Burnt Ramen

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

         Kate has finally seen the benefit of online classes. There are no moody students, or even moodier teachers. All she would have to do is open her laptop. Unfortunately though, Kate does not attend an online school and she had to register for her classes today.

        Driving back from the nearby coffee shop, Kate is wishing she would have time to drink her hot chocolate before it cools down. The temperature has been gradually decreasing, and Kate does not like it one bit. Although she loves sweater weather, lounging around in her bikini is much more preferable.

        Returning home, she finds Finn lounging about in the living room. Upon closer inspection, she can see that he’s actually asleep. Quietly, she grabs the remote out of his hands and shuts off the TV. His face is much more relaxed, and it makes Finn look much younger. Not sure what’s coming over her, Kate quickly backs up and goes into her room.

        She takes off her sweatshirt, and decides that she’s actually in the mood to make dinner. After an exhausting few days of Chinese food, Kate figures it’s about time for her and Finn to eat real home-cooked food.

        When she walks back into the living room, she finds Finn watching her with hooded eyes. “Oh! Hi, Finn,” she begins. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

        “No that’s okay,” he tells her, moving to sit up. “What’d you get?” he looks over at the cup in her hands.

        “Just some hot chocolate. Do you want any?” she offers, used to sharing her drinks with Alice. Quickly realizing her mistake, Kate looks back at Finn with cheeks just a bit pinker than before. “Sorry, I mean you don’t have to drink out of my cup. I’m just used to sharing stuff.” Suddenly, it’s as if the two are back to square one. Kate’s just worn down the comfort level after living together for about two weeks.

        Finn’s looking at her with an intensity that she can’t decipher and Kate doesn’t like it. She’s been getting some mixed signals from Finn lately and she can’t help but think she’s been giving out a few too. It’s not as if he’s just any boy though, he’s the one that she’s living with for god knows how long and so she couldn’t bear to do anything to make it awkward between them. If Finn wants to make a move, he’s welcome to, but Kate’s certainly not brave enough to deal with the aftermath if she does something unexpected. So instead of wasting more time trying to decipher something that may as well just be in her head, Kate takes out what she needs to make chicken parmesan.

        Her feelings can wait, she’s hungry.

        As Kate is whirling around and trying to prepare dinner as quickly as she can, she senses a presence behind her. Not really sure what to do, she ignores Finn and continues her cooking. Kate isn’t sure how long it’s been, but suddenly Finn pipes up, “What are you making?”

        Unfortunately, his voice shocks her so much that she drops the bowl she was holding and it shatters against the floor. “Shit!” Kate cries out, bending down to pick up the shards and broken bits of the bowl.

        “God, Kate, I’m sorry,” Finn says, bending down to help her clean up. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” It’s not just Finn, though. Kate’s felt majorly stressed out lately. Between picking out her classes and dealing with a fretful Alice, Kate has had a lot on her plate lately. She’s had to calm down Alice quite a bit due to her best friend’s delusions that Lucas might have found a girl to entertain himself with. “Hey, are you alright?” he says softly.