Don't ask me what you know is true

 

"What is this?" Carmen was completely shocked when she found Tristan in the kitchen with his hands full. He put the turkey in the fridge to thaw. Honestly, she thought it was strange that he still had a key to the apartment. Was he running from something that crossed Carmen's mind and she stared at him, even lipped.

"I'm going to make you Thanksgiving dinner," Tristan smiled as if he might be up to something else, but Carmen didn't know what.

"Weren't you going to your parents?" She winced. Carmen had a certain order in the kitchen now. It was just the three of them after Tristan and Dale moved out.

He stirred around through the cabinets as if he still lived there. Carmen watched as if this could not be a good thing.

"Oh, they have a zoo thing, you know. Some kind of potluck," he sighed.

"Can't you go there?"

"I don't love the zoo that much," he quickly told her. His serious face told her not to question him much. She crossed her arms.

"What can I do?"

"Not anything," he shrugged.

"Oh, just clean up your mess, that's the reason you won't make it at home," Carmen protested.

He scrunched a frown as if she wasn't supposed to say that.

"It feels like home here, OK."

He shot her a look that she didn't know how it really was for him. He raked his fingers through his hair in thought and rested his hand on his neck. He looked at her as if he needed to talk, but he nursed his bottom lip.

Carmen went to make coffee. She put on the electric kettle and went on to make them a pour-over. It was quiet and Tristan looked a little out of it, but they both sat at the kitchen table. She watched Tristan look around the clean kitchen as if this was where all his favorite memories were.

"Look, it'll be just me and Dale, you know. What's the point of making a big meal like that." He stared at his creamed coffee. 

"OK, I get it."

Carmen nodded. She told him they were having Cassie and her mother over for Thanksgiving.

"Cassie?" He looked at her as if she might be a new roommate.

"Randy has a girlfriend."

"Randy?" He looked at her as if he didn't even know who that was.

"You know?" She looked at him as if he was too forgetful about Justin being his guardian.

"Oh," his smile was open and laughter filled his throat. "Well, good for him."

"She's good for him," Carmen nodded. She held on to her mug of coffee as if she was still troubled about Justin and Cassie's mother.

"Is everything good for you?" Tristan looked at her as if he knew it wasn't.

"What do you mean?" Carmen was straight-lipped.

"I don't know, you tell me."

Tristan took a sip of coffee.

"Justin and I are..." she started and then said, "Just roommates."

"Just roommates?" He gave a look that time was of the essence. "You better fix that before it's too late."