Chapter 26: Food And Movies

                                    

                                          
Anna
                          
Even before opening the door of my apartment, the delicious aroma coming from inside of my apartment had my mouth watering. Xander was still cooking when I walked in.
                          
"Is that what I think it is?" I stood beside him glancing at the stove.
                          
"You bet," said Xander with a wide smile on his face. "Just wait for a second, love. It's almost ready."
                          
I took in the mouth-watering aroma of my favorite food: fried green plantains, called tostones, and fried beef.
                          
"You remembered." I giggled as I sat down at the dining table.
                          
Xander put a plate in front of me and another one across me for himself.
                          
"Oh, I forgot to bring the drinks. Would you mind getting them from the fridge?" he said smiling.
                          
I stood up and walked to the kitchen. "What is this?" I took out a jar from the refrigerator and sniffed it. "Oh! My Gosh! You made chicheme. What? How?"
                          
"I just went here and there. Nothing is impossible if it's for you."
                          
I poured the drink into two glasses and took them to the table. It was liquid bliss. Chicheme is a sweet-corn drink only made in two or three Latin American countries, not common in here. Since the first time I had tasted it, it has been my all-time favorite drink.
                          
"Thank you. It must not have been easy for you to prepare all of this alone."
                          
"Seeing your beautiful smile makes it worth it."
                          
He was been as annoyingly saccharine as ever. But, I got free food. I was willing to disregard it for now. 
                          
Xander stared at me in amusement as I stuffed my face. I wasn't about to let my food get cold to talk to this guy. Eating and talking were two completely unrelated activities. How people met to waste time talking while they could be enjoying their food was a mystery.
                          
The only times I entertained people with conversation during my meals was on extraordinary occasions and with Caleb. However, with the latter, it was because he seemed to be unable to shut up most of the time he was around me. Soon my plate was empty. Xander hadn't finished even half of his food.
                          
It was time to get this over with. Ugh. Why did it feel like breaking up with someone when we never really dated? How would I even start?
                          
I sipped my drink."How was your day?"
                          
Xander chuckled. "Getting the ingredients and cooking took most of my day, but it's a good day. You're here with me."
                          
He wasn't making it any easier. There was no reason to feel guilty, though. He was a manwhore. I glanced at him. A very attractive manwhore with a precious smile.
                          
I lowered my gaze and took my time drinking the chicheme. "So, I wanted to talk to you about something."
                          
Xander sighed loudly. "The last time you said that, it did not turn out too good for me."
                          
"And whose fault was that?" I rolled my eyes.
                          
"I know. Can we not talk about this now?" Xander smiled. It did not look like a happy smile.
                          
A long awkward silence settled in as we stared at each other. Would it be rude to kick him out? He still had not given me a reason to do so. We were only friends.
                          
I nodded. "Oh, by the way, we are going out with a friend of mine tomorrow."
                          
"Where are we going?"
                          
"I am glad you ask. I have been searching for a place with latino music since I arrived here and I finally found a club who has salsa nights on Saturdays!" I beamed.