Chapter 10 — Spicy

We had all gathered in the galley to have lunch. Ashton and I were sitting on the counter behind the others who were sitting on stools; we had our plates in our hands.

Emre hadn’t eaten with us at all; he’d gone to see to some business with his captain. I didn’t even know there was a captain.

Eric had saved me a seat beside him, but Pelin had insisted that she just couldn’t stand to sit on the counter and eat. She’d looked at me and asked me if it was okay if she took the seat.

I’d nodded at her and put a hand on Eric’s shoulder, assuring him it was okay.

If I started fighting petty behavior with the same, we’d both be on the table pulling each other’s hair out.

I was fine sitting behind with Ashton; I didn’t like to be in the spotlight, and most of the time, I wasn’t even part of their conversation. I didn’t know them well enough to be a central part of their friendship, so it was okay. The only person who I knew as well as me, I was avoiding like the plague.

Pelin had become super confident because of my surrender and was now completely monopolizing Eric. 

I didn’t care for these games, but I had a bigger fight to fight right now.

I let her get away with it. As it was, I felt guilty looking into Eric’s eyes and was low-key grateful to escape him as long as I could.

I’d resolved on something. Whatever happened here, I would break up with him. 

I wasn’t in love with him, I never had been, but I’d never pretended to be either. 

Emre had at least made it clear to me that whatever I was looking for, it wasn’t with Eric. 

My appetite had left me, so I stared at the leftover fried chicken and mini burger on my plate. 

“Are you going to finish that?” Ashton eyed the leftover food on my plate.

I gestured with my hand, and he started to pick around on my plate.

Emre joined us then and saw Ashton sharing my food. 

He hit him on the side of the head, “Stop mooching off of her plate. There’s plenty to go around.”

Ashton rubbed his head, “Ow, but you know food tastes better if it’s someone else’s.”

Emre filled up his plate and started eating, leaning on the counter beside us.

“Did you try the salsa yet? Hot enough to burn a layer off of your tongue,” Ashton said I said no at the same time Emre said yes. We didn’t know who Ashton was talking to. 

Ashton looked from one of us to the other, shook his head, and murmured that he was going to go get some more beer.

Emre moved over to where I was sitting. His face and mine were level with me sitting on the counter.

He loaded a chip with some salsa and brought it up to my lips, “try it.”

I should have said no, but I opened my mouth anyway. 

It was delicious; the sweetness was perfectly balanced with the acidity, but the heat felt just right to me. Maybe it seemed that way because it was competing with the burn in my blood. I felt like my whole body was on fire as Emre watched me chew and swallow the bite.

“Too spicy?” he asked.

I shook my head, unable to speak.

He reached up with his thumb and wiped off a little smear of salsa from my lower lip, then he licked his thumb. 

My mind disconnected from my body. Suddenly, all I wanted was his mouth on mine, nothing else. 

At that moment, he could have stripped me and taken me on that very counter in front of everyone and I wouldn’t have cared. 

He smiled as if he knew what was happening to me. 

“Hmm…food does taste better if it’s someone else’s, was all he said.

Thankfully Ashton returned with some cold drinks and Emre moved over. 

If I didn’t have something cold soon, my body would spontaneously combust, I thought as I grabbed the beer from Ashton, who looked perplexed.

“The salsa was spicy,” I said by way of explanation.