Zoie - Bonding/Log

From Masq

Evening, dinner, it's a date. Or, at least, a dinner session. Maybe it has something to do with studying, or maybe Katie just caved to the offers and didn't want to cook. Who knows! She's a mystery. Either way, Zoie's gotten her way into the King's Kitchen, and now the magic happens.

Magic always happens when Zoie is here. She is all but skipping through the place, but she's looking at it curiously. She's never seen where Zack and Katie lives. She imagined it as some nest or an egg or something. This is like an actual place. Her lips curve upwards as she carries bags into the kitchen. "You don't have any food allergies do you, hon?"

"None that I know of," Katie says, and follows the Zoie tornado into the kitchen. The house is pretty cozy, well kept, clean, no evidence of slobbish living to be seen! "You don't have to go to too much trouble. We could just order some pizza."

Zoie stares at Katie in something akin to terror. "I -love- to cook. In fact, it is one of my favorite things to do. I haven't had anyone really to cook for or anywhere to do it for awhile. I mean I made Kenny's class cupcakes." She chuckles and then starts rapidly slicing and dicing. "Anything you hate to eat?"

Katie leans up against the counter and shakes her head, "Naw, I'll eat just about anything. I learned not to be picky. Besides, on my own, I eat mainly fruit and popcorn with random pizza thrown in. Who is Kenny?" she wonders.

"He's the guy I live with." Zoie offers in an innocent manner as she starts sautéing in the pan. Aromatic herbs and vegetables waft through the air as she opens cupboards to find bowls. She starts to dredge the chicken.

"Yeah, she's a friend, has been for awhile. She kinda comes and goes though, a free spirit." Katie muses over the advice Joel offered, as she finishes the food on her plate. "Joel's a good judge of character. I usually listen to him on those kinda things."

Zoie nods her head to that. "Kenny and I get along fine. I mean he does his thing and I do mine. We just tend to disagree in the area of relationships. He thinks I'm a prude that needs to get laid. I just don't understand sleeping with different people and saying you don't have a girlfriend. I mean, it works for them. It just isn't for me." She turns vibrantly red and suddenly looks at her plate. "He um.. he says that I should have sex before um... well.. he says I might be bad and disappoint Zack."

Katie's mouth sets in a hard line, and she says flatly, "Joel's right. You should move out. Next thing you know, he'll be offering to teach you how to please Zack... and that won't please Zack at all." A beat or two of silence passes, before she goes on less harshly. "I don't know about saving yourself for marriage, I think that's a fine thing.. but, I mean, I ain't any sort of expert, but I'd think love would be important.. You'll remember your first time forever, it should be with someone you'll want to remember forever, better yet, be with forever."

Zoie shifts a bit in her seat. It's almost like she thinks the hard edge is directed at her. "He.. he means well." She doesn't meet Katie's eyes at the man offering to help her learn. She may have gotten a bit more pink though. "Um.. well it's like this.." She finally looks up. "I want my first to be special and how can it be more special than for my husband? I don't want to get to my wedding night and think that I wish I would have waited for him. You know? As well, once you have sex, you can't have the relationship you did before you had it."

"Sure he does," Katie says, sounding exactly like she means the opposite. "Why are you living with him instead of in the dorm anyhow?" The last of her Coke is consumed, and she leans back in her chair in contentment. "I think that's a wonderful notion. Some man will be lucky to have you." and maybe it might even be Zack!

Zoie shrugs. "I um.. they ask too many questions. They all want to know about my sister and.. um.. I had a dorm room with her and it um.. doesn't feel right to be in a dorm without her." There is a pause as if she's embarrassed to admit that. "Maybe I should. I don't know. I just like some sort of independence. Zack thought I should get my own apartment, but I don't want to completely live on my own either. Single girl paranoia from living in New York. I mean, Daddy would probably buy me a house, but..."

"Yeah," Katie doesn't seem like she'll push the point. "I mean, if it doesn't bother you and he's not.. pushy.. you can live where you like." Another pause, and she adds, "I'm sorry about your sister," even though she's already said it.

Zoie nods her head. "He's fine really. He knows I'm not going to sleep with him. He tried to tell me that Zack is probably you know.. getting is elsewhere." She shrugs to that. "Men just don't ever understand my decision." Then she reaches out to touch Katie's hand again. "It is okay. I mean.. it still hurts sometimes." She gives a twist of her lips. "It is hard to celebrate your birthday that you use to share with someone else, but I still have like four months to prepare for that."

"We can do something then, if ya'll want.. you won't have to be alone." Katie offers, without hesitation. "We usually do stupid stuff, like make cupcakes and go bowling.. but, it's fun." A shake of her head, and she says, "Zack's not 'getting it' elsewhere.. He could get it if he wanted it, but he's looking for more."

Zoie smiles. "It's okay, Katie-Kat. I mean.. Zack and I haven't had a talk on what we are to each other. If he is then that's on him. It doesn't change who we are. Now if we had a talk and we were all exclusive, that would be different." She laughs. "He might be camping so much because he's camping with someone. I'm not worried about it. If he finds someone and it's not me, as long as he is happy, then that's good enough."

"Well," Katie shrugs, but seems not to push the point. "He's on his own, as far as he's said." Rising from her chair, she collects the plates and starts to clear thet able. "Thank you for cooking, that was really delicious and nice."

Zoie slides to her feet. "I'm okay with it, Katie." She winks and then looks around. "You want me to bail out of here so you can sleep? I mean I'll totally do the dishes first though."

"I can take care of the dishes, you did all the cooking, that's how it works. I am pretty tired though, so I reckon they can wait until morning. We should do this again though. It's been nice talking." Katie piles everything in the sink, after rinsing it. "Thanks for asking me."