Mean's POV

I noticed P'Plan's eyes widen in horror as he wiped away a tear that rolled out unbidden from his eye onto the side of his cheek. He quickly wiped it away.

"Hey," I said, tapping him on his shoulder, "don't sweat it. I got this banjawala dish perfected after fifteen tries."

That made him laugh, because, first of all, he knew that I was misnaming the jambalaya dish on purpose, calling it the way he wrongly called it, and also because he knew I was exaggerating about the fifteen tries.

"I still feel upset that I'm unable to cook it the way you did," he said with a pout. "What was your secret ingredient, tell me. I'm sure you left out an important ingredient that would have made this dish taste exactly like the one you brought me last night."

I flicked him on his forehead.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, "that hurt more than my head wound! Are you not yet satisfied with the head wound that you had just recently inflicted on me?"

"I didn't leave out any secret ingredient," I said, "I'm just a better cook than you are."

"Why thank you so much," he said with sarcasm dripping from his voice, "that gave my self-esteem a big boost."

We laughed together though, and whatever tension there was in the air earlier started to drift away.

"Here, let me help you cut up the other ingredients," I said, "let's do this together so that we can have our lunch. I'm feeling hungry already."

When all the ingredients were ready, P'Plan placed a saucepan on top of the stove and poured a small amount of olive oil. When the oil started to get hot, we both grabbed the minced garlic and onions and his hands landed on mine.

He didn't take his hands off right away.

I pushed him away with a laugh and said, "This is going to be my dish now, not yours. You will have to try better next time."

He was quiet. He did not respond. He had a serious expression on his face.

"Hey," I said to lighten the mood, "if at first you don't succeed, lower your standards."

That made him laugh, yet again.

I realized I was getting to be an expert comedian. I needed to be. That was the only way to cover up my pain.

A/N: I'm sorry that this is a very short chapter. I had a bit of an exhausting day. The next chapter will be longer, I promise. Best wishes to all my wonderful readers!