Chapter 6 - Monday, March 10, 1941

Two hundred and sixty-six days before the attack.

Rosa

Collin's POV

Three days. It took Elliot three days to finally come back home. And sure enough, he hadn't said a single word the whole twenty minutes he'd been home. I was so disappointed that he had returned without a word like this, that I hadn't even wished to ask about Frank. Elliot would probably ignore me even more if it were possible, and I didn't want this deafening silence to continue on. Within the past twenty minutes, I tried to think of anything that could break the silence, but the tension, if you could call it that, was thick and permeating the entire apartment. I was drowning in it, and I didn't know where to start to reach out to him.

Granted, Elliot had taken to the kitchen, preparing something for a late breakfast I assumed. Even as he chopped the vegetables, and cracked some eggs, he had taken to making the least noise humanly possible, the sound of cracking eggs and it sizzling in the pan being the only audible things throughout the room. As excited as I was about finally eating Elliot's home-cooked meal, I wished he would just talk as freely as he did the other night. It had felt like we were actually getting somewhere and living as roommates. Now it was as if there was the Pacific Ocean between us.

We didn't have work today, which meant today was going to be pretty infuriating if Elliot kept this silent thing up. As usual, he plated and handed me the omelet and a glass of orange juice before sitting down to eat his. I stared at him as he ate, not even sparing me a glance even as I tapped my foot impatiently, purposefully making noise.

I couldn't take it. I felt like a tea kettle, reaching the boiling point. I needed to say something. He was sitting there unfazed, and I couldn't take it anymore. Me, and my big 'ol mouth was getting restless with this silence. There was no way I'd be able to stand a whole day like this.

I stared down at my hands, visibly shaking at trying to find a way to break this dreadful silence. Desperately trying one last effort to keep my calm, I foraged for a possible solution to this madness, when my promise ring hit the glass of juice. I stared at the silver band, suddenly getting an idea.

I dropped my fork into my bowl, making more noise than my ring hitting the glass. Elliot paused from eating but didn't look up, as if mildly annoyed.

I cleared my throat loudly before stating, "Let's go out after."

His eyes narrowed as he slowly looked up at me. Finally, a reaction from Elliot, it's a miracle.

"Out?" His face scrunched up, a mix of confusion and concern.

"Come on, El. It's our day off, let's go out. Explore the island. Hang with locals. Meet my girlfriend, maybe?" I shrugged, trying to play it off as the most natural thing for me to ask. He gave me an incredulous stare, not moving an inch.

"You know," I drew out. "Rosa, my girlfriend. She'd love to meet you, and I think you two would get along. She loves cooking, and I'm sure she could tell you some of her secret recipes. It'll be fun, I promise."

I waited patiently as he mulled it over in that overly analytical noggin of his. And by patiently, I meant impatiently, as he seemed to age years staring at the table, probably thinking of an excuse to avoid going with me anywhere.

After what seemed like a century, he sighed audibly. "Fine, I'll go meet your girlfriend. But, on one condition"

My breath hitched, as I nodded almost too excited about him agreeing to do anything other than to sit here in silence. "Alright, what is it?"

"We are not 'hanging with locals' or 'exploring the island'," he mumbled before sipping his juice. "And I don't need to see you two smooching in front of me."

I let out a chuckle, "Fine, but you gotta promise to make some of her recipes for dinner. I mean she's a good cook, but between us, I think you're like ten times better. "

"Don't let her know that"

~

"Mi amor! You didn't say you were dropping by," she held out her hands, reaching up to hug me.

"Hey babe," I kissed Rosa's cheek. "It's our day off, so we decided to visit. This is Elliot, my roommate. Elliot, Rosa"

I stepped to the side to let Elliot and Rosa greet each other. He was hesitant, but she quickly scooped him up into a giant hug. Despite how small she was, she seemed to be crushing him in her arms.

When she finally let go, she held onto his hands, almost to prevent Elliot from running, which I wouldn't put it past the guy to do.

"I kind of just tagged along, I hope you don't mind," he smiled.

