4. Delicious Meal

Sophia was jolted from her sleep, as if someone had awakened her out of a deep slumber, she immediately got up from her position and looked around.

Albert was leaning against the headboard, looking at her with a calm. He looked better than before. Meanwhile, Sophia was lying beside him. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the floor and leaning against the edge of the bed. When did she fall asleep and move here?

Sophia cleared her throat, she chose not to dwell on why she was on this bed, sleeping next to Albert.

“Feeling better?” Sophia asked, lowering her legs to the floor and avoiding his gaze.

Albert nodded briefly, staring at Sophia's every move with a flat expression.

"That's good," Sophia said, glancing at the empty tray on the nightstand. The food had clearly been eaten, presumably by Albert. As she glanced back, her gaze landed on the notebook resting on his lap and the pencil in his hand. He was sketching something that Sophia couldn't see clearly from her current place.

Sophia rose to her feet. "I'm sorry, I had the audacity to enter your room and didn't think to call a doctor and decided to take care of you by myself."

Albert didn’t look up from his sketching. He simply nodded and replied, his voice still weak, “Next time, don’t do anything like this without my permission.”

Sophia blinked, stunned by his curt response. “You’re welcome, Albert,” she said sarcastically. Then without waiting for his response, Sophia turned around.

“Sophia.”

At the doorway, Sophia stopped, and turning back to face him. "Next time, I'll let you die alone!"

Once Sophia returned to her room, she hurried to the bathroom to clean herself. Swearing that if she got infected, she would strangle the ungrateful man.

Back in Albert’s room, he let out a rough sigh after Sophia’s departure. His eyes dropped to the sketch he’d been working on, a sleeping woman leaning against the bed. It was Sophia. He tore the paper from his notebook, crumpled it, and tossed it into the trash. Then he lay back on the pillow, closing his eyes as the pounding in his head persisted.

***

After Dana found out about Albert's condition, she immediately called the family doctor to check on him. While Sophia chose to stay away after that day, she even only left the room if she felt hungry. For what? To avoid Albert, of course. And to avoid Dana's curiosity about the day Sophia mindlessly treated Albert.

It was already Monday, Albert had returned to work as usual and most likely wouldn't be home. Dana had gone to assist her husband on the farm that was reserved for the Raymond family only. Since Sophia intended to cook her own dinner today, she asked Dana to go home.

She walked towards the kitchen humming softly while putting her long hair in a high ponytail, opened the refrigerator and selected some ingredients she needed. Sophia didn't know what to cook, but yesterday she saw Dana buying meat and Sophia had a sudden craving for stir-fried meat with fresh vegetables.

It would be delicious, she thought optimistically.

Two hours later, Sophia stared disappointedly at the dish in front of her. The beef was cut into overly large chunks, was tough and chewy. The vegetables were burnt, dry, and unappetizing. To make matters worse, the dish was so spicy that just a single bite set her tongue on fire.

Sophia chuckled after biting her tongue for a long time, then untied her ponytail and abandoned the disastrous meal.

To hell with her failed cooking!

What had possessed her to attempt cooking again? She should’ve learned from her past failures. She couldn't cook! That was final. No matter how hard she tried.

Sophia was feeling increasingly gray, and she hoped the warm water and aroma therapy would make her feel better.

***

A bath, indeed, was the right choice.

Sophia returned to the kitchen feeling a bit lighter, but her mood shifted abruptly as her gaze fell upon Albert. Her steps faltered, and her expression twisted into a mix of shock and disbelief.

Albert stood at the counter, a spoonful of her failed dish raised to his lips.

“Don’t eat that!” she blurted, rushing forward.

Albert’s movements immediately stopped. “Why?”

“Just don’t,” she insisted.

“What, you’re not willing to share your food with me anymore?” Ignoring her protest, Albert popped the piece of meat into his mouth.

Right at the first chew, Albert immediately stopped and his eyes widened in horror.

