Nina entered wearing the blue jacket over a soft white shirt, then closed the apartment door behind herself. Her gaze remained on my apron long enough for flour to become a deliberate humiliation; I stepped aside before the vegetables remembered their deadline.
"Dinner remains under development," I said, returning toward the cutting board while she placed her bag beside the sofa.
"I arrived early," Nina replied, following only as far as the kitchen counter, "do you want help or an audience?"
The question offered two different kinds of company without assuming either; I checked the unfinished vegetables, the chicken resting safely inside the refrigerator, plus the timer above the stove. One small task would keep us together without transferring responsibility while I considered the meaning beneath it.
"Please cut the remaining carrots to match these," I said, showing the practiced size before moving the clean board toward her, "only if you want."
