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Melissa McCall scrunched up her nose. "You're twenty for god sake, why are you eating ice cream while you cook dinner?" Her dark chocolate eyes honed in on the quart of ice cream that was clutched in one hand while a spoon dangled from Arte's lips as she stirred the homemade spaghetti sauce.
"Because I'm hungry now." The statement was plain and simple despite it coming out jumbled from the spoon bouncing around in her mouth as she tried to keep it there while also eating her ice cream. When she was satisfied she'd stirred enough she pulled the spoon from her mouth and grinned back at Melissa. "Besides, it's because I'm twenty that I can eat ice cream before dinner and it be okay."
"That's not how that works," Melissa pointed out, a smile stretching across her lips before a groan escaped them. "And it smells so good but I got a text from Anna needing me to come in a few hours early. You'll be okay until Scott gets home, right?"
Arte nodded absently. "Yeah, I'm picking him up, I'll drop you off some food before I do." She turned back but let out a huff as the older── and taller── woman bundled her up in her arms under the pretenses of giving a hug while she actually just stole the ice cream and scurried out the door shouting she loved her and to lock up behind her.
"Adults," Arte grumbled, turning everything to simmer as she left the kitchen, she made it in time to watch Melissa back out of the driveway. "See you!" She shouted, lifting her left arm and waving it in the air as the dark-haired woman turned to look back at her. She grinned and wiggled her fingers before heading off.
Stepping further into the home, Arte paused as a car she'd never seen before pulled to the side a few houses down and parked. It was a sleek black camaro, with dark tinted windows that obscured even her ability to see the driver. She waited, her eyes transfixed on the door but it never swung open and the window never rolled down. After another moment or two, she stepped back inside and closed the door── locking it with a slightly trembling hand.
"Damn it." Flexing her fingers she spun on her heel and headed back to finish dinner── though she didn't eat. Ever since arriving in Beacon Hills, Arte despised eating alone because too much of her past had been spent doing just that.
The rain had returned that evening around ten── but mostly just before Arte left to take food to Melissa. The young woman was fairly certain the rain just had it out for her but she figured rain was far better than snow so she sucked it up and trudged through, dropping off dinner before heading to the Clinic to pick up Scott.
No longer had she pulled into the parking lot was a silver mazda pulling out── it wasn't one she recognized and she liked to think she knew just about everyone in Beacon and what they drove. Of course, that was an old habit that didn't die and she didn't mind keeping.
Pulling to the front of the clinic, she reached over and opened the passenger door just as Scott burst from the building, locking up and sprinting and diving into the car. "Have a nice shower?" Arte teased, pulling away and ignoring the way Scott slung water everywhere── almost like a dog.
