Oh, being a middle-aged youngster

I go into the kitchen to cook some dinner. An evening as usual.

Normally, I spend the 30 minutes it takes to prepare, boil, clean and so on on my own or with another fellow resident with whom I at most exchange some nice and kind words about academia and the current weather conditions.

That night I was up for a little entertainment while the tortellini floated around the pan. It was the girl that always said that she wascooking because her boyfriend would be coming over. And the boyfriend. I was intrigued to say the least. After all, she only cooks when he is coming. Or so it seems.

They were almost done cooking. Were going to start eating. I thought making out and stiring at the same time was never a very good idea. They disagreed. Again, I concentrated on my tortellini.

After those demonstrations of affection they sat to eat. There, it started being weird. I mean, kissing interrupts any proper talking. Understandable, I get it. But, sitting down, eating, I expected some conversation to develop. I was coming in and going out of the kitchen anyhow, and they never seemed to mind my presence for other types of contact. So, no major obstacle occured to me... They would talk.

Or not. "Pass the salt". "This is pretty good, did you add something new?". I was astonished. For 15 or 20 minutes the two creatures sat like one of those couples married for 50 years. Except, they would be around 20. No talking, no meaningful words, no discourse, no nothing! It was so surreal.

I wonder. Is that what "being in a relationship" mean? Or is a Canadian thing? What do I know... I just think it is absolutely fantastic how they sounded middle-aged, boring, tierd of life and each other.

After, she proposed he should do the dishes, since she cooked. He compromised: some dishes. He ended up drying them. Doing it all wrong. At least, she thought so. Honey! Be Careful, don't do that, this, that.... Again: why do these people sound like they were a 60 year old married couple?

And then people say that feeling alone next to a partner is a myth. That people liek that are just an exception. Who are we fooling? Obviously, if this is what these two are at at the age of 20... Somehow, I fear for the sanity of their middle-aged selves.

What happened? Is this what we turned into? I wonder if those two in the picture also talked about condiments exclusively.
And maybe yes... Oh, skepticism about relationships!

Rule #1 - S calling someone p "boyfriend" can occur if an only if S is able of having meaningful talks q with p at t(able)