Neveah Ivy Jones
"How do you even cook fish?" Neveah groans, staring at the fillets on the counter.
Christine grins, "Why didn't you ask your mistress?" She carries a pan and places in on the stovetop.
Neveah rolls her eyes, "Would you stop?"
"I don't blame you, you could barely talk to the girl. I doubt she heard a word you said." Christine pours some olive oil into the pan, turning on the heat. "Could you rinse the fish? Since you love touching it so much."
"Do you think they let other customers throw the fish too?" Neveah places the fish into a strainer bowl and places them in the sink. She turns on the water and starts to rise them off.
"Yeah, probably. Why? Do you wanna be her special darling?" Christine teases.
Bringing the fish back to the counter, Neveah places them on the cutting board and dries them with a paper towel. "Cut it out, I'm not here for hookups."
"No, you're here for loveeee." Christine places the salt and pepper on the counter.
Neveah steps aside to let Christine add the seasonings, cooking is not her forte. All she can contribute is cutting a lemon slice and passing it over.
"To learn how to write about love, it's different."
Christine sighs, "You also came here for a vacation. Ever heard of it? You're an adult on vacation. You think I'm gonna be celibate over here?" She takes the fillets and places them in the pan, oil begins to sizzle.
"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Neveah asks.
"Nope. Dumped him. I wanted to fuck other people, he said no. I even told him he can join, still a no."
Neveah doesn't push further. Christine's sex life was always a strange one. In high school, she obsessed with boys and constantly had a crush and was falling in love. In college she was convinced love was evil, no emotional connection is ideal, and wanted to fuck everyone. Now she's more open to love but still doesn't want to be tied down to one person. To Neveah this all seemed out of her limits, she could barely comprehend any of it.
"Check the rice," Christine says as she lifts the lid on another pan holding steamed vegetables.
"Three minutes left on the rice cooker. Hey, I was thinking we could go hiking or something tomorrow."
Christine raises her eyebrows, "Really?" She flips the fillets over with a spatula. "You wanna go hiking on your second day here?"
"Yeah, why not? We'll go to bars and all the hot spots on other days. We have time." She shrugs trying to act as casual as she can.
"Okay. Sure, I'll ask my dad if he knows any trails. He's all nature-like." She adds the butter, garlic, parsley, and more lemon juice into the pan as the salmon finishes frying.
They separate all the food onto three plates, leaving some extra salmon in the pan. The two join Christine's dad in the dining room. Christine goes back to fill three wine glasses with Pinot Noir, a light-red dry wine. Her father briefly complains about using his wine but quiets once Christine convinces him it's a time to celebrate since she's visiting for once. They dig into the food, her father asks questions trying to make up for lost time, Christine tries to answer vaguely anytime a 'boyfriend' is mentioned.
As the dinner goes on and Neveah eats the salmon filet, she can't help but wonder, "Could Dani cook this better?"
YOU ARE READING
Once A Lover (GirlxGirl)
RomanceTwo women leading different lives both are missing something from their lives: a connection. Neveah Jones was a once top-selling NYC author. She's twenty-six years old and has hit a low point in her career and needs to make a best selling book fast...
