152 Chocolate covered heartache (1/2)
”Are you sure about this? It looks pretty nasty.” Arei mumbled as he poured melted chocolate over a rarer than rare steak. The wolf beside him nudged his leg in excitement as drool gathered around her lips. He shook his head as he set the plate in the floor. ”You know they say chocolate isn't good for dogs.” Shelly paid him no attention as she tore into the steak. He glanced to the hallway leading to the bedrooms. ”Has Jos been out of her room yet?” He asked, his eyes still trained on the hallway. He glanced down to see Shelly shaking her head 'no' quickly before going back to her late brunch. Patting her head, he began walking toward the hall. When he heard muffled voices coming from inside the door, he turned to leave but froze in place as Jos's voice reached his ears and pierced his soul.
”I can't, Raven!” Jos's sob was muffled by the thick wood door, but the words were clear. ”I have this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. This is it! We'll never see each other again… never be together again!”
”Stop this,” Raven said soothingly, ”You know better than that. This is just your nerves speaking. Russ wouldn't let that happen; you know that. He wouldn't have given you that had he planned to never see you, now would he?”
”It doesn't matter! It won't be his choice. Between the courts and his new responsibilities, I'll be in prison and he won't have time… and eventually what we had will simply fade into the oblivion.” Jos's sobs increased.
”He's not going to give up on you that easily. There is no amount of responsibility that will ever keep that boy away from you.” Raven's voice held conviction. ”He is not those two dummies, don't hold their mistakes against him. Give him a chance to prove he's better.”
Light footsteps drew his attention away from the stove. He glanced up and had to take a double take. Jos was standing in the wide entrance to the kitchen. Her tear-streaked face had been washed but the red puffiness still remained. His eyes fell to a blood stain on the white cotton of the oversized tee shirt she wore. She noticed his eyes and settled her hand nervously over the area.
”Something smells good.” Jos muttered. She sent him a half-hearted smile and walked over to settle in a seat at the table. As soon as she was settled, Shelly came over and rested her head in Jos's lap.
Arei watched as Jos stroked the wolf's soft fur and murmured to her sweetly. Grease from the bacon popped bringing his attention back to the stove. He quickly pulled the pan from the eye and cut off the gas. He glanced back a Jos before pulling the cinnamon rolls from the oven. ”Ouch.” He yelled out as he tried to arrange the hot buns on a plate. He cleared his throat as he turned and noticed two pairs of amused eyes watching him. He set the plates on the table and rubbed the back of his neck. ”I'm not much of a cook. Modern times has made it too convenient to bother keeping up with the skill.”
”It looks good.” Jos said, forcing a smile.
He turned back to the counter and brought over the spare plates and forks. ”Here, help yourself.”
Jos nodded and turned her attention back to the salivating wolf. ”What will you have? Cinnamon roll? Bacon? Eggs?” She waited for the wolf to nod or shake her head after each option.
Arei chuckled, ”After that chocolate steak, I'm surprised you're still this hungry… but I guess you're making up for being sick for the past several weeks.” He patted her head and set down. After fixing his own plate and taking a large bite of the roll, he glanced around the table. ”Oh, I forgot the drinks.” He shot Shelly a glance before letting his gaze fall on Jos. ”Would you guys like some milk or juice?”
Jos cleared her throat and pushed her chair out. ”You cooked, the least I can do is get the drinks. Stay seated.”
Arei quickly pushed his chair out, following her. ”Here, at least let me grab the glasses.” Jos jerked in surprise and backed into the counter as he came up behind her. ”Sorry.” He said running his hand through his loose hair. ”I… shit! You're bleeding.” He said as fresh blood stained the white fabric.