Notebook.ai

@Desvelarse February 19, 2021

Yeong arched a brow as Cala seemed to talk to herself a bit. He hummed to himself as he waited, holding an arm out so he could grip the back of the couch and keep his own balance. The smell of the hot coffee beginning to brew, and he inhaled deeply. It smelled like heaven to him, sounding quite refreshing to him at the moment. That should help with the horrible hangover he was feeling. "Uh, I'll just take both of them," he started. When asked about his leg, he glanced down at it and lightly pressed his fingers against his own kneecap. There was not much pain with that. "It's definitely not broken anywhere, but it's worse than just being strained." He assumed that it must have been something more serious with the muscle. He would have been right about that- when he had fallen, his ACL muscle in the knee had torn.

@croccin-champagne February 19, 2021

"You might have torn something." Cala suggested, bringing out both of the crutches. She eyed Yeong up and down, before adjusting the crutches to fit hit height. "The best I can do there is wrap it, and tell you to stay off that leg as much as possible. This is the perfect time to be as lazy as possible." She offered the crutches, a tiny, soft smile gracing her lips. Her blue eyes glittered in the soft natural light spilling into the apartment, underlined by the evidence of quite a few sleepless nights. "And you're welcome to stay here as long as needed, of course. I'd feel better being able to make sure you were okay."

@Desvelarse February 19, 2021

Yeong took the crutches when he was offered them. “Thanks, I don’t mind having the down time. Honestly, I prefer it over most of the running around my dad has me doing on the daily,” he said with a roll of his eyes. He said it like it was too simple for what was being implied. It sounded like he was a preteen complaining about their parents making them do chores every once in a while. But that made him think about his parents. “Shit, I should call my dad and let him know where I am. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about my mom making him send out a whole search party.” He would he planning on staying for a short time- until he could at least walk on his leg without the crutches. He had no idea how long that would take, though, so he guessed that he could be at Cala’s place for a bit.

@croccin-champagne February 19, 2021

Cala nodded, turning to head back to the kitchen. As she resumed making the pancake batter, she spoke. "I take it you don't disappear often then? If a single night warrants a search party. Oh, feel free to grab a mug, they're in that cupboard–" She pointed with a whisk at a cupboard above the counter. She had at least ten mugs, each featuring various animals. Frogs, dancing frogs, butterflies, birds, and fish were the most common. And most used. "But reach with the arm on the side opposite your stitches, please. Do you need a phone, or did you have one on you?"

Cala found herself relaxing a bit more in Yeong's presence. Partly due to the fact that he wasn't drunk anymore. He didn't seem overly angry, either, let alone easy to anger. Some of the men that came by were like that, particularly when injured. Those were the ones who broke things.

@Desvelarse February 20, 2021

“Mm, no I do. I stay at places over night, but I usually let them know before hand, or I come home early enough to where they won’t worry too much- I’ll usually send them a text if I’ll be staying somewhere longer and I can’t tell them in person,” Yeong explained. “Just over protective parents, you know? Cartel parents and all…”

He used the crutches to head over to where the the mugs were. He picked out the one with birds on it, a smile on his lips. He thought about his phone for a moment. He did not have it on him. It was not with his things that was given to him from his pants pockets. ”I might need to borrow a phone… Fuck, I probably lost mine when I was running from the cops. I’m sure my parents have been blowing up my goddamn phone and freaking out because I’m not answering,” he huffed with a frown on his lips.

@croccin-champagne February 20, 2021

When Yeong mentioned overprotective parents, Cala shook her head, snorting at the idea. She had never even known her mother, and the same might as well be said for her father. She was about ready to start the pancakes when he spoke again, and she frowned a little, tilting her head. "Let me go find mine. Your father made me save a number for him, but you can easily call any you have as well."

She set the bowl down, moving about the kitchen and checking under things that looked like they hadn't moved in at least a day. Her phone didn't get much use. When Hino or Maria called or texted, but even with texting, she often only responded a bit after. It was a good thing she didn't have anyone to talk to who needed her for important things.

