Chapter 128 Cook for Me
Luca watched his retreating figure, let out a cold snort, and was about to turn to Olivia to say it was nothing when something crossed his mind. His eyes darted around, and he deliberately stumbled backward, furrowing his brows tightly and clutching his arm.
"Hiss!" He sucked in a sharp breath, his face paling a few shades, with tiny beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Olivia rushed over. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
She had only seen Luca subdue the homeless man earlier and missed the details. Now, seeing him like this, her heart clenched with worry.
Luca lifted his arm, revealing a torn sleeve from the earlier struggle and a red mark on his skin. It looked like a scratch from the homeless man—not deep, but noticeable.
"It's nothing. Just got scraped a bit while twisting his arm. It stings a little," he said, trying to sound casual, though his furrowed brows made him look uncomfortable.
"Nothing? It's all red!" Olivia pulled his arm closer to inspect it. Seeing no blood, she sighed with slight relief. "There's a pharmacy up ahead. I'll take you to get some disinfectant and ointment."
"No need to fuss over this. It's just a small scratch." Luca waved it off, pretending to brush it aside. "I'm tough. It'll heal in a couple of days."
"No way! What if it gets infected?" Olivia didn't wait for an answer and dragged him forward. "We have to take care of it, or I won't feel at ease."
Luca secretly chuckled to himself, but kept protesting. "Really, it's fine. Look, I'm totally okay, aren't I?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Olivia shot him a glare, her tone firm. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten into this mess. I can at least do this much."
Luca stopped arguing and let her pull him along. The slight pain in his arm felt like nothing compared to her concern.
At the pharmacy, Olivia asked the clerk for disinfectant, cotton swabs, and some ointment for bruising, plus an ice pack, which she handed to Luca. "Put this on first. It'll help with the swelling."
Luca obediently took the ice pack and pressed it to his arm, watching Olivia carefully unwrap a cotton swab and dip it in disinfectant. A warm feeling spread through him.
"It might sting a bit. Hang in there," Olivia said, glancing up at him as she gently wiped the red mark.
The disinfectant did sting, and Luca deliberately winced, sucking in a breath.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Olivia stopped immediately, her eyes full of worry.
"It's fine. Keep going." Luca shook his head, secretly thrilled by her concern. "It's just a bit cold."
Reassured, Olivia continued disinfecting, then squeezed out some ointment and carefully applied it to the mark. The warmth of her fingertips against his skin made Luca's heart flutter.
"All done. Apply it twice a day and don't get it wet. It should heal soon," Olivia said, packing up the supplies and looking at him. "Do you want to go to the hospital for an X-ray? I saw you stumble earlier. What if you hurt a bone?"
"No, no, I'm really fine," Luca quickly waved it off. "I just overdid it a bit and felt weak for a moment. A little rest, and I'll be good."
Worried about being exposed at the hospital, he changed the subject. "Didn't you need to get back to the studio for work? I'll drive you. I'm heading to the office anyway. It's on the way."
"You're in this state. How can you drive?" Olivia looked concerned.
"This little scratch won't stop me from driving. Don't worry," Luca said, pretending to be fine, though he kept his arm slightly lowered, avoiding too much strain.
Unable to argue, Olivia agreed. "Fine, but drive slowly. If you feel off, tell me right away."
"Got it," Luca replied with a smile, already plotting how to get closer to her next.
They walked to the parking lot. Luca opened the car door, acting like a gentleman by letting Olivia get in first before sliding into the driver's seat.
As he started the car, he deliberately winced, pretending his arm hurt when he used it, making Olivia keep glancing at it with worry in her eyes.
The car moved smoothly down the road, the cabin quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioning.
Olivia, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't help but sneak looks at Luca's arm.
Catching her subtle glances out of the corner of his eye, Luca cleared his throat and casually spoke up. "Honestly, I got this injury because of you today. Shouldn't you show some appreciation?"
Olivia blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, and nodded quickly. "Of course. How do you want me to thank you? How about I treat you to a meal? You pick the place."
She'd already been thinking of how to thank him, and now that he brought it up, it saved her the trouble of figuring out how to ask.
Luca smirked, glancing at her sideways and slowing his words on purpose. "Eating out gets boring after a while. It's nothing special."
Olivia blinked, a bit confused. "Then what do you want?"
"How about you cook for me instead?" Luca turned to look at her, a faint hint of anticipation in his eyes. "I remember your cooking. It's better than any restaurant chef's. Consider it compensation for my arm."
Olivia froze. She hadn't expected this request. Cooking for him felt way too personal. But looking at the injury on his arm, she couldn't bring herself to say no.
After all, if it weren't for him today, she might've been stuck with that homeless man for who knows how long, scared or even hurt. Plus, this injury was her fault. Cooking a meal didn't seem like a big deal.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she nodded. "Alright. Where should we do it?"
Luca raised an eyebrow. "My place."
Olivia was stunned. His place? Wasn't that a bit much?
But Luca didn't give her a chance to back out. "What, are you changing your mind?"
Olivia's expression shifted. "Isn't it a bit inconvenient to go to your place?"
Luca looked puzzled. "It's just me at home. What's inconvenient about it? Come on, it's settled."
Olivia was caught off guard. Just him?
Before she could think too much, she pulled out her phone and quickly texted her best friend, Emma: [Can you help me out? Please pick up Leo from kindergarten today. I'm tied up with something. I'll treat you to dinner later.]
Within seconds, Emma replied with a question mark, followed by: [What's going on? I'm picking up your kid. Are you on a date with some hot guy?]
Olivia rolled her eyes at the message and replied: [Don't overthink it. A friend helped me out, so I'm treating him to dinner. I can't get away. Hurry up, don't be late to pick up Leo.]
She stuffed her phone back into her pocket, not wanting to explain more to Emma and risk endless questions.
Luca noticed her texting and guessed it was about arranging for someone to pick up her kid. He felt a quiet thrill—good thing Leo wasn't coming, or he wouldn't have this chance to be alone with her.
The car wound through several turns before entering a quiet villa neighborhood, stopping in front of a standalone house.
Olivia looked at the familiar gate and paused. This was the house they bought when they first got married. After she moved out, she assumed he'd changed places, but he was still living here.
Noticing her hesitation, Luca pretended to be casual. "I've always lived here. Got used to it. Too lazy to move."
He pushed open the car door, slowing his movements on purpose, holding his arm awkwardly to seem like he was struggling.
Olivia snapped out of it and hurried to help. "Take it easy. Let me support you."
"No need. This little injury is nothing."
Though Luca said that, he leaned toward her slightly, his arm brushing against her wrist. The warm touch made both of them pause for a split second.
Olivia quickly pulled her hand back, pretending to fix her hair to hide her awkwardness.
Walking into the villa, Olivia's eyes discreetly scanned the living room.
The decor was still the same as back then, with the same furniture. Only the small trinkets she used to place around were gone, replaced by more understated decorations.
There were no signs of women's items in the living room. Everything screamed of a single man's neat and tidy lifestyle, with no trace of another woman's presence.
Olivia felt a bit surprised. He and Windy weren't together?