Foster
The smells of tomato sauce and apple pie filled my nostrils as I walked into the apartment. I looked over to the kitchen and saw Alice standing there in a cute little apron with a chef's hat on her head. She was nibbling on a carrot and staring down at something on the counter in front of her. She looked up and gave me a wide smile. "Hey, Foster!"
"Hey," I said, closing the door slowly behind me. "What's going on here?"
"I’m just cooking dinner." She beamed at me. "I figured I might as well thank you for letting me stay here free."
"You didn't have to do that," I said, walking toward the kitchen, "though it smells really good."
"I hope it tastes good too." She held up a cookbook. "I got this today at the bookstore, and well, I'm making homemade lasagna. I'm cooking the sauce right now."
"Ooh, I love lasagna."
"I'm glad. I'm going to make some garlic bread and a salad, and I've got an apple pie baking in the oven."
"Oh my gosh. You're trying to make me fat."
"No." She giggled. "Plus, you work out all the time. You would never be fat."
"I don't know about that, but that's why I go to the gym. So what time will dinner be ready?"
"Probably about an hour and a half," she said, frowning. "Oh, and Molly might come over for dinner too."
"Molly? Oh, the girl we met the other day."
"Yeah. We had fun at the coffee shop today, and we saw some jobs that we're thinking about applying to. So we're going to put our heads together and help each other with our resumes and cover letters. That’s okay, right?” she said quickly.
“Of course. You can have as many friends over as you want. This is your home.”
“Thanks, Foster," she said. "Want a carrot?"
"Um, not really."
"I've got hummus you can dip them in."
"Ooh, I do like some hummus. Do you have any tzatziki as well?"
"I do." She nodded. "I remembered how much you loved it, and I got some just in case you still did."
"Well, well, well! You're a much better roommate than Oliver ever was." She started laughing then. "Don't tell him."
"I won't."
"So I do have some work to do" —I sighed—"or I would offer to help you."
"That's okay," she said. "You work, and I'll cook. It's almost like we're a domesticated..." She paused. "Oops."
"What were you going to say?" I prodded her even though I knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Oh nothing. It was just a joke."
"Uh-huh," I said as she made a plate of celery, carrots, cucumbers, hummus, and tzatziki.
"This looks amazing."
"Don't eat all of it if you're starting to feel full," she said. "I want you to save room for the meal I'm making."
"Oh, don't worry, Alice. I’ll have plenty of room for lasagna, garlic bread, salad, apple pie, and ice cream."