"Glad you like both. The meatballs are great too, he said smiling back. " My mom taught me a little cooking, I sometimes read cookbooks to get ideas also . He was enjoying the time he spent with Lin. It was great to find a woman who enjoied spending time with him. He had dated in the past, but what he felt for Lin was much more than he did for the others. Those relationships didn't last very long. Usually it was the other person who ended the relationship. He treasured these moments , they meant so much to him.

Lin's kitchen was warm and cozy, with a backsplash of black tiles that formed a dragon of some sort. There was a shelf to the side with all sorts of cooking odds and ends, bowls and spoons and cups; also, a collection of cookbooks had found their way to the shelf. Italian, chinese, even a vietnamese, american cookbooks, cajun. She loved all of them and collected them like some people collected stamps or soup spoons; when she visited a place, she made sure to grab a cookbook. Smiling back, she tucked a stray hair behind her ear."Thanks. My meatballs are a real mixture of experimentation and trial and error. It's great your mom taught you cooking....I really like that."

" I'm glad you do. I really enjoy cooking with you Lin. We should do this again sometime." He grinned. He had a great time tonight. He loved cooking with his mom when he was younger. She taught him a lot about cooking. He hoped to learn more from Lin.

She smiled. It was fun to cook with Shen, unlike cooking with her fellow chefs. He didn't treat it like a competition; rather, it was all about fun and the food with him. Chefs in general tended to be hotheaded, and Lin had almost been overwhelmed by how full of themselves they were. She missed her mother and the simple joys of cooking. Shen had showed her that cooking could be fun again, something she would never stop being grateful for. "You showed me that cooking could be fun again," she said with a smile. "I'd love to do this again."

"I'm glad . You showed me the same. Same with me. How about my house next time?" He did have some pots and pans. He hoped they could do this again soon. It was lonely cooking for just himself. He liked cooking a lot more now.

Lin chuckled. She was comfortable with having him in her house, and she'd decided that she would also be comfortable in his house as well. It was nice to be in the same place with Shen...she hadn't realized how cooking for only her had been sad and a little bit lonely. Though she had Lila, she still missed human companionship. "I'd like that," she agreed, eating a meatball. Ah, perfectly done...she could hear her instructor's glowing praise. "Perhaps we can try enchiladas perhaps."

"We could do that and I could make dessert." He took a bite of the salad. " I don't have many cooking dishes but tell me what we would need and I could get it. When would you like to cook again?" He hoped soon.

"Oh! Dessert!" She hopped up and went to the fridge, pulling out the fruit and berry parfaits. "I hope you don't mind parfaits." Giving him a smile, she set a cup and a spoon next to each of them, then sat at the table again. "I'd love to cook whenever you're free again. I kind of really like hanging out with you."

" Anything you make is wonderful. How about Saturday night? I have weekends off. Just let me know what we need and I can get it . I like hanging out with you too Lin." He smiled as he said this.

Lin smiled at him, her eyes warm and gentle. Cooking for just herself had quickly become boring, but now...now she had a reason for cooking, for putting together ingredients to please someone other than herself. It felt like the most amazing thing in the world. "Hmm....Saturday works for me," she said, nodding. "We'll need tortillas and cheese. And rice. Do you like guacamole? Because I can make a really good guacamole."

" I've never acctually had guacamole before. I'd like to try it though. What would you like for dessert? " He rarely cooked for himself , he had a reason to cook now. He wanted Lin to be happy. He didn't like to see her sad.

Lin hadn't been a huge fan of mexican food during her culinary school years, but she was willing to give it all a try. Another night of cooking and good company promised to put a permanent smile on her sweet face. How long, she wondered, before he was even going to get her to try cooking the stuff she hadn't been good at during her coursework. "Tres leches," she firmly. "I'll bring rice and the guacamole," she said with a nod. Lila gave a yawn and settled with her head on Shen's foot, quite comfortable with him.

"Alright then I'll get the other things done. I'll get the stuff on Friday after work. " He bent down to scratch Lila's head. He would have to get some baking pans for the enchiladas and the cake. " Want me to call on Wednesday to confirm? " Lin was making his world whole. He was very happy.

She nodded. "Sounds like a date," she said, taking a bite of parfait. It was nice to have someone who wanted to see her, someone who wanted to chat with her. She found herself enjoying the small things, sitting with spaghetti and noodles and bread...and Lila actually enjoying his company. The spaniel wagged her tail happily at the attention, then maneuvered so that he was scratching behind one huge, floppy ear. "I can't believe she actually likes you. She doesn't normally like being petted."

" She doesn't? She's a sweet girl. I always wanted a dog ." He ate his parfait . It was nice spending time with someone else for a change.

Lin smiled. She'd sensed that he was a dog person, though sometimes her sensing was wrong....aka, when she'd put anchovies on a burger and gotten quite the glare from her teacher. Lila wriggled a little and bounced up against his legs, actually asking him to sit in his lap, which was rare from Lila. "Oh, she's a very sweet dog," Lin agreed. "She just doesn't particularly like to be pet. There must be something special about you for her to like you some much."

" I'm glad she does like me. I'll help with the dishes when you are ready. " He felt it was only fair for him to help. It would be rude to make her do them by herself.

Lin smiled as he offered to help with the dishes; it had been a family chore when she'd lived at home, then she'd had to do all of them by herself when she lived alone. Her least favorite chore had to be cleaning up everything after she ate; perhaps it was because she got so tired from all the cooking that she lacked the energy for dishes as well. Oh well. Shen's joining her in cooking had been a big help, and she also was grateful for his offer to help with the dishes. Careful of bouncy Lila, she picked up plates and carried them to the counter next to the sink. "Thanks for the help," she said, smiling. "I'm not a fan of dishes myself. I make them dirty, but I don't like to clean them again."

Shen helped her with the dirty dishes and took them to the sink. He started the water and put in some soap. " I know the feeling. I have a dishwasher but I don't use it very often."

Lin chuckled. Her own dishwasher was there, but oh so rarely used...it was noisy and cumbersome, and she felt like she got more of the food of when she bit the bullet and washed them by herself. At the moment, it hadn't been used in well over three weeks. The only times she did use it was during busy times at the bakery when she didn't bother to really cook anything for herself, and even then it was with a long sigh. "I just don't like them, I guess." She shrugged, picking up a towel from a drawer to dry the dishes off. "Chefs have all sorts of crazy quirks."

"Neither do I really. I just usually wash them as I need them. "They finished up the dishes and sat in the living room for to talk . This had been a great evening for both of them. Shen was very happy for this evening . He couldn't wait until next weekend.