Kali lathered herself up, humming as she enjoyed the warm shower. It was Friday. That meant she got to come home and enjoy herself without thinking about work for the next couple of days. But she wasn't in the mood to stay home. She wanted to do something else, something different, something fun.

She heard the door to one of the closest shut and she rushed out of the bathroom, grabbing the bathrobe from the rack and throwing the door open. Samuel was almost out of the room when she caught up to him.

"Samuel. Stop."

He did, turning to find her soaking their tiled floor and clutching the front of the robe with her hand. "You're wet and dripping."

"I can tell. I'll mop it up. Are you going out?"

"Just downstairs. I want to get something out of the car."

"Alright." She swiped a wet hair from her face and nervously smiled. "Are you free tonight? Or do you have any plans?"

"Plans? No. I don't."

"Do you want to go out to eat? Somewhere simple and outdoorsy, maybe?"

He grinned. "Don't feel like cooking tonight, huh?"

"No, it's not that. I am in the mood to do something different today. I only wanted to know if it's something you won't mind doing."

Kali bit her lip, counting the seconds in her mind. She waited for him to weigh his options. The draft from the open door cooled her wet skin.

"I don't see why not."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Please finish up before you turn to ice. You are starting to shiver. I'll go get the bag from my car, and after I change, we can leave."

"Alright. I'll go dry off."

Kali wasted no time getting ready. By the time Samuel returned, she had already gotten herself into a satin wrap dress and matching sandals. He caught her eyes in the mirror, and she winked at him before he walked into the dressing room. She slapped her watch on, hooked her necklace and grabbed her purse.

"Ready?" Samuel walked out, adjusting the lapels of his sports jacket.

She spun around to show off her outfit. "Ready."

"Come on then."

Samuel drove them out of the city and towards the village area. It was surprisingly even more clustered than the city. Houses were closer together, markets lined some of the sidewalks, and the smell of barbecued meat wafted through the open window, along with the scent of freshly baked bread. Kali was enthralled. She had not been through the village area in a long time. She mostly kept to the city, but she loved the sights of the colourful lights and brightly decorated stores that stood out in the gloom of the night.

"What are you hungry for?"

"Anything." She answered, distracted by the teenage girls playing hopscotch in front of a four-storey building.

"Anything." He repeated.

"Do you come here often?"

"Not recently, but I used to." He pointed at her window. "There is a gaming centre down that road. In college, I loved to come over and play a game or ten with my friends."

"What kind of games."

"RPG."

"Are you any good?"

"I dedicated hours of my life to gaming. I am incredible."

She scoffed. "It's a wonder you had time to chase a career."

"You'd be surprised how many hours I have in my day."

They pulled up in front of a restaurant. A chalkboard was mounted by the door advertising the specials for the day, There was a small hut in front of the restaurant. It had a lowered platform with a hooka propped up on a table at the centre.

Dumfounded, Kali laughed, accusingly glancing at Samuel, who held his hands up. "Don't look at me. I didn't build the place. Come on."

They found a table inside and settled while the waiter brought the menu booklet. Kali ordered the seafood stirfry they offered and some juice. Samuel decided to have paella with some mussels.

"Paella." She muttered. "I have never had some. It is any good?"

"I find it absolutely delicious."

"Hmm. Would you steam at the ears if I say I'd like a taste when your dish comes?"

"No." He chuckled. "You can try it."

Kali smiled back, fanning herself while she glanced at the others sitting inside. "It's warm for such a cold night."

"The kitchen is close by. I am sure the heat from all the cooking helps with that."

"Thanks for humouring me and coming out to eat with me."

"It's the least I can do when you spend so much time trying to take care of us. Besides, it's been forever since I came out here to eat. I have been missing some of these dishes."

"Which is your favourite? The paella?"

"Not really. My favourite dish here is the butter chicken, but it is a special and isn't prepared often."

"Ah. It wasn't on the board today."

He stripped out of his jacket and draped it over the body of the chair next to them. "Pretty much."

"I have not had those either." She wondered aloud, pulling away from the table when the waiter brought their meals over. "And here I thought I ate a lot."

"Eating a lot doesn't mean you eat everything."

The waiter left, and he pushed his plate closer to her, "Taste."

"Don't mind if I do."

She dug her fork close to the side of his plate, grinning as he stared, mouth agape when she made off with a good chunk of rice. With her hand underneath the fork, she led it to her mouth.

"That's good. That's really good." Her mind was already picking apart the ingredients. "It's not too spicy, but it has a hint of everything."

"Of course, the first thing you pinpoint is the spiciness."

"I can't help it."

She pushed her plate closer to him like he had done. "Take a bite."

"I already know how it tastes."

"Tit for tat." She replied, inching the dish closer. "Come on, take a bite."

He did. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They enjoyed their meal in tranquillity, wistful jazz music played from the speakers. It wasn't too loud, just at the right volume to set a mood.

"I spoke to Ember." Kali started, setting her glass down. "She is really thinking of moving her permanently?"

"She is," Samuel answered. "It took me by surprise, as well, but she is set on it. She has her reasons and understands them better than we can."

"Do you think she'll also find an apartment when she returns or keep living in your family house?"

"I think she would move out. Only because I know she always wanted her own space. The reason she didn't get one when she got back was because she didn't think she'd stay as long as she did."

"I am sure you will be excited having her living here."

"I like it because it's nice having my siblings close, but I like it even more if she is happier now enough to return."

"Hopefully, home would still look good to her when she has lived here for more than a year."

"We can only hope. I won't put it past our family's luck to have heaps of drama waiting for her to unfold."

"You mean our situation."

"You, me, Giovanna and Peter."

"Giovanna and Peter."

