The woman talks me through cutting the peppers and onions, seasoning them, and cooking them in a large skillet. The way she mixes flavors is so different than what I’ve done or tasted before. She’s so creative and free with her flavors, while I feel like everything I eat has the same spices over and over.
After two hours of cooking and an hour of food and table preparation, I finally take a seat at the table with everything laid out in front of me.
The sound of a door opening reaches my ears as I take a break, and a minute later, Ethan walks in. His dreary expression makes me glance at the clock. 10:12 pm.
Maybe we should’ve picked another night to reschedule.
“Are you okay, Ethan? Come sit down.”
He turns to me, his eyes running from my hair down to my toes then back up again, f
