Spring's Unexpected Love

Chapter 10 (Asher)

I wasn't exactly sure how I ended up sitting at the Cardenas family's table for dinner. There were six chairs at the table, and the Cardenas family consisted of five people: Ximena, her brother, her sister, and her parents. That meant there was one empty chair left for me, and it just so happened to be next to Ximena.

"So, Asher, I haven't heard of you before," Ximena's mother said, setting a plate of food in front of me. She was a petite woman with long black hair that had little streaks of gray. Her eyes were a warm, welcoming brown and crinkled slightly when she smiled.

"I um..." I wasn't exactly sure what to say; I was never really good at answering questions about myself on the spot.

"That's because Asher moved into this town recently- last year to be exact," Ximena said, coming to my rescue.

I smiled gratefully at her, "Yeah..."

Ximena's father leaned forward, a look of excitement on his face. He had similar features to his son, with straight black hair and almost black colored eyes. Like his wife, his hair was also graying, although his was much more noticeable. "So you're new here huh? Have you ever been to our restaurant?"

"Dad!" Emilia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"What? I'm just asking!"

I stared at the food in front of me; on it was an enchilada with salad on the side. I cut into the enchilada with my fork before tentatively placing it in my mouth. I gasped as the flavors of the food melted on my tongue. The slight spiciness of the meat paired perfectly with the tomato sauce which was both sweet and tart at the same time. The cheeses and sour cream added a rich flavor that danced on my tongue. I had never tasted something so delicious.

"Do you like it?" Mrs. Cardenas asked, a hopeful expression on her face.

I shoved another bite into my mouth, "Do I like it?" I repeated with a smile, "I love it! The flavors are so rich and fuse together so perfectly. I love the tartness from the tomato and how it balances out the spiciness of the chilis and the slight saltiness of the meat. I'm so curious as to what kind of cheese you used- it's not too sharp but is still strong enough to have its own flavor profile and..." my eyes widened as I stopped mid-sentence, realizing the amount I had spoken. All of the Cardenases were silent, staring at me with emotions that ranged from shocked to impressed. "Sorry," I mumbled, feeling my face heat up.

Mrs. Cardenas was the first to break the silence, "No, no, está bien- it's okay! Asher, you seem to have experience in flavors. Do you cook?"

I shrugged; there was no use in hiding it now that I made it so obvious. "Yeah... I like to cook and bake as hobbies..."

I quickly glanced at the others at the table- mainly Ximena and her siblings- half expecting them to make fun of me. I was surprised to find that they looked genuinely intrigued instead of condescending or judgmental.

Ximena's father grinned at me, "Mateo and Ximena should learn a thing or two from you, it seems like they haven't inherited a single ounce of their mother's cooking skills."

"Hey, I'm not that bad at cooking!" Mateo said defensively, "Xi's way worse."

"That's not true!" Ximena yelled, shooting her brother a glare, "We both equally suck."

"I love to cook and I'm good at it," Emilia announced proudly. The two other siblings glared at their younger sister before sharing an eye roll.

I smiled to myself; it must've been nice eating dinner as a large family. I was an only child and didn't know what it felt like to have siblings. Also, up until recently, I usually ate dinner alone. Staring across a large empty dining table, only hearing the sounds of your chewing and dinnerware was a very lonely experience.