Tom tidied his room for what felt like the tenth time as he waited for Maria. He had wine glasses out, snacks prepared, and not a blanket or pillow lay out of place. Fifteen minutes had never passed so slowly, so he let his mind wander.

Saturday evening, he had been flying high. The park adventure with Maria had gone better than he'd hoped, and they'd made concrete plans to video chat with his sister tonight, who after following Maria's cooking contest posts and hearing him rave about her, had talked him into meeting her. He'd been skeptical because Maria wanted to move at the pace of a retreating glacier which meant this could freak her out, but Susanna assured him she'd focus on gushing about Maria's cooking. In theory, tonight would be a cakewalk.

But after his park outing, Becca had stormed upstairs, drunk and ranting about Mitch. Not the usual rants, but one about his apology, which was the last thing Tom had expected.

"Why now? What does that bugger want from me?" Becca had moaned.

Had he struck out with Maria and thought he could manipulate Becca again? The man was a pig. "It's Mitch being a desperate asshole with no regard for anyone's feelings. He's pissed off Maria and runs back to you. The nerve of that guy. Does he think you're that naïve?"

"It's not that. I woulda understood. But he apologized, told me he wasn't there to hook up, then ran when I mentioned him bailing on meeting my family."

Why would he apologize without another motive? The only factor that had changed was that Maria found out. Tom's skin crawled. How could that man stoop so low to manipulate one woman's feelings to attract another?

A knock pulled Tom out of his reflections. He'd have to push that creep out of his mind. No need to ruin a pleasant evening with Maria over it. She'd looked awkward enough on Friday when Becca had grilled her about Mitch, and again when they'd discussed it on Saturday.

Maria stood at his door with a container of what appeared to be banana leaves.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to cook," Tom said.

"You gonna tell LeBron to stop scoring points during a game?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

LeBron, he played basketball, didn't he? Was Maria into basketball?

She laughed a little and patted him on the arm. "You can't invite me to boast about my cooking and expect me to come empty-handed."

"Fair enough."

Maria stepped inside and slipped off her sandals. "So what's your sister like?"

Tom tucked his hands in his pockets. "Very energetic, I guess, chasing around her two kids and still finding time to make her home and family look beautiful."

"She's a homemaker?"

"She does metalwork art, or she used to when she didn't have toddlers."

Maria laughed. "I imagine it's hard to put a playpen outside the garage and tell them to chill while mommy uses her blowtorch."

"Something like that."

Maria set her container on the coffee table and plunked down on the couch. "Must be nice."

"Metalworking?"

"Having the choice to stay home and raise your kids." Their eyes met, and he wanted to embrace her, but he held back. Her cautiousness around money left him thinking she hadn't grown up with much.

"Yeah, she's pretty lucky."

Maria tucked her feet under her. "So is she the oldest in your family or..."

"Second youngest. We were partners in crime, tormenting our older siblings growing up."

A smile graced Maria's glossy lips. He tried not to stare, but she was stunning with her black hair swept into a side part, her sad dark eyes, and her smooth, tanned skin. Her blouse was fitted in the middle, accentuating her chest and hips. When she raised her eyebrow, his cheeks grew warm and looked away. "Sorry, you, uh, look nice tonight. I haven't seen you in that shirt before."

She chuckled. "I picked it up at the market on the weekend."

"Nice, a girls' day out after the bar?"

"Uhh." She chewed on her lip and hunched her shoulders. "No."

When she averted her gaze, he knew who she went with. As much as Tom wanted to throttle that womanizing asshole or warn Maria about him for the umpteenth time, he exhaled for five seconds and dismissed the feeling. That was what friends were supposed to do, respect each other's poor choices then be around to listen to them complain about the consequences afterward.

He turned to his kitchen prep table. "So I tried to make salad rolls, and I apologize in advance about them."

She grinned and joined him. He loved the coconut scent that always followed her. With a laugh, she examined them. "They're... hefty. We won't go hungry."

Tom laughed and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "You are very diplomatic. I have forks and knives since they'll probably fall apart."

She picked up the bowl of dipping sauce and sniffed it. "This smells great."

"That came from a jar in the fridge."

"Nothing wrong with that."

