new york city

1 | tacos, management, and ice cream

 
 "HEY AVA, YOU REMEMBER OLIVER FROM UNIVERSITY?"

    Avani looked up from her phone from her spot on the couch as Anne stepped into their shared condominium. The prior frowned for a moment before shrugging and humming. Anne hung her jacket up on the coat hanger, and placed her keys and wallet in the bowl on the counter. 

    "No?" she asked, her eyebrow quirked up. Ava hummed again, not looking up from her phone. Anne rolled her eyes at her best friend's indifference and headed upstairs to her bedroom, changing into her sweats and tank-top, nearly tripping over her cat, Bucky. A smile grew on her face as the Bengal cat gracefully leaped onto the bed before curling up beside her Welsh Corgi, Marmalade.

   "Hey guys!" She dropped onto the bed on her stomach, startling both animals from their peaceful rest. While Marmalade jumped up and down excitedly on the bed, Bucky made his way to Anne's side, curling into her warm body. Anne groaned, she was getting too comfortable. It was her turn to make dinner tonight and if she didn't, Ava would kill her.

  With a sigh, she pushed off the bed and headed back downstairs to the kitchen. She passed Ava, who hadn't moved from her spot on the couch. As Anne headed into the kitchen, she tied her dark hair up into a ponytail, before rubbing her hands together. She looked over to the window area, where four dog bowls sat messily placed on the ground.

   "Jesus," Anne muttered. She walked over, her bare feet padding on the tiles. Bending down, she straightened the bowls into a line and straightened, eyeing the cat bowl on the counter. Ava walked into the kitchen quietly, looking around the kitchen.

   "What's for dinner?" she asked, watching Anne open the fridge and pull out some avocados, pulling off the small stem and observing the color. Anne hummed, in though before placing the avocados on the table and pulling out tomatoes, cilantro, beef, and onions.

    "I'm thinking tacos, unless you want to order out?"

    Ava pursed her lips, then said, "Is there gonna be cheese?"

    Anne side-eyed Ava before retorting, "Of course. When have we not had cheese with tacos? But, I am making guac for me." Ava fist-pumped the air before standing at the counter next to Anne and cutting the tomatoes into small pieces for the salsa.

    "How's recording coming along?" Ava asked nonchalantly. Anne stopped cutting the meat, looking up for a moment before looking back down. "It's going good, considering management's finally letting me write my own music, but they have really high expectations now."

    "Does this mean I'll have to turn your light off every night when you fall asleep at your desk at 3 am?" Ava inquired, an amused tone underlying her annoyed one. Anne smiled, laughing quietly and shaking her head.

    "I'll probably end up staying up until morning from the way things are going right now," she replied. She turned on the stove, and dumped the meat into the pan, mixing it around with the wooden spoon. Ava looked at her disapprovingly, before looking back down at the tomato pieces and scraping them off the cutting board and into the bowl at the side.

   Suddenly, they both heard loud thuds from upstairs, where Ava's room was. Anne looked at Ava disapprovingly, and the latter merely smiled, shrugging uneasily. Scrambling footsteps fell down the stairs, and three large pit-bulls practically rolled into the kitchen as they fumbled over each other and their own feet.

    As soon as they saw Anne's face, however, they immediately calmed down and walked over to their respective bowls, lapping at the water. Ava pouted at Anne who shrugged and mixed the beef in the pan again, before pouring that into a separate bowl.