Lovely Family Lunch

Ken is peacefully asleep when his mother barges into his room like a whirlwind.

"Sweetie, wake up! Mama is running late this morning, so you'll have to prepare breakfast for everyone, okay? Sammie has already eaten."

Ken opens his eyes slightly, still half-asleep and dazed by the commotion. When he looks at his mother, she's already dressed in elegant office attire.

"Have you eaten anything?" he asks.

"I'll grab a quick coffee on my way. You're such a good son, Kenny! Whoever marries you will be very lucky!" She grabs his face between her hands and plants a big kiss on his forehead before rushing out.

"Take care of these little rascals!" She calls from the hallway, and shortly after, he hears the front door closing. Hearing some alarming noises, he decides to get up immediately and tidy up the house because his siblings have probably all woken up by now.

Still in his pajamas, he goes around the house for a check-up. There's the eldest of the four, Alec, and the only little sister, Emma, playing tag:

"Be careful not to break anything! Was it you making all that noise earlier?"

"We don't know anything!" They run past him, and he 'tsk's.

The youngest, Simon, also known as Sammie, is in the playpen playing with his toys, and Seth is sitting at the kitchen table. It's quite unusual for him to be so quiet.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you playing with Alec and Emma?" He opens the fridge and takes out a carton of milk.

"I'm just really hungry."

"Alright. I'll make breakfast right now." He heats up the milk, and when he turns back to the table, he sees the other two sitting and waiting for breakfast.

"Thank you, big bro! We love you!!" They all say in unison.

"You rascals... You only love me when it's convenient for you."

"That's not true, Kenny! We love you always and forever!" They say, knowing well that using the nickname their mother calls him makes him soft.

He smiles and pours the milk into four cups and gets the cereals.

"He's so simple..." Emma whispers in Alec's ear, and both giggle.

He also gets orange juice to accompany the milk and cereals, serves everything on the table, and everyone starts eating right away.

Once they finish, the kids immediately get up to continue playing, and Seth waits for Ken to talk to him.

"Ken... I don't feel very well," he says.

"What do you feel?"

"I feel hot, and I'm very tired..." Ken bends down and presses his forehead against Seth's, feeling his temperature.

He feels like he's burning...

"I think you have a fever. Let me call mom real quick; you go lie down under the blankets and wait for me. We need to measure your fever, so don't fall asleep."

Seth nods, and both do as Ken says.

After talking to his mom, Ken takes the thermometer and a glass of water and goes to Seth's room. He measures his fever and sees that he indeed has a fever.

"Next time, tell me right away if you're not feeling well. Milk is not good for someone who's sick." He hands him the glass. "You need to drink a lot, so I'll bring you some water from time to time."

"It really sucks to be sick..." Seth says between sips.

"You can say that again, buddy. Now rest." He leaves the room, leaving the door open so that he can hear if his little brother needs anything.

He returns to the kitchen to check if there are ingredients for the chicken soup he'll prepare for Seth, but the most important ingredient – chicken – is missing. He goes to the room where Alec and Emma are playing.

"Alec, I'll quickly go to the supermarket. Seth has a fever, so you need to keep an eye on him while I'm gone. Don't go too far from his room, and bring him some water from time to time."

"Okay, bro!" Alec stands up at attention before running to his younger brother's room, followed by Emma.

Ken leaves the house. His ankle is still purple, but it's much better than a few days ago, and it doesn't hurt anymore. In any case, the supermarket isn't far from his home.

Indeed, after just about fifteen minutes, he arrives there. It's quite crowded, but he only needs to buy the chicken, so he won't take long. Once he picks up the chicken, he heads to the checkout, passing through the frozen food section where he's surprised to see Rebecca looking at the frozen goods. He goes over to her.

"Hey, Bibi!" He approaches her, and their faces light up as they notice each other.

"Hi, Ken."

"Are you doing the groceries?"

"Yes, I realized I had very few supplies in the fridge this morning." She looks at the single item he's holding. "And you?"

"My little brother has a fever, so I need to prepare something warm for him. Mom will be back just in time for lunch, so she won't have time to go grocery shopping." He explains.

"I see. I didn't get the chance to ask you how your hand and ankle are doing these past days..."

"Thanks to someone who made me get treated by the nurse, my hand is almost healed now." He blushes, thinking of the kiss she gave his knuckles. "The ankle was already getting better when I twisted it, and now it's almost fully healed. How about yours? It was in pretty bad shape..." He looks concerned just thinking about the state of her ankle.

"As you can see, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that much." She smiles at him, and when she does, his heart skips a beat.

"Do you need to get anything else or...?"

"No, that's pretty much it." She puts the frozen item in her shopping cart, which is almost full.

They decide to pay together, but before Ken can take the cash out of his wallet, Rebecca pays with her card, and they exit the market together.

"At least let me treat you to something," he says to her as they walk.

"It's just chicken; don't worry about it."

"How about having lunch at my place today?" Ken's feeling quite bold.

"Are you serious?" She turns to him.

"Of course. Mom and my siblings won't mind having you for lunch at all!"

"But didn't you say your little brother is sick?"

"It's not a problem. He'll have lunch in his room."

"O-okay then."

* * *

They arrive at his home just in time for lunch, and his mother, Lisa, greets them.

"Oh my! You didn't tell me we'd have a guest, Kenny."

"Mum, this is Rebecca – a classmate of mine."

"Pleased to meet you, darling. Just call me Lisa."

"O-of course, Mrs. Lisa." Lisa chuckles.

"She's really lovely~ Well done."

"W-what?! Mum, it's not what you think!"

"Yes, yes~ Now, let's eat." She leads them to the kitchen, where Alec, Emma, and Simon are already sitting at the table.

"I did what you ordered, Captain!" Alec stands up.

"At ease, soldier!" The others still standing sit down, and Alec follows suit.

"Lucky for me, I always cook a bit extra for my little piglets."

"Aw, mum, come on," Ken says.

"I hope you like carbonara. It's one of the first dishes my mom taught me to make, and I'm very proud of it. Come on, let's eat before it gets cold." They all start eating, and Lisa looks at Rebecca, expecting some comments about the food. She can't help but notice it, and Rebecca reassures her about the delicious taste of the food.

"It's delicious, Mrs. Lisa. Your other dishes I had the honor of trying were fantastic too. Thank you."

"Thank you, darling!" Lisa smiles widely, and Rebecca thinks about how her smile and Ken's are similar.

"I have a question since earlier..." This time, Emma speaks up.

"Tell us, sweetie." Lisa continues to smile happily.

"Are you two dating?"

Ken didn't expect his siblings to be so bold with a guest, so as soon as he hears these words, he almost chokes on his spaghetti.

"Oh... no, we're just friends," Rebecca says.

"Best friends, actually," Ken tries to stay calm in front of all of them.

"Is that so~?"

"Stop it, mum."

"Is it really like you say, Kenny~?"

"S-stop it..."

But in this happy, loving atmosphere, Rebecca feels like a fish out of water. Maybe she shouldn't have accepted Ken's invitation. She doesn't exactly understand what she's feeling; she just wants not to be here right now.

Perhaps it's envy. But at the same time, she wants more of it.