Goodnight...

Eli nods at his sister's compliment as he chews his own bite of steak. "Thanks. I aim to please." He really was glad she enjoyed it. He hardly cooked anything else, so at least when he did, she liked it, and that made him happy.

As Tal is mentioned, he looks up, pausing his chewing for a moment. An odd sort of look crosses his face... perhaps one that mirrored an ever-so-slight confusion. A confusion born of the rarity of someone thanking him for being anywhere, let alone meaning it.

A little grin curls his lips though... a grateful kind of grin. "Getting thanked for coming and stuffing my face with your guys' good food... can't get much better than that." He looks down to finish chewing his mouthful, but realizes that he'd totally shrugged off her thanks. So he lifts his eyes once more. "You're welcome. And thank you."

Eli pauses his own eating his eyes suddenly going back and forth between Tal and Ryan for a moment or two. He clears his throat and grabs the television remote. "Who's tired of this stupid football game?"

Tal laughs. "I am. Your team stinks."

"I refuse to call them my team anymore." Eli nods with emphasis and flips the channel .

"Some loyal fan you are - abandoning them when they have a tough year."

"It's not my fault!" Eli swings his fork around in the air, forgetting that there was a piece of steak on the end of it. The meat goes flying across the living room, landing somewhere behind Ryan's chair. Eli's eyes widen, and there's a moment of quiet shock before the laughter starts.

Tal shakes his head between his laughing and looks over at Ryan. "Have you noticed the longer Scarlet is gone, the more hyper he gets? I think we need to keep her in town so she can keep this guy's feet on the ground."

Eli stops and thinks a moment, then shrugs as he gets up to go find the piece of meat. Come to think of it, he really didn't know what to do with himself during his free time when Scarlet was out of town. Maybe that's why couldn't sit still lately.

A movie is found on tv and the rest of the meal is enjoyed with a relaxed atmosphere of light chatting and more laughter. Tal and Eli were pretty well matched for wit, which only encouraged them to banter back and forth, trying to outdo each other, whether it was something funny or just smart remarks.

Eventually though, the room settles down into the evening and less light comes through the windows, signaling that the day was coming to a close. Tal sighs as he sits back in the couch and he glances at his watch. "I should probably get going."

"You sure you don't wanna stick around for that B movie that's coming on next?" Eli gestures to the television where a cheesy movie had been advertised.

Tal grins and shakes his head. "Naw. I gotta get home - Holly's gonna wonder where on earth I've been."

"Ah, yes. Your pregnant roommate."

As Tal stands from the couch, he kicks Eli in the shin. "You go around saying that, you're gonna get me into trouble!" He looks quickly to Ryan. "My dog," he explains. "Holly is a dog and she's having puppies." Another sour glance is thrown at Eli.

Eli just grins at him. "And what a poor dog she is. Making her go through all that just for a few extra bucks."

"Hey." Tal points a finger at him. "Those pups are gonna help me pay my bills."

"Didn't you tell me you had trouble selling off the last litter?"

"Yeah, but I found a guy up north who wants at least five if he can get them. He's got a training program for the police and military and after seeing Holly's papers, he got pretty interested in her pups."

Eli's eyebrows rise. He'd had no idea Tal was that serious about the whole thing. "Wow. Cool." He stands up too, picking up some of the leftover dishes to take them to the kitchen. "Well, glad you could stay and hang out for a while. We'll have to do this again sometime."

"Sounds good." Tal kneels to tie the laces on his sneakers and sighs, looking around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Spying his shirt, he grabs it and rolls his eyes. "I'll bring your shirt back to ya," he yells into the kitchen.

Eli's response is muffled from the other room. "Yeah, whatever."

Tal grins a little and shakes his head. His eyes find Ryan and a quiet moment follows. "I guess I'll... see you around..." He wanders towards the door...slowly. He pauses with his hand on the doorknob and looks at Ryan again. His eyes held calmness... a gentle peace that existed even though there were unanswered questions that lay beneath the surface. Was tonight the only time their lips would meet? Was tonight the only time his arms would find their way around her? He could only wait and wonder. "Goodnight, Ryan..."

Meal

Coming into the living room and sitting down with the food Ryan can't help the growl of her stomach. Eli always did make good steak that was for sure. And the company tonight was even better for her to enjoy the meal.