"Giovanna's insistence on our relationship is solely for your benefit deeply troubled her. She worries that Giovanna's contempt for me might be going too far and may affect her in the long run. She also asked me about how we met."

Kali nodded. "She thinks there's truth behind Giovanna's claim. That I might be with you for your money?"

"No," Samuel assured, taking her hand and giving her a supportive squeeze. "Unlike Giovanna, Ember is someone who looks at two sides of a story and overanalyses the issues she sees."

"Meaning?"

"She isn't looking solely at you, which is Giovanna's flaw. Ember has always wondered why I left Flora suddenly. She accepted the explanation of finding love with you, but Giovanna's accusations have sparked some unsettlement in her."

"Maybe she'd be the one to crack the case for all of us. God knows I have failed on my end."

"She might if she comes home and continues to have questions pop up from left and right."

"I am surprised I never noticed she had any suspicions."

"Ember isn't two-faced. She hasn't said anything to you because she doesn't know anything about you outside the impression you have given her. She thinks you are a good person. I also told her not to because the last time one of my sisters confronted you it ended in a fight."

"I wouldn't fight with Ember." Kali defended. "I am sure she would have approached the situation with more class than Giovanna did."

"Surely." He agreed. "Anyway, things are different with our mother. Ember has a good idea of what she is capable of. And with me... she knows I am annoyingly malleable sometimes. So she suspects that the two of us might be hiding something."

"What do we do then."

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"This was all months ago. Giovanna has calmed down, and another problem has come to take our spot in her mind."

"Which?"

"Peter?"

"What about Peter?"

"Ember thinks something is off with him."

"Off?"

"Yeah, I didn't understand her explanation either, but she insisted that there was something quite different about him. It's taken over she doesn't even mention our relationship anymore"

"I guess she has her plate of investigations full, huh."

"She does."

Kali groaned into her knuckles. "Can we talk about something else? This is giving me a headache like nothing else."

"How's the food?" Samuel swiftly chimed, not wasting any time.

Kali appreciatively answered. "Marvellous. They have a few spices I haven't had before."

"You can tell which spices were used?"

"Sometimes, yes. I use a lot of the same spices for most dishes and can usually spot them out in a meal."

"What can you taste?"

"Ginger and garlic are definite, maybe cilantro, but I can't be sure."

"You know what I can taste." She shook her head. "Chicken."

He stabbed one of the pieces of chicken left on his plate and snagged it with his teeth, making her giggle.

"Idiot."

After they finished their drinks, he settled the bill, and they left the restaurant. Kali was pleasantly full. The dish had been savoury, and the atmosphere was charming.

"Thanks for this." She said as she went to her door but stopped when she noticed Samuel was still staring at the street.

"Do you want to for a walk?"

"A walk?"

"Mhm."

She nodded, closing the door and walking back to him. He offered his arm, and she took it happily. Since he knew the place better than she did, she let him lead, taking in the beautiful graffiti on the wall, and the sound of wind chimes clinking from the balcony of houses. Some shops were closing, and many workers were returning home in groups, laughing as they discussed their day.

"What are those?" Kali asked Samuel when she spotted a man handing a small child an apple on a stick. The light reflecting off its shimmering body suggested it was glazed.

"Candy apples."

"Oh. Can I have some?" She was already walking in that direction, but Samuel dug his foot in and tugged her back with a jerk of his elbow.

"Aren't you full?"

"This is basically a dessert. Come on. Would you have one?"

"One is fine."

He let her pull him towards the vendor. She approached him with glee, looking down at the displays of apples he had. "Good evening. Can I have two?"

He picked two sticks, and she paid for them, handing one to Samuel before holding his arm again. She bit into it as hard as she could.

"That's good. Very sweet."

"I hope you don't intend to buy any and every snack you see on the street?"

"No. No. Maybe another time."

She ate her candy bit by bit, and Samuel continued his tour. He showed her a building where he used to give art lessons. She had never seen him draw, but it didn't surprise her that he did. His father was insanely talented, and Samuel idolized him. It made sense he would pick a few hobbies from him.

The night air was colder than the restaurant they visited, and soon enough, Samuel was helping her into his jacket to keep her warm. Still warm from his body, it did well to keep her cosy.

"It must be nice to live here." She mused as she spun around, eyes up at the sky.

Some houses were joined together but were painted in different colours. She had heard of houses with party walls before but had never lived in one. She wondered if they had any privacy in their homes. Where the walls are thick enough. But aside from that, she liked the string of lights that designed the edge of the roof, the tall, lanky trees in the front of the homes and the small breakfast table set up in front.

"That's cute."

"I guess."

"You don't think so."

"I do. It's just, that I'd have to whisper each time I might want to have a private conversation. Those walls are not always sturdy. Personally, I like some of my life to be private."

"Fair. Or worse, you want to gossip about your neighbours."

He chuckled. "Right? How can you do that when you don't know if someone is on the other end, hearing some of the things you say."

"Oh, and with the drama we have. They'll be getting shows nightly."

"Like a soap opera."

They began to laugh. Kali leaned against him, and he chuckled, holding her and keeping them from falling sideways.

"Imagine with Giovanna." Samuel cackled between breaths. "And mother coming over. Like TV drama series, I tell you."

"The way we argued when we first married. I can already see them pulling out the popcorn at eight p.m. each night."

Samuel doubled over, and she clapped her hands in delight. "This would never have worked if we lived here."

Kali nodded, her cheek hurting from smiling nonstop for so long. The back of her neck was beginning to cramp. "It would have been over the first day."

Samuel started to say something when he stoppedshort, snapping up as if his spine had been pulled by an invisible string. Hishands on her shoulder meant she went up with him, losing her footing for amoment. She staggered a bit and then stopped short, standing in front of ablank-faced Flora.