#Chapter 447: Stifled

Nina The kitchen was filled with the aroma of spices and the sound of sizzling as my mother and I cooked dinner together. Tyler and Enzo had retired to the other room to play a video game on the TV, and every so often the sounds of their excited voices floated through. Normally, Enzo would have cooked with me, but it was nice to have some alone time with my mom after everything that had happened. And I think she needed it, too. At one point, as we chopped vegetables and stirred pots of aromatic tomato sauce, Tyler and Enzo let out a loud cheer in the other room. “I told you!” Tyler exclaimed, drowning out Enzo’s laughter. “You owe me a dollar!” “Alright, alright,” Enzo replied. “I take back what I said. You’re actually pretty good at this game.” My mother and I exchanged glances, rolling our eyes playfully. “You know, Nina,” she said as she chopped a carrot in half, “when I was back in college, my friends and I used to spend almost every evening together after classes