— milk & honey ;

Opera season was literally right around the corner, and as he always wanted to get better at Italian – his latest language – Nik was eager to absorb the culture fully. Beyond eating the food and watching films, this was a great way to be entertained while learning, the ticket’s he’d purchased collecting dust in his pocket as he tried to find someone to go with him. The real problem was that Nikhil didn’t have many friends, and the few he had rejected his offer when he asked, as did co-workers. Pleading with the person across from him, he was willing to do anything to sweeten the deal . “ Please? Come on, I’ll even treat you to dinner before and I’ll owe you one for later. Whatever it is : Cleaning your car, going on a blind date – please?”

Since settling into her lunch date with Nik, Nina hadn’t anticipated he would carry an ulterior motive with him. She wasn’t necessarily a stranger to the arts and all they had to offer, especially considering her mother’s career as one of the West End’s most illustrious actresses but she was still feeling a little overwhelmed with work to even contemplate taking a break and indulging her more cultured side. “Wow, is that all you’re offering?” Nina smirked, taking a sip from her glass of lemonade. “Well, I have two questions before I agree to go along for this little culture trip. One) How good are you at discussing interplanetary diplomacy?” She started with a soft smirk. It was all at the behest of her son of course, since he was the miniature mastermind behind both those particular activities. Her smile, bright and beaming, eventually gave away the fact it was all in jest though the offer to look after him and give his mother a break was still always on the table. “Two) Do I have to wear a dress?”.

He was always very concerned with what he put in his body, and while Eliot wasn’t the best cook, he could at least say with pride that no one had ever complained about finding eggshells in an omelette he made. Still, there was a huge difference between returning food that you aren’t satisfied with and telling someone you know personally that they can’t cook. While he wasn’t sure where they got it from or if they cooked it themselves, the strange smell and the odd look of the food that was set before him already had him worried before he dared take a bite. When he did, he found it hard to swallow. 

“ What,uh… What did you say was in this again?”

Nina’s brow wrinkled slightly at her friend’s question, noting the hesitant tone almost instantly. Now she wasn’t about to christen herself as the next Rachel Ray but she had no trouble keeping her son fed, especially if it was something that came in a cardboard box, shaped like a dinosaur. Yet there was always something still left to learn even at thirty years of age so here she was, every variety of cookbook spread out across her kitchen and the evidence of said culinary discoveries still matted in her hair. Deciding to go through them alphabetically, tonight’s chosen dish covered the region of Persia. “It’s braised lamb with turmeric and yogurt?” Nina assured him as she sat down in front of him. “Why? What’s wrong with it? Did I mistake the cinnamon for turmeric?”. 

“No,” James said firmly and shook his head. “The person was just lazy and an idiot. They thought that a big company would never notice a small company stealing their brand and idea but then some hipster made the company known and now they’re going to get sued until they’re bankrupt,” James explained and grinned. “And I’m going to be the one suing them to the point where their grandchildren are sued.”

“ — Oh wow” Nina breathed, mildly amused over the fact he could take such satisfaction over suing someone though she suspected it was a similar feeling when she successfully operated on one of her patients. “You really are a big fish in a small pond, aren’t you? Cleaning up the ocean, one lawsuit at a time. Remind me to never get on your wrong side. I wouldn’t like to wake up with a subpoena on my pillow. You could give a girl a complex that way”.

“Here, hold this,” Vera said to the person beside her, handing the person her baby bag before picking up what Kingston had dropped on the floor. The baby began to cry, making Vera sigh and shake her head. “That’s enough,” she muttered, picking up the toy and putting it in the baby bag and handing him another one. “Thanks for that.” Vera took back the baby bag and gave the person a thankful smile. “It’s just one of those days, you know?”

Nina took possession of the bag without question, knowing the struggle of trying to hold of your sanity as well as your miniature human. “Oh don’t worry about it. Ethan used to scream the house down if he didn’t have his favourite blanket to hold onto, never mind the fact that it smelt like a swamp at the end of its life” She assured her lightly, a chuckle to her words. “Your little one looks pretty content now. How old is he?”.

