Finding You

10: Raised Voices

WILL:

My phone buzzes as I clear away my desk and close my notebook. I remove my glasses and give my eyes a quick wipe as I place my glasses on the shelf, done with my work for the day.

The buzz was from Sam, she's gonna be over in about five minutes.

I went to the supermarket this morning to pick up a few things for dinner after Sam texted me last night that she'd be coming over for a movie night. My stomach rumbles just at the thought of lasagna which was one of our favourites, Sam's lasagna had become of my comfort meals over the years.

I walk down the stairs to see Ji sat at the piano, her fingers hesitantly bouncing from key to key with little confidence. There's a rough piece of paper leaning on the stand with a few letters scribbled across it. Besides the paper, an iPad mini sits spilling out the keys to the songs at a fast pace.

She struggles to keep up and so pauses the video whilst releasing a sigh of frustration.

I silently stroll in and take a seat next to her.

"Want some help?", I suggest placing my hands on the keys as a form of habit.

"Please!", she groans desperately before descending into a mini-rant about how fast the video was going and how she couldn't get the timing right.

I break down the video with her, write down the basic notes on the piece of paper, and help her as she works her way through it.

I look up at an empty kitchen, my stomach lets out a bark of hunger. My lie-in, lack of breakfast and a quick dash to the supermarket had left me starving.

Dad would have something ready for breakfast at the weekends, but he wasn't here this morning yet again. Recently, he had been having lots of late nights and breakfasts without us, which he told me was thanks to the lack of staff, which forced him to stay at the office for long hours.

Sam's usual knock raps softly on the door.

I speed walk to the door and welcome her in.

Her usual top knot is gone and her dark hair is combed back with curly flyaways framing her small face.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late, just made some dinner for Arian and got distracted...", she trails on as she slips off her air forces.

"No worries, I was at the piano with Ji just teaching her a few things. Come on chef Sam let's get started!" I rub my hands together in excitement. "What do you have in mind, I was kinda craving lasagna...", I suggest as my stomach rumbles with a demand.

She sighs with pleasure.

"Yes, now I'm craving some of that too. Lasagna and Disney?! This movie-night is gonna be perfect", she beams heading into the kitchen.

Sam gets started on making the meat sauce with lamb mince. Usually, the recipe would include beef mince but Sam's mum would always make it with lamb instead when Sam was younger as so she carried on the tradition. A pop melody plays in the background as she cuts the vegetables and throws them into the pot. Sam would always make the red meat sauce and I would attempt to make the béchamel sauce. It was so simple but it was either I couldn't get it to be golden brown or it would be lumpy and then Sam would have to assist me.

Our cooking collaboration looks a bit like a dance as we run back and forth between the counter and the fridge, almost in time with the music.

"Wait, did you boil the lasagne sheets?", Sam looks around cluelessly.

"Oh God, I forgot!" I sigh fishing the packet out of the bag and carefully emptying them into a pot of boiling water.

Sam lets out a hearty chuckle.