As they exchanged a smile, he wondered how someone so kind and wonderful enjoyed hanging out with a snake like Mitch. She'd already dealt with her asshole ex. Why invite another one in? She couldn't claim to be unaware.

Let it go. It's her life.

"I also brought some instant coffee and hot chocolate since my dessert goes well with a hot drink. Pick your poison." She pulled a handful of packets out of her pockets.

"That white coffee is calling my name."

Tom grabbed his electric kettle to fill up with water from the bathroom sink while Maria emptied the powder into mugs. When he returned, she'd taken milk out of the fridge to mix in with the coffee. A warm sensation travelled through his chest. She was more comfortable here than she used to be. Cooking together on Friday must have helped. Perhaps she'd stop by more often now. 

"What time is your sister expecting us?"

"Eight."

Maria whistled while stirring the coffee powder. "That's like six am Mountain Time. That's intense."

"It's usually when the kids are asleep." Susana video called him at least once a week, so he heard more than enough to track their sleep schedules.

"Better not keep her waiting then."

As the water boiled, Maria grabbed the spring rolls and carried them to the couch. She settled in and stretched out like a cat. A chuckle rose in Tom's throat. The kettle hummed away, taking far too long to boil. By the time it did and he'd mixed the drinks, she had set the table with plates and cutlery around the laptop centrepiece. His chest warmed. He could get used to not having to sit alone to call his sister about his uneventful life.

"So can I unwrap one of these treats?" Tom opened Maria's container of banana leaf rolls, which emitted a bitter scent he'd grown accustomed to since arriving in Asia. The often-used leaves were a great alternative to plastic wrap.

"Yeah, they're called morón," she rolled the r as if she was speaking Spanish.

He untwisted the banana leaf to find a sticky, spongy white tube, like a sausage-shaped cake. When he bit in, it had the texture of a sticky bun with crunchy bits in the middle and a chocolaty, nutty flavour.

"It's tasty."

"Thanks. I had to dig for recipes that don't use an oven. My lola would cook these sometimes."

"Lola?"

"Grandma."

"Right." He should have guessed that. The closeness she had to her family drew him in.

He ate a few more bites before his sister's grinning icon appeared on his computer screen with an invitation to accept her call.

"You two have the same nose," Maria commented. 

Tom looked closer at the picture. Everyone pointed out their matching red hair, but he didn't mind her comparison. She'd noticed more about him than the obvious.

Luck was on his side again as they kept the table close to access the food, which meant Maria was closer than usual to fit in the video screen. Her warmth spread across him, and he relaxed then clicked the accept call button.

"Good morning, Susi," Tom said.

"Evening Tommy, Maria." Susana grinned with the energy of someone who lived for 5 am runs. Her beautiful living room was on display in the background including the kind of family photo you'd find at the front of a portrait photographer's portfolio. "I feel like I know you already from your cooking videos, and you're probably thinking who is this obsessive woman who had to meet me."

Maria giggled, not bothered by his sister's attention as she could be by his. "I'm still getting used to having followers and fans. It's always been my family who has more criticism than praise or customers at my friend's restaurant who I hid away from in the kitchen if I picked up a shift there."

"It's my pleasure, and you deserve all the compliments. Tommy, would you believe I made a spicy curry for Mom and Dad, and they loved it?"

Tom smiled as Maria's influence was already winning over his parents. "What about Ben and Sadie?"

Susi's ponytail of red locks swung as she shook her head. "Those kids live off yogurt and crackers. I'm stunned at how much energy children can get from such small amounts of food."

"How old are they?" Maria asked.

"Ben just turned four, and Sadie's two."

Maria's genuine grin was all the encouragement he needed to keep jumping through whatever hoops came next. Family was on the top of both of their priorities.

"The years are flying by. Anyway, enough about my toddlers' snacks, tell me about you, Maria. How'd you get started with this cooking business?" 

"Uh," Maria scratched at her neck. "You might know from my page I'm from Edmonton. A toxic relationship brought me to Bangkok, and hopefully, you found me after I got out of my grovelling posts."

"I did, but I jumped back, watched 'em all. Sounds like you survived hell. One of my girlfriends is going through something similar with her partner, who is very manipulative. I showed her your first videos and the ones after you left the competition, and she's thinking about how he's treating her in a different light."

