Chapter 22
DINNER TIME.
Cressida walked into the room, picked up her phone from the nightstand, and sat down on the bed, while Alaric lay beside her, engrossed in his phone.
She pressed her phone for a few seconds and discharged a soft breath before standing on her feet, walking to the nightstand to put her phone down.
“I wonder what’s got you so occupied…” she said with a smile, folding her arms and leaning slightly to the left. “You’re so absorbed in your phone that you didn’t even notice me walking in.”
Alaric looked up, a smile still on his face. “I knew you walked in, and I’m not to blame for being glued to my phone—blame the author, not me.”
She furrowed her face. “I should blame the author, not you?” She uttered, unclear.
Alaric nodded, confirming, “yes, it’s her fault for creating a world that’s got me completely hooked,” he explained. “I was so invested that I couldn’t tear my mind away until I finished reading all the available chapters,”
“Sorry, it’s an addiction I just can’t shake,” he said, shrugging his left shoulder and resting his jaw on it. “Now I’m stuck waiting patiently for updates…”
He slammed his phone onto the bed. “Gosh, it’s killing me!” he lamented, but then a smile spread across his lips as he continued, “the amazing thing is, she updates constantly.”
Cressida couldn’t help but snicker as she watched him. “You’re this invested because of a book?” she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
She snickered again. “Am I missing something? I just don’t get the hype around reading books,” she commented. “I find it weird when someone can’t seem to live without reading. Honestly, I think it’s a total waste of time.”
“You do not know what you’re missing!” Alaric exclaimed, his voice rising. He let out a soft scoff, his eyes locked intensely on hers. “Reading is not a waste of time. It never was, and it never will be,”
“See, reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. It expands your mind and broadens your horizons. Reading unlocks knowledge. It’s my best travel companion.” He pointed out.
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Okay, fine. I won’t argue, but trust me, I won’t be spending hours, or even a minute, reading a book when there are more interesting ways to spend my time.” She said.
“Okay, I won’t argue either,” he said with a smirk, “but read ‘Daggers In The Hearts’ on this app, and let’s see if you’ll still say the same thing. You’ll be blown away, and I’m willing to bet that when you’re done, you’ll be begging for more recommendations,”
He turned off his phone screen, raised his chin, and continued with a confident tone, “And when that time comes, I’ll wear my ‘I told you so’ with pride. You’ll be eating your words, and I won’t even need to ask for an apology—you’ll be offering one voluntarily.”
She nodded in acceptance. “Agreed,” she said with a sly smile, her eyes locking onto his. She changed her standing posture, her hands still folded on her chest, her voice taking on a playful tone. “And if I’m not blown away?”
“Fire away,” he declared, his voice and smile radiating unwavering confidence. “Ask for anything, and consider it done. No questions asked. No hesitation.”
“Deal,” she said with a slight smile. She relaxed her stance, releasing her hands from her chest, and let out a deep breath before continuing, “I’ll download the app later and see what all the fuss is about—with the book, and with reading.”
Alaric shook his head calmly. “Don’t get it wrong, Cressida. No one gets away with saying reading is overhyped in front of me. But I’m making an exception for you. Trust me, once you’ve finished reading, you’ll never say that again.”
Cressida wrinkled her nose in distaste and looked away. “I’m not in for a debate…” she uttered.
She locked eyes with him once more, her head nodding twice. Her upper lip curled slightly, and her nose tilted. “Reading makes you think about things that can never come to pass,” she retorted. “I mean, many ladies dream of Mr. Perfect, which every reasonable person knows is nothing more than a fantasy.”
“Mr. Perfect is a fantasy?!” He exclaimed, and she joggled her head. “What do you mean? Am I not a living, breathing example of Mr. Perfect?” He asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“Aside from this,” he gestured to his feet, questioning, “what other flaws do I have?”
Cressida’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she let out a stifled laugh, quickly clamping her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. “Okay,” she uttered.
With a soft sigh, she broke eye contact with him, deliberately changing the subject. “Dinner’s ready,” she announced. “I’ll be eating at the table, but I will bring your food over first since you were adamant that I should serve you.”