“Enlighten me on this,” James started before shoving his papers back into the folder he was holding. “How can someone be so stupid that they, word for word, copy everything, even the words, of a product and not even bother trying to smudge it up a little bit?” James asked and shook his head. “I’m dealing with idiots.”

Nina’s brow wrinkled as James abruptly posed his question, catching her off-guard. “Maybe they just assume you’re as equally inept at catching their mistakes?” She offered with a soft half-smile, her cheek almost kissing her palm. “Or maybe it was a genuine error? We can’t all be shining examples of the perfect human being, Mr. Carnahan”.

“I’m sure James notices how stunning you look,” Sofia spoke honestly. Nina was an incredibly beautiful woman, and James would have to be a fool to not agree with her on that. “Don’t worry, just for an afternoon snack. Pringles will be for dinner,” she teased, making it evident that she was simply joking and would not dare feed a child chips as a meal. No one seemed to think that Sofia should be left alone around children, and rightfully so - she may have ended up giving them whatever they wanted in an effort to avoid having them cry. “Think Ethan would mind if I borrow his mommy for dinner later this weekend?” Sofia asked, thinking to herself that it’d been a while since she and Nina had a meal together. “How’s work been? Aside from prepping for this event, of course.”

“ — I hope so” Nina breathed, barely noticing how utterly desperate and lovelorn she sounded. “I mean, not that it’s his prerogative to notice anything about me” She fell over her words with a soft, self-deprecating grin as she hid behind the bubbles in her glass. God, she was going to have make more of an effort in trying to keep her feelings under wraps if she didn’t want them to get hurt. “Oh Pringles for dinner, hm? Sounds like a very well-balanced meal. What are you pairing them with? A lovely box of Um Bongo?” She chuckled softly as her maternal glimmer returned to her cheeks. Knowing children of any kind weren’t necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, Nina was comforted with the fact that Sofia always seemed to want to make a solid effort with hers, no matter how unhealthy her methods were. “I think he’d actually like the break from me, to be honest. I know I could definitely eat something that didn’t come in a cardboard box, shaped like a dinosaur” Nina chortled as she tidied away a few wisps of hair. It had been well over a month or so, she surmised, since she’d last had the chance for some grown-up chats, finished off with a glass of wine — or two, depending on how deep the ‘chats’ went. “Work’s been hectic as per usual. I’m starting to think I can actually accomplish something which has been comforting, to say the least. How about you? Have you been giving Elon Whatshisname a run for, well, all of his money?”.

“Actually, I can be temped by a lot of things. I think everyone knows by now that women are a big temptation for me,” he answered truthfully as he knew that the confession was nothing new to Nina. It was weird being in public with Nina as his date. The more James thought about it, the more it was weird for him. It felt as if they were starting to get a clear definition of their relationship and it was something James wasn’t prepared for. He wasn’t sure if he was prepared to get an answer as to what their relationship was like because then they would start needing to talk about it and James was happy with their occasional fucking. His eyes landed on her legs when she moved to reveal it, making James lick his lips before looking back up at Nina. He tightened his grip on her before grinning and pulling back slightly. Shrugging, James looked away. “Nothing for now.” Immersing himself in another culture and learning about it had always been something James loved about his travel. He was lucky enough that he had the luxury to do so, even going as far as spending a year in Paris for college. “Exactly. I suppose I should get serious about this auction now so I can find your little trip with your son. I’m sure he’d love to swim in water so clear he could see the floor of it.” James shook his head. “I’m alright. If I do end up wanting to come, I think I can gather the means to join the two of you.”

