After Hours (𝟏)

32. Morality

"So what do you think?"

Rainy waited patiently for the verdict, watching carefully as she swallowed her food.

"It's adequate." Laleh decided, poking her fork into the homemade meal that her friend had spent the last few hours making. The background sound of the television was faint but loud enough to fill the living room.

"Adequate?" She huffed, clearly unimpressed with the response. "I spent so many hours cooking just for you to say it's adequate. I'm never making you anything ever again." She trailed off.

That was all she had to say?

The stale expression on her face grew, glaring over at the lazy figure sprawled out on the couch. Busy immersed in the tv to even notice the scorn in her voice.

"I'm not going to lie to you." Her friend exasperated, lifting her head up to look over at her. "I'll only say it's great when it's Vincenzo Bassi level cooking." Rainy was wearing her flimsy avengers pyjamas; a tiny camisole and short shorts, and her hair pulled up in a messy bun. She was sat opposite on the white l-shaped sofa, with her own dinner placed on the glass coffee table.

Rainy rolled her eyes, glimpsing at the screen where the famous Italian chef was cooking up a storm.

"I'd love to see Vincenzo Bassi try making zereshk polo ba morgh." She voiced, the authentic dish was something she was proud to have made on her own. "You're a harsh food critic for someone that doesn't know how to cook."

"No but I know what tastes good and what doesn't."

"I'll show you adequate." Rainy grunted under her breath, still strung up about the comment from earlier.

Laleh snorted at the animosity, and hummed. "I'm kidding, it's amazing as always. What's all this for anyway? You only ever cook when you're stressed out."

Oh, if only she knew, Rainy thought.

"I do?" She started with a nervous laugh. "No... I don't, you're reading into it too much. It's what you do, you over analyse people for a living. I wanted to make us a nice home cooked meal to remind us of home is that so bad?"

That made the woman across her lift up a brow, and she started to assess her with her eyes. "Defensive tone, nervous rambling. Are you hiding something from me Azita?"

Her real name made her cringe slightly, and shake her head. "Of course not."

Rainy felt guilty.

Beyond guilty, she could feel the overload of emotions bubbling inside of her wanting to be let out. She hated lying to her and with the way she was staring at her it made her feel even worse.

They had made a pact to tell each other everything and there she was neglecting the only rule they had both kept from the ripe age of five.

Which was why she was more than relieved that her phone started to vibrate next to her at that very moment.

With a sheepish smile, she snatched her phone and waved it at the girl opposite her. "Oh would you look that that, I better take this."

"This conversation isn't over."

Still, Rainy had already picked up the phone and pressed the answer button. Putting it up to her ear, she muttered a 'hello' and frowned when she heard the response.