Chapter 3: First Dinner Together
Hal and Bubbles did most of the cooking, while Red, Bomb and Chuck set up the dinner table together. The table setting seemed like a date table to Chuck. He was imagining it was just him and Red at this table having a dinner date. How romantic it would be if that were to become a reality. The dinner table was rectangular, and could accommodate eight birds.
The aroma of the cooking was so fragrant, that it can be smelled in almost every corner of the house.
Bomb: Man, the aroma alone is making my stomach become ferocious!
Red: Yeah, I didn't know they could cook. Not until I first knew them.
It was not long until dinner time arrived and the cooking was all done. Red was sitting in between Chuck and Bomb. Hal and Bubbles served them vegan tofu salad with eggplant, Caesar's salad, and blueberry cheesecake for dessert. They sat opposite to the three birds.
Bubbles: All right, everyone. Let's dig in.
Everyone started indulging in their dishes served by the two talented cooks.
Bomb: Wow! This is so good! I could eat this all day!
Red: (in awe) Yeah. These are amazing! How did you guys learn how to cook like this?
Hal: Oh, we took cooking classes. And that's how we met.
Chuck: (puzzled) What do you mean that's how you guys met?
Bubbles: Oh, don't you know yet? We're a couple!
Bomb, sipping his beverage, nearly choked and coughed.
Red: You okay there, buddy?
Bomb: *cough* Yeah, I'm fine. *cough* Hal, Bubbles, I'm in no way choking at your *cough* relationship. It was unintentional.
Hal: It's fine, don't worry about it. It's also fine that you guys didn't know about it. We only tell about our relationship to certain people.
Red: So, how did the relationship start?
Bubbles: Well, Hal was in the class before me, and he's always the top in the class. I was never good in cooking, and was totally new to the cooking world. To make things worse, I was the smallest in the class, so reaching the stove is a challenge for me. Hal was the only one who came up to me and gave me a stool for me to reach for things, and also helped me a lot in the class in terms of the cooking. Thanks to him, my cooking has excelled up so many levels.
Hal: Of course, my cooking is way better than his. But, he's getting there.
Bubbles: Aww, thanks Hally!
Hal: I told you a thousand times, don't call me that.
Bubbles: Why not? It's a cute name for you.
Hal: Because it sounds, girly-ish.
Bubbles: It's the same when you used to call me "Bubbly".
Hal: That's different. That sounds cute and it suits you.
Bubbles: How is Bubbly cuter than Hally?
Hal: How is Hally cuter than Bubbly?
Red: (interrupting) Okay. Running off-topic here.
Hal & Bubbles: Sorry.
Chuck was all ears with the story of their relationship.
Chuck: Sorry for making it too personal, but who was the one who proposed?
Hearing this, Red elbowed Chuck softly, because things were already awkward at the table. This made Chuck let out a soft but audible ouch.
Red: (whispering to Chuck) You don't ask this question at the dinner table, Chuck.
Chuck: (whispering to Red) What's wrong with that? It's not like I am asking if they've done it.
Red: (whispering) What?!
Hal: I remember it like it was just yesterday.
Bubbles: Oh, God.
Hal: He left his phone on the kitchen counter in class just after class finished. Something told me to check the screen of the phone. So, I switched on the screen and saw a picture of me as his wallpaper.
Chuck: *squeals* Then?
Hal: It was that moment that Bubbles came in looking for his phone, and saw me checking his phone. You should have seen the expression on his face!
Bomb: So what happened?
Hal: Well, I asked him why he had my picture in this phone. He was already inflating before he can answer!
Bubbles: Okay, can we end the story here?
Hal: So, he admit that he had feelings for me, and it just so happened, the feelings were mutual. And here we are, happy together.
Bubbles: I love you, Hal.
Hal: I love you too, Bubbles.
Chuck was so happy for them. At the same time, it gave him this spark of hope for the future of him probably popping the question to his crush.