As expected, a short, little scoff left Nina’s lips before she gave James a look of utter amusement. “Oh don’t worry, I think everyone here knows all about your, uh, veracious appetite. I suppose I should be grateful you’re giving me the time of day right now?” She asked him coolly, trying a little harder than usual to hide the near-obvious envy dripping from her words. He was her date after all unless it was all some large ruse to get into the other guests’ undergarments. Jealousy hadn’t been a fixture in their relationship before yet hearing him talk about his ‘other women’ made Nina feel as if she should be more wary of them. She almost couldn’t help the slow gulp of breath and her hopeful, wandering eyes as she noticed him lick his lips, pleasantly surprised her little trick had worked. Although the juxtaposition of his words, so cool and dismissive, soured her mood a little. Maybe he’d become less of a tease as the evening wore on? “Mhm, I’m afraid so. I’m sure if he were here right now, he’d be thanking you himself. Not that I couldn’t fund it myself, it’ll just be more fun this way. And it’s for charity, did I mention that?” She chuckled softly, not really daring to look around them or any further into the crowd in fear of breaking the slow, steady tempo they had mustered. “Oh well, don’t let us put you out too much” She replied curtly. “If you are able to sneak off to see us, we’ll be more than happy to have you”.

Nina almost felt obliged to name her first-born after the cashier as she was handed the bag of treats along with a Styrofoam cup of energy-reviving coffee. Excitement led her next few steps as she tried to get out of the café before the happiness wore off, barely noticing somebody coming through the door. Her coffee went flying, darkening the other person’s shirt and making it look like a poor man’s Jackson Pollock. Almost letting go of her empty cup, a hand flew up to her mouth. “Oh heavens, I-I’m so sorry…” She insisted, picking up a handful of paper napkins from the nearest table. As Nina slowly drew back her head to further extend her apologies on the unfortunate victim of her own clumsiness, her lips parted at the familiar sight ahead — one she hadn’t seen in years. “ — James?” She breathed, almost if he was a blast of unpolluted air slowly curling around her diminutive frame. Her knot of tidy brows untangled itself as a smile started to grow along her lips as she drank in the sight of him for the first time in what felt like forever. ( — @nyejames )

The man glanced down to the leg of his chair, which was holding the brunette’s bag hostage before peering back at her with a grin. “What do I get out of it?” he asked, his tongue running over his front teeth absentmindedly. “I love charades, let’s start with that — movie? Song? Phrase? You’re not very good at this”

“ — Hm, let’s see...” Nina started, tapping her index finger against her plump, rosy lip. “Could it be the satisfaction of being able to say you’ve done a good deed?” She asked with a soft, slightly amused smirk. Figuring she wasn’t going to be getting what she wanted any time soon, Nina decided to play along with whatever nonsensical train of thought he was on. “Hold your horses — I haven’t started yet. Give me a chance”.

The date had rather been dull and James was starting to think it was a waste of his damn time. Throughout the whole thing, all he could think about was the fact that instead of trying to wine and dine this air headed blonde who was more interested in his platinum card than him, James could have been working on his case right now. He literally could have been doing something other than entertaining the woman but he knew that he also he was to blame for being in this predicament. James could have said no or he could have cut the date short but he didn’t want to. Admittedly, James wanted a shot at fucking the woman but the more he spent time with her, the more he realized that he didn’t even want to fuck her at all.

Taking her to his place, James smiled and rested her hand on the back of the blonde’s lower back as he lead her to room. When his phone rang just as he entered his house, James furrowed his brow, excusing himself and removing his phone from his pocket. “Just give me a second,” he said to the woman when he realized that it was Nina calling, which he found to be rather odd. The whole conversation with her was odd, something about the tone of her voice was off and it made him worried for her so James soon said goodbye to the blonde, giving her money and putting her on a taxi before he pulled out of his driveway and made his way towards Nina’s house. 

By her door, James furrowed his brows at her when the door opened and he saw the look on Nina’s face. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice laced with concern before stepping inside and placing a hand on her face to caress it. “Not busy at all,” he tried to reassure her before shaking his head and loosening his tie and trying to make himself a little more comfortable. “What happened?” The thought of Nina sad admittedly broke his heart. The look on her face was definitely something he never wanted to see on her ever again and he was now determined to make her smile.

