Page 38 of Boxed In

“Yeah.”

She sighed. “What do you want to drink?”

“Cold water. And I can get it.”

Deliberately he crossed to the cabinet beside the sink. “Can I get you some?”

“Thanks.”

He took down two glasses and added ice cubes from the dispenser on the side of the refrigerator. Then he added cold water from the faucet.

Zabastian swirled the ice cubes in the glass, then took a sip of the water. This is very cold, like from a high mountain stream. But it should be pure. Why does it have a funny taste?

From the chemicals they put in at the water treatment plant.

He set down Olivia’s glass, then pulled out a chair and joined her at the table.

The stew was hot from the microwave, and Luke blew on it. “You cooked it quickly,” the warrior commented.

“It’s already cooked. I just heated it.”

Of course Luke knew that, but he wasn’t going to stop the warrior from asking questions because he’d never been great at idle conversation. And the Big Z might as well fill the silence.

He took a small taste with the spoon, prepared for Ginny’s excellent cooking, then felt the stunned expression on his face.

“What?” Olivia asked.

“This is . . . wonderful.”

“Yes. It’s good.”

“You eat like this all the time?”

She tipped her head to the side, her gaze fixed on him. “It depends on how well the woman cooks.”

He grunted.

“I guess the art of seasoning food has come a long way in the past couple thousand years,” she added.

He bent to his bowl of stew, spooning up a chunk of meat and chewing enthusiastically.

Close your mouth when you eat, Luke inwardly muttered.

Why?

It’s polite.

The warrior said something Luke couldn’t understand, but he assumed it was a rude suggestion. Nevertheless, he complied, and when Luke glanced up, he and Olivia exchanged a long look. He wasn’t sure exactly what it meant, but it warmed him.

She swallowed the food in her mouth. “So, Zabastian, when you defended the box before, did you take over another man’s body?”

It was a very direct question, and it hung in the air between them.

Luke was as interested in the answer as Olivia. “Yes,” the warrior said.

“And what happened after that?”

“After the crisis was over, I went back into the box.”

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