On paper, Pete and Valentina are perfect for each other. Their friends used 'soulmates' when describing them and at one point they were. As they reflect on the last five years of their relationship, they try to understand the complexity of their lov...
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"Oh my god Val, this is amazing," Pete mumbled with his mouth full, "I'm definitely coming over more often if it means to eat your food."
Normally, he would've opted out of eating foods that'll make him shit like no other. The moment Valentina placed a plate teeming with chilaquiles and huevos rancheros, he couldn't resist. Taking that first bite confirmed that Pete was going to stomach through it; it was like heaven in his mouth.
Valentina took a swig of her drink, "You're more than welcome to, at least someone will appreciate my cooking around here."
She sent a teasing look to Mateo as he brought a forkful of foodinto his mouth.
"Hey! We've been eating Mexican food for the entirety of our lives. Excuse me if I would like to explore other options," Mateo protested.
"Blah blah blah, you whine too much," Valentina threw a piece of tomato at him.
Mateo retaliated by throwing bits of egg back at her, "Vieja,"
Val stuck out her tongue, "Sucio."
"Cabrona," Mateo jests back.
"What the hell is happening right now?" John interjected.
The two childhood friends looked at each other and chuckled at their guests' confusion. They didn't know how to explain to them the bickering between each other was a normal occurence and harmless, which made them laugh even harder. Pete couldn't help but join in as well, her laugh was sweet and contagious at the same time.
"So, what do you guys do for a living?" Mateo asked, a question more for John and Pete.
"We're jokers," Pete said. The giggles from Val were like music to his ears.
John scrunched his eyebrows, "Why did you have to say it like that? We're comedians."
Interested, the curly-haired girl asked, "Why comedy?"
John replied with a question, "I don't know, why ballet Valentina?"
In the next couple of hours, the friends at the table engaged in different topics. Each one shared opinions, jokes, stories. Dishes were inducted into the clean plate club and cups were drained of every drop. Soon, the table dispersed and went to different parts of the apartment: Anna was occupied with a sudden phone call and stepped out to take it, Mateo and John helped clear the table despite Val's protests leaving her to be all alone with nothing to do.
Well, she wasn't exactly alone. Pete stood near her, but he didn't do anything to talk to her. Sensing that he won't attempt anything, she decided she needed a breather and went out to the fire escape.
Pete's mind began racing, a mix of thoughts that started out as hyping himself up to overthinking too much that he felt like shitting bricks. He quickly turned around and made his way to the front door.
