siempre

hm

The second date for Javier and Emilia entails going to dinner. Emilia doesn't want to be gone too long since Moy would be at home by himself. Esther also made sure Emilia looked cute, so she bought her a white and pink summer dress with lace accents for her to wear. Javier picks her up from her apartment and they go to a new Italian restaurant that had just opened. After sitting down, they both take in the scenery of the restaurant. Wine bottles on the wall, hand-drawn pictures of Italy, and candles on every table. The server comes over and takes their order-- cheese ravioli for him and homemade lasagna for her. 

"So, is it weird for you to eat at restaurants?" Emilia asks.

"What do you mean?"

"You're a cook, so I'm sure you could make any of these items if you wanted to."

"I could, but sometimes it's nice to have someone else do it for you."

"What's your favorite recipe?"

"Hmm," he looks at his water glass before answering. "Arroz con gandules y pollo."

"Ah, okay."

"My mom made it growing up and it was always my favorite, so I asked for the recipe and she showed me."

"Did you write it down?"

"Nope."

"But how--?"

"It's a method. Cooking is more about the intention rather than the recipe. As long as there's love involved, and the right amount of seasoning, it's going to be good no matter what."

"Yeah, no. That's a nice sentiment, but I can not cook to save my life."

"Maybe we can change that," his smile appears again and Emilia is hot all of a sudden. The server comes by with their bread and frees Emilia from his gaze. She is thankful for the interruption. 

Soon after their bread arrives their entrees. 

"Buen provecho," she initiates.

"Buen provecho," he responds. 

They tuck into their meals.

"So, could you make ravioli?"

"Yeah, but I would need a pasta machine."

"Oh, that sounds like a lot of work."

"Eh, with one person it is," he gives her a wink and Emilia smiles.

"What made you want to be in the kitchen?"

"I wasn't looking for it, but my pops insisted I work somewhere if I wanted my own money to spend so I started as a dishwasher at Aunt May's. I saw the line and fell in love with the smells, the sounds, the flavors. I said to myself 'I want to cook.' So, that's what I did."

"How long ago was that?"

"Since senior year of high school."

"Wow. You must really like it, then."

"I love it." 

A pause ensues and they lock eyes for a moment. 

"What about you?" he breaks the silence.

"Oh, I just work at a law firm during the day."

"Okay. I see you. Wanna be a lawyer?"

"Yeah," she responds, lowering her head. He notices her softened tone.

"What's wrong?"

"Nada," tears are coming on strong fro Emilia and she has trouble keeping them at bay. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying." She gives a stifled laugh to try to stop her tears.