Absinthe

Chapter 70: Who We Cook For

"This guy looks strangely familiar," I said, holding one of the framed photographs in Nico's living room.

The rest of the photos were of Nico and his family. It was pretty easy to guess since Nico has a striking resemblance to his French father. There was one other photo of the four of us up north when we visited Chef Maxwell's resort. This particular photo, though, stands out because it was the only photo of Nico in his teens.

And for some reason, the other guy in the photo looked super familiar.

"Who's this guy?" I asked, still very much curious about the guy's identity.

Nico placed the bags from Burger King on the kitchen counter and hopped towards where I was. Then I noticed his expression changing from super excited to suddenly embarrassed. I could definitely see some tinge of cherry on his otherwise pale skin.

"He's a buddy from high school," Nico said.

"He looks really familiar," I answered back. "Did you guys happen to go to St. Vincent's in High School?"

"Hey monkeys!" Vivi shouted from behind the kitchen counter. "You two. Kitchen. Now!"

Nico smiled and took the framed photograph from my hand before unceremoniously placing it back on the table. He then dragged me towards the counter before Vivi starts creating actual chaos on his pad.

Nico's pad looked very modern and had that distinct rich bachelor feel to it. I'm pretty sure the interior was done professionally as the fittings and furniture seem to be of the same color scheme. Everything was in silver and white and cream. It was a too monochromatic for my taste but it had its own allure.

"Nice pad," I say after taking my first bite of the hamburger.

"Thanks," came Nico's reply. "The kitchen's all German. Made-to-order, top-of-the-line shit."

"I noticed," I said, appreciating the beauty of the sleek design of his kitchen fittings and appliances.

And then I thought about what Jiwoo said. 

Maybe he did have a point. 

Maybe...

"I know what you're thinking," Nico said, the smile on his face disappearing immediately. "Jiwoo didn't mean what he said. He was just upset, that's all.. And let's face it, you didn't even practice for that dish, didn't you?"

"So what if BJ didn't practice?!" Vivi clearly snapped, but the effect was not as intimidating because she was chewing a big bite of hamburger.

"All I'm saying is BJ's talented. It's normal for people to get jealous because of that." Nico said, himself taking a big bite out of his own.

I grabbed a nugget, dipped it in the sauce, and tried to think of something else while I munched on it. But it proved to be impossible as I kept on seeing Jiwoo's annoyed face as he told me off a while ago.

"Why is it my fault, though?"

Nico and Vivi exchanged startled looks. I've said my thoughts out loud again. Facepalm to you, BJ!

"Believe me, man. He doesn't think it's your fault." Nico started. "It was all emotions. Disappointment at himself for having failed despite several weeks of practice, and jealously over your skills. We all get overwhelmed by our emotions, don't we?"

"Yes, if your emotional maturity is that of a five year old!" Vivi snapped again. "There's no excusing what Jiwoo did. It's not the first time he's doing this either."

Nico very obviously nudged Vivi to quiet up.

"What?!" Vivi said with an equally, obviously annoyed voice. Nico looked scandalized. "That's the problem with being in a relationship with men. They keep saying that it's us, women, who are so emotional yet the truth of the matter is: all men carry emotional baggage as heavy as all the trash in Manila Bay, combined!"