( in bloom ;; )

      “yes because all the flavors have a chance to marry together. it makes it taste better. that goes especially for tomato sauce or a chili. or so i’ve heard. i don’t find the occasion to cook often these days.” she smirked as she finished setting up for the counter. she made sure everything was in order before looking back up at lennon. she had decided to discard her pants somewhere along to the way. cami was sure she’d heard a rant or two about how they were restrictive. her eyes lingered on the vintage band t-shirt – she’d steal it one day.

      the way love rolled off len’s tongue made cami prickle all over her. she was glad the tips of her ears couldn’t turn a light pink. it was already embarrassing enough to be in this position. “if you wish to fire, you can do it outside on the grill. away from the house. i just had the kitchen renovated and as much as i like you, i don’t trust you with flames. full offense if you must take any.” she quirked an eyebrow with a thin smile showing itself on the edges of her lips. 

      picking up the wine she left on the counter, she choked on it at the question. she cleared her throat and wiped at the droplets clinging to her lips. she looked down. “excuse me?” she gripped the counter tightly and had to remind herself to ease up before she broke the newly installed marble. “my shower was fine.” she pulled the black silk robe around her tighter. maybe it was a dramatic and ridiculous outfit, but lennon wasn’t even wearing pants. “as for round two, yes, of course. i’m always ready. my stamina is nothing but stunning. after we eat.” she tacked on the last part before slipping onto a stool.

      the compliment made her smirk as she dragged the salt and pepper toward the plates. “sit and quit flirting.” she took it upon herself to serve them both before finally glancing at the other vampire. taking a bite without breaking eye contact, she smiled as she chewed. “it’s good. i’m glad you didn’t decide to hoard it for yourself.” her eyes dropped to a bare thigh and she cleared her throat; it suddenly felt thick. “what happened to your pants?” 

     “maybe you should,” a mere suggestion, and that’s it. “you make it sound like it would be easy for you to do so, anyway -- i mean... i am aware of the fact that we don’t necessarily need to eat, but it would be a fun way to kill the time, don’t you think?” at this point, lennon was nearly convinced that if she didn’t stop herself right there, she would have gone off on a tangent about losing the remains of their humanity, and all the other things. but... now it wasn’t the best time to talk about it. not when they were having a quiet, surprisingly fun night in. besides, she’s been over it plenty of times before, and she didn’t want cami to think she was about to start brooding again.

     a smile matching the other woman’s made a short appearance on her lips, quiet laughter soon followed, “well, no. i don’t think i trust myself that much with just about anything, let alone fire. that stuff’s still dangerous, and i’ve got a feeling that i wouldn’t be welcome in your humble abode after i made a mess,” she answered, pushing the glasses up her nose in a habit. she didn’t even need them to see -- the perks of being an immortal, strong creature. she still wore them to keep this part of past self, for some reason. “--- none taken, don’t worry. i’ve heard worse things and they didn’t break me, so... it’s fine. no hard feelings here, definitely.”

     there it was -- the reaction she surely did not expect; lennon thought she had made sure to use her words with care, but it seemed to have backfired, even if it was just a little, “oh dear,” she spoke under her breath, letting her eyes widen as she looked to the side, “it was... an innocent question -- no ill intent behind it, but... i’m sorry. won’t happen again.” and to think she was just trying to be nice... len, for as long as she’d already lived, still wasn’t as soft-spoken as her fellow vampire was. she figured, it must have been something that one does never grow out of, or learn. 

