Falling for the Goddess

Married Woman

Morning After

When Adrian Blake opened his eyes, the space beside him was empty.

For once, he had woken up later than Sara Hart.

His head still carried the dull ache of a hangover. He reached out, brushing the sheets—cold. She had been up for a while.

Sitting up, he first went to the bathroom to freshen up. As he washed his face, flashes of last night resurfaced. His ears reddened.

Sara had helped him shower.

Even though he had decent drinking habits and hadn't made things difficult for her, the thought of her washing him, drying him off—it made him feel... somewhat embarrassed.

After getting dressed, he walked downstairs—just in time to see Sara returning through the front door.

"You're awake?"

"You went out?"

Sara quickly hid the takeout bag behind her back. "No, just picking up some... uh, something."

Adrian glanced at her suspiciously. "Hungry?"

Sara hesitated.

She had wanted to cook breakfast for him, to show a little domestic charm.

But... it turned out she wasn't meant for the kitchen.

The fried eggs ended up with eggshells mixed in, burnt to a crisp. The rice porridge? Too much rice, turning into an unappetizing mushy blob.

The kitchen was now a disaster zone.

In the end, she had no choice but to order takeout.

Adrian stepped toward the kitchen. "What do you feel like eating? I can cook, or we can go out—"

"No, no, no!" Sara hurriedly blocked his path. "I already ordered congee! Let's just have that."

Adrian took a slight step sideways, trying to move past her. "Then I'll grab some spoons—"

"They included spoons!" Sara grabbed his sleeve, realizing she was acting too suspiciously, then tried to calm herself down. "The takeout came with utensils."

Adrian gave her a knowing look. "You don't want me to go into the kitchen?"

"... Mm."

Then she shook her head quickly. "No, I mean—"

She sighed, finally accepting defeat. "Fine, go ahead."

"I don't have to if you don't want me to."

Sara glanced up at him, then sighed again. "It's fine. Just go in."

Adrian took her hand in his, leading her inside.

As soon as he saw the state of the kitchen, he froze for a brief second.

The counter was piled with dishes. A frying pan still had a burnt egg stuck to it. The trash bin was filled with what looked like failed cooking attempts. Oil stains had splattered onto the tiled wall.

"... I didn't have time to clean up," Sara murmured.

Adrian turned toward her. "You wanted to cook?"

"I wanted to make you breakfast," she admitted, her voice small, head slightly lowered like a guilty child. "But I'm just too clumsy... Even with a tutorial, I couldn't get it right, and I made a mess."

"Did you get hurt?"

"No," she shook her head.

Adrian took her hands in his, checking carefully. No burns, no cuts.