"No, nope…" Muttering to herself as she looked, she moved to the tiny two person dining table, lifting an embroidery piece she had been working on. She had never really done embroidery, but it seemed fun to try, and she didn't have much else to do. "Ah ha! Found it." With the phone lifted triumphantly in the air, she went back to the pancakes, unlocking it and setting it on the counter. "Creamer's in the fridge, it's uh…butter scotch? But there might be some normal French vanilla if you look. Oh! The strawberries!" Once again, a frown had her nose wrinkling, and she set to cutting up the strawberries in small bits while the pan heated up.

@Desvelarse February 20, 2021

Yeong chuckled and thanked Cala when he was told he could use her phone. “Yeah, He has a couple of different numbers. I have to call his private cell or the home phone number,” he said, leaning against the counter so the crutches would stop digging into his underarms as much. When Cala found the phone, he looked at it and decided he would wait until after breakfast to call his parents.

He went over to the fridge, looking through it to find the french vanilla creamer. He found the bottle, and after filling up his coffee mug, he poured a bit of the creamer in. He put the creamer back into the fridge before stirring the creamer into his coffee a tad bit to mix it up. “Do you… need any help?” he asked slowly as he watched her cut up the strawberries. Cooking was something that he could enjoy doing at times. He had learned from his mom and abuela from watching them in the kitchen every day.

@croccin-champagne February 20, 2021

The word no caught on the tip of her tongue, such an automatic response. But he had to be bored. And when she was bored, she cooked or baked. Or cleaned. And he seemed to earnestly interested in helping, somehow. Besides, it felt sort of wrong to have said she'd think about something he could do to help, and then taken advantage of him forgetting. She nodded once, motioning to a drawer by the sink.

"There's two spatulas in there. If you grab both, we can make twice the pancakes in half the time." Hino would have called that a 'pro gamer move', and the thought made her smile. She didn't understand half the things he said, but they were funny. "Unless we want bacon, in which case, we could do that too." Oh, decisions. "Or eggs. Do people eat eggs with pancakes? What does a normal breakfast look like for you?"

@Desvelarse February 20, 2021

Yeong gave Cala a grin when he was given permission to help her out. She would have been right- he was bored standing around. He already hated the fact that he had to be on those crutches. He wanted to be up and going around, doing things properly without any sort of pain. He headed over to where the drawer was, taking out the spatulas and bringing them back over.

He handed one spatula to Cala, listening intently to her go on about types of breakfasts. “For me? Lots of protein, high energy stuff. I’ll eat eggs, drink milk, have sausage… Those sort of things. If I didn’t have those things, I wouldn’t be able to function throughout the day,” he laughed, seeming to make fun of himself. He joked about everyone, and felt just as comfortable making jokes about himself. He looked at the spatula in his hand, tilting it back and forth between his fingers.

@croccin-champagne February 20, 2021

"I can do eggs, and I have milk, I can't remember if I picked up any meat at the store…" Once again half talking to herself and to Yeong, Cala almost frantically moved to the fridge, searching through it. Too often, she found herself seized by the need for perfection, particularly in meals. That had been ingrained as well. Some habits were harder to break, and some came back full force in the face of other people's scrutiny. "Of course I have milk, I just used it. I don't know if…no no no, I don't–no meat. I'm sorry."

Her grip on the handle of the fridge was tight, white knuckled, and she forced herself to take a breath. Then another. She was not bound by the whims of anyone but herself anymore. She just…had to remind herself of that. Over and over. "I'm sorry. I think I used it all last time I had someone here, and forgot to buy more on my last grocery run."

@Desvelarse February 20, 2021

“If you don’t have any meat, that’s alright. I can get my protein and stuff from the milk and the eggs,” Yeong said with a shrug of his shoulders. He noticed how she rushed to grab the things. What was her hurry, he wondered. Did she have somewhere important to be? Cala seemed nervous and stressed about the fact that she did not have any meat. “It’s alright, chica, no worries. It’s not that important.”

