Choosing Theo: The Clecanian Series Book 1 Victoria Aveline (the giving tree read aloud TXT) 📖

she was using him for something and happened to be a phenomenal actress.

What he had planned for tonight would surely rattle her.

Chapter 21

“Whew. Done,” Jade said, tossing the tablet onto the bed. Glancing through the glass, she saw that it was now dark outside. Cebo was snoring loudly on the bed next to her. “I’d better go down to dinner,” she whispered.

She had spent the last few hours buying a year’s worth of clothing. That was how long she was supposed to stay on this planet, after all. Three months here, nine months looking for someone to take me back to Earth.

She’d also browsed through the wide selection of toiletries and beauty products listed but ended up not purchasing anything. It was easy to recognize the clothing, especially since she could see them on the projection in her room. All of the other products were a mystery.

She couldn’t learn what they were either, because the descriptions of the products were written in Clecanian. Jade had decided it was better to wait to buy those items until she knew more about their function and their ingredients. For all she knew, they could be made from that plant she was allergic to.

Side note. Remember to ask what the name of that plant is again.

Tonight, at dinner, she planned to ask Theo if she could invite Asivva to come and visit. It would be nice to see her again. Heck, it would be nice to talk with anyone who didn’t look like they were angry with her seventy-five percent of the time. Also, Asivva could explain what the items she’d scrolled through earlier were and help her pick out the things she needed most.

Jade tiptoed out of her room so she didn’t wake Cebo and headed toward the kitchen. As she neared, she spotted Theo sitting at the table and gazing out the window contemplatively. Plates of delicious-smelling food were already piled on the table in front on him.

Passing the stone island on her way to the table, she asked, “How is this here sometimes and not here others?”

“It retracts into the floor when not in use,” Theo said blandly, as though retracting 1,000-pound islands was mundane.

Jade gazed at the floor for a moment, wondering what the underside of Theo’s house looked like. Was there a whole selection of furniture just waiting to be called to the surface?

Moving to the table, she sat across from him and waited for him to acknowledge her.

Without glancing up, he filled her glass, then his own, with fizzy red liquid. “Did you buy everything you needed?”

“I bought clothes and shoes, but I wanted to wait to talk to you before buying the rest. I don’t read Clecanian, so I didn’t know what most of the products were.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw, and he motioned to the food and drink on the table. “I used the recommendations from your file to prepare this. Hopefully the suggestions were accurate and you like these things. Please let me know if you don’t.” Lifting the glass he’d just filled and taking a sip, he added, “The scan estimates you’ll like this beverage.”

Lifting her glass, she asked, “What is it?”

Raising his eyes to meet hers, he answered, “It’s an alcoholic drink made from Wanget, a type of fruit.”

Jade hesitantly took a sip. A sweet yet slightly tart flavor exploded over tongue. “Mmm.” She took a larger sip this time. It reminded her of an experimental sparkling wine. “It tastes similar to one of my favorite drinks from Earth.”

“Good.” Theo leaned forward and swept away the small glowing bubble lights that were keeping the food warm. “Let’s eat.”

Although his face didn’t show it, she sensed he was pleased that she enjoyed something he’d provided. After all, it did look like he went to a lot of effort to choose specific things she’d enjoy.

Jade examined her glass and noticed it was already half empty. “Wait. How strong is this?” she asked uncertainly.

He quirked his brow at her.

“The drink I had in the car on the way over here tasted really good, but was very strong.”

The corner of Theo’s mouth quirked in a smile. “You’re the first female I’ve met who thinks mott tastes good.” He downed the rest of his drink in one gulp and then refilled his glass. “This is not nearly as strong. Mott is three times as strong as this.”

Upside: he’d finally cracked a smile. Downside: her appreciation of hard liquors made her seem like an alcoholic.

All of the food she ate during dinner was both confusing and delicious. Nothing on the plate was familiar to her and every time she ate something new, she’d been entirely disconcerted.

She decided to try some small, round blue items first, since they reminded her of blueberries, but when she tasted them, she found the texture to be more crunchy than soft and the flavor spicy rather than sweet. After each bite of food, Jade needed to take a moment to work through her confused senses and decide whether she liked what she was eating.

After some trial and error, Jade was able to work out which foods she enjoyed the most. With her preconceived notions about what the foods should taste like out the window, she decided the items she enjoyed were delicious.

Whoever graded him on cooking had gotten it right. He could’ve been a successful chef back on Earth.

“You’re enjoying the meal?” he asked quietly. He was sitting back in his chair watching her, having finished his own meal a while ago.

Between bites, she replied, “It’s incredible but strange. I can’t tell what anything is, but it all tastes wonderful. Do you always eat this well?”

As he’d done many times throughout the meal, he refilled their drinks before answering.

Is he trying to get me drunk?

He leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. “Not always. Clecanians mostly just use the food synthesizer.”

Jade finished swallowing a mouthful of red mush that tasted like cheese and garlic, then asked, “A what?”

Theo lifted