Meaningless Words

Part Five.


"What's your pasta like?" Chakotay asked.
"Lovely, try some?" Chakotay is taken aback, but nods and digs his fork into the food on her plate, he drops some of the pasta before it gets to his plate and Kathryn laughs at him, and he looks suitably embarrassed and picks it up with his fingers.
"Mmmmm, it's good!" He joins in her laughter.

In the mess hall, on a table in the corner, B'Elanna and Tom watch the commanding officers. Tom is assuming things he ought not to be assuming.
"They are getting on very well, sharing food no less!"
"Oh, come on, Tom. He just wanted to try her pasta!" However, B'Elanna knew perfectly well that he hated Neelix's hair pasta.
"Come off it B! You know as well as I do, he hates that pasta!" Suddenly there is a movement beside their table and Neelix pops out of nowhere.
"Who hates my hair pasta?" Tom, not wanting to cause a ship-wide disaster tries to placate Neelix,
"No one hates your pasta Neelix!"
"But, you just said..."
"He was lying Neelix, everyone loves your pasta!" Says B'Elanna, cottoning on to Tom's efforts.