Who: Sam and Lizzie What: Dinner and an attempt at girl talk Where: Their apartment When: 23rd May Rating: Low Status: Complete
Elizabeth stood at the stove, stirring the diner she was cooking with one hand and sipping a glass of the red wine she had been putting in the dinner she was making for her and Sam. It was a rare evening where they were both home early enough to enjoy a meal and catch up with each other without being so exhausted they could barely speak their own name.
Sam walked into the kitchen towelling her hair dry, she was dressed in joggers and a tshirt and was much more relaxed after her shower. “Anything I can do to help?” she offered, knowing Lizzie was the better cook but feeling she should offer anyway.
Elizabeth turned and smiled at her room-mate. “Umm...” she pointed with a finger that was holding the wine glass to the cutlery drawer. “You could get the forks out? All I’ve got left is to drain the rice and serve up,” she smiled, sipping her wine as she turned back to the stove to stir the rice. She took some out of the pot, blew on it to cool it then tested it. She nodded and turned the heat off on the stove. She took the plates out of the oven where she had been keeping them warm and started to serve up.
“Now that is a job I can do” she replied smiling as she moved to do as instructed. Once the table was set she moved to get herself a glass and, noticing that the wine bottle was empty, removed a new one from the refrigerator.
Elizabeth noticed Sam’s look at the empty wine bottle and tried to cover it up, perhaps a little too guiltily, “It was in the recipe, I swear.”
“Uh huh” Sam replied with a knowing look, “You just had to try it to make sure it was the right kind yeah?” she teased.
“Well...” Elizabeth shrugged as she picked up the plates and moved to put the on the table. “I had to test it...see if it was ok,” she grinned, retrieving her wine from beside the stove then sitting down at the table. “Voila, beef in a red wine sauce on rice,” she waved a hand at the plates.
“Smells and looks great Lizzie” Sam complemented, “Thanks so much for cooking” It was much better than Sam’s attempts. She was good with spaghetti and she could so a mean poached egg but other than that she was hopeless.
“Not a problem,” Elizabeth smiled, picking up her fork. “I figured it was well past time that we had a home-cooked meal,” she shifted in her seat and gave a little shrug. “Can’t live on take out all our life after all,” she joked.
“No I guess not” she said, “Though you might prefer that to my cooking all the time” she joked, “How are things with you?” she said before taking her first mouthful.
Elizabeth sighed, leaning forward on the table and reaching for her glass. “Oh I’m ok I guess,” she sighed, taking a sip of her wine.
“Yeah? That sigh says something different” she pointed out, “Come on tell Auntie Sam what’s wrong”
Elizabeth sighed again, pushing her hair back from her face with a hand, “Aunty Sam is it now?”
“Their supposed to be the ones you go to for advice or a friendly ear aren’t they?” she shrugged, “Come on spit it out, stop trying to change the subject”
Elizabeth pouted, scowling playfully at Sam across the table. “You always did know my tricks,” she joked, then took a deep breath. “I guess I’m just frustrated,” she admitted to her.
“I’m not your best friend for nothing” she teased before tilting her head, “Frustrated? Work? Or is it personal?” she asked, “Like a certain Doctor maybe.”
“Yes a certain Doctor,” Elizabeth complained, poking at her meal with her fork. “I really like him, and I mean really like him Sam but...” she almost didn’t want to bring up the subject with Sam, but then she reminded herself that it was the reason why she had seemingly put more wine in her glass than in the meal.
“Is he not interested?” Sam asked with a frown, “Because he does keep taking you out, if he’s leading you on there will be words” McCoy had seemed very interested in her friend but she did know that some men were players. Just because he’s a doctor didn’t exclude him from that she guessed.
“I don’t know,” Elizabeth admitted, frustrated. “It’s confusing he’s...he seems interested, but...distracted, if you know what I mean,” she tried to describe it. “I think he’s worried about his daughter,” she told Sam, poking her dinner once more.