Where to start? — Her lips folded into a soft purse as she looked up into those bright blue eyes, so open and honest. Before she could put something together, a sentence to hold James off from asking anything bigger than she was ready to answer, his touch startled her into submission as his soft, tender words started to soothe her worry that she’d called at the wrong time. Almost rubbing her cheek against the warmth of his fingertips, Nina wrinkled her nose before a covered hand came up to scratch an invisible itch on it. “Just having one of those days, that’s all” She started meekly, watching him make himself comfortable in her home, not an unusual sight but this time, it felt domestic and somehow homelier than before. Her feet dragged a little across the welcome mat as she closed the door behind him, pausing as she heard the click of the lock. Even as a child, with her father’s passing, she never wanted to feel weak or helpless in anyone’s eyes, refusing to let anyone see her at her most despondent except for her brother who knew enough just to let her sob into his cleanest shirt until her tears dried. Yet now, at her most vulnerable, she couldn’t help but just feel tired. Exhausted at the prospect of another night spent alone and of having to explain herself to someone who didn’t quite understand. “I-I don’t know how to explain it” She muttered, finally turning on her heel to face him, a genuinely apologetic half-smile sinking into her tear-stained cheeks. She moved with slow, tentative steps, ushering him toward the sofa before hugging one of the plush cushions close to her chest. “Our anniversary’s coming, mine and Anthony’s” The small brunette pointed out, sniffing back tears as she barely gave him a glance upwards. She couldn’t stomach whatever sympathetic look he had plastered on his face, knowing the score all too well. “And I-I just feel like with trying to figure out if I want to celebrate that, failing at work and looking after Ethan, everything’s piling up top of me —... and I can’t breathe. Have you ever felt like that?”.

At his sister’s jab, Benny sulked over his cup of tea. In Benny’s defense, he had never really enjoyed Monopoly and it had been years since he had last played, and still, Nina enjoyed bringing it up whenever he was feeling grande about himself. Well, at least he could trust her t deflate his ego if he ever got a big head. “Sounds like I will taking that salad home. I only cook for sweet, loving sisters. Not nasty gremlins who enjoy taking the piss out of me.” He grumbled, stirring another teaspoon of sugar into his tea and then adding another. “Is he now? I suppose everyone has to have their flaws. It’s a real shame, I was beginning to like the little fellow. I suppose I will have to grin and bear from now on. Unless you ship him to boarding school and straighten him out.” He teased with a laugh, suddenly remembering all the empty threats their mother would yell at them whenever they had gotten into some mischief. He glared at his cup of tea before giving his sister a glance, slightly looking like the young grumpy by he used to be in their childhood. “Better than croaking from diabetes, my dear sister.” Benny protested, refraining himself from sticking his tongue at her. This was what happened during game night, they turned into squabbling children. If their mother was there, she would be likely to hank both of their ears and remind them to mind their manners. “Funny, I don’t remember you being much of a winner at Snap. Last time we played, Anna won at least three rounds more than you and she’s lousy.”

Nina felt the sudden urge to resort by to her past childlike self as she stuck her tongue out over the table at him while his back was turned away from her. All the teasing and camaraderie always had the habit of flowing freely void of any mean feelings and intent though that certainly didn’t stop the long-standing sibling rivalry from playing a vital part in their mischief, well, her mischief. “Oh fine, go ahead. You can feed that rubbish to Goose. She clearly loves you more than I do. It’s all character-building anyway” She protested, planting a hand firmly on the base of her hip. Spying the third spoonful already being stirred into her brother’s cup of tea, she couldn’t help but hearken back to that age-old adage about pots and kettles. “Isn’t that enough sugar for one coma? I mean, don’t let me stop you from getting a step closer from some very lovely dentures but really, you’re sweet enough, don’t you think?” She assured him with a lightly platonic pat on his bristly cheek. It was true enough, no matter how many years seemed to pass and however terrible the tormenting became, her older brother was always safely considered one of her favourite people despite how adamant he was to change her less-than-healthy ways. 

