Only Us (Justin Fields)

|7| Classmates

"Thank you for the offer, but I have some leftovers I have to warm up before they go bad" I insist.

"I do know some vegan recipes, I even have a few I like. It's not a problem" she claims.

I raise my eyebrow as I stare at her. "How... how did you know I was vegan" I question. I never told her that, I made sure of it.

"Christmas dinner. You had three plates with no meat on it. And I know a lot of athletes have to eat meat to stay healthy and strong. The way you actively avoided it and the deviled eggs gave it away. Plus whenever we go out to eat you always eat a salad or just a baked potato" she explains.

I smile to myself as I shake my head. I should have known she would be the one to figure it out. "Alright. Then what are you making" I wonder.

"How about pasta? I have some recipes for plant based meatballs" she says.

"That sounds wonderful" I confess.

She sends me her address and I happily skip over. Turns out she wasn't too far from where I was staying. She was a sophomore but still stayed in the dorms. From what I understood her housing was paid for through grants and scholarships. She was able to pay for most of her schooling without having to lift a finger. Even if she was alone, she was fully capable of living in her own. I hope she knows that.

I get to her place and she gives me a tour. As expected she didn't have up pictures or anything personable. Just some paintings and school things. That is until I get to the kitchen. I see a little flower pot with a small sprout coming out sitting in the window. I smile to myself because I knew exactly what this was.

"You planted them" I smile.

"Of course. It's only been a few days but it's already growing" she claims.

"It's amazing, isn't it" I smile

"It is pretty cool. I've never got to take care of anything. My whole life I was just surviving and I was doing it for myself. Now I have this, it feels nice" she admits.

"Well I'm happy for you" I say.

I sit and watch her make dinner. The whole vegan thing is new, something to try to see how it made my body feel. It wasn't a health thing or a random decision I made someday. I talked to the doctors and athletic trainers here to see if it was even possible. Obviously being an athlete makes it hard to not eat any meats or animal based products. This wasn't going to last forever. But it is possible and if it helps then I don't see the point in not trying. I would do anything to give my body the edge it needed. Even if that meant me giving up a lot of foods.

She finished up and fixed up a plate for herself and me. She joins me at the island in her kitchen. Sits herself on the stool across from me but doesn't touch her food. She looks at me and waits to see if I liked it before she had some.

So I get some pasta on my fork and spin it around a few times before picking up a meatless meatball. Take no time sticking it in my mouth like the lord intended. To my surprise it tasted a lot like spaghetti and meatballs you would find at a nice restaurant. You wouldn't have even been able to tell that it was fake meat.

"So you might be in the wrong profession. This is amazing" I confess.

For the first time I see a genuine smile on her face. Not one to hide the pain, not a mask. No this smile came from not a place of fear but of happiness. Because something she didn't even have to really put her mind to do was being recognized. I imagine it feels pretty good to finally hear someone recognize your work.

"Thank you Justin, that means the world to me" she admits.

"Well I don't want to be selfish. You dig in too" I insist.

We sit there and eat and talk until the plates were clear. I go back for seconds and she had been done but she still keeps me company.

"I've never cooked for someone before" she admits.

"Well that makes your customer satisfaction rating 100%, so congratulations" I tease.

"Thanks for trusting me" she says.

"Thanks for inviting me" I insist.