Looking at the back of him I noticed the same things I always did. His toned back, arms, , thighs, and legs. Not to mention his height...and with all of that going for him, he still always found some way to be around me, and I didn't understand why? And now I am noticing that he blushes if I compliment him or say something nice about him in general. I am sure he gets compliments like this often so why be so...sensitive when I compliment him?

"Would you like help? Exercising, I mean," he stuttered out.

"Does it look like I need help?" I rolled my neck again making him snicker.

"Sorry to say but you do, how long have you been walking? Have you lost any weight yet?" I scoffed at him as he just laughed harder.

"Maybe I could use a little help with my diet," I whispered out.

"Your what?" he teased. Great, just when I thought he would revert back to the Tao that talk about everything on me that he thinks is a flaw.

"My diet!" I screamed into his ear while standing on the very tip of my tippy toes. He cuffed his hand against his ear as he scowled at me.

"Great, then since you seem to eat everything in your path, I will help you with your diet," first of all, I don't eat everything in my path! But judging from the smile he gave me after he finished talking as we reached my door, I knew I was in for some trouble.

~~~~~

"Squat lower!" he screamed in my ear.

"No," I shouted back.

"Lower!"

"I can’t!"

"Do it!"

"Ok!!!" I screamed as I lowered myself with these weights on my thighs and shoulders. I felt like I would puke if he asked me to go any lower.

"Good, now hold that position for thirty seconds," he started counting.

I felt the sweat running down my whole body as if I got caught in the rain. Not to mention that I was literally quivering from the stress of this intense exercise.

"Ok, good, let’s go get you cleaned up," he said walking from our shared backyard into the back door of my house. I just collapsed on the grass, not bothering to just walk like he did. Walking everyday compared to what Tao just put me through, does not compare in any way!

"Huang ZiTao!!!" I shouted as I entered into the house finally. I struggled into the kitchen where I knew he would be. "You!" I said when I found him.

"No, You are sweaty and dirty, please go shower before talking with me any further," he immediately dismissed me.

The audacity of him!

I showered quickly and returned to the kitchen with a fresh pair of everything on.

"What are we cooking?" he looked at me before leaning over and smelling my hair. I bent back at the sudden intrusion.

"Um, smells fresh, I didn’t think you guys washed your hair," he stated as if that wasn’t an insult.

"I am going to ignore that and proceed with waiting for an answer to my question, ignorant people these days," I whispered the last part.

"Well, we are making Black Bean Salmon Stir-Fry."

I looked down at the simple ingredients he had sprawled across my kitchen counter. The only things I recognized were the salmon, red pepper, and bean sprouts.

"How healthy is this?" he looked at me and smiled.

"We use a generous amount of fiber and vitamin C-rich bean sprouts in this meal. So if anything, it will boost your immune system and digestive system."

I made my lips make the "Oh" shape before nodding my head.

"It will only take 20 minutes or so to cook, but first we have to prepare, so I already cut everything, all I need you to do is whisk the water, black bean garlic sauce, rice wine, cornstarch and crushed red pepper in this bowl until they are well mixed, ok?"

I nodded my head keeping up with what he said.

"I will handle the salmon, it only takes about 2 minutes, and then I want you to pour that sauce in this pot after you add the bean sprouts and scallions, understand?"

"Yes I got it," I mixed everything together as he said, while he cooked the salmon. I couldn’t help but get distracted at how concentrated and dare I say it, handsome, he looked next to me.

After those twenty minutes were over, and he was doing the final preparations, I set the table so we can eat together for the first time ever. He brought the plates to the table before walking back into the kitchen and returning with a pitcher of lemonade?

"This," he started before I even had the chance to ask, "Is Honey Lemon Tea, it is a popular drink served in the homes along the Yangtze during the summer. Since honey is highly praised in China for its medicinal value, then we will drink this. It will help regulate your body temperature since I made you exercise so hard in this heat."

"What is the nutritional value to this meal?" I asked, highly surprised that he knows so much about health.

"This meal is only 300 calories, you have about 70 mg of cholesterol, 12 g of carbohydrates, 30 g of protein, 3 g of fiber and 600 mg of potassium," he smiled out.

"So I am getting Vitamin C, Potassium, and Omega-3?"

"Yes you are, this is a great meal, try it," he took his wooden chopsticks apart and grabbed some of my food off my plate leading it to my mouth.

I looked up at his sincere face as he tried to feed me.

This is so embarrassing!

I slowly parted my lips as I felt the warmth of the food invade my mouth. I closed my eyes surprised at the sudden burst of good flavors.

"Umm, wow this is good," he snickered at me, but I could care less at that moment. Food shouldn’t taste this good! "Give me another bite!" I commanded.

He laughed harder before swirling his chopsticks around my plate some more and feeding me the next bite.

Before we both realized it, he fed me my whole plate as his food got cold.

"Oops," I smiled out.

"No problem," he picked up his plate and got up walking to the kitchen. He came back after sometime and sat down with steam coming from his plate. "There, it’s warm again, now you can feed me," he smiled teasingly.

I wonder how I should take that statement?

I picked up my fork since I am not to proficient with chopsticks yet, "Will this become a daily thing?" I asked.

I don’t know why I said that without thinking first!

I watched his lips close around my fork, my own mouth hanging open slightly. Even though it is impossible to tell that I am blushing without smiling hard, I will tell you that I am. I am blushing so hard right now it is uncomfortable.

After he swallowed his first bite, he said the most inevitably unnerving words he could utter to me, "I think we should make this a daily thing, you feed me, I feed you, it ensures that we will eat slow enough to give our brains that 15 minutes it needs to be able to register that we did eat something."

I should have known he would say something so long winded, "Besides, eating across from you is eating well, right?"

So he likes eating across from me?

"Right," I blushed out.

A/N: Eating Well: ‘Well’ (Adverb) meaning ‘in a good way’ agreeable, prefect, admirable, nice, pleasing, pleasant, favorable, and fond.

Ha ha, well it is over! This is the second series for one of my friends who have finally decided that she likes Tao.The first oneshot for a different friend is Does That Answer Your Question a Lay oneshot. The next one to come is…Luhan!

I have no feels for the boy, but I am working on it so I can get a good story out of it! Remember COMMENT!!! OR SO HELP ME I WILL…do nothing about it  But I still really appreciate comments! Even if you hated it! COMMENT and tell me.

Also, that is a real recipe above, the drink and meal. If you want to try it, message me about the ingredients if it’s that important to you.

COMMENT!!!