     “i... uh, i wasn’t? i mean -- i could. i totally could be flirting with you, if you wanted me to,” what? did she really just say that? oh, lennon, you sweet, sweet, mess of a being. “on the second thought -- perhaps i shouldn’t. it would... it would have been weird. would it be weird? i think it would be weird.” god, say ‘weird’ one more time. 

     once cami took a bite, lennon couldn’t help but feel almost as if she was sitting right in front of the man, the legend, gordon ramsay, himself. fiddling with her fork as she awaited for the response, she just scrunched her nose up the second the other had just confirmed it was somewhat edible. score. a mouthed ‘thank you’ soon followed.

      somehow they ended up in this situation time and time again. she’d invite lennon to her home – an expansive mansion set outside the big city. it provided her with an escape from the outside world. a place that was truly hers. today, it was under the guise of letting lennon listen to some of the new records with her. in reality, cami was lonely – not something she would ever voice. it went without saying. one of them would come up with an excuse and the other would politely agree, usually with a biting remark. it helped ease the tension.

     somewhere in the last hour, they had separated to do their own thing. cami needed a moment to breathe. being so close to lennon always made her feel conflicted. it was fifteen years of back and forth. they lost touch for years at a time. but this time, it felt different. new city, new record store, same underlying tension. 

      she feigned needing a shower before they could listen to the next batch of records. she took her time, allowing the hot water to scald her cold skin. once satisfied that she would be fine, she threw her hair up into a wet bun and padded downstairs. lennon, for her part, was making so much noise she wondered if half the neighborhood would hear her. instead of saying anything, cami leaned against the doorframe and watched her. she even allowed her to babble for a minute or two. it was… cute. or interesting. more interesting than cute.

      a few nights ago, the pasta dish had been whipped up and stashed in the back of her fridge. clearly so cami would ignore it and leave it for the other vampire. a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but she batted it down. she would not smile like a fucking lunatic. not now. 

       “are you putting on a cooking show in here or?” she pushed herself off the doorframe and entered the kitchen. “yeah, go on. i’ll take a plate. if you’re so graciously offering.” she shifted her way past lennon and pulled out two plates and accompanying cutlery. 

     “--- well, i’m no martha stewart, but...” there always had to be a ‘but’, right? it’s been a long time since she’s seen a cooking show, and yet... she was able to recall the recipe from the get-go. call it a skill, but lennon was in no way doing this to impress anyone. maybe herself. but that’s a story for another time. 

     “i’d say, it’s going to taste even better after it’s been sitting in the fridge for a while. no clue why, though. most foods tend to be that way, i guess.” thank god she stopped herself right there. no one liked a rambler, after all.

     she let that comment sit in for a few brief moments, “love, if i wanted to put on a show, i probably would have done something a la flambé... but, i am pretty sure mixing someone like me with fire wouldn’t be the greatest combination one could ever imagine...” a joke; silent laughter spilling from her thin, dry lips as she popped the microwave door open, letting cami do the rest. it was her place -- despite knowing where everything was, there was still some boundaries that len wouldn’t dare crossing. whether it be messing with the kitchenware, or something else, really.

     “how was the, uh... shower? are you feeling ready for a round two?” sure, we’ll roll with that. her words caused lennon to mentally facepalm herself. why would she even dare to ask such a question? right, it was because being socially awkward, or just awkward in general was apparently her strongest quality. one could only hope that the other vampire won’t take it as a some kind of innuendo, but at this point... who cared? lennon will probably be able to get out of it without any kind of issue. like a true mess of a wordsmith she was ( not ). 

     fine, she may have thought she was being quiet, but apparently she was not – a big surprise, wasn’t it? rummaging through the cabinets, putting things into the microwave wasn’t a thing one, cranky individual could do, but lennon swore she was trying. and yet... here she was, a beanie on her head, glasses secured on her nose -- hyperfocusing on doing this particular thing, just because she was hungry for something other than blood.

     squinting, len looked over her shoulder just to see a figure leaning against the doorframe, “— you know, in theory,” she began, slightly slurring her words because talking required far too much effort at the moment, “to keep your noodles warm and tasting just as good as the other day, you just need to give it a good stir every thirty seconds. bonus points if you make a hole in the middle.” 

     where did that information come from? did the other woman even need to know it? she shrugged, and almost immediately made a lazy kind of smile appear, seconds before she turned back to her food.