Page 95 of Laws of Love
Yasmine nodded a little, then straightened up to continue her braid. She was finishing it up when there was a knock on her door before it opened, and Knox walked in with a bag of Japanese food.
“You’re finally back. I was starving, Daddy,” Yasmine stated while Aiva put the rubber band on her braid.
Knox chuckled. “Well, then, we should get some food in you.
“Can we eat outside?”
“We can,” Aiva responded. “Let’s wash our hands, and we can go out there.”
“Okay. I’ll put this away,” Yasmine volunteered, taking the basket of hair supplies and skipping down the hall.
“She is a ball of energy today,” Aiva said with a fond smile as she stood.
Knox kissed her as she passed him to enter the kitchen. “I think she missed you. It’s been almost a month since she’s seen you, and I think she’s gotten used to seeing you more often.”
“Same,” Aiva replied as she washed her hands. “I missed seeing her cute little face.”
“I’m wounded to know you didn’t miss me, baby,” Knox joked.
Aiva shook her head playfully at him, drying her hands. “You know I did. I just missed her more,” she teased back.
She took out drinks and grabbed paper towels while Knox washed his hands. She bypassed plates since they could eat out of the containers. They found Yasmine on the patio waiting for them, and they set the food out. Aiva gave her the kid’s ramen container, which was still hot.
“Do you want a fork or chopsticks?” Knox asked.
“Fork,” Yasmine responded.
“Be sure to blow it,” he told her, handing her the fork.
Aiva and Knox opened the other containers and put them in the middle. They’d gotten tamagoyaki, sushi, yakitori, and soba noodles.
“Do you want some sushi, Yas?” Aiva asked, picking up a crab roll.
“Yes, please,” she responded, opening her mouth. Aiva fed her the roll, her little cheek puffing full as she chewed.
They continued eating. Yasmine threw out movie suggestions, and Aiva got her to try small bites of different sushi rolls. She knew she liked crab rolls because she’d seen her eat them before. They discovered she liked a couple of others, but was not a salmon roll fan. She tried a few bites of soba, but she didn’t like them as much as her ramen. The tamagoyaki and yakitori were big hits with her.
“What’s that?” Yasmine asked when Aiva picked up some sushi. “You didn’t let me try that one.”
“I don’t think you’ll like it, sweetie,” Aiva stated. She was positive she wouldn’t.
“Why, what is it?”
“Eel.”
“Like the long fish?” she asked, puzzled. Aiva nodded. “What does it taste like?”
She tried to think of the best way to describe it, but wasn’t sure what she was coming up with would convey the taste to a five-year-old.
“Mushrooms,” Knox supplied, and Yasmine pulled a face.
“Ew! No, thank you.”
Aiva laughed, popping it into her mouth. It did not taste like mushrooms, but since Yasmine didn’t like them, it was the best way to convey the message.
They’d finished eating, and Yasmine seemed content to sit there and play with the extra chopsticks before they started crafts.
“I’m having a carnival for my birthday,” she said, eyes still on the sticks she was walking across the table.