Maria jolted, and her eyes grew glassy. "Wow, I... that's good for her."

"I've never liked the prick she married, gave me an off feeling, just like you said your folks had about your ex. Her choices stopped making sense, and she always relied on what he thought was best."

"I hope she gets away. It takes a long time to unlearn the drilled-in habits. Every so often I'd get flashes of his voice and his judgement."

Tom's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Sorry to hear that, sweetie. But if I've learned anything from you besides kick-ass recipes and cooking tips, it's that you're strong enough to fight 'em."

"Thanks." Maria kept her gaze on her hands.

"What did they... never mind." Tom took a sip of white coffee and burned his tongue.

She readjusted her top so the neckline sat a little higher. "They were judgments of how I dressed or acted in public or with men."

Tom's heart ached for her, but he found no words to convey his sympathy.

"Find anything that helps or has helped?" Susi asked in a soft voice.

"Hearing from others. Sometimes family and friends need to scream it at you, and space helps a lot, but with that, time, and many people repeating the same message, you can see the abuse and its manifestations for what it is. I wish I could say it was easy to notice as it got worse, but that's when they manipulate you the hardest. I can't believe the lies I believed about myself. The cooking competition was a great distraction to build up my self-worth and get outsider perspectives."

Susi smiled and leaned closer to the camera. "You are extremely undervalued and so talented."

Maria averted her eyes for a second then thanked her. Hadn't Susi said she was going to make today fun and light? If she wouldn't, Tom would.

"You should see what Maria made us for dessert, without an oven, right?"

"Yeah," her voice was still distant. What the hell had he thought asking about her ex's lingering abusive presence would do? She would never want to see Tom again.

He wanted to give her a hug or squeeze her hand at the very least, but the first night they'd gone drinking together came to mind when Maria had panicked after he tried to help her walk when she could hardly stand straight. She'd curled up in a ball and freaked out like he was some kind of serial killer. If her ex's voice had that much impact, no wonder she couldn't move on. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she was still fighting to.

"Let's see it then, don't be a tease, Tommy," Susi joked.

He held up the plate with the moron, displaying its chocolate nut center and white spongy exterior.

"Interesting, don't think I tried anything quite like that."

"It's kind of like a sticky bun. But sweeter with more of a coconut flavour," Tom said.

"Cool." A cry echoed on Susi's end, and she frowned. "My little monsters are roaring early today. I'll be back, might be a few minutes." She hurried off the couch. 

He muted his microphone and turned to Maria who wore a neutral expression and a far-off gaze. "I owe you a lot of apologies."

She startled and folded her hands together in her lap. "How so?"

He scratched his head and scooted back on the couch. "I haven't been overly respectful of the space you asked for. Since we both had cheating exes, I assumed I understood your situation and knew what you needed. I couldn't have been more wrong."

She smiled lightly. "Thanks, Tom."

"If you ever need to talk or vent about it, I'm here. I'll listen instead of giving you bad advice."

Maria sighed and nodded. Hurried footsteps echoed from the laptop and a young boy launched onto Susi's couch.

"Hi Uncle Tom, and Uncle Tom's girlfriend."

Tom cringed, knowing how Maria felt about the suggestion, as he turned the microphone volume on. "Hi Ben, this is Maria, but she's not my girlfriend."

Ben scrunched his round face up in confusion. "But Mommy said she's your friend, and she's a girl."

Tom laughed. "When you're a little older, girlfriend means something a little different. Maria's my friend, and a girl, but not my girlfriend."

"Hi, Ben." Maria waved.

"Hi, Uncle's not-girlfriend." At least it earned a chuckle from her.

"Her name is Maria," Susi said as she walked up with a yawning toddler in her arms.

"I like your monster truck pyjamas," Maria said.

Ben's face lit up as he pointed to each vehicle and explained the colours and the features of each one. She leaned closer to the screen, laughing and responding to Ben's raving with enthusiasm. Tom's muscles relaxed. Leave it to a 4-year-old to erase the problems selfish adults had created. Tom would work harder to ensure he made less of them for Maria.