stolen kisses, pretty lies.

"do you think if we don't get too drunk tonight, we can do a reenactment of the iconic scene?" hana questioned, knowing that dilan knew exactly which one she was referring to. "i know my moves are a bit more rusty than yours, but i still think i have it in me. i might just be letting my intrusive thoughts threaten to overtake me though, dil."

"impress, i don't know," romy spoke in fairness. she got the feeling, with the repeated emphasis on the other young woman's dance confidence, that she was an actual dancer. not the club kind, though those deserved their own merit, too. a studio-reserving, rehearsal-attending dancer. the blonde looked at her a little closely, with a bit more intent to study, for a second or two. romy had taken a handful of dance classes around town—she wondered if she'd seen her before. though, the longer she looked, the more certain she was that she would've remembered. "but i'll have a damn good time regardless."

Thomas shrugged one shoulder at her question about phones, leaning heavier against the counter while he watched her with steady attention. “Yeah,” he answered simply. “Had one in the kitchen.” His brow furrowed faintly as he thought about it. “Didn’t really use it much unless somebody died or the church needed somethin’.” Cellphones still felt strange to him sometimes even after a few years. Most days his stayed in his pocket untouched unless somebody texted or called him directly. He’d been told more than once his home screen looked depressing. Thomas glanced toward the recipe on her phone again when she offered him the sauce portion, visibly considering it like it was a serious responsibility. Then he nodded once. “Alright.” There was willingness in it immediately. He liked when people gave him clear instructions. Easier to know he wasn’t messing things up. Thomas stepped closer to the stove, broad frame settling beside her while his eyes scanned the measurements carefully. The warmth of the apartment and the sound of Hana nearby settled easy in his chest again. “You stay nearby though,” he said lowly, serious as ever. “In case I screw it up.” His tone made it sound less like insecurity and more like practical planning. Thomas reached for the wooden spoon carefully, studying the sauce like he was preparing for a mission briefing instead of dinner.

"oh come on, do you not have enough faith in yourself? look, all the ingredients are right in front of you," she informed the man. pointed over to the tomato paste, bottle of vodka, heavy cream, and the varying spices that would be thrown in to level up the flavoring of everything. "you know, part of me wanting to print ou the instructions for everything, but it's just so much easier on a phone. if you feel yourself get stumped enough, i can always look up a video tutorial of the sauce? sometimes a visual aid can help, but i think you'll be just fine. so, are you ready or not thomas?" the girl quesitoned.

A hand is pressed to his chest like she’s genuinely wounded him. "Cheap attempts? C’mon, Hana, you know I only bring out the top-shelf shit for you. This face don't come cheap." The corner of his mouth lifts, sharp with amusement, like he’s enjoying a joke he hasn’t shared with anybody else yet. "And, if I thought you were pathetic, I wouldn’t be workin’ this hard.”

"what am i going to have to do to make you shut up for five minutes? and don't say walk away because i am not giving you the satisifaction with having the final word, nicky. i have a hell of a lot more in me than that," she told him, flashing him a look of annoyance.

"Of course. What other way are you going to make it up to me?" Buffy teases because while the other may not know it, she'll foot the bill without a second thought—like a friend would, "So, are we going to sit around talking about it or are we actually going to get going?"

"sorry, you know how much i can just yap and yap," hana sighed, not even realizing how much time had seemed to pass. "where were you thinking of heading first? personally, we need to go somewhere that our drinks are actually strong. that grimy salty splatoon always waters mine down, so i'd rather not go there."

hana: oh shut up!

"Whoa, whoa, hold on. So you admit there is a spell? Alright, now we’re gettin’ somewhere." And this was much more interesting than whatever the hell was going on around them. "’Cause if you admitin' there is a spell, then you're soundin' like sombody actively fightin' the spell, and the second you fight it, that means you already lost."

"i was literally just speaking hypothetical and nothing more," hana huffed, hating the fact that nicky was even trying to get under her skin right now. as if she was going to let that happen right now. "if you think your cheap attempts at trying to seduce or impress me are going to work, forget it. i'm not some pathetic girl you can woo."

"Oh yes, and I adore her for it." Giada let out a faint hum of amusement at that, though grief still softened the edges of it. "I think lunch with the two of you would do us all some good. I know this darling little place over in Santa Monica." Giada told her, her voice quieter now, something more honest threading through it as she continued on. “But thank you honey," She paused to give Hana's hand a gentle squeeze. "I truly appreciate you doing this for me."

"now you have me curious, what's the vibe there? i'd love to be able to sit outside on a perfect day, all three of us. i might even need a new outfit the ocassion," she remarked, thinking of how great being able to get away from rift valley even for a day would be. honestly, it would probably do them both some good. feeling her hand being squeezed by giada, she offered the older woman a sincere smile. "of course, i promise to be here for you every step of the way and any way i can."