He took a little step closer to where Cala was at the fridge. She seemed really on edge and stuff at the moment. “You ok? Seem a little off,” he hummed, rocking back and forth a bit using his crutches. He was always fidgety, he was very easily distracted with things as well. Fidgeting was a good way of keeping himself focused.

@croccin-champagne February 20, 2021

"I will be." Cala said softly, answering his question of if she was okay. And she would. She had given up everything to free herself, and she would fight tooth and nail to make herself okay. She deserved that much. What was the point in fleeing your past if not to break free entirely? She took another breath. "I just feel…frazzled. I'm sorry."

Thinking. She could do that. That was easy, if she just let herself calm down. If the problem was with not having meat, postponing making said thing could solve the problem. Not that there was a problem, but the tightness in her chest had forgotten about that fact. "I'll get some later today, or have someone drop some off. That was it can still be had." She said decisively, quickly turning and running a hand through her hair. It was slightly embarrassing, to have someone witness a small panic like that. But that was a new record on calming herself down, and she would take the small victory.

@Desvelarse February 21, 2021

Yeong watched Cala closely, his head tilted slightly to the side. He seemed to be looking at her like he was trying to analyze her. There was obviously something more about her than she was letting on. Something that was outside of helping out the cartel. Everyone had their own little backstories, and he was currently curious about hers. Even though he was very bold and outspoken, he knew better than to ask someone he just met about their whole, deep and personal life story.

“Getting the meat isn’t a big deal, don’t stress over it or anything. I don’t need it,” he said. It seemed like she was willing to go through all that extra little bits of work to get him what he wanted. He wondered if Cala was just a very hospitable person, or if it had anything to do with him being the heir to the cartel. “I’ll eat pretty much anything. I’m not picky.” After speaking he took a long drink of his coffee, feeling tension in his shoulders being lifted as the warm liquid flowed down his throat.

@croccin-champagne February 21, 2021

His words helped, and though Cala was already adding bacon and sausage to the list on the fridge–they'd still be useful if anyone else came by–she found herself calming down a bit. With the meat debacle mostly over, and a slight shake to her hands, she returned to the kitchen counter. One deep breath. Then two. "Do you want to cook the eggs, or the pancakes?" She asked, her voice relatively back to normal. "The pancakes are going to need the strawberries dropped in while cooking, which can sometimes be a bit tough, especially if you have multiple going. And are we doing the eggs fried or scrambled?" She thrived off of having a set plan, even when cooking. It made things easier, created less room for issues to arise.

@Desvelarse February 22, 2021

Yeong squinted at what Cala was writing, but decided not to comment on it. If buying bacon and sausage would help make her feel better, then she could have at it. "I think I'll make the eggs. How about we do them scrambled?" he offered. He would make them scrambled because he was not the best at making them fried- and scrambled eggs tasted better to him. That style was often incorporated into dishes he was familiar with, as well. "I'm definitely going to need help with a couple of the egg things, probably. It'd be a bit hard to get all up in the kitchen completely while also being practically crippled like this," he hummed with an annoyed huff, a slightly dramatic pout on his lips.

@croccin-champagne February 22, 2021

Cala looked over at him, a soft laugh at the look on his face escaping her. "Your leg will heal, and then you'll be 'all up in the kitchen' just fine. Give it time." She said, moving the carton of eggs over to his side of the counter and retrieving another pan to put on the stove. "What is it you need? Oh, the trashcan for eggshells might be helpful. Hold on-" She poured a bit of pancake batter on the pan, forming the official first pancake, and tossed a few strawberries on. That would be her tester, which was likely to end up burnt anyway. With that cooking, she hurried to grab the kitchen trashcan–there were quite a few in her house–from under the kitchen sink and move it over next to Yeong. Just close enough to reach, but placed carefully out of the way of the crutches.

