First bite in and I stop chewing halfway through just to process it.
“…fuck,” I mutter.
She snorts, tapping weed into the grinder. “Relax.”
I lean back on the stool, exhaling slowly through my nose. “You trying to ruin me? I can’t go back to normal food after this.”
She doesn’t look up, she just smirks.
“You still hum when you like something,” she sighs. “You are such a kid.”
“There you go being creepy again.”
“You hum when you eat pussy too.”
I choke, “I thought we weren’t talking about that.”
And she laughs.
It takes a second to realise something’s off. She’s rolling up but she hasn’t touched a plate.
I frown. “You’re not eating? Don’t tell me you’re poisoning me.”
She waves her hand dismissively. “Tuh. Jabari, I’ve had at least two better chances to poison you.”
I freeze mid-bite. “Excuse me?”
“I cooked for Zaza too,” she says flatly. “So relax. You’re safe.”
“That’s… oddly comforting.”
“It should be.”
Still, something’s wrong.
“So,” I say carefully, “why aren’t you eating? And don’t tell me it’s because of what that loser said last night.”
Her hands are still just for a moment. Grinder paused mid-twist.
“You heard?”
“Za mentioned it at some point at another club. He’s lucky I didn’t know then.”
She inhales slowly and controlled.
I press, “Did what he said get to you?”
“Jabari,” she says, not looking at me, “have you ever once heard me say I wanted to change my body?”
“No.”
“Then stop asking me nonsense.”
“That didn’t answer my question, Francine. Why aren’t you eating?”
She sighs. “Because the food has meat in it. And I’m vegan.”
I stare at her. “You’re vegan?”
