Ian
Two years earlier
She opens the door, just sticking her head in, and is visibly surprised by my visit.
“Hi,” I greet her.
“Hi…Jamie isn’t home,” she cuts to the chase.
“Yeah, I realised that when I noticed his car was missing,” I lie shamelessly. I know full well that Jamie isn’t here. “I was in the area, and I thought I’d stop by.”
“Come in,” she opens the door to let me in. “It appears that Jamie’s got a new flame.”
“I imagine,” I say smirking. Jamie always has a new flame. “Am I disturbing you?”
“No, not at all.”
“No hot date tonight? It’s Saturday evening, you know…”
“Nope,” she says blushing. “What about you? No love-life news?” She asks, biting her lip.
“Not at the moment,” I reply steadily. “What were you watching?” I change the subject before I throw up on her coffee table.
“Captain America.”
“Oh, come on…” I tease.
“What can I do? I’ve got a crush on Chris Evans.”
“Well, if I was a woman, I probably would too.”
She laughs.
The sound of it fills my ears, my soul, the entire room as well as the house and the whole neighborhood.
“Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“Do you mind some company?”
“Not at all. We can order something.”
“Nah,” I say standing up and heading towards the kitchen. “I can make something. I just need a few basic ingredients,” I say opening the fridge. “Like these.” I pull out some chicken breasts. “And these…” I say grabbing some vegetables. “And if you’ve got some pasta…”
“I think there’s some in the cupboard.”
I move around in her kitchen, opening cabinets, and drawers. I pull out pots and pans, chop up vegetables, and turn on the hobs, mixing and tasting as I prepare our meal.
“If you want, turn on some music,” I say, adding a few more herbs to the chicken.
“Ah-ha,” She heads into the living room and comes back with her phone, which she promptly hooks up to a set of speakers under the TV. I watch her work, enjoying these stolen moments from her daily life – ones where I am nothing more than a useless extra.
* * *
Riley setsher plate down on the table in front of us and rubs her stomach.
“God, I ate so much. I didn’t know you were such a good cook. Who taught you, your mother?” She asks innocently.