@Desvelarse February 23, 2021

Yeong shook his head as Cala laughed at him. "So so cruel, I think I deserve some pity," he sighed in a dramatic tone, struggling to keep from smiling at the joke. He found that exceptionally hard to do as the corners of his lips kept twitching upwards. When he was given the trashcan, he thanked her and cracked an egg open. "How many of these should I make? I'll probably eat a good amount- are you going to?" Wasting food was a big 'no-no' in his family. He was always made to finish his plate before leaving the dinner table to go outside and play soccer with his friends. It was just a common rule that his family happened to also participate in.

@croccin-champagne February 23, 2021

Cala thought it over while flipping the pancake, wincing at the dark brown tingeing the side. "Crack two eggs for me, here–" She scooted carefully past him, reaching up into a cupboard and pulling out a bowl. After setting it on the counter, she returned to her pancake station, checking the color of the pancake. "If I want to eat pancakes, too, I don't need any more than a serving. Then do like, five eggs for yourself. That should cover 'lots'–" She made air quotes. "–and if there's any extra, we can save them. Reheated eggs aren't the best, but if you mix them with freshly made, you can pretend you aren't committing blasphemy."

@Desvelarse February 23, 2021

(not me searching up how to make scrambled eggs….. i need to learn how to cook those basic foods LMAO)

"Two eggs, got it," Yeong hummed, cracking the eggs and dropping the insides into the bowl that was set in front of him. He threw the shells away and threw a look over at Cala. "Oh god, if I make five eggs for myself to eat, I won't be able to work out because of my knee. I would gain way too much weight from all of this stuff." He laughed after speaking. He was very self conscious about his body, as much as he did not want to admit it. He was watching what he ate quite often and went to the gym or played sports multiple times during the week to keep himself fit.

@croccin-champagne February 23, 2021

((fhdfhdf scrambled eggs are like my staple breakfast food, they were one of the first things i ever learned to make))

Cala arched an eyebrow, lips lifting into a small and amused smile. "It's protein. Isn't it super easy to turn into muscle? That's what professional weight lifters eat, is lots and lots of protein. If you'd rather, do two or three. Forks for beating them are in that drawer right by you." She already had two pancakes done, and was now working on her third, this time using the strawberries to make a heart shape in the pancake for no other reason than the fun of it. Glancing over at the pan, she reached across the counter, snagging the butter dish and using the spatula to scoop a small chunk of butter into it.

"Besides, it's all about the balance anyway. If you want a sweet breakfast, throw in protein and some fruit for the sweetness. Then make sure to get in your vegetables throughout the day, and of course more proteins. And water!" Her smile brightened a bit. "Lots of water. Hino's always going on about it being the quickest and easiest way to make sure you stay healthy. Something about taking minor water bloat over week-long salt bloat any day." Wrinkling her nose in amusement, she flipped the pancake over. "I just don't eat much anyway. You know, you two might get along. You're both funny, and like food. Is that enough to make friends with someone?"

@Desvelarse February 23, 2021

(fr i used to eat them so often too, just never learned how to make them smh)

"It's easy to turn to muscle if you eat it but also go to the gym and stay active at the same time. Can't run on the treadmill like this, so I'll have to cut back on my portions for a bit," Yeong hummed. He took the fork from the drawer and began whisking the eggs in the bowl. He had cracked open six eggs- three for each of them if they would eat that much. He looked over at the pancakes that Cala was making, brows raising at the heart made out of strawberries. "You trying to make a move on me or something, chica?" he asked in a teasing sort of way, grinning as he threw Cala a wink before going back to whisking.

He had no idea who this Hino person was, but if Cala thought they would get along, then they might. He found it easy to make friends, having a charming and extroverted personality. "That sounds like it would be good enough for me. Who's Hino?" he asked. Did Cala have a roommate or something that he had just not seen when staying with her? Surely he would have noticed another person, but then again, he had been out of his mind the night before.

