"Wouldn't you like to know," Samantha responded in a deceptively lighter tone, almost teasing and not at all cagey. It might sound withholding, as Samantha often was, but she was already thinking about telling him what she had been doing lately. She just hadn't completely decided yet.
But while she decided, she still moved over to the stove and set the pot of water to medium-high like he'd asked. Then after a pause, Samantha groped around for the salt and narrowed her eyes at the container briefly before shaking it a couple times over the pot with a woeful lack of experience. Samantha? Not a cook. Even boiling water for her was usually more work then it was worth, which is why she usually didn't bother. If she wanted noodles, she went to her favorite place a few blocks from her barely used apartment. Tea? Plenty of places to get that too.
Which is why she maybe caught onto his game sooner then he thought, but that didn't stop her from humoring him a little. It was kind of nice to see him so at home here. Maybe even happy? She wanted Sam to be happy. Samantha Ross didn't have many weak spots, if she had any at all, but if she did then it was most definitely her best friend. Even Natasha could relate a little, considering how deeply her loyalties ran with Clint.
Which, coincidentally, was the entire reason behind her more frequent nightly outings that until now she had neglected to share with Sam.
Her life in the last handful of years had been strange. Not that Samantha had ever really led the most conventional sort of life, the work of a private investigator was always a little dirty and not often reliable. But becoming a reincarnate, and the reincarnate of Natasha Romanoff specifically, was a whole different kind of messy. Like everything else it had its ups and downs, but Samantha and Natasha had blended into each other's lives a little too easily. When you were both natural loners, it wasn't hard to revert to your worst habits. If it weren't for Sam, she might never have found her way back. If it weren't for Sam, she probably wouldn't have stayed with the Avengers, but she was glad that she did.
Taking a sip of wine, Samantha turned her attention back to Sam and his ravioli, dismissing unwanted thoughts that all of a sudden cropped up without her permission. Thoughts about an ex-boyfriend who had suddenly decided to re-invade her life with the double inconvenience of being an ex-boyfriend of Natasha's too. She'd made sure he wasn't hanging around the compound tonight, as she always tried to be conveniently elsewhere when he was here these days. No, she didn't want to talk about it.
Leaning her elbows against the counter, Samantha raised a playful eyebrow. "You know, instead of cooking for me, you could be cooking for a real girl. You know, like a date. You do remember what a date is, right?"