The next morning, Josephine gave Laura a ring. It took a bit before Laura picked up.
Laura's voice was still groggy. "Josephine?"
"Did I wake you?" Josephine felt a bit awkward. "I thought you'd be up. Go back to sleep, I'm good."
"I'm awake now." Laura pulled Steven's arm over to use as a pillow. "What's up?"
"Just checking in. Did you two fight last night?"
"Yeah, we did," Laura admitted. "He was pissed I didn't tell him about the accident."
"Well, you should explain it to Steven and apologize. He must've been worried sick."
"I know."
"Alright, I won't keep you. I need to tidy up; Stuart's coming to pick up Jeffery later."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Steven leaned in to kiss her. Laura pushed his face away. "Leave me alone."
"What's wrong, Laura?" Steven leaned in again. "Didn't we patch things up last night?"
Laura grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "Who made up with you? I told you to control those physical urges, didn't I?"
"Are you calling me old again?"
"I mean, keep those physical desires in check" Laura said. "Even a twenty-year-old wouldn't dare to go at it like you do!"
"Doesn't that just show how strong I am?"
Laura closed her eyes. "Alright, stop talking. I need to sleep."
Steven, satisfied, held her. "Okay, okay, let's sleep."
Laura kicked him. "Why are you still in bed? Get up and exercise! If you get a big belly, I'll despise you!"
Steven laughed. "Don't worry, I won't. Even if I don't sport an eight-pack, a six-pack will do just fine. I'll maintain these abs till I hit eighty, all for you!"
Laura said, "They say men only behave when they're dead. That saying is so true."
"Not behaving means I'm healthy."
Laura ignored him. She was too tired and fell asleep quickly.
Steven kissed her and obediently got out of bed to exercise. At his age, if he slacked off on exercise, his abs would really disappear easily.
Meanwhile, Stuart had finished his morning workout and was driving to Josephine's place. He wanted to go early but was afraid of disturbing Josephine's rest. So he sent her a message and only went over after she replied.
Early in the morning, the flowers he had ordered were delivered. Getting out of the car, he took the flowers and entered the elevator.
An elderly woman with her grandson happened to be coming out of the elevator. The little boy, about six or seven years old, saw the flowers in Stuart's hand and said, "Grandma! Look at those beautiful flowers!"
"Yes, they are very beautiful."
"That man is handsome too! Are the flowers for his girlfriend?"
"Maybe."
The elevator doors closed, cutting off the conversation between the grandmother and grandson.
Stuart looked down and smiled, feeling a strange sense of peace, which was something he hadn't felt in the past five years.
When he reached the floor, he knocked on the door and felt inexplicably nervous during the few seconds he waited.
The door opened, but no one was there. He looked down and saw Jeffery.
Jeffery was sporting a red and white sweater adorned with animal patterns, looking incredibly adorable. The colors accentuated his cuteness, adding a touch of charm.
"Good morning, Jeffery." Stuart looked at the flowers in his hand. "Sorry, I forgot to get you flowers."
"I don't need any," Jeffery said, looking up at him. "Good morning. The flowers are beautiful; my mommy will love them."
Stuart patted his head and walked in.
Josephine poked her head out from the kitchen. "You're here?"
Stuart walked over. "These are for you."
The fragrance of roses filled the air. Josephine took them and smiled. "Thank you, they're beautiful. I love them."
"Are you cooking?" Stuart glanced into the kitchen.
Josephine felt a bit embarrassed. "I just heated some milk and made some toast."
"I'll take over." Stuart rolled up his sleeves and headed into the kitchen.
"Then I'll go arrange the flowers." Josephine found a vase, got some scissors, cut the stems at an angle, and put them in the vase.
There were so many flowers that she had to use two more vases to fit them all. By the time she was done, Stuart had come out of the kitchen. He had made eggs, bacon, ham, and even a vegetable soup.
Jeffery asked him, "Stuart, who taught you to cook?"
Stuart handed him a simple sandwich with meat and vegetables and a bowl of soup. "I taught myself."
"Why did you learn to cook?" Jeffery was curious. "You have a chef and a housekeeper at home."
Stuart glanced at Josephine and said, "I wanna cook for the one I love. Cooking ain't just a task sometimes; it's a way to express love."
"Oh." Jeffery took a bite of his bread, swallowed, and said, "Then I want to cook too. I'll cook for mommy."
Josephine patted his head. "Eat up. You don't need to worry about that now. Besides, many boys learn to cook to impress their girlfriends."
"I want to cook for mommy!"
"Alright, thank you." Josephine leaned in and kissed him, then asked Stuart, "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
Stuart sat down. "I'll join you."
After they had eaten, Stuart said, "In a few days, some friends want to get together. Josephine, are you free? Can you come with me?"
Josephine hesitated. "I don't think I'll go. I'm not familiar with your friends."
"Don't you want to go?" Stuart said. "Most of them are friends I've made in recent years, and they're all nice. I want them to meet you."
In the past, their social circles hardly overlapped. The people Stuart hung out with didn't mix with Josephine's crowd. Now, he had made new friends and wanted Josephine's approval.
In the past, those people had been unfriendly to Josephine because of his attitude. He would never let that happen again.
Josephine was thinking that their relationship was still uncertain, and meeting his friends would be awkward. But seeing the hopeful look in Stuart's eyes, she said, "We'll see. I might not have time."
Stuart had to say, "Okay."
After breakfast, Josephine had to go to the research institute, and Stuart took Jeffery to drop her off.
After she left, Stuart asked Jeffery, "Do you want to go straight to see your grandparents? Or is there somewhere you want to go? I can take you."
"Don't you have to work?" Jeffery asked.
Stuart said, "If you need something, I can skip work."
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Of course!"
After Jeffery told him, Stuart was a bit surprised. "You?"
Jeffery nodded. "Yeah, I wanna make money to get mommy a birthday gift."
Stuart ruffled his hair, his eyes gentle. "Alright."