"No, no. You're welcome anytime," she replied. We headed inside, as she quite literally dragged Elliot inside. It was funny seeing him all flustered with someone almost two heads shorter than him.

Rosa has always been this fiery, even when we met back in Texas. I was stationed there for training, and she had been working at a small restaurant I frequented with some buddies.

It was after the tenth or so time of visiting that we started flirting around. And six months in we had gotten engaged.

Watching how the two interacted in the kitchen, reminded me of when we first had gotten a place in Texas. She was showing Elliot all the food she had in the fridge and dragging him through the house to show him all the decorations.

He seemed overwhelmed, but it was nice seeing him like this rather than how stoic he was this morning.

Rosa had that effect on everyone. When she was working as a part-time nurse, all her patients were beaming and laughing from her crazy antics, and at the restaurant, she always seemed to have some new joke for us.

It had been a while since I visited Rosa, given how busy work was and how far she resided. Plus having a roommate that makes delicious meals made it unnecessary to visit every day. Rosa had made a point that it was more efficient being on base rather than living with her anyways.

She had added a few more decoration pieces that she brought along from Texas, and the kitchen seemed to be fully stocked since I've visited.

"You have a lovely home," I heard Elliot say as they came back to the kitchen. "Thank you for the hospitality"

"Oh, you're too kind," Rosa squeezed his arm before they both looked at me. "Collin, you didn't tell me Elliot was such a gentleman. You should take notes"

"Sure," I scoffed, watching as the corners of Elliot's mouth turned into a grin. It was the first time in a while that I had seen a positive look on his face.

I watched as the two pulled out one of Rosa's cookbooks, looking ecstatic over a Mexican dish Rosa insisted on making for lunch. They worked seamlessly together, almost as if they had been cooking together for years.

Eventually, Rosa assigned me to cleaning dishes, while they finished up lunch. Even when I visited Rosa on my own, she made a point to ban me from helping her with cooking, I always wound up burning something.

I wasn't entirely sure what they had made, but the two seemed over the moon about the finished product. We all gathered at the dining table where I was about to scarf it down, but Rosa kicked my leg under the table.

She held out both of her hands, palm up, a gesture for prayer. I saw Elliot's hesitation and was about to interject, but he quickly took her hand in his before they both looked at me.

Surely, I thought Elliot would have some sort of qualms about praying before eating, but nonetheless, he raised a brow and gestured for my hand as well. We held hands while Rosa let out a brief prayer. I made a note to ask him later about it before finally getting to stuff my face.

And oh my lord, was that lunch amazing. Rosa's cooking skills were really good too, but with Elliot's help, everything seemed to just taste a hundred times better. The balance of spices and savoriness was something Rosa struggled with. Often times she'd go overboard with the chili peppers or salt, but this was delightful. It was like I was back in Texas at a high-class authentic Mexican place.

We talked for hours about our hometowns and our life prior to coming to Hawaii, eventually snacking on some chips Rosa had bought earlier in the week. Elliot hadn't said much about his past, which was expected, but I was still curious about how Frank tied in with it, and why Elliot had such an adverse reaction to his presence. There was more to the story, and boy was I nosy. I wanted to press him further and ask some general questions, but Rosa said she needed to get ready for work. She was a waitress downtown, and typically pulled late shifts like today. The pay wasn't great, but the tips were nice most nights.

Elliot and I helped put the dishes away before we said our goodbyes to Rosa. She gave us strong hugs before reaching up to kiss my cheek. "Stay safe, amor. And Elliot, whenever he gets super annoying, feel free to drop by. I could use your cooking expertise"

Elliot gave her a half-smile before replying, "Will do. You're an expert in the kitchen too"

"Oh, stop," she poked his arm before looking at me. "And you better drop by more often, love"

I kissed her forehead, "of course. We'll let you get ready"

"Thanks again Rosa," Elliot said before he headed down the patio steps and towards the truck.

I got in the car, leaving the radio on low as I pulled out of the driveway and headed back to our place. Without really thinking things through, I blurted out, "who's Frank?"