Page 105 of Knot Baked Out For This
"Since?"
"Since I lived in the city. My neighbor had three cats. Ember loved them more than me."
"Impossible. You're very lovable." The words slip out, and she immediately turns back to the stove, stirring something with violent enthusiasm. "I mean—dogs love you. That's a fact. Statistics."
"Statistics about my lovability?"
"Shut up and open the wine."
I'm searching for a corkscrew when the door bursts open.
"WE'RE HERE!" Levi announces like he's liberating France. "We brought flowers and dessert, and—is that a dog?"
Ember barrels into Levi, who goes down like he's been shot, laughing as she licks his face. Luca steps around the chaos withpracticed ease, carrying what is obviously a store-bought pie in a container he's trying to pass off as homemade.
"You didn't make that," Hazel says immediately.
"How can you tell?" Levi asks from the floor where Ember's now sitting on him.
"The crust is too perfect. You burn water."
"That was ONE TIME."
"You. Burned. Water." She has to emphasize each word.
"The pot was defective!"
"The water, Levi. You burned WATER."
Luca sets the pie down, kissing Hazel's cheek in greeting like it's normal; like we're already what we're pretending to be. "Ignore him. He tried to help. I sent him to the store instead."
"Betrayal!" Levi finally extracts himself from under Ember. "See if I share my flowers with you."
The flowers are wildflowers again, but different—autumn asters and goldenrod, things that grow wild and refuse to be tamed. He sets them in a mason jar she produces, and suddenly her tiny apartment feels full. Not crowded—full. Complete.
"What are you making?" Luca peers at the stove. "It smells like... comfort."
"Pot roast," she says, suddenly shy. "My grandmother's recipe. It's nothing fancy?—"
"It's perfect," I interrupt, because she needs to stop apologizing for existing.
Dinner is chaos that shouldn't work but does.
Her table is too small for four people, especially when three of them are oversized Alphas with territorial issues, but we make it fit. Knees bumping, elbows fighting for space, Levi stealing food from everyone's plates while complaining his portion is too small.
"This is amazing," Luca says, and coming from him—who orders food by nutritional efficiency—it's basically a marriage proposal.
"It's just pot roast?—"
"It's the best thing I've eaten since—" Levi pauses, thinking. "Ever. It's the best thing ever."
"You said that about my cinnamon rolls yesterday."
"Those were yesterday's best thing ever. This is today's. I have a very sophisticated palate that appreciates variety."
"Your palate thinks gas station sushi is haute cuisine," Luca deadpans.
"Gas station sushi is underrated!"
