Chimon - This Moment

Chapter 8

"Can you pass me the parsley?" Simon asked while browning the ground meat.

Cheryl walked over to the fridge to retrieve some fresh parsley and then gathered some additional spices from a nearby cabinet. With a handful of condiments, she staggered back to Simon and dumped it all near the cooker.

Simon shot her a quizzical look.

"What?' Cheryl asked.

Simon said nothing but visibly raised an eyebrow.

"I'll have you know that I'm not completely hopeless in the kitchen!" Cheryl shot back with an offended look on her face.

"Hey, I didn't say anything." He said before mumbling something under his breath, most likely something insulting in nature.

Cheryl responded by giving him a good whack on the head.

"Ouch!" Simon barked out.

He ran his hand through his square shaped hair and feigned an expression of pain.

"That actually hurt."

"Oh quit you're whining!" Cheryl mocked.

Simon chest heaved as he let out a sigh. "You women...always so serious."

"You women always so serious." Cheryl repeated with her best Simon Cowell impersonation. "Now hurry up with that weird thing you're preparing! I'm starting to feel peckish!"

Simon raised both of his hands up high and took a small step back.

"Someone's pushy."

After teasing each other for the remainder of their dinner preparation, Simon put some last remaining touches on the meatloaf before placing it in the oven to bake. They were left with about half an hour to sit around and twiddle their thumbs, but were glad that there was no lingering awkwardness from last night – at least not yet anyway.

They returned to the living room and sat on the couch in silence while enjoying some red wine. It was so quiet that Cheryl swore she could hear Sarah's drunken ramblings from miles away. She pictured Sarah in all of her glory taking rounds at the local club before standing on top of the counter and belting one of Madonna's finest. It was a lovely vision to see and Cheryl about burst out into laughter at the thought of it. When she brought her focus back to reality, she realized that maybe she'd had enough wine for the day and put down her glass.

Not a minute too soon, Cheryl broke the silence and decided to use this time to pry into the secret life of Mr. Cowell. After all, she had many questions that were itching to be answered.

"So, how's everything going with you?" She asked.

"It's going very well. I've just been busy with American Idol and figuring out the nitty-gritty for next seasons X-Factor." Simon said as he readjusted himself on the couch so his body faced directly opposite from Cheryl.

He continued. "Which reminds me, have you decided whether or not you're planning on coming back next season?"

Cheryl released a soft chuckle and pointed a knowing finger at him. "Ah, I knew you had a motive to come all the way here. It was just a business call wasn't it?"

"How'd you guess?" Simon joked.

"Okay all jokes aside. You know what, about a month ago I had it all wrapped around my head that I would be doing The X-Factor again, but if I'm to be completely honest, I'm not too certain what I'm going to do anymore. I'm kind of at that point where I not only need to plan my career, but I'm also back to square one when it comes to planning my life."

She picked up her glass of wine and took another sip.

"It's scary." She added.

Simon nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. Just know that the position is all yours if you want it. Besides, you pretty much own like half of the show's fan base so I'm sure the viewers at home would love for you to come back."

"Oh stop it." Cheryl said modestly.

"There's no need to be so humble Cheryl. From all the catcalls and stupid banners everywhere, I think it's rather clear that everybody adores you to death."

"And you?" Cheryl asked without giving her words too much thought.

Immediately, she regretted her words and her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Now she was certain that she definitely had more than enough wine.

The short pause before Simon's reply felt like a million years and Cheryl wished that someone would just shoot her now to end her mortification.

"Especially me." Simon finally answered.

Cheryl's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol that was making her feel all hot inside, but she suddenly felt a tingling sensation run up and down her petite frame.

"Oh, and for the record, it's never just a business call with you." Simon concluded.

As Cheryl's embarrassment faded, it was replaced with a kind of sensation that she couldn't quite put her finger on. As she looked into Simon's eyes, she felt herself drifting away to a place where all her troubles became nonexistent. The place was a mystery, but she knew for certain that it was where she wanted to be.

*Ding*

Talk about being saved by the bell.

"Well, the meatloaf's ready." Simon declared. "Shall we?"

Within a time span of two days, there had been way too much awkward silence between the two of them and it definitely did not go unnoticed. This intense tension between them was incredibly straining but oddly comforting in the most bizarre way possible. Whatever it was, the chemistry between them was exhilarating and they were both more than willing to further explore the bounds of their relationship, regardless of the many reasons why they shouldn't.

Cheryl stood up from the couch and smoothed the creases of her shirt.

"Yeah, I'm starved." She said before the both of them walked into the kitchen in anticipation of yet another awkward conversation.