Tonight, Not Again

“What are we making tonight?” Adrienne strolled into the kitchen with a cheerful smile. Her boyfriend, Nick, was back in town after visiting his parents in New Hampshire all week. She was thrilled.
“I’m thinking stir-fry?” I held up the package of tofu and she shook her head.
“Not if you put that in it.”
“Well you can always your own dinner...” I began cubing the tofu. Adrienne muttered and stalked out.
As long as I’d known her, Adrienne had been a terrible cook. If she lived on her own she’d be eating out of the trash cans along the boardwalk.
“Can you put in those little mushrooms?” Her head popped around the corner, her face plastered with a bashful smile.
“Sure thing.”

I plugged in my ear buds and got to work. Cooking was one of my favorite pastimes. As a kid, I used to watch my aunts and uncles in the kitchen whenever we had family get together—my mom’s side was Italian, and Italians knew what they were doing.
I diced the red and yellow peppers, the mushrooms and the peapods, completely in tune with the music. Softly singing along, I drizzled soy sauce over the veggies and then dumped them into the wok.
“I don’t mind you comin’ here, waisting all my time…” I sang a little louder as I saw Adrienne walked by, shaking her head and laughing. I took a quite air-guitar break and strummed along to the Cars with my spatula. “’Cause when you’re standing oh-so-near, I kind of lose my mind!"
I continued dancing and singing along. I hadn’t really bothered to notice Adrienne walk by again, looking a little shell-shocked. Instead, I sang louder. “I guess you’re just what I needed—”
Adrienne cleared her throat loudly and I stopped dead in my tracks. Rob was standing in my kitchen.
“Er.” I quickly tore the ear buds away from my head and let them carelessly hit the floor. “Hello there.”
“Hi, Zoey.” Rob smiled, eyes a little wide. “You’re just a dancing queen, aren’t you?”
“My alter ego.” I shrugged, embarrassed, and scratched my head. “Were we supposed to get together tonight?”
“Well I, uh, came by to see if you wanted to do something but you look like you’re in the middle of…something.”
Adrienne, who was still lingering by the cabinet, smiled faintly. She was mesmerized, I could tell.
“Let me introduce you first!” I smacked my head.
“Oh,” Adrienne murmured. “Hi. I’m Adrienne.”
“Rob.” He extended his hand and she shook is anxiously.

“So, do you like stir-fry?” I continued cooking.
“Maybe?” Rob stepped a little further into the kitchen, his hands in his pockets.
“You can stay if you want.” I didn’t bother looking for Adrienne’s agreement. “It’s almost ready.”
“Alright. Need any help?”