Page 22 of Fruit
“Hey, Nina. I’m Iva, your favourite human,” I tell her. Nina meows. “See?” I say, smirking at Sebastián. “She agrees.”
Sebastián snorts, shaking his head. “I’ve got a carrier for when you take her,” Sebastián says.
“Oh, shit. Yeah, thanks,” I say. I’d gotten Nina food and toys but had completely forgotten about the carrier. “I should—”
“Are you hungry?” Sebastián asks at the same time. I frown slightly at him.
“Me?”
“I made curry soup and some crab cakes. If you want any,” he says.
I blink at him. “You made me food?” I ask incredulously. Sebastián crosses his arms.
“I made food. You can have some,” he says, but he knew I was coming by at this time. He definitely made some of that for me.
“If this is you getting some damsel-in-distress hard-on…”
“Oh, my God.”
“I’m just saying.”
“Let me guess, you’d be Fiona fromShrek.”
“Does that make you Donkey?”
Sebastián shakes his head, smiling.
“And excuse you, I would be Mulan.” I can see Sebastián trying not to smile.
“Do you want some food or not?”
“Are you kidding? Free food? I’m in.”
This time, Sebastián actually laughs. His smile is wide and white, his eyes crinkling at the corners. I think about teasing him for finally laughing, but I don’t want to stop him from doing it again.
“I’ll set the table,” I say as we move to the kitchen.
“It’s fine, you can sit.”
“I can set the table.”
“Are you always this stubborn?”
“Yes, so, give in.”
Sebastián lets out an exasperated, amused breath, and points me to the right cupboards. I set the table and wash my hands as he heats up the food. I help him carry everything, and we sit on opposite sides of the breakfast nook. Strangely, it’s not awkward at all. Or, if it is, I’m distracted from it by the delicious-smelling food.
I take a spoonful of the soup and bring it to my lips. The taste of it fills my mouth. The richness of the curry, the sweetness of the coconut milk. I close my eyes.
“Holy fuck, that’s good,” I groan. When I open my eyes, Sebastián is staring steadfastly at his own plate.
“Thanks.”
“Like, whoa.” I take another spoonful. It’s just as good as the first. Sebastián has served it with some very lightly buttered, seeded bread on the side. It’s slightly glossy with a golden sheen, the edges crispy and brown. I take a bite and moan.
“Jesus. Bread can taste like this? Where did you get it?”
“I made it.”