“Bring my food over?” He repeated, surprise etched in his voice. His face contorted in confusion, and he looked up at her, even though she wasn’t meeting his gaze.
“Why?” He pressed his tone with a mix of amusement and curiosity. “Why bring my food over?”
“You-” she glanced at him to give a response, but he didn’t give her space.
“Have I lost all my chances?” He asked, his voice colored with self-pity. “I messed up at breakfast, I admit it. But shouldn’t I get another shot now?”
“I-” she tried finding herself a space to speak again, but he still didn’t give her a chance.
“Don’t I deserve a second chance to… to prove myself?” He queried.
“You do,” Cressida replied simply. She paused briefly, expecting Alaric to continue, but when he didn’t, she went on. “Your chances aren’t limited, Alaric. I just want to give you time to prepare yourself,”
“Maybe it’s my fault for not giving you enough time to get ready this morning,” Her voice was gentle, with a hint of self-reflection and a willingness to share the blame. “I think you should rest today. We still have tomorrow and every other day.”
He shook his head firmly. “No,” he said, his voice laced with urgency. “We can’t afford to spend too much time on one task. A year will pass before we know it, and if we’re not careful, the contract will expire. If that happens, will you renew it?”
“Hun?”
His question took her aback, and she was speechless for a moment. She swallowed hard, forcing a faint smile onto her face as she swiftly changed the subject. “You’re right. We shouldn’t waste time on a single task,”
She quickly moved to his wheelchair and pulled it nearer, her tone light and distracting. “Let’s go out to eat.” She said.
“Thanks,” he muttered softly, as he carefully maneuvered himself from the bed to the wheelchair. She assisted him in getting settled, adjusting the chair to ensure his comfort.
He looked up at her and smiled warmly. “Thanks.”
Cressida wheeled Alaric into the dining room, her movements swift and purposeful.
Dawson, Amabel, and Felix froze in surprise, speechless, as they watched the scene unfold before them.
Without a word or a glance at Dawson, Cressida positioned Alaric’s wheelchair beside her chair and slid the chair over to create a space, then guided the wheelchair into the newly created gap.
Amabel broke the silence, her voice tinged with confusion. “What’s going on here?” She asked, her spoon hovering near her lips, suspended in mid-air.
Alaric disregarded Amabel’s inquiry and instead turned his attention to Cressida, his eyes locking onto her face. “You prepared the meal, right?” He asked, and Cressida responded with a subtle nod. A hint of a smile played on his lips as he added, “then I’ll eat as much as I can.”
“Alright,” Cressida replied, a warm smile spreading across her face, oblivious to others’ gazes, her focus solely on him. She reached for a plate from the center of the table and set it down in front of him.
Cressida carried the food container over and placed it beside his plate. “Should I serve you, or would you like to help yourself?” She asked, her eyes meeting his with a gentle smile.
Alaric shrugged nonchalantly. “Either way is fine,” he said. “Actually, I’ll just help myself. You should enjoy the meal too, after putting in all the effort to prepare it.”
Amabel’s patience snapped, her voice rising slightly as she demanded, “I want to know what’s going on here!” Her eyes darted between Cressida and Alaric.
Despite Amabel’s plan that Cressida should capture Alaric’s heart, witnessing his unusual joy was more than she could bear. “You can’t just barge in here and disrupt our meal,” she objected, her irritation growing. “You’re being utterly disruptive.”
“Ma-” Cressida began in a calm tone, but Alaric interrupted her.
“Let’s make a game out of this,” he said with a charming smile. “We’ll pretend we’re the only ones here and savor our meal together. We’ll tune out everything else. No seeing, no hearing. Just us. Okay?”
Cressida nodded, a bright grin on her face. Without uttering a word, she seized the serving spoon and scooped the jollof rice onto Alaric’s plate, piling it high until it was almost overflowing.
She covered the remaining jollof rice and returned it to its position. Then she reached for the chicken’s container and placed it beside Alaric’s plate. “Eat to your satisfaction,” she said. “Even if it means I’ll enter the kitchen again to prepare more.”