Chef's Kiss

Silly

Chris

When we walked back into the house hours later, the sound of music immediately met our ears. I walked up the stairs with Matt trailing me, Nick's singing voice pouring out of the open bathroom, although I couldn't see him, and Violet facing the stove in a cropped tshirt, her long hair in a messy bun, bobbing to the music as she pushed food around a pan.

Matt and I glanced at each other just as she turned and spotted us, jumping and clutching her chest.

"Holy fuck, you guys scared me," she called out over the music. It was absolutely blaring. Clearly these two were getting along, listening to music and dancing while they worked. Nick came out of the bathroom then, wearing a big tshirt, shorts and rubber gloves, continuing to belt out the lyrics as he pulled them off. Matt walked past him and into his room, shutting the door gently behind him. He'd been in a mood all day so I just let him do it. I'd find him later.

In the meantime, I laughed a bit as Nick approached me, still singing and dancing now, his moves awkward and goofy, performing like he was on a stage. Violet had resumed her cooking and was dancing again too, but she was much nicer to look at.

Nick took my hands and twirled me. He was in the opposite mood as Matt and I went along with it. The feeling in the kitchen was loose and playful. It was kind of beautiful, Violet blending in so easily, Nick so happy on a random afternoon. He moved back to his cleaning in the bathroom and I headed to the stove, standing beside Violet to look at what she was cooking. I could get used to the smell of food in the house. She turned off the burner then as she bobbed and mouthed the words. I couldn't hear her voice, and she kept her eyes on the pan as she moved the cooked chicken to a plate on the counter. I reached out then to snag a piece, it looked so good and I was hungry, and I popped it in my mouth. I nodded my head. Awesome. I reached out to take one more, and her hand snatched out to smack mine lightly.

"Ow!" I over exaggerated, shaking out my hand and looking at her in surprise. She'd smacked my hand in the elevator too. "What was that for?!" I exclaimed over the music.

"Don't eat it all! And you'll ruin your appetite," she scolded me. I laughed at her being so motherly. This girl had all kinds of sides to her, and maturity was clearly one of them. But if I was good at anything, it was being childish.

I pretended to be surprised at something across the room, acting shocked and pointing. She turned to look at what had surprised me and as she looked away, I reached out and grabbed another piece of chicken. She turned and caught me chewing as I skipped away laughing.

"Chris!" She chastised through her own laughter, and I looked back at her before I headed down the stairs to my own room, giving her a cheeky smile. She just rolled her eyes, pushing down her own smile and shaking her head. I was reminded of the moment the day before when I'd urged her to pretend to be pregnant in the elevator. She was incredibly pretty when she laughed. Her smile was beautiful. And she liked it when I was silly, even if she fought it.

Don't ruin it, Matt's voice from the car that morning echoed in my head. I headed down the stairs with my smile fading.