It had taken everything within him to keep out of the kitchen as she cooked and the unexpected exertion of will power left him at odds with himself. So Ben had wandered idly around the main room of the apartment, poking at books or pillows or various knick knacks while trying not to make too much trouble or disturb things too badly. The smells coming from the kitchen were maddening. It all smelled so delicious... And it even managed to be enough to mask the delicate, sweet scent of Keyuri herself.
Ben was still trying to decide if that was a good or bad thing. That is, when he gave it any thought. For the most part, he had trained himself to treat her according to the rules she had set up - as a good friend, someone he really liked to hang out with, nearly a sister but only if it was a sister in a Greek tragedy or something.
He turned on that thought in time to catch her smile and grinned back at her, brilliantly white. "Almost ready?" he called when she looked again.