Part 182

182

He turned his body and walked out of the room while carrying his wife. Once they reached the door, Alesya helped open it so they could pass through.

"Am I heavy?" Alesya asked as they made their way to the dining table. They were currently on the stairs, and it was evident that Nicholas was bearing a weight in both of his arms. Especially with Alesya in his embrace, their progress was a bit slow and cautious.

"No, just a bit heavier than before," Nicholas replied honestly.

"It's the same thing," Alesya pouted playfully.

Nicholas chuckled softly, amused by his wife's expression. Without saying anything more, he carried her to the dining table.

Slowly, Nicholas set Alesya down on one of the chairs at the table. After she had settled in and was sitting comfortably, Alesya looked at her husband, who appeared a bit fatigued in his arms.

"Are you tired? I'm sorry," she said remorsefully.

Nicholas gently cupped both of Alesya's cheeks and looked at her tenderly. "There's no such thing as tired when it comes to you," he said. "So, never feel guilty," he added.

"All right, so what do you want to eat? I'll cook it for you," Nicholas said.

Alesya fell silent for a moment. "Um... I want to eat the food from Darmi's place," she replied.

Hearing this, Nicholas's brow furrowed in confusion. He had no idea who Alesya was talking about.

" Darmi, who's that?" Nicholas asked.

"That's the vendor in my hometown," Alesya answered.

Nicholas became even more perplexed because Alesya suddenly wanted food from her village. Not that he didn't want to comply, but the journey to that place was quite far and took about three hours. However, it was now lunchtime, and Alesya hadn't had any real food since morning.

"Let's have something from here first, okay?" Nicholas tried to persuade her.

"I want to eat Darmi's cooking. I'm tired of city food," Alesya insisted.

"But you haven't eaten anything since morning. If we go to the village now, we won't get there until late afternoon," Nicholas explained.

"It's okay. I can wait. I'm not hungry right now," Alesya replied.

"No! You need to eat now. Remember, you promised to eat after I carried you from the room to here," Nicholas urged.

"But I really want Darmi's food, Nik." Alesya seemed to really long for the specific meal she mentioned, and her eyes began to well up with tears as she realized she might not get what she wanted right away.

Seeing this, Nicholas sighed deeply. He remembered what he had read in some articles while waiting for Alesya earlier. He was beginning to understand what she was going through. Perhaps this was one of her cravings.

However, he couldn't let Alesya go without eating. The nutritional needs of both her and their unborn child had to be met. Nicholas sighed once more and tried to speak to his wife calmly and gently.

"Let's have something here first, and then we can get ready to go to the village to find the food you want," Nicholas said as he gently touched Alesya's flat stomach, reminding her of the new life they had to care for.

"But..." Alesya began.

"Al, remember the baby inside your belly. I promise we'll go to the village, but for now, you need to eat something, okay?"

Alesya fell silent. She really wanted to have village food, and she didn't have an appetite for city food. She was bored with the same dishes she had been having every day. She wanted something different.

"I'll make you a fruit salad, okay? Would you like that?" Nicholas asked gently.

Alesya shook her head. "I want to eat noodles with egg," she replied.

"Okay. I'll make that for you."

Nicholas got up from his seat and began preparing what Alesya had requested. Although the meal she wanted wasn't ideal for a pregnant woman, he had no choice but to fulfill her craving. At least it was something to fill her stomach, rather than her going without food and constantly asking for village food.

Fifteen minutes later, the food Alesya had requested was ready and served on the table. Seeing the presentation, Alesya couldn't wait to dig in.

Without wasting any time, Alesya reached for a bowl of noodles in front of her and started eating.

"Slow down, Al. It's still hot," Nicholas cautioned as he watched Alesya about to put a hot mouthful of noodles into her mouth.

Hearing Nicholas's words, Alesya stopped her hand and blew on the noodles for a moment to cool them down. Once she felt they were no longer scalding, she took a bite and closed her eyes, savoring every mouthful.

"Mmm... this is delicious," she said, her eyes closed in delight with each bite.

Nicholas smiled as he watched Alesya enjoy her meal. Although it wasn't the first time he had received compliments like this, this time, it felt even more special. After all, indirectly, their unborn child seemed to appreciate his cooking too.

"Take it slow; no one's going to take your food," Nicholas said, wiping a bit of sauce from the corner of Alesya's lips.

Alesya smiled and nodded, becoming even more enthusiastic about finishing her meal. She even asked for and ate the remainder of Nicholas's meal, which he had left unfinished. Nicholas didn't mind at all. In his heart, he promised that from now on, he would try to prepare healthier meals for Alesya.

True to Nicholas's promise to Alesya about going back to the village, they were getting ready. Initially, Nicholas had considered canceling the trip because his father's health was deteriorating. However, Mariana had given her permission for Alesya to get what she wanted.

Alesya began packing some necessary clothing for their stay in the village. She also prepared a few outfits for Nicholas. Since they wouldn't be staying long in the village, they decided to bring one slightly larger suitcase for their clothes, leaving the rest of their belongings in the car.

At exactly 1 o'clock in the afternoon, Nicholas and Alesya were ready to depart. They didn't forget to bring some souvenirs to give to their family in the village.

"Are you ready?" Nicholas asked as he returned from the adjacent room.

Alesya turned to him and nodded. "I'm ready," she replied.

"Alright, let's go." Nicholas carried the suitcase filled with clothes out of the room, with Alesya following closely behind.

When they arrived at the side of the car, Nicholas placed the suitcase in the trunk. Alesya got into the car immediately since the weather was quite hot. After they finished packing, they set off from home on their way to Alesya's hometown.

During the journey, Alesya kept looking out the car window, occasionally gently stroking her still-flat stomach, as if letting the tiny unborn life inside know that they were visiting the hometown of her parents.

Nicholas, seeing this, could only smile. He was sure that Alesya was feeling happy because her wish had been granted. He, too, was happy because he could fulfill his pregnant wife's request.

He remembered the article he had read. Pregnant young women often experienced discomfort due to their changing bodies. It wasn't just the significantly different and sometimes challenging food cravings, but also the physical discomfort caused by pregnancy hormones that led to frequent complaints and the need for special attention.

As a husband and father-to-be, Nicholas felt it was his duty to fulfill Alesya's requests as long as he could. Moreover, he had read that denying these cravings could worsen mood swings and affect the baby's development.