@croccin-champagne February 23, 2021

Cala looked confused for a moment, looking down at the heart, and then back up, before realization dawned on her face. Followed by a light blush. She shook her head, focusing way too hard on the pancake. "I just like to make designs in them. I don't make them super often, and it's fun. I was going to do a flower next." She defended, frowning slightly. If she were to make a move, it wouldn't be like that. And it wouldn't happen at all, partly because of who Yeong was, and partly because dating was an almost completely uncharted area for her. She had exactly two friends, dating was pretty far from her mind most of the time.

"Hino's a friend of mine. He may stop by while you're here, he comes over pretty often. He was helping me clear out the guest room for a while, and he works at the bookstore downstairs with me. His aunt owns it." Cala explained, her frown easing into a smile at the thought of her friend. He had been the first she had made, and even though he had done most of the making friends work, she was proud of that. "Actually, he's the one who introduced me to grilled cheese–not that you remember that conversation. He also made me try ice cream. You've had ice cream, right?"

@Desvelarse February 24, 2021

Yeong laughed at how Cala became defensive, and he put his hands up a bit in a surrendering way. "Hey hey, just a joke," he hummed with a grin on his lips as he chuckled. He listened to Cala describe who this Hino guy was. "Well, if I get to meet your friend, I'll make sure to be extra friendly. We would probably get along." He got along with everyone, so that would barely be a problem for him. He reached over to heat up the skillet as he poured a little bit of milk into the bowl. Doing that would provide a much better texture for the eggs, and he whisked the ingredients together.

"Of course I've had ice cream. I barely eat it, but when I do it's always great. Got a favorite flavor?" he asked. His gaze kept shifting to where he was concentrated on making the eggs and Cala's face as they conversed. Once the skillet was heated up enough, he poured the whisked eggs onto it. He slowly stirred the eggs in the skillet, breaking them up as they began to harden from the heat. They already smelled amazing. "Got any seasoning to put on the eggs? Like herbs, or at least salt and pepper?" he asked.

@croccin-champagne February 24, 2021

True to her words, Cala managed to make a flower out of the strawberries, a small and prideful smile lighting up her face. "He's a good friend. I've only ever had cookies and cream, so right now I think that's my favorite. I'm honestly not sure what other flavors there are, or which are good to try. I'd like to try all of them. Do you have one?" At his question about seasonings, she nodded. "A whole spice rack, over on the counter there. What do you need? I can go grab it, that way you can keep an eye on the eggs." She figured the crutches would likely slow him down, even over that short of a distance. And burnt eggs smelled absolutely terrible.

Briefly, she noted how much more talkative she was getting. Yeong seemed so much more willing to hold conversations with her than a lot of the men who came by, and she found herself relaxing more. Maria had mentioned studying the effects conversation had on relationships, maybe that was it? It made it easier to feel comfortable, maybe. She would have to ask her.

@Desvelarse February 24, 2021

"There are so many good flavors," Yeong started, clicking his tongue in a thoughtful manner as he thought about what his favorite flavor would be. "I like the black raspberry flavor. It sounds weird, but it is so amazing." Cala would have been right about the crutches slowing him down. He was obviously not accustomed with them. The last time he had used crutches was back when he was a child and he broke his foot playing soccer with some friends. That had been a horrible way to ruin that years summer for him.

"Just the salt, pepper, and maybe some minced herbs if you have any," he suggested. That was the way that he usually made his eggs, so it seemed fairly common to him. Yeong was very extroverted and chatty. He could probably hold a conversation by himself pretty easily, even. He picked up on how Cala was also becoming more talkative, and that brought a grin full of pride to his lips.

@croccin-champagne February 24, 2021

"Blue raspberry?" Cala was already moving to the spice rack, picking out the little jar-shakers of salt and pepper, and looking at the spice blends she had made. Blending spices for various use was always fun to her. Picking one that seemed good for eggs, she continued. "What is that? Does it taste like normal raspberry?"

