Soft Peaches

Chapter 5 : Dinner date

In a low spirited energy she stood up from the sofa before making her way to the small kitchen with a purpose to eat her problems away . Maybe she would instantly forget about the man and focus on melting her taste buds with food . She knew just the perfect dish to please herself with so she took quick strides in the pursuit of reaching the kitchen .

Peaches cursed under her breath when the echoes of her high heels filled the entire house like susurration in winter . She immediately crouched down to release herself from the excruciating pain they caused before angrily tossing them away . She closed her eyes when a thudding sound filled the house before gripping her wavy hair .

" Dammit !" she screamed but stopped in her tracks when she heard a timid knock on her front door .

"What ..."

Her brows knitted together when the soft knock resonated over the deafening silence for the second time . She stalked towards the front door but not before grabbing a frying pan from the kitchen . She made sure not to make a sound as she furtively trotted to her front door .

" Who is it ?" she called out while tightening her fingers around the long handle .

" If you don't tell me who you are , I'm not opening this door !" Peaches said after moments of dead silence .

She waited a good 10 minutes standing beside the door before she decided to leave because no one had bothered answering her previous questions . As she was about to turn around she heard the soft voice from outside . If it hadn't been from her quiet place then Peaches would have missed it by a breath . She stood frozen for seconds , her mind in disbelief .

Peaches instantly knew who that voice belonged to and before she could stop herself , she was already grabbing the doorknob with shaky fingers , twisting it slowly as if torturing the inanimated object . The way she twisted the poor doorknob resembled the way she was feeling inside .  When she opened to reveal a puffy eyed Peter , who was sitting on her doorstep like the world had fallen on top of him , the brunette stepped aside to let the man enter her tranquility . Peter was quick to stand on his two feet before dusting himself off .

" I'm so sorry for showing up unannouced , I didn't know where else to go ... I uh-- " Peter spoke as he stepped inside the warm space .

" No it's alright ... what happened?" Peaches inquired and followed the man to her favorite room , the kitchen . The thought made her smile because Peter knew how much she enjoyed spending her time in the kitchen on either cooking or eating anything she can put her hands on .

" They took him ... they told me I failed on protecting my own little brother and now , they won't let me see him." Peter said , plopping down on a chair .

" Who ?"

" My cousins , they took Denzel away from me ..."

" Why , what happened ?"

" Turns out he came back from school with fresh bruises all over his body and apparently he had old ones as well ... but he won't say who's doing that to him because he's afraid and now I'm the one taking the blame . I mean I had no idea that he was being bullied , I swear I would have done something about it !" the man yelled frustratedly .

" Okay uh , you need you to come down ... Let me make some coffee okay ?"

" Thanks ."

" No problem ." Peaches said while looking at the man intensely . She's never seen a big man looking so vulnerable before and it pained her to think that the little boy she saw the other day was getting bullied . He was literally the sweetest boy she'd ever seen , he did not deserve such treatment .

She moved away from the counter to boil some water while grabbing two red cups from the cupboard . When she looked up to find the deflated man staring back at her , Peaches swallowed thickly . She made the coffee without breaking eye contact , refusing to let Peter win but their staring moment stirred something deep within her .

" That's a lovely dress ... I hadn't noticed how beautiful your eyes were until this very moment ." Peter confessed with a distant voice as his blue eyes ranked her body from head to toe .

" Thanks but don't be weird ." Peaches flushed which evoked a chuckle from her companion .

" I really mean it though , what was the occasion ?"

" I was supposed to go on a dinner date with a friend but he stood me up . I wouldn't blame him , maybe he's finally tired of pretending to give a shit about me ."

" You know what , forget about him . He has no idea what he's missing out on ... It's definitely his loss ."

" I guess ."

" Then how about we have our little dinner date and I promise to do all the cooking , you don't have to let all that go to waste ."

" You cook?"

" Oh yes , I cook ."