Halma’s ears reddened visibly. Feeling butterflies in her stomach, she took a step back as if she had been startled. “Y-You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Let me whip something up for you,” she mumbled before quickly fleeing into the kitchen.
Nathan watched with smiling eyes as the woman ran away. Luckily, she’s still willing to trust me. After briefly putting his belongings in order, he went to the kitchen and embraced her from behind. “My girlfriend is not only capable at work but also an expert at housework,” he commented.
Halma darted a look at him. “Do you feel like you’re getting a real bargain?”
“I do,” Nathan replied, to which she asked, “Check out this kitchen. Is this big enough for you?”
He looked around. “That depends on what we’re going to do here.”
She didn’t quite understand what he meant, so she looked at him in annoyance, asking, “What else do you think the kitchen can be used for?”
Instead of answering her question, Nathan looked at her with a cryptic smile.
Only then did Halma seem to realize what he meant. Just when she was about to lose her temper, she heard the man say with a straight face, “It’s a bit small, but it’s just the two of us, which is a good thing. If we have several kids at once like my uncle, we might have to get a bigger house.”
Halma was lost for words. Is that all? Have I been overthinking it?
Nathan found her puzzled expression inexplicably cute. He ruffled her hair with a smile before murmuring, “That’s okay, though. I’ll work hard to get us a bigger house next year.”
Frowning, Halma pursed her lips and muttered, “You haven’t even moved in yet, and now you’re feeling bitter already?”
“Of course not!” Nathan hurriedly replied. “You have no idea how much I want to live here with you. We can go to work together during the day and cook together when we come back in the evening. At night, we can watch movies and have dates together. What a wonderful life it’ll be.”
Halma glared at him. “Who’s going to cook with you? You’re going to pay rent, remember?”
“I haven’t learned how to cook yet, have I? I’ll learn it from you first. After I’ve learned how to cook, I’ll start cooking for you,” he offered.
All of a sudden, Halma remembered that back when this man dated Melanie, Melanie had said she didn’t know how to cook, to which he had replied, “I’ll learn how to do it. I won’t let you go hungry, anyway.”
Even though a scene like that wasn’t so much as to bother her, it felt like a thorn in her flesh that could never be removed. As a result, her spirits dropped instantly. He has said those pickup lines to countless other women before. I can’t even tell whether he really means them or not.
Seeing how Halma’s mood suddenly went from happy to gloomy, Nathan grabbed her shoulders. “What’s wrong? If you don’t mind my bad cooking, I can make something for you right now,” he suggested, trying to take the spatula from her.
She dodged him. “That’s enough. Are you trying to blow up my kitchen?”
Nathan teased with a grin, “Of course not. I’m not that clumsy, you know. I might not be a pro home cook yet, but I still know my way around the kitchen after seeing you cook for so many years.”
Halma finally chuckled upon hearing that. It’s not necessary to hold onto the past. Since I’ve chosen to forgive his past, I should also forget about those unworthy people and stuff.
Nathan stayed by her side while she was busying herself in the kitchen. Just as he had said, he wasn’t completely clueless when it came to cooking. In fact, he even helped her with some tasks. Halma thought that this way of life seemed pretty good.
Twenty minutes later, a simple spread was served on the dining table. The couple sat facing each other with a plate of pasta placed before each of them.
Nathan smiled. Raising his plate toward Halma, he announced, “Please take care of me from now on, my dear girlfriend!”
Halma let out a snort at that. “Behave yourself, or you’ll get nothing to eat!”
“Aye!” he replied.
