Brian had much less to do to clean up, and it didn't take him long. Once he was ready and redressed, he took over finishing dinner. He wasn't the best cook—the last time he had tried to bake something, he left it in the oven so long it turned black and he set off the smoke detector—but thankfully Vanessa had nearly finished already, so there was little for him to do. He plated it and set dinner on the table, pushing textbooks and binders aside to make space.