“I like him even more.” I sneak another spoonful of keema.
Priya comes back into the kitchen wearing a little black dress. I haven't seen her dressed like this in a long time. The fabric clings to her slender frame, showing off her feminine shape.
“You look nice.” I wipe my mouth, erasing any evidence of me eating her meal.
“Thanks.” She wraps an apron around her and takes over the dinner, putting the saag dish in the oven to keep warm. There's a knock at the door. She glances at the clock. “He's early. Liv, Beth, are you ready? Your dad's waiting to go.”
I chuckle. “No, I'm not.”
She tilts her head at me and glares.
I step towards the hallway. “I’ll get the door for you.”
“No, I’ll get it.” She follows my steps, but I beat her to it and open the door to a beefy bloke.
“Hello hon—” His smile turns to a frown when he realises I’m not Priya.
“You must be Steve. I'm Cal, Livvie and Bethy’s dad.”
He balances the bottle of red he’s holding and a bunch of tulips in one arm and shakes my hand. “Great to finally meet you. The girls don't stop talking about you.”
“And you, mate. Come on in.” I hold the door open and close it behind him.
He walks into the kitchen. His eyes widen when he sees Priya and kisses her on the cheek, handing her the flowers and placing the wine on the worktop. “Honey, this is amazing. You didn't have to go to all this trouble.”
“It’s no trouble, really.” She pulls a vase out of a cupboard. “These are beautiful, thank you.”
She always puts on a good spread. It's one of the things I liked about her. She was always an amazing cook, taught me a thing or two. I’d love to cook one of her recipes for Steph. She’d love my aloo gobi potato cauliflower dish.
“Are you staying for dinner, Callum?” Steve asks, pushing his glasses up above his nose.
Priya waves the oven gloves at me. “He was just collecting the girls.”
Bethy’s brown eyes gaze up at Priya. “Can Dad stay for dinner, Mum?”
“Yeah, Mum let Dad stay. There’s plenty of food,” Liv says.
I chuckle. “It’s fine girls. We can order pizza when we get home.”
Priya looks at Steve in defeat and deflates her shoulders.
Steve shrugs, giving her a kind smile that reaches his blue eyes. “I don't mind, honey.”
Priya shoves a plate of roti’s at me. “Fine. Take those to the dining room.”
The girls and Steve help carry everything through, and we all sit down to eat. Priya places the keema in the middle of the table along with the saag, dahl, and cool yoghurt. “Dig in, everyone.”
I can’t remember the last time I had a proper Indian meal, other than a takeaway. “This is nice, Priya.”
She glares at me. “Yes it is, and not awkward at all.”
I chuckle and feel bad that I ruined her date, but I could never resist her cooking.
“So what is it you do, Cal?” Steve asks as he places a napkin on his lap.
“I work in marketing.”
He nods, and there's an awkward silence.