Eating for two

When Maria saw that there was a fourth container of food, she asked Laila, "I know you are pregnant but you do realize that the eating for two is just a myth right? Why is there a second container in your hand?" Laila smiled and said, "Well, I'm glad you asked. I have a surprise. As you know, Jake was with us at the house and he seemed genuine in his wanting to help me and all. So, because of that I became open to being friends with him. After reaching this decision, I happened to run into him just outside the hospital when I went to get food for us three. Since I decided on a friendship, I felt like I needed to act like we are friends as well. So, I invited him to join us for today but I want you two to be okay with this as well. If you don't want him here, he understands and is fine with that but otherwise there is a container for him as well."

Maria and Steve were surprised to say the least. Steve wasn't aware of this change in Laila's feelings and hadn't heard anything from Maria about this yet. In Maria's case, she knew this was an option but she didn't think it would become a reality so soon. Considering how quick and in how many ways Jake had been brought back into Laila's life, despite the probability of certain meetings and events being extremely low, the universe must have really wanted them together in a way. It is clear that they are too strongly connected to remain out of each other's lives forever.

Maria looked at Steve to see what he thought about Laila's question and he just shrugged his shoulders. This was because although he was surprised, he didn't have a strong opinion on the matter. He barely knew Jake and didn't like him nor strongly dislike him to begin with. So, Maria was left with making the final call. She looked at Laila for a minute before she just sighed and said, "Fine. Call him inside. I guess there is nothing to lose if he joins us for a meal and I can ask him a few questions as well."

Laila smiled at Maria's reluctant approval and walked out into the hallway to call Jake inside. He followed Laila back inside while feeling a bit awkward about it all. Afterall, he was entering a room with people who didn't exactly like him or had any positive memories of him. As he stepped inside, he was scratching the back of his head and laughed a bit awkwardly after saying, "Hi..". Maria and Steve both returned his greeting as they stared at him and watched his every move. They observed him as if he was an animal in a zoo. Seeming unpredictable and skittish.

After Jake had pulled a chair from the other side of the room and took a seat next to Laila, where he felt safest, Laila handed him his food. But while the other people in the room felt the tension that was there, Laila pretended to blind to it all and brushed it off by saying, "Let's eat! Before everything turns cold and you have made this pregnant woman's energy, spent on finding this food and bringing it to you all, become wasted."

With Laila throwing her pregnancy in the mix and using her slightly intimidating smile, they stopped the staring and started to eat. All four of them seemed to have found the meal to be to their liking, as the room became silent and all that was heard were sounds of enjoyment. After everyone had taken a few bites, Laila became the first to comment on it, after which the others confirmed. Considering the price, the quality, the size of the portions and how close the restaurant was to the hospital, Laila considered it a strong possibility that they might order food there again during Steve's stay at the hospital. However long that may be.

Now that the tension had been broken and a conversation was going, they began to talk about today's events once more as they ate. Though they had avoided the topic at first, as they weren't sure how Jake would feel about it, considering he had been on the other side of the 'fight' during the majority of it all, but he ended up being the one to bring it up. Since Jake had mentioned it first, all bets were off in their opinion.

"I still can't believe that Harold would take things so far. Did you really not have a clue that he would do something like this? Did he never mention anything that made you think he would be capable of this?" Jake shook his head. "No, he did say some extreme things from time to time. But he always said it in a way that made me think that it was just empty threats said out of anger and because he had been drinking. Never did I think he would act on those words."