“I warned you,” Sophia muttered, biting back a laugh.

Albert struggled to swallow the tough, fiery morsel, downing a glass of water in one gulp. “You made this?” he asked, incredulous.

Sophia nodded slowly.

“Next time, don’t even try to cook,” Albert said sharply.

Unable to hold back her irritation, Sophia grabbed the dish and threw it into the trash. Turning to face Albert, she glared at him boldly. “I’ll do whatever I want! Tomorrow, I’ll cook more meat and make it your dinner!”

Albert stepped back, eyeing her warily.

Realizing her ridiculous temper, Sophia also stepped back and looked down. Why is she getting angry in such a stupid way?

“Did I offend you?” Albert asked after they had been silent for a while.

Sophia turned her face to look at Albert again. “Not at all,” she replied quickly.

“Good. Well then, okay, I’ll cook dinner for us.”

Sophia wasn’t sure if Albert was serious, but he was.

He started cooking, handling the ingredients with effortless confidence.

This was the first time she had ever seen Albert cook and knew that he could actually do it. His shirt sleeves were rolled to his elbows. The top two buttons were deliberately undone, revealing smooth tanned skin. His gaunt cheeks, firm jaw were tightened, and his sharp eyes stared with concentration.

Albert moved around the kitchen like a professional, doing everything deftly. And watching him cook like this completely made Sophia lose focus on everything but him.

And stupidly, Sophia had been standing there watching Albert cook for almost half an hour.

“You’re good at cooking,” Sophia commented.

Albert glanced at her briefly. “Sit down.”

Sophia hesitated. “I feel bad just sitting here. Tell me what to do.”

Albert paused for a moment, seemed to think, then pointed at the dining table. “You can set the table.”

And without question, Sophia spread the tablecloth, placed all the tableware neatly, and put a vase of flowers in the center. She also lit a candle.

Noticing Albert working with the leftover meat, Sophia decided to get a bottle of wine and some ice cubes.

After everything was done, Albert carried over two plates of roast meat and the sauce he made himself, to the dining table Sophia had set.

“Don’t you need a shower? You’re sweating,” Sophia said, speaking her mind without thinking. She quickly corrected, “I don’t think that you stink, it’s just that... I think a shower would make you feel more comfortable. Yeah, right? Well, I don’t know. It’s up to you!”

Albert raised an eyebrow, giving her an odd look.

Sophia almost choked on her own saliva. “Why?”

Albert immediately shook his head. “Nothing,” he replied, pulling a chair and sitting down.

Sophia did the same. She picked up a glass and poured wine into both their glasses.

As she sipped her drink, Sophia felt the heat of the wine trail down her throat, leaving a warm aftertaste. She placed her glass back on the table and glanced at Albert, who was seated across from her, his sharp eyes meeting hers.

All of a sudden, Sophia felt every inch of her skin crawl, and her heartbeat accelerated. She realized this was their first real dinner together.

A dinner that actually felt like dinner, not a compulsion to swallow lumps of meat down the throat in a five-star restaurant where everyone was watching them with interest. The dinners they have had so far have always been filled with falsehoods and pretenses to emphasize to the media that they are still husband and wife. Yes, some people do forget sometimes, Sophia always wants to laugh every time she remembers why she was there in an expensive dress and heavy makeup to beautify her face.

Whereas now, Sophia is not wearing an expensive dress, just an oversized T-shirt and denim shorts, and a bare face. However, this felt like the best dinner she’d ever had.

Albert didn’t say much, but whenever Sophia asked him a question, he always answered calmly.

This reminded Sophia again of that night on the ship. And for a moment, she thought she saw that same version of Albert now. But every time her heart tried to melt, common sense warned her by showing her the pictures of Albert’s intimacy with many women out there.

But still, dinner passed peacefully.

No sharp words. No arguments. Just an ordinary conversation that flowed easily. Sophia was relaxed, and so was Albert. They left everything behind and just focused on the present moment.

***