Culinaria L'amore

Culinaria L'amore Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"So, Kirsten Bellini, eh? Tell me about yourself." Toben said, wiping the edge of his mouth with a red and white checkered paper napkin.

The three of us were currently sitting at a stuffy restaurant called Cupid's Bow, enjoying old-fashioned hamburgers and fries. I sat on one side of the booth, while Garrett and Toben sat across.

"I'm horrible with autobios. That's one thing that you need to learn. Never ask me that question if you want this answer." I replied, stuffing another fry down my throat, the trip making me ravished.

"Okay, so pretend I didn't ask the question. What's your answer?" Toben said, taking a slurp of his soda.

"Well, I didn't know you asked a question. What question?" I teased.

Toben gave me a look of disapproval. "Is there something I should know? Why won't you just tell me?"

I set down my napkin and swallowed slowly, wincing as the hard chunk of beef slid down my throat. After I began learning the art of cooking, around five years ago, nothing seemed to taste just perfect. Take this hamburger for an example. Overcooked, not enough salt, too much pepper, and obviously from the frozen food aisle of some mysterious market probably hundreds of mile away.

"Okay, fine, if you insist." I glowered at him as he shot a triumphant look my way. "But don't expect anything exciting."

"Anything's more exciting than this lump over here." He muttered, poking the drowsy Garrett with a finger. He seemed so tired that he didn't even seem to feel Toben's finger.

Garrett was definitely cute when he was docile. Though he did look pretty nice laughing or glowering at me, the relaxed, quiet version of him seemed to suit him the best.

"Now hurry up, Kirsten, we don't have all day. I just want the outlines. The juicy details can wait."

I rolled my eyes and began telling my story.

"Wait, so you're saying that he just continued working, even though you were standing in a puddle of water, ice cold liquid dripping down your white dress? What the hell is the matter with him? That's like a white t-shirt moment except with a dress. What color was your bra?" Toben asked, looking at me with his overdramatic, wide eyes.

I rolled my eyes in Toben's direction as we sped down the highway. "Thanks, I needed the empathy. It was white with red polka dots."

"You're welcome. If it helps, it sucks when your first date turns out to be straighter than a line. Worse than looking like a chick with chicken pox on her boobs."

I stifled a smile. Toben had been cracking jokes ever since he convinced me to tell every detail of my life and didn't seem to be stopping as we entered the private estates. "No it doesn't, eh. Now that must suck."

"Yep," he replied, "I still seem to have not found Mr. Right."

"You'd find one faster if you'd get your fat ass off of me. Hitting on me is a waste of time." Garrett grumbled, his grey eyes tired as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Really?" Toben mocked, "you're not gay? After not having any action with a single girl for over three months, I thought you had gone over to the amazing rainbow side."

My eyebrow hitched up at this statement. I personally had been single ever since... well I had been single for a very long time and I was positive that I was straight.

"Just because I haven't had a girlfriend in a fourth of a year does not mean that my interests have diverged. Even after... you know, I've been very busy with the institute and school. I have no spare time for girls and flings."