chapter 1: christmas and new year's eve

"Oh Scott you shouldn't have!" I squealed as I opened my brand new laptop, "You are so gosh darn sneaky!"
Scott beamed with pride, "I know! I thought for sure you'd figure out I was interrogating you for gift ideas so I had your dad do it for me."
He was clever that boy, my dad often sought my advice whenever he needed to upgrade his tech so I never realized I was inadvertently writing a wishlist. Seeing Scott so pleased with himself was a gift in itself. And he seemed to get me good every year. It seemed Eating Season was reaching its apex. Scott had finished off leftovers by the end of Thanksgiving weekend and requested I cook his favorite dishes often in the following few weeks. I studied his slightly rounder form as he opened his gift from me. As he leaned forward his belly pooched out slightly from his white t-shirt.
"Babe! A PS6 Pro? This is going to look so good on the TV," Scott cheered.
I cleaned up the wrapping paper as Scott set up the new gaming system. Crouched over the entertainment center I noticed hints of love handles bulging over his boxer briefs before he stood back up and they disappeared. "Is that new?" I asked myself.
We spent the next couple hours tag teaming DarkBorne 3 and taking down various atrocities before heading out to my parents' Christmas party. Of course the second we get there Scott makes a beeline for the hors d'oeuvres. There's the usual fair of Christmas cookies, pastries, cocktail weenies, and...mini quiches? I make small talk with cousins and family friends, making sure to praise my dad for buddying up with Scott for my Christmas gift. From the corner of my eye I can't help but notice Scott frequenting the snack table the most out of anyone there. I head over to Scott to remind him to mind his manners.
"You know I'm sure my mom would be happy to give you a dinner plate if that cake plate doesn't hold enough appetizers for you." I rib my boyfriend.
"Am I making a pig of myself?" he blushes.
"Maybe just a bit more than usual this year"
"It's these mini quiches. I swear I've eaten like 11. They're perfect."
"Yeah my mom really knows her way around a kitchen-"
"No, Avery made them." Scott interjected
"Avery?"
"Yeah, your cousins friend. Seriously you gotta try these. I wonder if Avery does any kind of catering....I could sure..."
I stopped listening by that point. I know I shouldn't have gotten jealous, but cooking is my turf. I refused to be outdone by some cooking show enthusiast. I may have spent the remainder of the party looking up mini quiche recipes on my phone until we headed home.
On New Years Eve I volunteered to provide the appetizers for my mom's party. I brought cheesecake bites, hot wings, and....mini quiches. Okay I'm petty, sue me. I did my best to ignore the snack table the majority of the night. I didn't even pay attention to how many quiches Scott wolfed down his gullet. I guess if I had to venture a guess it would be 15. Definitely 15.