SKYFALL, Johnny Kavanagh

The second movie rule

Maeve's Point of View

"What do you want for dinner?" Johnny asked, settling across from me.

After our short tea break, we had managed to power through the rest of our project.
It wasn't completely finished, but we were in the final stretch.

"I'm fine with anything, as long as I don't have to cook."

Johnny raised a brow. "You don't like cooking?"

"Hate it." I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. "I'm not bad at it, but it's one of those chores I despise."

"What about Joey? Doesn't he know how to cook?"

"He does." I admitted, twisting my tea mug between my fingers. "He's actually really good at it – better than me, if I'm being honest."

Johnny snorted. "Bet that kills you."

I smirked slightly. "A little. Not that it matters. Cooking and cleaning are girls' jobs where I live."

"The hell does that mean?" His voice was casual, but there was an edge to it.

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Johnny tilted his head, watching me carefully. "So let me get this straight – Joey's the better cook, but you still have to do it?"

"Welcome to the Lynch household, Kavanagh. Hope you enjoy your stay."

"That's bullshit."

I raised an eyebrow, amused by how quickly he got worked up over something that was just a fact of my life. "Yeah, well, that's how it is."

Johnny scoffed, shaking his head. "And you just go along with it?"

"What would you like me to do? Stage a coup?" I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, I've tried arguing. It never gets me anywhere."

"It's bullshit, Maeve."

I shrugged, taking another sip of tea. "Yeah, well. Life's full of bullshit."

Johnny let out a slow breath, his jaw tightening before he shifted in his chair, like he was physically forcing himself to let it go.

I appreciated the effort, but I knew this wasn't the last time he'd bring it up.

"Alright." He finally said. "You're off the hook for cooking. But I'm still starving."

"And what, exactly, do you expect me to do about that?"

"I was hoping you'd offer some brilliant suggestion that didn't involve me burning down the house."

"Chinese?" I tried.

"Alright. But if you order something weird, I'm not eating it."

"Oh, please. I guarantee you I have better taste than whatever boring order you usually get."

Johnny leaned back in his chair. "Oh yeah? And what's my usual order, Sunshine?"

I didn't even have to think about it. "Chicken fried rice, plain noodles, maybe some spring rolls if you're feeling adventurous."

He blinked. "Alright, that was a lucky guess."

"Was it?" I smirked, flipping through the menu.

Johnny narrowed his eyes slightly but didn't push it.
Instead, he grabbed the cordless phone from the counter and slid it toward me. "Go on, then. Impress me."

I smirked, scanning the menu before dialling the number.
The line rang twice before a bored-sounding woman answered. "Golden Dragon, what can I get you?"