[attr="class","matias"]matias shakes his head. there's nothing eva could do to absolve him of his guilt; there's nothing sage could do either — this is just something he has to come to terms with on his own.

"thank you for being here..."

with an exhale, he smiles.

"...with me. you mean a lot to me."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Her smile grows with the warmth in her chest. Hearing him say that brings an unexpected joy. She’s thrilled to be here next to him. His sudden appearance in her life has brought a surprising twist in her perspective. She has gone from peacefully accepting being alone to never wanting to be alone again.

“Of course,” she smiles softly, finding his eyes, “I’ll always be with you,” A hand reaches up to find the curve of his cheek, a thumb sliding gently across his skin, “I’m not going anywhere,” You’re stuck with me. She grins.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"me neither."

but unbeknownst to either of them, matias will soon die, and however brief it may be, he still would've broken his promise, even if only for a minute.

"you're stuck with me."

he wouldn't have it any other way.

finally, the pasta comes to a boil, and he reaches for the pot to strain the water out of it.

"can you grab plates for us, please?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Although he may soon break his promise, it’s by no fault of his own. He still comes back to her, and that counts for something.

Stuck with him? “Good,” she keeps the grin, leaning forward and up onto her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek before nodding at his request. She eyes the finishing past momentarily before spinning on her heels and grabbing plates from a nearby cabinet.

“What do you want to drink?” she asks, setting the plates down on the counter for him before turning to make her way to where the drinks are kept.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]from out of the strainer comes strains of perfectly cooked spaghetti. he twirls some into a fork and moves it over to plate, and repeats for the other.

"whatever you're having sounds good."

by the time eva returns with drinks, their food's all about ready.

"no idea how to say it but apparently it's something like spaghetti ugly e oreo."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Instinctively, she reaches for the Kanto whiskey. There’s a pause when a bottle of red wine catches her eye. That would probably go better with pasta. The hand redirects to snatch the full bottle off the shelf, “Alright, we’re branching out then” she warns. At least, away from their typical whiskey and vodka.

Eva only mildly struggles to open the wine bottle. A small grunt accompanies the cork’s pop, “Got it,” she smile with pride, promptly pouring two glasses and returning over to Matias to hand him one, “I thought it would go better with the pasta . . . ugly e oreo,” she repeats the name slowly, seriously debating if that is correct or not, “Whatever it’s called, it smells great! Look good too,” she takes a deep breath.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]matias turns after hearing the pop of the cork.

"nice."

carrying the two plates over to the dinner table, he sets them down, and pulls the chairs out for both of them.

"you doubting my pronunciation? pretty sure i'm right."

he's definitely not right.

"best pasta of your life. guaranteed."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

He’s definitely not right, but she shrugs and smiles anyway. It’s cute.

Eva sets a glass down beside Matias’s plate before taking a sip from hers and slipping into her seat. The smell of the warm meal triggers her to take a deep breath. It really did smell amazing.

“Best pasta ever, hm?” she twirls some onto a fork and takes a bite. Eva chews slowly, letting the taste settle in. She smiles, nodding, “Wow, this is really good,” might actually be the best pasta she’s ever had.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"what'd i tell you?"

matias chuckles, suppressing the disbelief in him as he takes a bite for himself. it's not as good as he remembers, but he's pretty sure there's a scientific reason as to why that might be. something about how food cooked by others will taste better than food cooked by yourself.

with a smile, he looks up at her, appreciating the moment.

"i'll start learning how to cook more."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

“I didn’t doubt you for a second,” she smiles back, taking another bite and washing it down with a sip of wine. The red goes well with the pasta dish and she’s happy she branched out instead of reaching for their usually drinks.

Eva returns his smile, also appreciating the moment and the way the burning colors of the sunset shine through the large windows, accentuating his sharp features.

“I don’t know if you need to learn. So far I’m very impressed,” she motions vaguely towards the pasta. The tacos the other night were great too. He’s definitely a better cook than she is but that’s not surprising. Eva never put the effort into learning. Perhaps she would now, and they could learn together.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]no, he probably doesn't need to learn, but:

"i'd like to."

pausing to sip the wine, he continues not long after:

"i want to know how to cook more stuff for you."

since she'll be staying here more; this, he leaves unsaid.

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

He wants to. It’s sweet, it really is. She wants to, too. Not just cook together or for each other, it goes beyond that, far beyond that. It happened quickly as soon as she let herself fall for him. Or perhaps it wasn’t quick, but rather years in the making and breaking the dam that held it all back caused the flood. As powerful as it might be, it isn’t drowning, it’s a joyful, wild ride, “Well, if that’s the case and your food is always as good as this, I’m going to have to start working out more,” She smiles, teasing, before taking a sip of wine.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]it isn't drowning, no — quite the opposite.

a breathy chuckle escapes after another sip of wine.

"we can workout together."

and a wink to make his intentions clear.

but his desires extend just beyond the physical. he's known for a while now, but as he's sat here in the safety of his home, with her, what better time is there to say it?

"i..."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales