Pure of Heart / l.h ✔️

5

~Seraphina's POV~

I was in the middle of cooking when footsteps entered the kitchen, footsteps that were audibly much heavier than Carmen's.

Adding in the tomatoes and spinach with the chicken that was already cooking in the pan, I glanced over and stirred it all together at the same time. It was Luke who had walked in, not that that was surprising. There wasn't anyone else who it could've been, if not Carmen. "Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes." I announced to him softly as I looked back down, assuming that's what he was in here for. To my surprise, though, he didn't seem to really acknowledge that. "I actually just came to see if you needed any help." He said as he stood awkwardly behind me, close to the island counter.

Slightly taken aback, I slowed the movement of my hand. If anyone was going to offer to help me make dinner, I thought it should've been Carmen, considering she was my sister and Luke didn't really live here. And she never helped me with dinner, ever. Then I got to thinking. I was pretty sure that, even though she wouldn't have offered to help me, she also wouldn't have allowed Luke to come and help me, either. Like me, she probably felt like he shouldn't have to. "What did she send you in here for?" I asked cautiously, knowing she'd purposely sent him in here for something, and it wasn't to help me. I looked over at him hesitantly while I let the chicken simmer in the spinach and tomatoes, managing to meet his gaze.

His lips twitched up and he sighed deeply. "She wanted me to ask if you guys have any wine." He said, causing me to shake my head. "No, we don't." I answered softly, adding the heavy cream before I seasoned the chicken with basil, rosemary and oregano, letting it cook until the sauce was boiling. "I figured. She said she didn't get any from the store." He said, causing me to smile slightly. "Yeah, sounds like Carmen. Not getting something from the store and then expecting it to be here." I muttered, shaking my head. She'd done that quite a lot when I was younger, so much that it often led to her stealing my things. I heard him chuckle softly and I left the pan on the stovetop, grabbing the Parmesan cheese out of the pantry. "You don't have to stay in here." I mentioned hesitantly when I noticed he was just standing there still, shutting the pantry door.

Luke eyed me as I opened the Parmesan cheese with a little struggle, adding in the Parmesan with everything else when I noticed the sauce boiling. "Well, I figure I should get to know you. Shouldn't I? Carmen has been telling me about you since we met. I think it's really important to her that we get along." He said, not really surprising me. I knew she wanted him and I to be friends, for me to like him and approve of him, but I wasn't really used to making friends. "You don't have to, if you don't want." I assured him, frowning. I was sure he didn't want to be friends with his girlfriend's little sister. I mean, what boyfriend did?

"I don't mind." He shrugged, leaning against the counter beside me. I looked up at him and softly nodded. "Okay, then." I hummed. "How old are you?" I asked, curious. "Twenty six. You?" He responded, watching me as I continued to stir the food. "Eighteen." I answered simply.

I turned off the stove when it was done and moved my pan, grabbing a small pot to make the mashed potatoes that Carmen wanted. "So what time did you come in? I had been hoping I'd have dinner done before you got here." I admitted, stealing a shy glance up at him as I filled the pot with water and opened the pre peeled and quartered potatoes. "About noon." He answered, turning the sink off for me before the pot could get too full. "Thanks." I murmured, washing off the potatoes before dumping them into the pot water. Then, I set it on the stove and turned the heat on after putting some salt in with it, leaving it to heat up until the water boiled. I stepped away from the oven and searched through the pantry until I found the pepper, setting it on the counter. There was a slightly uncomfortable silence between us for a while before I forced myself to look over at him again and meet his gaze.