Thomas listened closely while Hana explained the app, brows faintly furrowed in concentration like she was describing something far more serious than short videos on a phone. “Sounds dangerous,” he said honestly after a moment. “If it sucks people in that much.” His tone wasn’t judgmental, just practical. He knew enough about himself to know he avoided most things that swallowed up too much attention. At the mention of the magic eight ball, his head tilted slightly. “My folks used t’ say them things were evil.” Which probably explained why he looked mildly suspicious of TikTok too. Still, there wasn’t much real concern in him. More confusion than anything. He nodded slowly when she explained the vodka going into the sauce instead of the chicken. “Alright,” he said, accepting the explanation at face value even if cooking still felt overly complicated to him. Thomas watched her move around the kitchen again, warmth settling low in his chest at the casual way she included him in things. It was strange having somewhere he could show up repeatedly and not feel like a burden. He pushed off the counter then and moved closer without hesitation once she asked for help. “I can help,” he agreed lowly. His large hands rested awkwardly at his sides while he looked down at the recipe on her phone like it was instructions for machinery. “What d’you need me t’ do?” There was something steady and willing in the question. Thomas would’ve probably stood there stirring sauce for three hours straight if she asked him to.

"phones?" hana found herself stopping when thomas brought up his parents, something that almost seemed like a foreign concept. he always seemed like quite the private person and truthfully? she really didn't know much about him at all, or what his life was like before becoming involved in the mob. the minor slip in of his family was endearing, the girl feeling like he had to be comfortable enough around him to mention it. "let me guess, did they have one of those old landline one's instead of a cellphone?" she let out a small laugh. "well, if you are feeling adventurous enough, how about you take a turn cooking and do the sauce portion? i promise that the recipe is super straight forward, they have all the measurements listed and everything. if you feel like need help, i'll be right here ... how does that sound?"

“Hmm, don’t know about that. I thought your job was laughin’ at my jokes and makin’ me feel good about myself.” His smirk is dropped in a theatrical show of faux-concern, as he places the back of his hand against her forehead. “Shit, you alright over there? You’re talkin’ like this, sayin’ approval from me, and I’m thinkin’ I gotta call a doctor.”

"respectfully," hana spoke, rolling her eyes once more as the boy thought this was funny for her. she was only growing more annoyed at each passing moment. "just because i accepted one compliment from you doesn't mean i am casted under your spell, alright? in fact, i think it is the exact opposite, nicky."

Thomas leaned against the counter with his arms folded loosely across his chest, watching Hana move around the kitchen with the same focused attention he gave most things. He liked being here. The apartment had started becoming familiar in a way that caught him off guard sometimes. For most of his life, home had meant keeping distance from people, staying quiet, making sure nobody was there waiting when he got back. Alone had been safer. Easier. But Hana being here when he showed up didn’t make his shoulders tense the way it should’ve. It made something settle in him instead. Warm in a strange, uncomfortable way he secretly liked. His eyes followed her hands as she talked about TikTok, brow furrowing slightly. “I heard’a that,” he admitted. “Folks watch videos on it.” That was about the extent of his understanding. His phone mostly stayed in his pocket unless somebody called him or texted. When she mentioned vodka pasta, his head tilted slightly, serious confusion crossing his face. “Can the vodka get you drunk?” he asked plainly. “If it’s in the chicken?” He genuinely wanted to know. Thomas pushed off the counter enough to peer toward the stove, fascinated by the amount of ingredients spread around. His own cooking was mostly meat, rice, eggs, things that filled you up and didn’t require much thought. “You use a lot more stuff than me,” he observed lowly. “I mostly just throw things in a pan ‘til they stop bein’ raw.” Still, there was no judgment in it. If anything, he looked impressed. “Smells good already though.”

"it's truly a magic eightball of an app," hana began to explain to the boy. "you can really find anything on there, i sometimes have to just put my phone down before i get too sucked into it all," she sighed. she found herself loving it for new recipes, fashion tips, and even the ocassional funny video. she did find herself pleasantly suprised at the fact that thomas had even just the faint understanding of the app, always assuming he just lived a more .... simple life. "oh, no! honestly, the vodka is actually supposed to go into the tomato paste for the sauce. it won't techically be in the chicken? i think it's such a small amount too, you shouldn't taste it much at all," she spoke. "would you want to help out with the sauce? i have the recipe pulled up right here. consider it couch surfing buddy bonding?"

shaking his head, francis waved her comment about cash off. "don't worry 'bout it." he pushed out a breath and rolled his shoulders as he walked back to the counter to get their coffees. it was welcome, this brief moment of keeping his hands busy as he ordered and paid, discreetly slipping one of the plastic spoons from the display to fidget with. once their order was called, he brought it back to the table hana was sitting at. with a deep sigh, he sat down opposite of her, placing her order down with a small pack of sugar right next to it. "how many of those have you had already today?"

hana didn't argue with the older man, letting him place the order for her drink. if this was his way of trying to distract himself from the recent news of his family, she didn't mind. the girl couldn't imagine how any of the santoros had to be feeling at this time, so she'd be there how she could find herself. even if it was just simply offering simple conversation in a coffee shop. "this would be my first one of the morning, but i'll probably be on my second or third by noon. it's supposed to be a busy day at the office. how about you? do you average more than me?"

"i know netflix does that option where it can randomly select a movie or show for you, but i can't say i trust a robot's options for us," hana replied matter of factly. pausing for a moment, she glanced over her shoulders to speak to dilan from a distance. "how about waters for now, but we can keep the wine within reach if we change our mind?" she suggested. "hm, it's been awhile since i've properly watched dirty dancing, and i am not immune to patrick swayze's charm, but, if you were feeling something different, i'm not totally picky dilan."