Long Time, No See

III: III

Denise

My mouth salivates at the sight beheld in front me spread out across Ava's dining table. The tempting, steaming scent of oregano, tomato sauce, and pasta waft into my nose mischievously taunting and goading me to take the largest heaping of food I can get and forfeit everyone else's portions.

What can I say? She knew what she was doing making spaghetti, whilst knowing it's my forever favorite.

The dining table is quite small, shaped in a slightly long square. A large, steaming bowl of spaghetti sits in the middle in the table, along with shredded cheese in another bowl and some salad that Ava rustled up before I arrived. Tate sits at the end of the table while Ava sits next to him on his left side. Chris sits comfortably in his red high chair situated right next to Ava, who occasionally turns to him to feed him a reddish mash from his bowl, giving her a huge smile every single time she does.

When she's finished feeding Chris his first round of food and the bowl still heaping with spaghetti has been passed to me, Ava addresses me sitting directly in front of her with a cough before starting her sentence.

"So how was your day today?" She asks picking up her fork and twirling it to collect an ample amount of spaghetti, before puckering her lips and blowing on it to cool the mass down.

I scoop the amount of spaghetti I desire into my plate, pretending not to notice Tate's surprised face at the amount of I've taken, before flitting my eyes up to her and giving her a full smile.

"Not bad did some running, had a nice cup of coffee, paid my bills for the end of this month with some of the money my dad gave me, and then came over here. Nothing too exciting today" I chirp casting her a sly smile at her speechlessness over the fact that I didn't mention the big thing she did for me. She shakes her head playfully casting me a faux glare, making both myself and Tate laugh.

"You moved in okay?" Tate asks after chuckling, he picks up his fork again shoveling spaghetti into his mouth before reaching for his tall glass of water to sip.

I give a kind smile and answer him instantly.

"Yes, yes -- Everything is perfect. Thank you guys again for the help, if you and Nicolas hadn't helped set the heavier things up for me when you did, I don't know what I would have done." I quip making him laugh.

"Don't worry about it anything that you need - You call us," he chimes whilst grabbing Ava's left hand and kissing it making her smile coyly at him before snatching her hand back from him.

"Don't think that a poxy kiss to the hand will make me forgive you." She throws at him and I watch him flinch at her icy tone.

She kisses her teeth and continues eating whilst Tate scratches his head and continues eating without another word, quiet like a scorned child.

My left eyebrow raises as I scope over the scene, unsure of what I've just witnessed. Ava looks up at me after feeding Chris another scoop and laughs at my current appearance. She waves her hand dismissively and tells me that Tate ate all the garlic bread before I got here. The resulting glare I give Tate is enough to have him quickly picking up his empty plate with his left hand, and covering the closest ear in my reach with his right hand scampering away from the table but not before ducking down and pecking Chris' head of curls.

Yeah, you better run, fool.

The rest of the dinner commences with me and Ava talking, and taking turns to feed Chris, who happily enjoys the feeling of two women fawning over him.

"--And you'd never believe what happened to me today!" I enthuse still slightly giggling from the funny story that Ava just finished telling me.

"What?" She asks putting her cutlery and Chris' foodstuffs on to her plate to carry to the kitchen. I stand up too going around the table to pick up Chris from his highchair, balancing him on my right side whilst I pick up my plate too and follow her to the kitchen.