All That Glitters

"Just answer the door," I said, placing my hand on the small of her back and pushing her into the entryway and walking back into the kitchen. I didn't go all the way in, I suddenly had this urge to watch what she would do. I saw her pull up her jeans, pull down her shirt and open the door, greeting Nick with a cheery "I hope you're hungry!"

She engaged him in small talk and I took the time to take out the wine and set it on the table before going back and taking the chicken out of the oven.

"You look amazing tonight," Nick said, his voice getting high signaling his nervousness.

"Thank you!" She said overjoyed, as though she doesn't hear it every couple of seconds or live with the undeniable knowledge of it. She turned around and smoothed down his collar before leaning in the whisper in his ear. I glared as his arm crawled around her waist, as though he doesn't know how to hold a woman. I turned back to the chicken, pulling it out of the oven and setting it in the center of the dining table.

"Wow Joe, you cooked this?" Nick asked, allowing Nadia attention to divert from him to me, permitting her to catch me looking at her. I set the dish down on the table, right as Naomi came to sit down.

"Of course not, it was little sis over there." Naomi said, eying the food deliciously. Nick's eyes immediately ran back to Nadia, as in shock she could make something.

"That's not even all she cooked," I said, walking back in to get the bowls of risotto and stuffing and setting them on the table.

"That's it? Everything's set?" Nadia asked, hands on her hips ready to get to work. I shook my head, giving her a thumbs up and motioning for her to sit down. She was ready to but Nick beat her to the punch in pulling out her chair. Her smile beamed bright as she exchanged looks with her sister. I poured red wine into everyone's glasses, getting ready to dig in before I heard a quiet request.

"Grace?" Nadia asked. Naomi spit out a bit of her red wine, eye wide. I could see why. That was a little unexpected. Nick looked at us as though we were aliens that didn't belong here and grabbed her hand. "Sure, Nadia, you want to lead?"

She shook her head, asking him to in return. He nodded, grabbing my hand and bowing his head. I grabbed Naomi's head and stifled a smile at the replay of the last five minutes in my head.

"Dear Lord, thank you for allowing us to get together for this beautiful dinner, we thank you for the air we breathe and everything we have. Continue to bless us throughout, Amen"

We repeated the last word, my smile ceasing to leave. I suddenly wanted to make everything go wrong for Nick. No, it wasn't jealously. Jealously is petty. I wanted to know what was making Nadia act so different...and maybe a bit of jealously. I didn't understand it though, Nadia and I never had any attachments, maybe because Naomi burned every one we tried to form but all the same. We have nothing in common, we don't even like the same music. We're not even from the same places. But as the Kirca sisters and Nick engaged in this deep conversation with each other, I couldn't help but try and Spiderman a bond to Nadia, just so my jealously makes sense. Maybe it was because she looked good, and though the marriage is still strong, I am still a man.

"Yeah, when are you and Joe gonna start poppin' them out? I mean, they are so easy to make," Nadia spoke, snapping me out of my own thoughts.

"Poppin' what out?" I asked, pouring myself another glass of wine.

"Babies, my dear," Naomi said, laughing, patting my cheek. "Don't get too drunk now,"

I flushed a bit, at both comments. Maybe because I had only had one glass of wine and intoxication was impossible at that point and B) because of the baby topic. It wasn't something I wasn't shy of.

"So?" Nick asked, cutting into a forkful of the chicken.

"When the time is right," Naomi and Nadia said simultaneously. I cocked my head a bit, how she could possibly do that?

She just turned her lips into a tight smile and peered at me over her glass of wine.