Gentle Forest

Chapter 71

The morning greeted me with the distant hum of bustling sounds, and a landscape both unfamiliar and yet strangely familiar.

It was a morning where I woke up on Aiden's bed, like a dream I often had.

My body was feeling as heavy as the large blanket, so it was impossible to get up as soon as I opened my eyes. I looked out the window where the sun was shining brightly and turned over. The distant sound was the clinking of kitchen utensils, indicating that Aiden was preparing our breakfast.

Buried in the scent of Aiden's fragrance-soaked sheets, i inhaled and exhaled, feeling no need to remind myself that this place was America.

Despite the fact that I had set foot in an unfamiliar land, I felt comfortable both physically and mentally. Each of us looked no different from the morning we had in the forest. This realization gave me more significant reassurance than anything else.

Not long after the delicious aroma wafted in, Aiden returned with cautious steps. I pretended to still be asleep, allowing him to gently run his fingers through my hair.

Unaware that I was awake, he re-entered, lifting the blanket and placing my head on his arm, hugging me and after accepting it for a while, I opened my eyes.

"Why come back into bed?"

When I smiled playfully and made eye contact,
Aiden responded with a shy face.

"I thought you might want to see me when you woke up."

"Do you think I like you that much?"

"Yes."

His shamelessly confident response prompted me to playfully rub his cheek. Aiden blushed, perhaps feeling embarrassed from his words, and clasped my hand.

"Let's have breakfast."

He lightly kissed my cheek and said, prompting a nod from me as he took my offered hand, helping me up. It dawned on me that he was now properly dressed in pants, a different pair from yesterday, but with a similar pattern and a different color.

Aiden wore the matching top to my pants, and I wore the corresponding top to his pants. Sharing two sets looked foolish enough that anyone witnessing might burst into laughter.

Holding onto his sturdy waist like a cicada clinging to a tree, I lifted my feet. Unlike my small home, Aiden's penthouse felt spacious, taking quite a while to move from the bedroom to the kitchen. Aiden briefly eyed me with a concerned look as I gasped for breath while sitting at the dining table.

He served a soup with a soothing color, gently rubbing my belly. Due to snacking on fruits the night before, hunger quickly took over. Swallowing saliva, I picked up the spoon.

The finely blended soup was so smooth that chewing seemed unnecessary.

"I made it by blending mushrooms and vegetables. It's light on the stomach, so eat plenty" he said, and I could sense an improvement in his cooking skills just from his words. Squinting my eyes, I asked

"Did you learn?"

Aiden nodded, using his thumb to wipe away the soup on my lips. Considering my picky eating habits, I could imagine the effort he must have put into igniting his culinary enthusiasm. Feeling the gaze, I turned my face into the plate as if attempting to bury my nose. He quickly finished a bowl, chin rested on his hand, watching me.

"It's hard to believe this is real"

Aiden said, echoing exactly what I wanted to say.

"...It really tastes delicious."