Your Dad's Perfect (Ruby)

I wake up alone in Alaric's bed. It's only half six. Getting dressed, I walk down and stop when I see Jake in the kitchen.

"He's at work. He got called in." He barely looks at me as he talks; he continues to cook, which amuses me.

Sitting for about five minutes, I watch him fail and can't stop laughing.

"You mocking me doesn't help."

Tightening my lips, I nod and hear him swear as he burns himself.

"Okay, move." Walking over, I push him out of the way.

"I was doing fine."

I turn to him and hold up the bacon. "Fine? It looks like you threw it on a campfire for an hour." I snap the bacon in half and laugh.

"That's how I like it." He shrugs slightly, so I hand it to him.

"Then eat it." I wait, watching as he looks from it to me. "Exactly. Before you try cooking so much, stick to one. Once you get used to cooking one thing, then make it two. You trying to cook a full breakfast won't work." "I was doing fine."

"Just move before you burn the house down." He looks at me, offended.

"I'm not that bad." My eyes roll. He is that bad. The fact that the bacon is black and crumbles like ash says he is. Turning, I smell burning.

"Jake, what else are you cooking?" I open the oven and find it empty.

"Nothing." He shrugs slightly. I look around, seeing smoke from the toaster; pulling the plug, I turn to him. "Oh, yeah, I was making toasties." He shrugs, and the fire alarms go off.

"Open the windows, and stay out of every kitchen forever." Turning, I look in the toaster. What the hell? I hear the door and turn to see Alaric walk in.

"I said don't cook!" He walks over and looks at the mess.

"Sorry, I thought I would be fine." Jake stands confused.

"Fine? You set the kitchen on fire last week, and now you're trying again?" Alaric sighs. "You want to cook fine but learn first. Have someone with you so they can stop you from doing anything stupid." He pulls the toaster forward. "Why would you put cheese on the bread and in a toaster?"

"I was failing at cooking bacon and other things, so I decided to make a toastie." Jake shrugs, and I stand laughing.

"Just get something on the way before you're late. I will clean up." Alaric shakes his head, looking around the kitchen.

"I made bacon!" Jake's shoulders shrug, and Alaric picks it up.

"It's like charcoal, just...forget it, go." I watch as Jake leaves. "I swear if you fucking laugh." Alaric turns and looks at me, my mouth in a tight line. "I thought he could cook. How did he survive?"

"He had money, Alaric, so he didn't need to cook. I also know whoever he was dating cooked for him. I'm sorry. It was amusing to watch, so I just watched him for a bit, then realised that was the wrong choice."

I should have stopped him, but it was funny. Walking over, I helped him clean up the mess.

"What sort of idiot puts fucking cheese in a toaster!" He grabs it and throws it in the bin.

"That could be Bex's fault." He turns and looks at me, confused.

"She did it, and he didn't learn not to?" He laughs slightly.

"No, she has those weird bag things that you put the stuff in and then in the toaster. Jake didn't realise he needed those bags." He doesn't reply; he just scrapes the burnt food off the bottom of the pans. He looks stressed, and I feel like it isn't just Jake and his failure at cooking.

"Is everything okay?" I smile at him.

"Fine, yeah."

"That's a lie, what's wrong?" He isn't OK.

"Just work, that is all; I only came back to get some files; I knew I should have reminded him not to cook." He throws the pan in the bin. I don't blame him. There's no saving that Kissing my cheek, he walks out.

QUMS

I stand and wait. Five minutes later, I walk through and see the door open to his hidden rooms. I walk in, planning to find him.

"Just get it worked out. Once I have sorted things out here, I'll drive down in a bit."

Stepping into the office, I watched him put the phone down and grab some files. "I'm going to be busy until later. Are you staying here or going home?" He looked at me and grabbed more things.

"How about I come with you?"

He looks at me. "I'm going to be in and out of meetings all day."

"Which is fine." I smile at him.

"Okay, then you can come." He walks out, and I follow. Sitting in the car, I look at him.

There's more I'm not sure what-but he seems stressed and doesn't speak on the drive there. Walking into a building, he guides me through and into an office; as he turns, I stop him. "What is going on?" Something is.

"Nothing. Most of the businesses

are locked down, meaning only

those who know about them can get in. After Jake just arrived, I figured all locations should be, except for on the meet-and-greet nights. It's just a lot to get sorted."

I move in front of him.

"You weren't this stressed before."

"Sorry, I'm fine, I swear. As I said, I announced the changes that night but took a step back for a week to sort things out with Jake, which made everything fuck up. It will be

fine. Kissing me, he walks out.

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Walking further in I sit and take out my phone, messaging Bex and Ivy I let them know I'm okay. I will update them properly later when I see them.