behind closed doors

spaghetti

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖗 𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗'𝖘 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖊

☾

"how are things with george?" tina asks, and in his peripheral he can see her leaning up against the counter a few feet away.

karl bites back the smile that tugs on his features, keeping his head down as he continues to stir the sauce into the spaghetti, waiting for it to heat up. "fine," he answers.

tina shifts, standing up properly now without the assistance of the kitchen counter. "what happened?" she asked, though she seems much more intrigued than worried.

"nothing," karl tries to dismiss, though he's smiling properly now, all giddy and warm inside.

"something happened," tina says, and it's said like a fact, rather than a suspicion. "you never answer my questions that briefly."

karl tries to shrug it off, though he has known from the start of the conversation that he will tell her anyway. he feels his face going warm and he knows he's tinted pink.

"oh my god," she says excitedly, the pitch of a squeal creeping up inside her, "whatever it is, you better tell me right now."

"i slept round his," karl mumbles, only loud enough for him and the pasta to hear, and, then greeted with a confused expression, he repeats himself a bit louder.

tina's eyes widen, one hand coming up to her face, as if to cover her mouth in shock, but it stays hovering in front of her chin. "wh- already?" she asks, and she seems concerned.

"yeah, well-" karl's brain belatedly catches up
to tina's. "wait, no!" he giggles, "not for that- we didn't like... you know?"

"oh, right," the brunette exhales loudly, relieved, and drops her hand back down again, "so just like, a sleepover?"

"yeah, exactly," karl confirms, holding his hand out so she can pass him the plates she'd gotten out, which she does.

"okay..." she trails off expectantly and, when karl doesn't jump to fill in the gaps, she asks, "why?"

karl pinches his bottom lip between his teeth as he deliberates what to say. "he needed someone and ended up calling me," he starts, his best friend nodding along understandingly beside him, "i knew i couldn't just leave, you know? so i offered to sleep round."

tina smiles, bright and genuine, nodding understandingly. "so he's opening up to you more?" she asks.

and, although karl hasn't given her any details on the brit's problems, she has listened to karl worry enough to know that it's not just something futile. plus, after karl had said he was concerned, and she had started to keep an eye on george, it was impossible not to pick up little cues in his behaviour without making educated assumptions.

so she doesn't know, but she knows.

"yeah," karl answers, "we talked."