Must Date The Chef

|| 37.

"No. I'm sorry, am I supposed to know you?" I ask Paul and his face contorts as if he is battling his emotions. Maintaining a straight face when all I want to do is hold him and weep into his arms is hard but he caused it.

I let myself relax when he leaves the room, a sigh escapes me as my shoulders deflate, I will let him know I was feigning dumb once he gets back. We have spent too long apart for me to ruin this moment with my antics. Life is too short and I don't want to spend the rest of it being angry with him when all I want is be in his embrace, to be kissed and loved by him. I rub my stitch through the shirt and sigh, I have missed him, too much.

Someone knocks on the door which opens without a reply from me and Chi walks in with a tray containing toast bread and oat. I reach for the bottled water on the tray and down it in few gulps, quenching the eternal thirst that seems to plague me since I woke.

Chi's nervous glances threaten to suffocate me, I bite down hard on my tongue to keep from spitting the truth and pretend she's not here. That blood hasn't rushed up to her palms from the number of times she wrung her hands. That she's not worried about my supposed selective memory loss. I have to tell Paul first, he bore the brunt of my callous joke the most, I owe him an apology.

His face, I sigh and a small smile tugs on the corners of my lips, Lord knows the last time he shaved. Those beards look like they haven't seen a shaving stick in weeks but the new look fits him, everything always does, a modern-day caveman. My caveman.

Warm hands rest on top of mine, forcing my head up. Chi offers me a careful smile. "My brother, you don't remember him at all?"

"You have a brother?" I ask and the fear that flashes across her face has me shaking my head. "Is he the guy that left?" She nods and I place my hands on my knees, she lied to me so everyone will get punished. "I don't remember him." To seem more believable, I let out a sigh and ask, "Am I supposed to? He sounded hurt when he left but I can't," I sniff, "for the life of me remember anything about him." She frowns. "I know you cos we work together. We are friends, right?"

Her head bobs, I have to fight back the urge to throw my head back and laugh. Paul has always been better at masking his feelings but Chi, she's an open book and she looks horrified by what I just said. The tip of her nose turns red, she withdraws her hands from my laps, sighs and adjusts on the bed.

She clears her throat. "Do you want me to tell you about him?" Her voice is a whisper, I reply with a nod. "He is your boyfriend," she smiles, "I played wing woman." Unsure what to answer to that, I offer her a small smile and a yawn escapes me. I need to sleep. She nods as if understanding her presence is no longer required and rises to her feet after smoothing her gown. "I hope you remember soon, I will bring some pictures."

Another knock sounds on the door, Paul steps in with a frown I want to kiss away etched on his face. He doesn't come forward and my eyes refuse to leave his body. Water glistens on his forehead, my eyes follow the droplets which cascade down to his bare chest, an indication he has taken his bath. It brings to mind Chi's comment, I sniff the air around me and assure myself I don't stink.

With his eyes trained on me, his tongue darts out to lick his lower lip and I forget how to breathe properly. When his muscle flexes as he runs his hand through his face, I wonder if he is teasing me or trying to jog my memory since I have mentioned loving how muscular he is. He finally comes to sit on the bed, caging me between him and Chi, his scent overwhelms me and I am tempted to hug him so I can breathe him in.

"You shaved," I comment, my fingers run through his trimmed jaw, he looks more familiar without the extra hairs. I hear the faint opening and closing of the door, I hope it is Chi because we need privacy right now.