When Kim arrived home, she was surprised to see Carl in the kitchen area preparing dinner again. Though, he didn"t go to work on Sat.u.r.days and he usually practiced how to prepare the chicken pasta, today it felt weird. Like it was a sent forth. She had yet to tell him about her decision to stay in the dormitories but seeing him cook, she thought it wasn"t that bad to remain home.Noticing she was still at the door, staring at him, he lifted his head, giving her a warm smile, "Go shower, food will be ready when you"re done."
Without so much as a word in reply, she went into her bedroom when she heard him. She wasn"t sure if she wanted to stay at the dormitories any longer. This was what she has always wanted, a home, a family. Carl has become part of her life, he has become her family, her home. He gave her the attention she craved, she wasn"t sure if she should leave what they have here already and go stay in school with complete strangers. She has forgotten Carl was also a stranger at one point.
She showered hurriedly as she wanted to go join him. Arriving at the kitchen area, he had already set the table. She felt extremely warm inside, she wanted this feeling to last a long time. "What are you doing? Come sit." He glanced at her briefly, urging her to come eat as she was lost in thought.
"Oh.. yeah.. sorry." She mumbled. Taking her place. She looked at the food, it looked pretty good, but she had already learnt that the beauty of the food doesn"t define the taste. She picked up her fork, twirling the pasta about it before putting it in her mouth.
Simling at her, "So, what do you think, huh? Definitely an improvement, don"t you think?" As always, he was expectant, waiting for her approval. She simply raised her left her, giving him a thumbs up while stuffing the food in her mouth. Automatically, he felt satisfied. He enjoyed her reaction, he was happy it was to her taste unlike his first attempt at cooking.
He filled her gla.s.s with water, "Slow down, here." She stopped, picking up the gla.s.s, gulping down the content. She continued with her frantic eating. He totally forgot to eat as he emptied his plate in hers. Kim was much more interested in eating his delicious food than talking to him about her decision. She was oblivious to his staring, to his gentle eyes that took notice of all her actions. When she looked up, she saw he wasn"t eating and his plate was empty so she asked, "Are you done?"
"Since it"s in your stomach, I think I am." He said, teasing her. Kim looked down at the plate then her stomach, she rubbed her stomach, then pushed the plate to his side of the table. "I"m full, you can have mine." Seeing her guilty eyes, he immediately stopped. "You can have it, there"s more in the pot." Her eyes gleamed as she pulled back her plate, stuffing her face once more.
Having a family was really a good thing. Not just any family, but a family that supports you, a family that cares about you. Taking a gla.s.s of water, he crossed his legs in a relaxed posture.
"You"re still not eating?" Kim asked him again.
"Well, you ate the whole food, but don"t worry, it"s for you anyway." He said, laughing gleefully.
"Sorry..." she apologized, her eyes lowered, she was a little bit embarra.s.sed. As she was so busy she forgot to eat so it was expected. Her next agenda was to bring up the issue bugging her. She observed him for a while, it was not like they were married or something but she felt guilty going to school by herself, leaving him behind. Although his cooking had improved but it was only one dish he knew how to prepare. The more she thought about it, the more conflicted she was. Is he going to eat just pasta until she returns?
While she was deep in thought, Carl had cleared the table. He made himself a peanut b.u.t.ter sandwich. He took notice of all her expressions, he wasn"t sure if he should interrupt her thought or let her be. Soon, the smell of the peanut b.u.t.ter awakened her from her thoughts,, she stared at his plate drooling. Pa.s.sing his plate to her, he asked, "Are you that hungry?" He was delighted to see her drool because of food. Kim looked up at him with an apologetic gaze, pushing his plate back to him. "You should have it." He pushed the plate back to her, "There"s more, so you can eat it." Without further argument she picked up the sandwich, stuffing her mouth with it.
He simply opened the fridge to get the bread and peanut b.u.t.ter so he could make more. When he returned to his seat, she had finished eating. He began laughing. "Why are you laughing at me? I was really busy today so I didn"t eat." She said grumpily.
"Sure, I"ll make more, you don"t have to eat like there"s someone after your food, you"ll choke." Opening the jar of the peanut b.u.t.ter, he decided to test the waters. "Anything bothering you?"
She looked up at him, she still hadn"t made a decision. She chose to tell him the truth, that would be a lot easier, after all. "I can"t make up my mind, I want to stay in the dormitories but I also want to stay home with you."
Carl had forgotten about the dormitories too. He was saddened by the thought of her staying away. He consoled himself by saying they were both in the same state, he could visit her and she could always return home. He gave her a sad smile, "Staying in the dormitories is nice."
She would have believed he wanted her to go if not for his smile, his eyes were gla.s.sy too. She wanted so bad to tell him she wouldn"t go again but before she could say anything. He listed reasons why she should stay in the dormitories. Other than the fact that it wasn"t close to the house, she would experience new things and make new friends. "You can always come back home and I can also visit you."