The Innocent Lover

Chapter 32: Lucas

It sounded like there was a war in the kitchen every two minutes with glassware clinking on each other and the silverware being sharpened, or whatever Iris was doing in there.

We had already left the hospital and her dad had been left there for treatment. He had told me to get her home safely, and my father decided to stick with him like they were good old friends looking after their children.

Now here I was, seated on a sofa in the Kunai's family room, watching Netflix with Iris waging war with the utensils.

I'll warm you up she had said. As if she knew how to handle whatever she was planning on cooking. She had forced me to sit saying she wanted to cook for me, but now I questioned if she was in a state to cook at all.

The sound of a blender reached my ears and I tried to focus on the television until I heard a sharp gasp from her. It was all I needed to hear for me to rush to the kitchen and see the mess Chef Iris had caused.

It was like five-year-old me had been told to prepare a cake. Her apron had loads of sticky flour mixture on it as if she had been wiping her hands there instead of using a dishtowel. She even had some of the flour on her face, however she had managed to get that there.

The kitchen was a whole new space like aliens had invaded and left their residue there.

"What are you making?" I asked as I tried to find somewhere to step on without messing my feet.

"Cake".

"Oh. Let me help then".

"I can do this".

"I know you can, but I want you to teach me". I did know how to make a cake, without making an entire mess of the kitchen too. My mother had taught me.

"Just...just go and sit. I'll make the cake".

"Okay. Then I'll help you clean".

"Why are you being like this. I can do it you know".

Her voice. I stopped looking at the mess I was trying to avoid.

"I can do it," she said throwing her hands in the air.

No wonder there was flour on the walls too. "Are you okay," I asked speaking in a calm soothing tone.

"Yes..." I could hear the defeat in her voice and bits of anger. I was right, she was in no position to be doing this.

"Come here". I opened my eyes and tilted my head lightly.

"I'm fine".

"But I'm not. So will you come here and comfort me".

She languidly moved towards me before embracing me.

" Good, now let's go sit," I said and scooped her off the floor. I thought she would put up a fight, but to my surprise, she did not.

" What about the cake?" Iris asked once we were seated on the sofa.

" It can wait, right now let's just sit like this".

" Netflix and chill?" She mumbled as she took more space on the sofa, spreading her legs till they reached the other end.

" Yeah. Netflix and chill".

~

It took an entire episode of Castlevania for Iris to finally let her thoughts out. I had waited for her to make the first move for fear I would push her to her limit.

" I want to go and see my mother. One last time".

I wanted to contradict her thoughts, to remind her she had been rejected by her mother at the pub earlier. I knew she knew it too, but the pain of having a parent like that was something I thought I knew all too well.