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“Hey, you know about teas. What’s a good tea for relaxation? I’m so sick of these essays,” Zari sighed as she placed her empty mug on the counter.
Amaya turned away from her cutting board. “Mint tea always calms me down. There’s ginger, and obviously chamomile. It depends on your preference.”
Sneakily eyeing Amaya, Zari said, “Alright let’s try mint. I trust you.” She rifled through the bags in the cupboards until she realised they had none. “Hmm. Do you have any mint for me?”
“Yeah, the plant over there in the windowsill.” Amaya moved over and picked it up, gently peeling leaves off and handing them to Zari.
“Oh look, it’s mint to be,” Zari smiled.
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It was later at night than Amaya meant to have dinner, but she’d gotten caught up in her most recent hyperfixation. She spent hours bent over intricate diagrams, trying to learn just how much energy a single blade of grass could produce with a certain amount of sunlight. When she made her way downstairs to the kitchen, the sound of video games came from Nate’s room. Downstairs, pop music streamed from Zari’s room and Amaya smiled. It was a running joke in the house that Zari was the loudest student ever. She was quieter when doing literally anything else.
Flicking the light switch, Amaya stepped into the kitchen surveying the limited mess. A few dishes were stacked in Nate’s box, and several empty pots stood on the stove. It wasn’t going to stop her from making what she had in mind. She took a step back after opening her cupboard- decorated with painted leaves and sun rays- trying to decide which items she would need for her vegetable soup.
“Oh, hey,” Zari said, leaning against the doorframe with an empty mug. “You’re in here late. I was just finishing up my last essay.”
Amaya continued her soup efforts as she made conversation with Zari, following two trains of thoughts like intertwining strands. She offered Zari cut up veggies without a second thought, not noticing the bright smile she received in return. She let Zari ramble about her struggles, genuinely enjoying her company.
Zari stayed put in the kitchen, drinking her tea and eventually helping Amaya make her soup.
“Wait, what was I doing here?” She froze, scrunching her eyebrows as she thought back.
Amaya handed her a slice of carrot. “You came for the tea, stayed for the company?” She asked hopefully.
Smiling, she pressed a kiss to Amaya’s forehead. Her heels gave her the extra height she needed. “Since I finally finished my essay, I can stick around for a bit.” She set her empty mug down and moved closer to Amaya, watching her movements.
The movement behind Amaya had gone unnoticed as she stirred the big pot so when she turned around and looked straight at Zari’s mouth, she backed up, accidentally hitting the pot with her back. A bit of the broth sloshed over the sides as a breath caught in Amaya’s chest, partly caused by the accident.
Zari eyed the spill, pulling Amaya away from the stove and closer to her. “Well, it seems we’re in hot water now.”