Closer (Completed) Dark Romance

Chapter 32

The next few days of work went by better than I imagined. All of my co-workers were really nice and welcoming even though I had to bother them with many questions. There was a lot of information to learn and remember, but it worked out — it kept my mind off Henry for most of the day.

Nick casually dropped by sometimes to say "hi" to me or ask how I was keeping up. At first, the kind gesture made me nervous. I was afraid people would misunderstand and assume we were in a relationship, but Nick assured me he had a girlfriend. I had a feeling his girlfriends didn't last very long. He added in further consolation that everyone knew I was married to Henry Pearce. How they knew, I didn't want to know.

When the clock finally ticked five on Friday evening, everyone yelped in excitement that the weekend was finally here. I could finally relax, I thought. The pressure of surviving my first week of work was over, and all the thinking, sitting, and the endless emails had consumed all of my energy, mentally and physically.

"Good morning, dear," Nana greeted me the next morning as I came down for breakfast.

"Morning, Nana," I said. "What are you looking for?"

"Some ingredients," she responded. She searched in the pantry and returned with two boxes of Fettuccine in her hand. "You're not doing anything later, are you?"

"Nope, did you need me to do something for you?"

"Actually, I invited Patty and her grandson Nicholas over for dinner tonight. Would you be able to help me prepare dinner?"

"Of course, Nana, you didn't even need to ask. Is there something special going on?"

"No, I just wanted to make dinner for everyone."

I smiled and nodded to myself. Nana was such a thoughtful and kind person, always thinking of others first.

"I called Henry this morning to see if he was in town," she added, writing something down on her grocery list. "But from what he was saying, I'm not sure if he'll make it."

"Oh..." The word fell inadvertently from my lips. "I'm sure he has a good excuse."

We hadn't talked ever since that night I called him, but maybe it was better this way. From what I sensed, Henry and Nick weren't exactly on good terms. The two seemed to have some unresolved issues.

In the afternoon, Larry drove Nana and me to a few grocery stores to shop for her ingredients. The dishes on the menu tonight consisted of lamb stew, lobster, salmon, and other things I haven't even heard of before.

Back in the kitchen, Larry helped us carry the food to the island counter. I helped Nana reorganize the ingredients she needed and placed anything that she didn't need right away into the fridge. Since I wasn't good at cooking, I asked Nana to give me something to do other than the main dishes.

As I sliced the vegetables, I thought back to the time when Henry cooked dinner for me at his grandfather's cabin. Even though it had only been a few months since then, it felt like ages ago. I could still remember the smoothness and accuracy of his cutting.

Next, Nana told me to take out the flour and sift it. After she showed me how to sift, my thoughts started to drift again. But I tried not to think about Henry this time because somehow thinking about him made me miss him more.

While sifting the flour, an unexpected hand tugged a strand of loose hair from my cheek to behind my ear. I turned my head slightly to see who it was.

"Henry," I muttered his name breathlessly, caught by surprise to see him standing beside me. As I briefly studied his face, I noticed he had a dusting of stubble growing on his chin and he looked more tired than ever. His eyes were no longer dark nor red. He looked ... not like his usual self. He looked like the Henry I once knew, or rather who he was pretending to be. Though I wanted to throw my arms around him, I restrained myself — partly because my hands had flour all over them. The other half worried he might be toying with me again.