Alpas

Chapter 23

"And after plating the chicken, add the carrots and asparagus to the skillet. Stirring frequently." The lady on the YouTube tutorial explains. "Let them sizzle for around 4 minutes."

"Ok, I can handle that." I smile as I toss the veggies into the skillet. And as I'm concentrating on cooking, I don't hear the door opening. I don't notice Tony standing in the doorway. I don't notice the light smile on his face.

"Now that you've let those cook for a bit, plate them with the chicken. Plate the tomatoes as well, adding the remaining dressing over the top of it all. And there you have it. You have successfully made balsamic chicken and veggies. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Leave your comments below, and have a great day!" She smiles and the video is over.

"Well that wasn't too bad. And it wasn't messy." I smile to myself as I finish the last touches on the food.

"It sure does smell great." Tony says and I freeze in my tracks. I slowly turn around and there he is. Standing in the doorway, door still open, with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "Mind if I join you for dinner?" He asks shyly.

"Not at all." I smile lightly. And I can feel those familiar butterflies from when we first got together. Those gitters, that make it hard for me to act normal.

I make him a plate and sit everything at the table. I grab a few sodas and come to sit back down.

"So, how was the mission?" I ask, trying to break the silence.

"Oh you know, the usual. Surprise around every corner. Everyone got hurt at least once. Same old same old really." He chuckles lightly.

"But everyone is ok, right?" I ask almost frantically.

"Yeah. Everyone is okay." He says as he finally looks up at me.

"And you? You're okay?"

"Yeah. You know me. I'm made of steel." He smirks.

"Well, you're not wrong." I laugh and so does he. "But really, you're okay?" I ask as I lightly touch his hand.

"I've never been better." He smiles lightly, and we continue eating. "This is amazing by the way. How did you find this recipe?"

"Actually, it's kind of silly. When I was driving back here, I stopped off at this restaurant, just to order to go. Never been there before. Never even heard of this place. And I told them just to pick their most popular dish and I'll have it. And this is what they gave me. I didn't realize how much I liked it til I was over an hour away and couldn't remember what the place was called. But the order ticket they wrote on was still in the bag so I looked it up on YouTube." I finish as I take my plate to the sink.

"I didn't know you could cook like this. You've been holding out on me?" He chuckles as he joins me at the sink.

"Well, our schedules are so crazy, so it's not like I've necessarily had the chance to dazzle you with my cooking skills." I chuckle.

"So, uh. How long have you uh, been here?" He asks.

"Only 2 days. It feels like I've moved in here though. I've got my type writer set up in that corner, I added a punching bag to the back porch... And a porch swing." I giggle as I grab his hand and drag him to the back porch. "See." I smile as I sit on the porch swing and pat the seat next to me. He laughs at me but he takes the seat anyway.

"So, a porch swing?" He laughs.

"Hey! Don't judge. My grandparents had one when I was a kid. I loved sitting there and listening to my papa tell stories. And when I left a few weeks ago, the cottage I was in had one, and I realized that this porch swing was missing from my life."