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October 25th 2008
Washington DC
"Don't touch that!" Cass didn't hesitate to threaten him with a rubber spatula once he saw Luke getting way too close to the pan. His sharp, yet effective shout not only made Luke step away from the kitchen counter, but easily grabbed everyone else's attention. "Luke, the kitchen isn't really your territory," Alex muttered through his amused grin, the boiling pot being once again in his attention after allowing himself to neglect it for a few seconds.
Luke had no choice but return to his task, taking out a stack of exactly six plates from the kitchen cabinet since Phil was about to join them later. "You know what, I've actually been cooking!" he declared loud and proud, then moved to the table where the girls were already setting it.
"What?" a collective shocked interjection echoed through the room. It sure must've been a joke, Eleanor though to herself, though his words easily captured her attention since every attempt he's had had always tasted slightly burned. "Since when?" words slipped through her mouth and Luke found himself surrounded by curious looks. Even Alex forgot to stir. "Since Alex isn't home and I must fend for myself," he confessed, lowering his gaze, and at first she thought he might actually mean it.
A moment of silence followed, allowing everyone to return to their individual tasks and rummage the newfound information for themselves, but once Molly finished folding table napkins, she couldn't help herself but ask. "And you like it?" Luke raised his eyebrows at her, hopefully a good enough answer for her. Even so, she completely ignored his gesture, feeling a much needed form of verbalization. "Your food, I mean."
"Yes, I like it! Jesus..." he exclaimed, slightly on edge, which was incredibly rare. Luke had just a few flaws so you could easily count them, and admitting to himself, and to the world, especially to his grandma, that he can't fend for himself at almost thirty years of age had been bugging him for a while.
Suddenly the rhythmic noise of chopping had stopped, and Cass put the knife insert himself into the conversation. "Wait, so you're done stealing food from my fridge?" An immediate sound of the spoon being dropped in the boiling pan didn't flinch either of them, their pupils dilated in surprise as everyone deliberately abandoned whatever they were doing to follow up the latest course of the conversation. "What?" Another unisonous interjection followed.
"Yeah, whenever the two of you were working, Luke would come and storm my fridge," Cass picked up the knife from the chopping board and pointed its tip at first between Alex and Molly, then turned to the man in question.
"What?"
The sudden sound of a phone ringing had brought Alex back to reality, turning back to check on the stew right next to the charging phone. He checked the lightened up screen, then gazed back at a rushed Eleanor that joined besides him to decline the call. "Are you gonna get that?" he asked softly, his voice easily camouflaged by the ongoing discussion. "He's been calling for a while. Maybe it's important." She dismissed him quietly, just as she's dismissed the call, the returned to the cutlery.
