Ethic was distracted. He had forgotten about the box he held in his hands. It was eerie being back inside Alani’s house, and his mind kept drifting back to the sight of her daughter dying in his arms. “I’m sorry. Yeah, they’re for you. I don’t know the rules to this new-school dating thing, so I brought these just in case it’s still the thing to do.” He said. He handed her the box that had the words La Fleur written on it in fancy script. She opened it to find the most beautiful bouquet of roses she had ever seen.

“Wow,” she said. “They’re so pretty. I don’t think a gesture like this ever goes out of style. Thank you.” She now felt guilty for not putting more effort into her look. He said the word ‘date’, she thought, suddenly anxious, as she led him to the table.

“Food smells good,” Ethic said, as he took a seat. “You made all this?” He eyed the food on the stove. It had been years since he had a good, old-fashioned meal. Lily was under strict instructions to keep him and his children on a lean diet. He didn’t want the generational curses of high blood pressure and diabetes to affect his family; so instead, he was very strict on what he put in his body. He would cheat tonight, however. This type of food was made with love. Alani had put in a lot of effort, from the looks of things, and a woman took pride in feeding a man.

He sat at the table, as she went to the stove to fix his plate. His eyes bounced around the room, taking in her home. It was where she was most vulnerable, where she hid the ugly parts of her from the world. How she lived would tell him things that her words would never say. Like, the fact that the carpet was spotless, told him that she was particular about people taking off their shoes. She had been polite by allowing him to wear his inside. The flourishing plants in the window told him that she had good energy because plants didn’t grow around negative forces. Only light made them grow, and despite her circumstance, Alani illuminated without trying to. The way she kept her bathroom would tell him of her cleanliness, but he wouldn’t snoop that far. He had discovered Dolce was trifling by just pulling back her shower curtain. Ethic didn’t have those worries with Alani. He could tell from the way she kept her nails groomed, the back of her feet impeccably smooth, and the scent of almonds in her hair that she was meticulous. She sat a plate of food in front of him and then took her seat across from him. She placed a cloth napkin onto her lap.

“You’re nervous,” Ethic said, aloud.