"I have to say I've never met someone who burnt something in the microwave before. But I guess now thats changed."

Ryan gives a grin. Watching her brother as he walked into the kitchen again she didn't think anything of his comment to Tal figuring it was just her normal brother comment. Looking to Tal though and seeing the look on his face Ryan gives her own of question. Not having time to reply before Eli was back Ryan gives a smile to him before taking a bite of her steak.

"Eli you have out done it again. No wonder I always let you cook them. They just melt in you mouth. Thank you for the meal...and Tal...thank you for joining us."

Crispies

As Ryan shifts her weight and looks at him, Tal gives her a soft kind of grin that said he was comfortable too, but he knew they both should probably get up. Having her come in for a last short kiss, he returns it softly and watches as she leaves. His hand absentmindedly trails across his chest where her touch had been.

Sighing, he sits up in the corner of the couch, trying to keep his eyes focused on the television. But even though that's where his gaze was, his mind was a very long ways away. He and Ryan barely knew each other. He'd been watching her from a distance for a long time, sure, but what guy didn't? He did feel like he knew her a little better than some, because of Eli - he talked about his sister a lot and for a while now, Tal had been getting to know Ryan without any interaction at all. But still... was this even possible?

Had Ryan really meant that kiss? Had she really liked cuddling into him and being held by him? Or had it just been to satisfy a need after she'd been put through the wringer by Alec? Had it actually just been her needing someone for the moment and he'd happened to be there? If that were the case, then he felt a little guilty - he didn't want to take advantage of her. She was probably on the rebound and he didn't want to give her the impression he'd just been waiting to pounce. On the contrary, he'd seen her with Leo and Alec both and had always kept his distance. One, because he'd always figured he didn't have a chance anyway, and two, because he respected her relationship with other guys and wouldn't interfere.

His whole intention here had been to just try and see if there was any way he could help. He didn't like the thought of what Alec had done, and he knew Leo was taken now, which meant she had no one else to go to. And like he'd talked to Eli about... he understood she could vent to her brother and have his company, but it wouldn't be the same. Tal had simply wanted to see if there was anything he could do, and if not, he wouldn't have fought it. It helped that he and Eli were becoming friends - but that was just a natural opening for him to be here tonight and he didn't have any "plans" to try and help Ryan... he just wanted to keep his eyes open and be there, should an opportunity arise. Now though... now he really wasn't sure what to do or what would happen after this.


Joined in the kitchen by Ryan, Eli grins. "Yeah, I figured you'd probably wanna do the salad yourself anyway. I can't ever cut the lettuce right to keep anybody happy." He smirks as he turns over a steak. "You know me - I'd probably just chew the lettuce right off the head and have a carrot on the side, rather than work at chopping it all up. And by the way yes, of course it smells good in here - it always does when I cook." He tosses her a silly look - the only thing he cooked well was steak or hamburgers. He points his fork at her. "Not a word, Speedy."

It didn't take long for the food to finally be ready. The apartment really did smell good and everybody's stomachs were growling by now. The living room was the dining area of choice tonight so they could finish watching the game while they ate and it was more comfortable anyway...

"Soup's on!" Eli comes traipsing into the living room with Ryan, bringing the food and presenting it to Tal. "One medium rare steak for you and one well-done for me." He sets down both the plates on the coffee table, letting Ryan have the easy chair and end table. "Neither of which are little burnt crispies, mind you."

Tal grins as his plate is set down and he shakes his head. "I'm never going to live that one down, am I? All I was doing was warming something up in the microwave and I accidentally put it in for way too long!"

"There was smoke everywhere!" Eli waves his arms around. "We had to clear out the break room and everything."

Tal sighs and stands up. "Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, where you going?"

"To get a glass of water."

"Well sit down... I'm going back there anyway."

Tal rolls his eyes, but obeys and sits. "I really don't know why you're treating me like a king, but I guess I won't complain."

"Don't worry," Eli shoots over his shoulder. "Come tomorrow at work, you'll be my slave again."

Something in Eli's tone made Tal just a little bit leery. Glancing up while Eli is out of the room, he catches Ryan's eye, his gaze one of hesitance. Had their brief little makeout session meant anything more than what it was or... did he need to forget about it and move on? He didn't have enough time to say anything before Eli got back though, making the moment an awkward one. He bites his lower lip and lifts his eyebrows slightly.