36

“Thanks for dinner, Alaric. It was the best pasta I have ever eaten.” Layla said as she arranged the clean plates in the cupboard.

She wasn’t lying when she said the pasta was the best one she had eaten; it was delicious. She doubted that any chef could ever beat the masterpiece he had made. How had he learnt to cook so well?

“You’re welcome, and you didn’t really need to do the dishes.” Alaric replied, from the kitchen island where she had forced him to sit.

“Of course I do. I can’t just let you do all the work after everything you’ve done for me. Washing the dishes is the least I can do to show that I’m grateful.” She turned around and walked to him.

“You don’t need to show that you’re grateful. I’m not complaining about doing what I did. It’s not like I did anything special.” He shrugged, and she rolled her eyes. Alaric was just too modest.

How could he say that letting her stay in his house, taking her shopping, and cooking breakfast and dinner was nothing special? He had even g