and we scored

Scene 34

I make a note for myself to keep better watch of what I say in the future.

"Your girlfriend?" Mom asks skeptical.

"No. My girl friend. Two words."

Mom gives me a look that clearly says yeah right and I have to swallow hard. She's read right through me.

"Anyway, I would like to meet your girl friend", she says it extra stressed, to show me she knows I lied. "Will you be bringing her for the holidays?"

"I don't know if she wants to", I say, then see Mom's disappointed face. To make her smile again, I add: "I'll ask her."

Mission succeeded. She smiles now.

"That's my boy", Mom says proud. It makes me chuckle.

"Mom..."

"What? Am I not allowed to be happy that my son found someone he likes?"

"How do know I like her that much?"

"Oh, baby. I've known you your whole life. I'm pretty sure I can understand when you are in love. Especially when you blush just by talking about her."

"I did not blush", I say, yet the warmth I feel in my cheeks right now clearly says otherwise.

"And you're smiling...", Mom continues.

"Anyways, about that chicken soup..." I change the topic. Mom smirks noticing, yet she just goes with it.

"Alright, so what you'll need is..."

NINI

I think I froze for a few minutes the moment I saw Caden in front of our door, carrying many grocery bags and looking at me worried. I am still staring at him, only blinking from time to time.

"Hey", he says, not knowing how to begin.

"Hi", I reply and unluckily have to cough once. Damn illness.

"May I come in?" he asks after a while. I nod and open the door a bit more, so that he has enough space to enter. I also immediately go further away from him, not to give him the cold as well.

I lead him to the living room, where Soph is still staying on the couch, texting with someone. From the smile on her face, I guess I also know with whom.

Caden is the first one to notice her so he says: "Hello, Sofia!" My bestie looks up from her screen and flashes him a polite smile.

"Hey, Caden!", she greets him in return. She then notices the bags Caden is carrying and follows us to the kitchen.

Caden places the bags on our kitchen isle and starts taking out ingredients from them. Chicken, carrots, celery, onions and many other stuff, that are clearly used to make a chicken soup. He then also takes out a pack of tea, pumpkin spice flavoured. I instinctively have to smile.

"You know how to cook a soup?" I ask surprised. Soph just stares confused from me to him, not understanding what is going on.

"For you, Broadway? I learned how to cook a soup", he replies, making my cheeks take the brightest type of red humanity has ever seen.

My bestie notices that she started third-wheeling, so she quickly adds: "You know what? I'll leave you two alone and I'll go study in the library."

I give her a confused look, yet she only smiles and after taking her bag from our room, she makes Darrel a sign to follow her. However, it wasn't even necessary since her bodyguard already was in her shadow.

"Bye, babe! Bye, Caden!", Soph yells from the door. "Have fun!" She adds chuckling, then I can hear a loud bang.

Caden and I share an amused look, then we both start laughing. That isn't good for my state, however. I immediately start coughing again, my throat hurting and my eyes tearing.