SorenIt was supposed to be a nice surprise.A warm, heartfelt, romantic gesture to say, “Hey, we see you, we love you, we know you’re under a lot of stress, thanks for not blowing us up.” Instead, the kitchen is an actual war zone.Arlo stands at the stove, swearing under his breath, turning something unidentifiable in a pan. It smells like garlic, cinnamon, and remorse.Erik is holding a cutting board like a shield. Chris is slicing carrots with the delicate focus of someone disarming a bomb.I stir a pot of what was meant to be soup, but it more closely resembles molten clay. “Why is that not soup?” Erik asks, frowning over my shoulder.“I followed the recipe exactly,” I say in self-defense. “You’re reading an upside-down page from a book called Spices of the Southern Wastes,” he points out. “…Ah.” That may explain some things.Chris adds, “Are carrots supposed to be purple?” Arlo growls. “These were the only ones at the market. They’re heirloom. It means fancy.”“They look like th
Last Updated : 2025-06-15 Read more