Page 90 of Paradox
He kisses me on the nose again. "I know you think you do," he tells me, lifting me back down from the bench. He barely steps back though, proving how stupid his reasoning is.
"I don't want fish for lunch."
"Neither." Turning me around so his still hard dick is poking me in the back, he moves me closer to the sink.
"So whatdoyou want?" I sigh.
"I'm not really hungry anymore."
"Wonderful. You're making more decisions for both of us."
"Not everything is about you, Jin."
My mouth opens like it always does, ready to fire back at him, but I'm forced against the kitchen bench as Eden reaches over me. Taking the second jar of sourdough starter that he refills first thing in the morning every three days like clockwork, he places it directly in front of me. After putting the bowl we use for everything beside it, he walks away to the pantry.
Flour and salt are soon beside me, and Eden returns for a final time with a mug full of water from the stovetop. He pours it into the metal bowl then dips his little finger in it.
"It's too hot. You feel it."
I do as I'm told, and nod like I'm ever going to remember what this particular temperature feels like, as Eden fills up the mug with cool water from the filter.
"Here. Put some in. Not too much."
He watches carefully as I start pouring, and taps my arm when he thinks it's enough. Then he takes hold of the side of the bowl and swirls it several times on the bench.
"Feel it now."
"It's cooler, but I don't know what I'm looking for."
"It needs to be eighty degrees… It's still too hot." He shakes the water off his finger and nods towards the cold water. "A little more this time."
After I've poured the water in, I wait for Eden to take over again. And when he doesn't say anything, I spin the bowl then dip my pinky in. "I don't know what eighty degrees feels like."
He dips in his finger then flicks the excess in my face. "It feels pretty close to that."
Retaking his place behind me, he leans his hands on the bench by my sides.
"Now take the levain… The jar." He clarifies when I don't move.
Sliding it towards me, I unhinge the lid and bring the jar to my nose. "It's really sour."
"Did you seriously just say that?"
"Don't make fun of me."
"Did you hear what you just said?"
"I'm not an idiot."
"Maybe not. But you sound like one right now."
I step to the side and try to duck under his arm, but Eden just grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me back into position. "It'ssourdough, Jin. What did you expect it to smell like?"
"The bread? I dunno. It's really strong."
"It doesn't smell exactly like the bread because it's not diluted with anything else yet… Now pick up the spoon and scoop some into the water."
The mixture is creamy and frothy, and a heap of bubbles burst as I scoop into the mixture.
