Chapter 8
“Mummy, what will you cook for my superhero?” Charlie, who clung to my chest in the backseat of Damien’s car asked.
“I’m not sure yet, Charlie.” I answered honestly, and lifting my gure up, my eyes caught Darnien’s in the mirror.
“Mummy, cook pasta. It’s special,” Charlie said with so much excitement in his voice. Pasta was his favorite food but he had a top favorite, so I’m guessing that’s the one he’s talking about.
“You don’t have to go too far. Anything simple will be fine,” Damien interrupted, gracing me with a polite smile.
I teared my gaze away from him and looked at my son. “It’s the least I can do to say thank you for saving my son.” I said, caressing Charlie’s hair. “So a special dish it is.”
“Okay.” Damien said, but I could see the corner of his lips curl up. He was smiling. He wasn’t even hiding how much he was enjoying this.
If it’s not because of my son. I wouldn’t even be engaging in such a thing with him.
“Please, stop by the mart. I have to get a few things for dinner.” I told him after a bit of silence passed.
“Alright. He replied, nodding his head.
Soon after, we got to the mart. He waited in the car with Charlie while I went to get a few groceries for the pasta I wanted to cook.
Charlie kept praising Damien, and I could see he was liking Darmien as if he knew the truth I was harboring.
After some minutes of driving, Damien parked in front of the apartment we were staying in.
I was staying in an AirBnB with Delores and Charlie. But Delores said she was going to visit a family instead of coming to sleep in the apartment with us tonight. The shock was too much for her, which I understood.
I think the fact that Damien was here was overshadowing my shock, because I had gone through an emotional moment that no mother should experience.
Today was a huge roller-coaster of emotions. The amount of time fear coursed through my veins, it was enough to be so weak and shaky.
“Please, come in.” I said to Damien, letting him step into the apartment before Charlie and I did.
“My superhero,” Charlie called again and ran towards him, he caught Charlie and lifted him up in the air, causing him to laugh cutely.
If Charlie had Damien’s facial features, there’s a good chance he might have suspected that Charlie is his son, especially when my introverted son keeps on playing with him.
But thankfully, Charlie looked more like me than him.
“I’ll get to cooking. You can feel at home.” I said to him before walking off to the kitchen.
I could hear him already engaging in a play with Charlie. Their laughter was filling up the air. Fate surely was too corny with its game by bringing Damien and Charlie closer.
But for the safety of my son, Damien can’t know about Charlie being his son. Eva was in the picture, and she was a walking
diaster.
Splaying all the ingredients I needed on the table, I dived into cooking one of my infamous spaghetti. One that Charlie
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Chapter 8
Tue, Oct
loved so much.
I started with sauteing garlic and onions in the pan first, before alding the chicken bits and specially-made sauce to the pan.
Then I had also started boiling the pasta so that everything could meet up to time. The quicker I finish making dinner, the faster Damien would have to leave. All that was keeping him here was this pasta
As I worked around the kitchen, with the sizzling and boiling sounds in the air, I subconsciously started humming my favorite Mariah Carey song.
“Always be my baby.”
“I
“That’s still your favorite song?” I heard Damien’s voice behind him, causing me to jolt from surprise.
I turned around, a bit annoyed, “That information is quite useless to you. And you can wait in the living room, I’ll call you once the food is ready.” I said to him, trying not to sound rude.
But him being in the same proximity as me was messing with my head. The look in his eyes and his musky masculine scent that was wafting into my nostrils by overshadowing the pasta’s aroma was making me feel a certain way I definitely did not want to feel
“Charlie fell asleep.” Was all he said, still gazing at me softly as if those eyes held all the words his tongue couldn’t say but I’m supposed to decipher them.
I peeped into the living room and saw my baby boy asleep. His bedtime was already near, but maybe all the events of today must have worn him out.
“He must be exhausted.” Damien said, moving closer to me.
“Stay back and let me finish cooking this food. I said and turned around to focus back on
the
pasta.
But feeling Damien’s stare on my back made me not so
focused, but I could manage.
In just a week, his wedding with Eva will take place and afterwards, Charlie and I will be gone from their lives again. So there was no reason to try to engage in anything that could bring us closer.
Plus, the way our marriage ended five years ago still always replayed in my head. He loved Eva. And she’s obviously the only woman he will always love. He was just trying to butt into my personal business too much. And I will draw that line tonight.
“It’s ready.” I said to him, and served his own pasta, garnishing it with cilantro and a few slices of cucumber.
“It already smells heavenly.” He complimented, but I kept quiet and maintained a poker expression.
If there is one thing I am very confident in, it will be my cooking skills. So, his compliment was nothing to me.
But I couldn’t help but watch him take that first fork and tasted the pasta. “God, this is mind-blowing. What’s the name of this pasta?” He asked while taking another fork-ful
“Creamy Sambal Pasta. It’s more of an Indonesian kind of cooking.” I replied confidently, feeling prideful.
“It’s really good. You’re an amazing chef.” He said to me, and I could feel heat blossom on my cheeks causing me to look away quickly.
To keep myself busy, I began washing the dirty dishes I used for cooking. Once Damien leaves, I will wake Charlie up so he and I could eat our dinner. Also he will be able to take his meds.
By the time Damien was done eating. I had finished cleaning the cooking area and drained the wet dishes.
“Thank you for the lovely and delicious dinner.” He got up and walked towards me with the plate in his hands.
Chapter 8
As I gestured to collect the plate from him, he grabbed my hands and dropped the plate with his other hand inside the kitchen sink
“Irene,” He softly called, pulling me closer to him. His breath farmed my face as I looked up into his eyes.
“What is this that you are doing, Damien?” I questioned him, I didn’t want to shout or be rude, but like I had decided earlier, I will be drawing that line tonight.
Maybe he has forgotten his place, but I will remind him just exactly what it is.
“Irene, I can’t help but feel things for you in my heart since the day we met again. I couldn’t help but wonder if it has always been there or it just developed. But as crazy as it sounds, I know I want you Irene.” He expressed, and I couldn’t help but
chuckle.
Was this man joking right now?
Does he think the heart could be toyed with however he likes?
As if it’s a candy store where he can keep switching flavors just because he got tired of one?
“Can’t we give ourselves another chance? I promise to be a better man than I was to you in the past.” He said, trying to move closer to me by pulling my waist.
But with a good amount of my strength, I held his hands and pushed them off my body.
“Never!” I said firmly, angry at how stupid he must think I am.
“I am not that gullible Irene you can fool with anymore. I am not going to play silly games with you where you keep going back and forth between two sisters. This is never going to happen. Not even in your wildest dreams.” I deadpanned, feeling so angry, but trying hard not to shout so Charlie doesn’t wake up to this.
“Irene, I won’t play games with you. I promise. These feelings are real. And I can’t stop or control them. Just give me a chance and let me prove that I am also a changed man.” He replied, trying so hard to convince me.
“Damien Chad, I appreciate everything you did for my son once again, but I beg of you to keep your distance from us. All we have here is a business relationship, nothing more. And I think it’s time you leave.” I stated, pushing him towards the doorway.
“Irene, please,”
I opened the door and gestured to him to leave, “Thank you for saving my son. Your wedding is in a week and I will surely be attending. Good night, Mr Chad.” With that, I slammed the door and locked it.
It felt good to stand my ground and not waiver. Yet, why is my heart pounding as if I just did the wrong thing? As if I should have opened my heart to him instead of closing it off coldly?
宙
