Episode 30

As soon as she got to the sofa, Rel kicked off the torture devices other people called shoes and rubbed the bottoms of her aching feet.

Keith said, "I'm surprised you actually wore heels."

Aurelia sighed. "Yolie talked me into it. I really should have put my foot down."

Yolie scoffed. "There is nothing wrong with trying to be fashionable."

That idea wasn't on everyone's list of priorities. Not to mention, it was hard to take her seriously when she was dressed like a clown. Rel didn't want to be a slob, but otherwise, she wasn't that interested in fashion trends.

Keith shook his head as he went into the kitchen.

Before she could get up, Keith said, "Go ahead and shower. I'll have the omelets done by the time you finish."

Aurelia wanted to object. She didn't want him to cook for her. But she was tired, and her feet hurt. 

Yolie pushed her. "Go ahead. I plan to get myself cleaned up too."

Keith sighed. "Not even volunteering to help me, huh?"

"Last time I did, you kicked me out!"

Rel chuckled. "You did almost burn down the kitchen, Yolie."

"By boiling water at that," Keith added.

Yolie grumbled.

"One time!"

Aurelia laughed at them. "Fine. I'll go shower."

It felt good to let the warm water wash away all the makeup and hairspray. By the time she finished, her stomach was growling. The scent of food drew her to the kitchen.

Aurelia found Keith making a second omelet. He glanced over his shoulder as she walked in.

"Feeling better?"

"Much. Thank you."

He smiled. "Good."

"Do you want some help?"

Keith shook his head.

Not long after, he set a steaming omelet in front of her.

Rel smiled. "Thanks."

"Enjoy." Keith turned back toward the stove.

Rel blinked when she bit into the omelet.

"There isn't any hair or pests, are there?" he asked.

"No, it's fine." Rel blinked. "Did I ever tell you what Doe puts into her omelets?"

Keith rubbed the back of his neck. "You were in the shower, so I used the things I've seen you put in your omelets before."

Aurelia stared. "You never told me you'd been watching me cook."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'watching', just observing."

It was probably a good thing that Deni wasn't around to hear this conversation.

Aurelia chuckled. "Well, I like it, so don't worry about it."

"Good." Keith brought his own omelet and sat across from her.

Aurelia picked up her fork again. "So, how did you know what I was going tonight?"

Keith shrugged. "I didn't. Yolie and I were going to go out for some distraction, and we ended up seeing you go into that restaurant with that arrogant brat."

"Oh..." Aurelia looked down at her plate.

"If you'd rather not talk about it, that's fine."

She shook her head. "It's fine."

They ate in silence for several minutes.

Finally, Aurelia sighed. "I don't know if it was a good thing or not that I didn't know much about him going into that embarrassment."

"Would there have been any way to get your mom to accept it if you rejected that date?"

"Maybe not. It's not like she can force me to marry someone. She might try, though."

"Yeah. I get that." Keith took a deep breath. "I guess the question is whether it's worth it to fight against your mom, or if it's better to find a way to keep the peace."

Aurelia nodded. "I just don't know."

"If you do decide to stand up to her, you know I'll be there to support you."

"Thank you."

"We all will be," Yolie added.

Aurelia gasped. "Have you been in the kitchen this whole time?"

"Since Keith didn't want my help, I figured that I'd shower, too."

Keith sighed. "She just gets bored easily."

Yolie huffed. "I am not a child!"

Aurelia chuckled. At least that meant Yolie didn't try to eat a scorching hot omelet.

She shook her head. "Either way, thank you."

Yolie grinned. "You're welcome."

Aurelia hoped she hadn't made a mistake in going out with that man tonight. Maybe she should have tried harder to convince her mother to give her some more time.

Even if her future partner made enough money to support both of them, she didn't want to become a decoration or stay-at-home mother. She didn't think either of those situations would suit her.

But her mother cared more about status than love or affection.

Aurelia sighed. Hopefully, she could find a way to make things work out.

"Would you like me to make your parfait for you?" Keith asked.

"I can make it myself. Thanks."

Keith nodded. "Okay."

After they finished eating, Aurelia got up and gathered the ingredients. As she mixed them together, Keith watched her.

"Is there something on your mind?"

"Well, yes. I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to ask or not, though."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if you're okay."

Rel paused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, the guy you were out with tonight didn't seem to be treating you well."

"He was a selfish brat, but dwelling on it isn't productive."

Keith nodded. "I see. So you're not upset at all?"

Rel sighed. "I don't know if I'm upset or disappointed. There is nothing I can do about it now, so I need to accept it and move on."

Yolie was bouncing in her seat. "Can we please get those parfaits started?"

If she could afford it, would Yolie find a person or a robot to cook all of her meals for her?

Keith muttered, "Hold your horses."

"Don't act like you don't enjoy a good desert, too."

"Good things come to those who wait."

Wait. Did Deni and Yolie butt heads because they were so similar? They were like magnets, but this was the first time that thought crossed her mind.

Keith opened a bag of berries. "Do either of you want these?"

Aurelia needed to enjoy her dessert. Everything else could wait. Nothing would catch on fire if she did.

She forced herself to smile. "Those look good."