“Okay, okay.”
She smiled and walked over to her desk to grab her phone. While she fiddled with the speaker, West rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He started with the batter. Jess put the speaker on an empty space on the counter. He didn’t know what to expect: he picked up a lot of little things about her at school but her taste in music wasn’t one of them.
She played a song he didn’t know. He liked the catchy drums and the guitar. His foot tapped to the beat. A girl’s voice joined in and Jess sang along. She was self-conscious initially, only muttering the lyrics. West wanted to encourage her.
He stopped chopping his potatoes and nodded with the beat. She saw what he was doing and blushed. She held her arm and swayed from side to side. He danced in front of her, in his own awkward little way. Sure, he had rhythm but that was it. He let loose and Jess laughed. She danced too, in her own awkward little way. He grinned. He realised that dancing in front of someone else was embarrassing but he had no reason to be shy with Jess, not anymore. She must’ve realised it too. She started serenading him while the song played. He held her hands and they danced together, in their own awkward little way.
They could’ve gone on forever but the song ended too soon.
She stared at him, her face flushed and a wide smile on her lips. He imagined he looked exactly the same.
“You make me feel like such a girl,” she said.
“It’s good to see you like this.”
“Like how?”
“In sweatpants, singing and dancing,” he said. “I noticed how rough the week was for you.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” she said. “I was looking forward to this.”
“I’m looking forward to your assignment. Thanks for that.”
She kissed his cheek and smiled innocently. “Pleasure, love.”
He carried on in the kitchen. Jess played more of her music in the background and came back to cuddle him while he worked. He smiled; he didn’t have to ask her to.
West took care not to move about too quickly so she wouldn’t trip over his feet. She felt cozy against him and he didn’t want her to let go. A new song came on, a slower guitar and a lingering violin. It had a country feel to it. It wasn’t familiar but it was interesting. This one felt more intimate.
“Need help?” Jess asked, peeking over his shoulder. She slipped her hands into the front pockets of his hoodie.
“I won’t burn anything, don’t worry,” he said.
He coated the fish and set it gently on the pan. The fries also were coming along nicely.
“I’m not worried. Who taught you how to cook?”
“My mom. She didn’t want me to end up like my father so she made me sit in the kitchen with her while she cooked. I’d watch and help her out. Eventually, she let me prepare supper by myself and she’d be the one watching and helping me out. She always said cooking’s more fun with company.”
“You’re close to her,” she said softly.
“Yeah. These days, it feels like I say one nice thing about my mom and suddenly I’m a momma’s boy,” he said.
She chuckled. “I don’t think so. It’s good that you’re close. What about your father? I noticed that you don’t call him ‘dad.'”
“I wouldn’t say we’re close. It feels like he’s my boss most of the time.” He winced. “There’s always that distance between us. It doesn’t help that he’s not expressive or affectionate. I don’t really know the guy.”
“Oh. I was so sure you’re best friends.”
The disappointment in her voice hurt a little.
“He used to love reminding me that we’re not friends, that he’s my father first and all that.”
She wrapped her arms around him tighter. “I’m sorry, love. It shouldn’t have to be that way.”
“Thing is, a part of me understands. He comes from a long line of blue-collar men and he’s the first to break the cycle. He’s built a better life for me than he had and he wants to leave me with a long-lasting inheritance when he checks out. I guess, in trying to accomplish all of that, he forgot to play catch with me.”
Quiet fell over them. The rain pelted the window and thunder rumbled far away. Their dinner sizzled and Jess’ music played on softly. Dinner was almost ready.
“I take it you’re close with your parents,” he said.
“Yeah,” she said. “My mum was strict and my dad was a teddy bear but we got along well. They wanted me to do something more conventional like accounting so I had a stable income but I wanted to act. They supported me anyway and came to all my productions.” She sighed. “I miss them.”
He laid his hand over hers.
He took out the fries, put them into a strainer and sprinkled salt over them. The fish came out a golden brown and he let it air out. He brought the plates closer and dished up. Jess watched him over his shoulder. The finishing touch was a lemon slice on each plate. He looked over his work and felt relieved to have done a great job.
“Looks lovely,” she said.
“I’m glad you think so.”
She let him go to open her fridge. “Do you want something to drink?”
“I bought juice, unless you’re a wine girl,” he said.
“Wine isn’t cheap enough,” she said with a laugh. “Thank you.”
He poured a glass of juice for both of them. She popped a scoop of mayo on her plate and he opted for barbecue sauce. She led him over to the couch and they sat down at last. They faced each other, West lounging back against the armrest and Jess kicking her slippers off and crossing her legs.
“This takes me back to when my parents would take me to this fish and chips place when I was younger. Their chips were always cut super thick and I’d be so full I’d pass out in the car.” She sighed. “Those were the days.”
“You say that like it was twenty years ago,” he said with a laugh.
“It was fifteen. In any case, thank you for this, West.”
“The pleasure is truly mine.”
She flashed him a smile and took the first bite. Her fish crunched and steamed. Perfect. Jess sucked in air through her mouth as she chewed.
“It’s still hot. But good, right?”
“Totally,” she mumbled.
He dug in too and agreed with her assessment. The skin had a satisfying crunch, the fish was hot and seasoned well. They both squeezed their lemon slices over their fish and took another bite. West realised that the dinner he made wasn’t complicated at all but it came out well. Jess was enjoying it and that was good enough for him.
“On Monday, you told me you’d had your eye on me before things happened,” he said.
“That is true.”
“Could you maybe support that with some evidence?”
She smiled as she narrowed her eyes. “You don’t believe me?”
“I was surprised you said that because you never gave me any signs you were interested before.”
“Okay, fair. I think I only noticed you this year. Not you as a person but the way you looked at me.”
West’s brows nearly hit the ceiling. Had he been that obvious?
“Relax,” she laughed. “I don’t mean to say you were lusting after me. Well, not quite. I suspected there was a crush but when I paid closer attention, it felt…different.”
“How so?” His voice was smaller.
“There were days when I’d look at you and you’d look away. Not because you were shy. Other days, you seemed…disappointed. Like I was letting you down, somehow. I don’t know if that makes sense.”