Lovers Rock -- Jan Peteh

dinner

Mary grabbed her keys, her arms full of bags. She opened the door, dropping the bags full of groceries on the table. She had just visited Maeve, who was already feeling better. Mary also felt better because of that, and she started to unload the groceries, organizing them in the cupboards. She was humming to herself, wrapped up in her thoughts. 

Mary looked at the time, revisiting the planning she had made in her head. It was now 16.00, which meant she had an hour before she had to start cooking, so an hour to get ready. That should be enough. While cooking she didn't have time to get ready so it had to happen before. 

She walked towards the bathroom, turning on the shower. She washed her hair and body thoroughly, looking at the time a lot. After exactly fifteen minutes she stepped out of the shower, quickly drying herself off. 

She had already picked out an outfit, so she put the dress on, spraying exactly the right amount of perfume on her body. Mary sat down at her vanity table and put on some make up. Not too much, just enough. 

She walked towards the kitchen, tying her apron at the back. She put on some music, softly singing along. Looking at the time, Mary grabbed the ingredients, carefully laying them out on the counter.

Mary was singing along to the music when the bell rang. She walked to the door, quickly untying the apron and throwing it in a corner. She straightened her dress with her hands, taking a deep breath before opening the door. 

"Hi, come in." She smiled. "I'm sorry, I'm late." Jan hurried in. "That's okay. I kind of expected it, so I planned everything a little later." Mary said. Jan smiled, "Smart." Mary nodded, and guided Jan to the table. "You look good." Jan commented, a little smirk on his face as he looked her up and down. "Thank you." Mary softly smiled as a blush started appearing on her cheeks.

"So, I made pizza. I hope you'll like it." Mary nervously said. "I'm sure I will. I love pizza." Jan grinned.

As Mary walked past the apron she kicked it even further into the corner. She got their plates and sat down at the table across from Jan. "I visited Mae today." She said, looking up from her plate. "How is she? I texted her, but I don't believe her when she says she's fine." Jan said, making Mary smile. "She really is doing better. She's less pale, and I do believe she is feeling better than yesterday." She said. Jan nodded, "Good to hear." He said. Mary smiled, and nodded. 

"Are you looking forward to Dublin?" Mary asked, taking a small bite of her food. Jan nodded, "Yeah, I can't wait to see the Wild Youth guys again." Mary smiled. "They seemed nice. In the documentary." She added. "They are. Have you seen the whole documentary?" Jan asked.

Mary looked back up. "I did. It looked so fun." She said. "It was." Jan smiled. 

"Didn't you go on a date a few days ago? How did that go?" Jan asked, looking Mary in the eyes. "Not great." She admitted. "I didn't really feel a vibe with him, but when I told him that he got mad and said I wasn't trying or something. Men are assholes." Jan raised his eyebrows. "Present company excluded of course." Mary smirked. 

"I agree. Some of us are." Jan said, making Mary laugh. "Well, he was for sure." Mary smiled. "He sounds like one." Jan agreed. Both of them stayed silent after, taking a bite of the pizzas. "The pizza tastes really good." Jan said, breaking the silence. "Thanks." Mary smiled brightly. 

Jan and Mary were sitting on her couch, talking. "You know, I actually wanted to tell you something." Jan said. "Shoot." Mary nodded. 

"I like you, Mary." Jan confessed. 

Mary's eyes widened. She stood up, backing away from Jan. "Did Mae put you up to this? Did she pay you to do this because she thought it was funny? I will kill her." She said. Jan stood up too, his hands cupping Mary's face. "Maeve didn't put me up to anything. I promise. I really like you." 

Mary's features softened. "I like you too." She whispered.