Inclement Weather

7. (cass & reign)

Sincere was staring at the oven as he watched the lamb slowly roast.  He'd been squatting there for almost an hour, just going over everything in his head. He and Cassie hosted monthly dinners for their parents, and they would be over at any minute. The sit down was easy. He talked to his parents everyday and they honestly had a great relationship.

Dinner was the hardest part. Sin's mother was a chef and she had taught him everything she knew. Being the only child they had a lot of time together. Growing up they would have friendly cooking competitions, with his dad being the judge. And in rare occasions, when he had mastered a certain recipe, she would allow him to cater to certain events she held. She taught him well.

Dinner was the hardest because even though he made his mom prouder than he could ever imagine, he still tried to outdo his self. Cooking for his mom was the only thing that terrified him in the world. Ayaan was the sweetest person in the world, but anything less than his best when it came to cooking, especially a recipe she taught him, was unacceptable.

So here he was sitting on the kitchen floor, ignoring his wife and in laws and staring at the even.

"What's he doing?" He heard a soft female voice speak. He recognized it as Cass' mom.

"Overthinking." Cass said. "He does it all the time, don't worry about it"

"Why?" Her mom asked. "His food is always good to us."

"He wants it to be perfect for his mommy." Cass teased. They never saw how much he put into his cooking, so this side of him was new. They'd always show up when the food was ready.

Sin ignored both the voices and continued to stare at the lamb as it hissed and sizzled. As he watched, he heard his front door close and the voices in the lounge had stopped talking. That meant his parents had arrived. Pulling himself away from the roasting lamb he walked into the living room to see his parents greeting Cass and her parents.

His mom looked between him and the kitchen before sniffing the air. "Hm. Lamb." She said into the air while wrapping him in her arms. When he moved to the side, his father was holding a cake in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. He greeted his dad before he took the wine and the cake into the kitchen. He continued to let them talk as he finished up in the kitchen.

***

Their dining table looked glorious. The lamb chops sat in the center of the table. He made sure to plate them to his mother's liking. 

Greek lemon potatoes, steamed asparagus, and a spinach salad were in large serving dishes scattered around the table. Off to the side sat a small bowl of garlic mashed potatoes for Cassie. He knew she wouldn't touch a vegetable even if her life depended on it.

"This  looks incredible baby boy!" His dad's mouth was watering at the sight. He was the type of man that didn't wait for anyone, so he had a plate full before Sincere sat down. Everyone else followed suit and stacked their plates. And after Cass' dad lead the prayer, they began eating.

Sincere sat silently as he watched his mom's facial expressions. To a stranger you would think she didn't like the food, but to them they knew she was just assessing it.

Light conversation flowed before Cassie spoke up. "So what's the verdict?" His mom, Ayaan, loved to take her time. Cass had to speed up the process because she knew Sincere would be anxious until he knew her opinion.

Cassie didn't care about her opinion nor did her parents. They never had any complaints when it came to his cooking. Their eyes were glued to the basketball game playing on the television. Sincere's eyes fell to his mom while he wiped the corner of his mouth.