Huh... just something that came up to me while looking for my recipe book.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lie To Me or any of its characters.
LIETOME LIETOME LIETOME
Having no one to cook for can kill one's passion for cooking.
You walk into your kitchen and you notice that there is a table at the center and four chairs surrounding it. Nothing seems to be wrong with this picture, does it?
At first you agree but as you take the time to study the room a sudden thought crosses your mind… there is no one to sit on those chairs.
Gillian Foster took her shoes off and left them by the doorway before walking further into the room. That had once been her favorite place of the house… Yes, she had also enjoyed her bedroom, but after a few years of marriage things had taken a wrong turn and over her bed had then been laid out a dust cover that still remained there… untouched. Anyway, in those moments when not even the sheets seemed like the perfect place to hide, Gillian always seemed to find some peace in her kitchen, dedicating her free time to the art of cooking.
She loved everything about it. She loved the smell, she loved the feeling of the fresh ingredients in her hands, she loved the precision some dishes required, she loved the expressions that took over her guests' and/or husband's face every time she decided to take a step further and try something new…
But now she was alone and that meant that she only had to cook for one.
She had long ago given up on buying new books and her kitchen looked like a ghost - a clean one, at least - because she had decided to start bringing food home as cooking, her old passion and escape, had turned into a lake of memories that seemed to want her to drown.
She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, resting her elbows on the table and her face on her hands as she looked around.
It had been one hell of a day.
She had spent the whole day at the office dealing with paperwork while Cal, Loker and Ria walked in and out of the building, their minds too focused on their new case to even notice her, to even ask if she wanted to join them for lunch or to ask if she also wanted her usual from Francesca's Café.
Of course she wasn't angry… she completely understood their actions but it was just that… well… it felt like she was being left behind and that made her think about how lonely she was and felt and that was just the beginning of a possible train of thought that would only drive her closer to depression… and she wasn't okay with that.
She hadn't commented on anything, though. Instead, she had left the office earlier and had brought some reports home so that she could take a look at them while lying on her couch with her PJs on and a glass of wine close by.
She had walked into the house and had put her keys on the coffee table by the phone and her bag on the floor, by its side. But instead of going directly to the bedroom so that she could change, she found herself walking towards the kitchen.
And here she was now…
She felt a sudden need for closure but it was not like she could grab the phone and call someone… Well, she actually could but she didn't want to… she didn't feel like it. She was sure that her mother would give her one of those speeches that would just make her feel worse and her friends would give her the dating speech, saying that she needed to get out more often and blah blah blah…
Who else could she possibly call?
Well, there was always Cal Lightman.
She rolled her eyes at herself and stood up from her chair, starting to open a few drawers as if she was looking for something in concrete. She was actually just trying to find something to keep her mind away from her partner.
Things at the office hadn't been that great lately… it actually felt a bit like her house did a few days before she decided to ask for the divorce… it seemed that all the pieces were spread on the floor but that no one seemed to be interested in putting the puzzle together.
She had thought about leaving the Lightman Group, but what would she do?
She had received a few e-mails and letters but she wasn't sure yet… she wasn't sure she was ready to abandon a project to which she had dedicated so much of her time and love.
As she rumbled through her drawers she ended up finding something quite interesting. It was one of her favorite cooking books and it had some of her favorite Italian recipes. She felt her mouth water at the thought of the wonders she had once been able to do.
She bit down on her lower lip as her hand rested over the book's cover. Maybe that was exactly what she needed… maybe cooking would take her mind away from the real life, just as it did in the past…
Maybe… maybe…
There was only one thing to do… try.
She removed the book from inside the drawer and put it over the table before starting to look for her apron. As soon as she felt ready, she turned the radio on, chose her favorite station and poured herself a glass of red wine before going to her fridge, opening it and studying its contents.
It took her only a few minutes to decide that a good bolognese followed by a slice of the chocolate cake she had baked the day before would make quite the perfect meal.
It's quite a treat, she thought to herself as she took a long sip of her wine before putting her glass by the book and opening it.
She remembered that she had once found a quite fantastic and eccentric recipe for a bolognese sauce somewhere in that book. She was scrambling through the pages when something caught her attention… apparently she had used a photo of Alec and her to mark the page… It did make sense as it was one of his favorite dishes.
She stopped in her tracks for a moment and wondered if it wouldn't be better to just call and order something… but before she had time to let her shoulders go down in defeat, she put the photo away and focused her attention on what was written on the book.
Before it had become one of Alec's favorite dishes, it had been hers and she wasn't going to give up on herself again just because of him… or any man, for that matter.
On that moment the song "Sway" sang by Michael Bublè filled the room and she felt her humor rising.
What the hell, she sighed before closing her eyes and letting the cells of her body adapt to the rhythm before starting to move around the kitchen, getting the things done so that she could have her special meal.
As she walked, her feet moved to the beat… her movements were soft and graceful… she was swaying on her kitchen, on her own…alone… The natural laughter that abandoned her mouth surprised her… she felt free…
"And you aren't even wearing pink…"
She was suddenly very aware of reality, noticing that the song playing in her head had been long gone and been replaced by some crazy tune from one of the many young singers that went all by different names but that looked exactly the same. She made sure the sauce was safe and that the water with the pasta was still boiling before turning around, finding herself starting at the one and only, Cal Lightman.
"I wonder why Bell had the trouble to invent the phones when people don't care to use them…"
LIETOME LIETOME LIETOME
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