It sounded familiar, and she tried to place where she might have heard of it as she deposited the jars by Yeong, before moving to the fridge. "I have parsley, chives, and tarragon, though I've never put the latter in eggs." She offered, looking over from the fridge at Yeong and catching his smile. Unsure why he would be smiling like that, she refrained from asking, figuring that was a weird thing to ask. Why are you smiling. There really was no way she could think to phrase that.

@Desvelarse February 25, 2021

When Cala said blue raspberry instead of black raspberry, Yeong burst out laughing. His laugh was almost closer to a wheeze, sounding like he was unable to catch his breath. It was a very infectious laugh- one that just put a smile to people's faces. "Black raspberry. It kind of tastes like black berries, if that makes sense. It's not too fruity, mostly just a little sweet," he explained once he stopped wheezing. His cheeks were flushed pink because of it, and he wore a grin on his lips.

"Lets just stick with parsley," he decided, looking over at the jars with squinted eyes. When Cala caught him with that stupid grin on his face, he stopped and raised his brows like he had been doing nothing. It was a playful sort of thing, and he turned back to scramble up the eggs a tad more. They looked completely cooked, so he shut off the heat going to the skillet they were in and dumped the now cooked eggs onto a plate.

@croccin-champagne February 25, 2021

First the grin, and then the laughter. There was something she was missing, obviously. All she could do was shake her head, cheeks pink from being laughed at. Still, the laughter rang in her head, and she found herself fighting a smile, not convinced he was laughing at her meanly. "I've only ever–oh! It was a candy in the store. I'd only ever heard of blue raspberry once, and I guess my brain decided that's what you'd said." Cala retrieved the parsley, setting it on the counter and returning to finish the last couple pancakes.

"Black raspberry. I'll have to look for that one next time I'm at the store. I'll put it on the list in a second." She said, sweeping her hair out of her face as she flipped a pancake with a smiley face in strawberries on it. It was tradition when she made pancakes to do designs, and she wasn't about to let Yeong ruin that. Not that he actually seemed that unhappy with it. He had seemed to just be teasing her. "Oh, is there anything you need from the store? I need to look for toothbrushes, I know that. Depending on how long you stay, I'd rather you had some say in what's being eaten."

@Desvelarse February 25, 2021

Of course Yeong was not laughing at Cala in a mean way. He had good intentions with his actions, and meant absolutely no harm of malice. “Blue raspberry is good for like… slushees. That’s the best flavor of them, and I’ll take that statement to my grave,” he stated with another bit of laughter. “You ever had a slushee? I can’t assume anything because you barely know what a mac and cheese is, but hey, I don’t know.”

He did not mind the designs on the pancakes one bit. His mom used to do that for him when he was a little kid, and he found it cute in a way. He saw the smiley faced one, and stifled back a bit of laughter, obviously trying his hardest to keep a straight face. It was safe to say that he was failing, though. “Mm, besides like… a toothbrush, some deodorant, a hair brush, and some razors, I don’t think that I need anything. I’m not picky with food, I’ll eat anything. You should pick up some Spanish dishes, though.”

@croccin-champagne February 25, 2021

"I haven't had a slushee, no. Where would you even get that?" Cala asked, a confused frown drawing her brows together as she looked over at him. "They don't sell those at the grocery store, I don't think. But I do know what mac and cheese is." She was pretty sure of that, at least. It was in the boxed foods aisle at the store, if she remembered right, and featured fluorescent orange noodles. She hoped that was a sauce. If noodles were that color, there might be something seriously wrong.

Oblivious to his attempts at hiding his laughter, Calla bobbed her head side to side to a song stuck in her mind, flipping her last pancake out of the pan. She set the pan aside to cool, picking up the pancake plate and the eggs, taking them to the table and returning to do the same with Yeong's mug. A third trip was made for condiments and the seasonings, as well as forks. "Onto the list it goes, after breakfast. What kind of meals are you thinking? I may need your help making them. I'm not super familiar with Spanish dishes."

A Messy, Crime Love Story (CLOSED)