[ ∲ — Picking up the silver utensil off of the plate, she stabbed it into one of the links of sausages before popping it into her mouth. Refraining from making a small sound of content, she chewed happily before looking to him. “Not bad, you got better,” she noted quietly as she happily ate away. It was nice to start off her morning on a good note—compared to other days.
Turning her head to the side, hazel hues fell upon him. Sucking in a small breath through her nose, she pursed her lips together. Thanksgiving. She was going to be celebrating Thanksgiving with her actual family. It was almost like a dream come true. So, why was there butterflies in her stomach?
Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she cut another piece and leaned over, offering it to him with a small quirk of her lips. It was hard not to feel completely connected to Neal that way she once used to—but it was hard to deny the pull to him. However, before she could fully feed him the offering, she pulled back for a moment.
”You’re coming to the dinner tonight, right?”
“Yeah, took notes.”
The tone of his voice was jesting; of course he hadn’t been taking notes about the feedback Emma had given him pertaining to his cooking skills -or previous slight lack thereof- but he could well remember them. He’d never really had the chance to actually cook for himself, save for perhaps helping his father make bread or simple dishes; he was used to living off of whatever he could get, hardly ever taking the time to actually cook until he had been ready to settle down with Emma. Needless to say, that was a time long gone now.
When Emma offered him a piece of the sausage she’d so eagerly been devouring, Neal raised a single eyebrow; the gesture was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. However, the smile that the gesture had ignited faded as soon as she posed her question, making place for something akin to doubt.
“I don’t—I’m not sure. I mean, it’s your family.”
I don’t fit in. It’s not my place to come to dinner.
Those thoughts ran to his mind, but he didn’t voice them. No matter the silence, however, the emotion was clearly visible in his eyes. Emma had found her family after so long, but Neal really wasn’t a part of that family. He was an outsider, and he hadn’t expected any differently.
He’d never been one for family celebrations, anyway.