“Oh no, if he carries on like this, he’ll definitely be on the first bus to Harrow” She shook her head softly until she realised exactly who she sounded like in that precise moment. “Oh god, I sound like Mum, don’t I?” Although, when they were younger, their mother was the epitome of all that sweet and kind in the world and still was to some extent, Nina couldn’t help mentally cursing herself by comparison. “And I’d rather die eating something bad for me but extremely delicious than something you’d also get away with feeding to a rabbit” She assured him with a soft glare before waiting for her cards to be dispatched from the bigger stack. He wasn’t ever going to win the debate on healthy eating especially when Nina was more concerned with taste rather than the actual scientific fact. “What can I say? I like to give Anna the opportunity to win once or twice. She’s been through enough having us as her only siblings. That woman deserves a break. Now enough stalling, I’m here to win and make a grown man cry”.

Mateo couldn’t help but roll his eyes when she tried to convince her that knitting was not something old people did. It was definitely something old people did and there was no convincing Mateo otherwise. His abuella did it while watching her telenovellas and his mother did it, both old women. “Nina, no matter what you say we all know it’s for old people,” he teased and winked at her. “My abuella knits me things and sends it to me whenever my mamita visits my dad down in Mexico. It’s an old person thing.” Laughing when she talked about his mother and how they knew each other, Mateo wouldn’t put it past Nina if she did know his mother. “Say hi to her for me the next time you see her and let her know she doesn’t have grandbabies yet,” he joked. “Because you’re tiny and small, there’s no way you could ever keep me in line.

Nina chuckled softly, folding her arms as she made peace with the fact there wasn’t going to be much wiggle-room when it came to his stance of what he considered an elderly activity. “Fine, fine, whatever you want. I’m starting to rethink who my favourite Solis might be though” She shook her head, hoping he’d be at least a little bit terrified at that less-than-horrific prospect. “Oh, I will, don’t worry. I just hope she doesn’t overwhelm me with baby photos again. There’s only so much photographic blackmail to soak up, you know?” Nina teased him with a grin. Not that she would ever use such tactics but still, it was nice to have something to hold over his pretty little head. “Okay, wow, you’re on very thin ice, Solis” She narrowed her eyes, awarding him with a slightly scornful smirk. “Tiny and small doesn’t equate with weakness”.

“I seriously didn’t hear a single word you said,” the male chuckled, leaning back casually in his chair as he pushed his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose. “In my defense, though, I’m super fucking baked. Say it again — I’ll be a good boy and listen this time.”

Nina almost couldn’t help the gentle huff bursting out from behind pursed lips as she stood there at his mercy, already being over the day when it hadn’t even started. “I said you’re sitting on my bag strap and I can’t get it loose” She unfurled her arms, pointing to said bag as it lay underneath his chair. “Is that better? Or do you need me to speak a little slower? Maybe we could turn this into a nice, little game of Charades?”.

“ Oh, your secret is absolutely safe with me. ” Tessa chuckled. “ I’m actually very upset I didn’t think of that myself. ” She didn’t enjoy wine as much as beer, but if it was the only thing left, she’d definitely drink it. “ Not even one? ” Tessa laughed softly as the other shared how she’d gotten into the event. “ How nice that must be, not even having to give up one of your organs. ” Tessa joked. “ Surprisingly I still have all my organs. ” The blonde smiled as she glanced down after the compliment. She’d never been too great at accepting compliments, but she figured she’d just brush it off with a quick ‘thank you’, only to change the subject or divert the attention immediately. “ Thanks, you look absolutely stunning yourself. ” 

“ — Oh, I’m sure there’s such a thing as wine-pooling at these sort of things” Nina assured her new companion with a pleasant grin. Truth be told, she was actually rather enjoying herself especially between getting to dress up like something close to royalty and scrounging thousands from the wealthier donors. “I know right? I feel like such an impostor” She admitted softly with a gentle sigh. “Oh well, that’s a relief. I’m glad you made it out unscathed. Almost begs the question of who wasn’t as lucky as us though, doesn’t it? I mean, I’m guessing someone’s probably walking around with their spleen hanging out” Her imagination, though slightly more diluted as of late, always seemed to throw up otherworldly suggestions for what most considered perfectly normal situations. “Thank you. I thought I’d at least pretend I’m a lady”.