“Oh I remember you mentioning that” Sam recalled, “I guess that would be a pretty big distraction. Maybe give him a little time, let him adjust to his daughter being around?”
“Yeah...I guess,” Elizabeth sighed. “It’s just been so long since I’ve actually wanted to get to know someone properly, y’know?”
Sam nodded, “I know” she replied, “If it’s any consolation you’re doing much better than I am”
“Ah yes,” Elizabeth grinned and perked up a bit, glad for the change in subject. “How are things with the wonderful Mr Gold?” she asked in a teasing tone, taking a sip of wine.
Shooting Elizabeth an unamused look she sighed, “Oh I don’t know” she sighed slightly, “It’s like I’ve completely forgotten how to date. If that’s even what we’re doing. He’s not said anything and we haven’t...kissed yet or anything”
“Well...I would suggest you just throw yourself at him...” Elizabeth remarked. “But seeing as a similar tack didn’t work for me not so long ago, I’m not sure I’m the best person to be giving advice,” Elizabeth smiled, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she remembered propositioning Leonard. “Have you two talked about it?” she offered, it was after all her specialty.
“You know me Lizzie, I’m not the sort to do any throwing especially not of myself” Sam would be mortified if Robert reacted negatively. She shook her head, “I don’t know how to bring it up” she admitted.
“Well, don’t lead with ’Do you want to sleep with me?’” Elizabeth joked. “If he’s anything like you, which seems likely, he’ll turn beet red and melt into the floor,” she teased her best friend with a grin. “Just ask where he wants this...thing,” she waved at Sam vaguely with her fork. “You two have got going on to go and what he’s expecting of these ‘dates’ you seem to keep going on. It’s not unreasonable to ask for clarification,” Elizabeth reasoned.
Sam slapped her friends arm, “I’m not that bad” she argued, though in truth those words would probably never come out of her mouth. “Okay, next time we go out, I’ll ask him...maybe...probably” she dropped her head to her hands, elbows on the table, “Why am I so ridiculous with men?”
Elizabeth chuckled, she did enjoy teasing her friend and it could be so very easy, especially when it came to men. Then again given her current predicament Elizabeth couldn't really say much. She took a sigh and carried on talking to distract herself, "We both know you'll never ask him anything...how about breaking it down to what you're good at?"
Sam pouted a little, "You don't know that...okay fine you do" she amended at a look from Lizzie, "But what I know is science. How can I break it down to that? 'Hey Robert wanna make like a galaxy cluster and merge?'"
"Well...there's that," Elizabeth grinned. "But I'm sure you can think of something a bit more...classy," she winked at her friend across the table.
Sam rolled her eyes, “Urgh, why is dating so hard? Well not even dating, why is working out if you’re dating or not so hard?” she moaned.
Elizabeth laughed, it was a true fact of life, even for someone who enjoyed talking as much as she did, communication could sometimes be exceedingly difficult. She sighed again, secretly hoping that Leonard might ask her out for her birthday and they could talk about things. “I don’t know, Sam,” she admitted. “I guess we should just take that leap and be honest,” she swilled her wine in her glass. “Maybe after something a bit stronger than this,” she nodded to the wine before taking a mouthful.
Maybe that was what she needed, at some point she would go out with Robert and maybe after a stiff drink work up the courage to talk to him properly. It wasn't much of a plan but the best she could do on short notice. She nodded, " Maybe so"
Elizabeth smiled, reaching over to take Sam’s hand in hers, “We’ll figure it out.”
Sam smiled and nodded squeezing Elizabeth’s hand in hers, “Thanks Lizzie, between us we should be able to sort these men of ours out” she laughed.
“I wouldn’t call him mine,” Elizabeth told her quietly, casting her eyes down to her plate as she sat back. “But I can’t deny I want him,” she winked at Sam.
“Then we’ll work on him until he is yours” Sam said returning the wink.
“Snap,” she raised her glass to Sam and toasted with her.