Chapter 3: Dinner - Tiffany and Stuart
On a rare day-off, Tiffany knew exactly how she wanted to spend it. The early morning was used to tidy up her place. She usually tried to keep it as clean as possible but putting all the hours at work, it was bound to be neglected. But she knew she could still put it in order.
After making her bed and wiping off her nightstand, she went to the living room. She grabbed the things off her center table and wiped it clean. She ran her robovacuum to help keep her floors clean.
She made herself some lunch and then decided to take a much-needed nap. It was late afternoon when she woke up and she was looking forward to a quiet and cozy evening with just a hot choco and a movie.
But then, she heard her cellphone rang. Seeing that it was her partner calling, she knew that their precious day-off might be coming to an end. A case might have come up. She wasn't expecting the panicked voice on the other end.
"Tiff, sorry... Didn't know who else to call... Can you come over, please... Fire... Doug..."
Tiff couldn't have driven faster than she did, cutting her usual travel time in half to reach his house. She almost broke down the door but Stuart opened it in time.
They were standing in the slightly damp and entirely messy kitchen. Even Doug giggling contentedly in his carrier could not distract Tiff from glaring at Stuart.
"At least the sprinklers turned on in time," Stuart tried.
Still with her arms crossed and a withering glare usually reserved for suspects, Tiff said, "You better start at the beginning."
He shrugged. "I was thinking..."
"Nothing good comes out of that," she interrupted.
It was Stuart's turn to glare. "Do you want to hear the whole story or not?"
"I'm not the one who called for help," Tiff quipped. "So you're going to have to endure all the snark I'd give you."
Her partner snorted. He should have expected that. "Well, I thought that it's been a while since I had the whole kitchen to myself. So, I decided to make myself a homecooked dinner." Tiff groaned into her hand covering her face. She knew where this is going.
Ignoring the reaction from his partner, Stuart continued. "The next thing I knew, the pan was burning and I panicked so I called you. I grabbed Doug in his carrier and was about to go out but then the sprinklers turned on."
Tiff sighed. "Didn't I tell you that you and cooking don't mix?" Seeing the dejected on her partner, she relented a little. "Or at least, don't do it unsupervised."
"You'd teach me?" Stuart asked, with a glint in his eyes.
That made his partner guffawed. "Absolutely not. I'd just be here to make fun of you and tell you all the things you're doing wrong." She picked up the burned pan. "And of course, make sure you don't burn anything more down."
Stuart smirked. "So what do we do now, partner?"
"What we always do, clean up your mess." They shared a light laugh with little Doug giggling in his carrier.
Notes:
Inspired by Quote/Prompt
Tiffany Wallace: What is the one thing I told you not to do?
Stuart Scola: Burn the house down.
Tiffany Wallace: And what did you do?
Stuart Scola: I made dinner.
Tiffany Wallace:
Stuart Scola:
Tiffany Wallace:
Stuart Scola: And burnt the house down.
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