Indifference

Danger

Day 13

Dylan did not sleep much, as expected. He goes down to the kitchen and finds beautiful Yue sipping a cup of hot tea. It is still snowing outside, and she seems to enjoy the warmness of her tea while admiring the freezing weather from the window.

He greets her and pretends that he is fine with this situation, but his heart is more involved with every glimpse, every touch, every smile. A terrifying feeling invades him while making his morning cappuccino and eyeing at her: What if she doesn't feel the same way? Yes, she seems comfortable around me lately, but what does that mean?

Not knowing how to proceed, he decides to go with the flow and see what happens.

"What are your plans for today?" he asks casually.

"Um, not much. I want to relax. I should clean, but the weather is so soothing that I cannot find the energy..." she chuckles.

"Yeah, me too..."

There is an awkward silence for a couple of minutes: both are hoping the other will suggest to do something together. How can they do so without sounding clingy or desperate?

Suddenly, both take a deep breath and let out in unison:

"Would you like to...?"

"Would you like to...?"

They laugh...

"Ladies first..."

"Well, would you like to play Scrabble? I have other board games also..."

"Nice, I love board games. I am not particularly good at Scrabble. I feel that I am going to battle facing a certain defeat considering you're an English teacher, but alright..." At this point, he would do anything just to be with her.

"I'll go easy on you!" she smiles mischievously.

"Will you? For some reason, I don't think you will..."

"Oh, come on! I am not the mean girl you thought I was, am I?"

Dylan smiles. He was not talking about the game.

Dylan and Yue spend the day playing board games, cards, watching TV and flirting around without realizing it. They have fun and pass every minute of the day with each other, except when nature calls, and then one of them will say: "I'll be right back!" and the other would think Hurry up!

Who might have thought that the stranger they avoided for so long was the person they would get along with the most?

In the afternoon, Dylan tells Yue he wants to make dinner for her, sort of a first official date, even though he does not say it. She agrees with an enormous smile on her face. No man has ever cooked for her, mostly because she never let anyone get too close. Somehow, Dylan is different for her; he is unlike any other man she has met before; there is something special about him. She does not know what it is, she simply feels at ease with him, good-humored, even when they do nothing relevant.

Dylan cooks passionately. He puts his heart into his creations; besides, he also wants to impress Yue. They are drawing closer and he likes it. He cannot forget the effect that kissing her lips had on him. With her, every experience, every reaction, is unique. But he is moving slowly, trying not to scare her. Yue has told him many times she is not looking for a relationship. Good thing she has not mentioned his nightly visits! Maybe she was asleep after all...

Yue notices that cooking is something Dylan genuinely enjoys doing and he appears to excel at it. He makes honey-sesame chicken, stir-fried vegetables with rice and even desert, all his specialties. The smells invade the house and Yue cannot wait to taste the food she has been forbidden to see until now.