“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?”

“Y-Yeah… I think I can take it!”

“Are you sure? It is your first time...”

“No, I have to be brave! I can’t remain a little girl anymore...”

“If you say so...”

Nodding my head in agreement, I gingerly moved out of the kitchen, giving Althea all the space in the world. Today was a special day for the two of us. It wasn’t our anniversary, and neither was it any of our birthdays. However, today will remain dear to our hearts for the rest of our lives.

Why?

Because today was Althea’s first time cooking dinner.

All on her own.

Throughout the year of interacting with me, I had taken care of all of her meals. Be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. Be it a full course meal or a simple snack like nachos and cheese. I was the one doing all of the cooking in the house. Of course, when we first started, I taught Althea the basics of cooking, but since the girl was an absolute beginner, we had to start from the basics of the basics.

I mean, the girl almost washed my vegetables with soap before! Calling her a newbie would be a total understatement.

Naturally, as the months progressed, Althea had picked up bits and pieces of my cooking skills. She was nowhere near my knifework, but at least she could properly fillet a fish now.

Like any escalator professional kitchen, Althea began as a dishwasher. Slowly, she climbed through the ranks of a rice cooker, vegetable peeler, stove watcher… until she was finally good enough to be my sous chef.

Nowadays, the chores for our meals are divided equally. Sometimes, she would cook while I kept an eye on her; others, she watched me to learn some new skills. Granted, Althea had already become a decent cook. But for the most part, I was always watching over her just in case she made a mistake. It was a long and arduous road, but eventually…

It was time for Althea to plan out her own meal.

“I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”

“Y-Yeah, you go finish your work! By the time you’re done, dinner will be served!”

“Hehe, I’m looking forward to it.”

I retreated to my workstation, giving Althea all the space in the world to complete her arduous task. While I didn’t have my hands on the menu, I knew full well what Althea was cooking. It wasn’t something simple like instant noodles or fried rice. Neither was it a sophisticated dish like sushi or chocolate mousse.

Althea was preparing sweet-and-sour pork with fresh fish that was steamed with a special soy sauce. Not only that, she was cooking the rice, vegetables and side dishes all on her own!

It wasn’t going to be easy, but truth to be told, Althea had long obtained the skills necessary to breeze through the meals. After all, I had been teaching her how to cook since the very beginning of the year. Althea was much more proficient than the average home chef, even if she wasn't at my level.

The only problem was her lack of confidence. If Althea could complete her first meal all on her own, she could very well take over my role as the family's chef.

“Desir! I’m done!”

Precisely an hour later, Althea’s voice snapped me out of my coding routine and brought me back to reality. Laid out on the dining table as a full spread of freshly cooked meals, each one presented with great detail. Heck, it might even rival some of the meals I’ve seen in popular restaurants.

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But while it looked good, how did it taste?

“Wow, you really completed everything on your own!”

“Hehe, I was worried that I may have messed something up, but I somehow managed.”

“Don’t say that,” I chuckled as I reached for my lover’s head. “You are skilled enough! I had full confidence that you’ll perfectly cook the best meals!”

“Really?”

“Really!”

I gently stroked Althea’s face before settling down in my designated chair. Althea did the same and scooped a nice bowl of rice for me. At the same time, she presented some of the side dishes for me to enjoy, plus ripping out a fresh slice of fish.

“H-Here, have a taste!”

“Let me try...”

As the tender piece of fish entered my mouth, I used my teeth to gently caress it. And as expected, the slice of meat ripped apart so easily that it might as well be made out of butter. Such tenderness was only possible if the fish was cooked to perfection. Not only that, the flavour was impeccable. Even though it was soy sauce based, it wasn’t too salty, and neither was it bland. There was a tinge of sweetness and bitterness, making it a complex flavour that wasn’t seen in amateur cooking.

“H-How is it? Did I overcook it? Or is it still not cooked yet?”

“This is amazing!”

“R-Really?!”

“Have I ever lied to you before?” I smiled as I picked up a spoonful of the fish and moved it to her mouth. “It’s good! I dare say even better than my cooking!”

“You’re only saying that...”

Althea munched on the fish, slowly appreciating its flavour. “Hah… It does taste good, but it’s a little bit off from what you usually cook.”

“Haha, everyone has their own unique styles. If you can emulate what I do a hundred percent, it wouldn’t be YOUR cooking anymore, right?”

“You’re right...”

As I bellowed out in laughter, I couldn’t help but reflect on what led us here. Althea was growing at an exponential rate. When I first met her, the girl couldn’t even wash vegetables. She didn’t have control over her own life and was on the verge of collapsing. No, she really did collapse. That’s how I met her in the first place.

But as the months went by, Althea had blossomed from a simple university girl to a mature woman that was far beyond her years. She was even capable of cooking such an elaborate meal like this! And most importantly of all…

I will get to taste Althea’s cooking for the rest of my life.

Jesus, have we reached the point of no return?

I can’t imagine a world without Althea, and it’s probably the same for her. Just imagining that we will have to live apart… That just brings shivers down my spine.

“Hmmm? Darling, what are you thinking?” Now that her anxiety was brushed aside, Althea reverted back to her coquettish demeanour.

“Babe… What are you going to do once you graduate?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Are you going to move back with your parents, or are you going to stay here?”

“...”

As if a thunderbolt had struck her head, Althea froze in place. She had probably never thought that far ahead. Althea was only living next door because her parents wanted her to have a safe space to live near her school. When she graduates, her parents won’t have a reason to keep the apartment next door.

No matter how wealthy Althea’s parents were, it didn’t make sense to keep renting an apartment that they wouldn’t use.

And if that happens…

“I-I don’t know yet...”

“...”

“When I graduate, I should become a proper member of society rather than leeching off my parents. But, I might need to find a job first before I can begin finding an apartment to rent. So I might have to move back with my parents first, but...”

Althea looked at me with longing eyes. Even without saying anything, I knew what the girl was feeling. She didn’t want to leave me. Not even to return to her parent's house to live.

But Althea couldn’t expect her parents to rent out an apartment just because of her selfish desires. So the girl was caught in a mental conundrum.

Goodness, girl… Isn’t there a simple solution?

“If that’s the case, why don’t you officially move in with me?”

“H-Huh?”

E-Eh? Why did it sound more embarrassing than I’d thought? Isn’t this akin to a proposal? Gulping down hard, I tried my best to calm myself down:

“T-That is… Y-You, don’t want to burden your parents, right? Then, you should move in with me! B-Besides, you’re already living here most of the time anyway. A-Also, if you move in here, we can share the burden of the housework! O-Once you get a job, we can split the rent too! Y-You know, there are so many merits to living together!”

“Hehe, thank you, Darling...”

Althea gently pawed over my hand and leaned on my shoulder.

“What if I told you… That I don’t want to get a job? What if I said I wanted to leech off you and be your housewife?”

Smiling, I turned to the side and pinched my baby’s nose. “If that’s what you want, I’ll definitely oblige. But if you want to be a housewife, first you will have to be my wife. Would you like to be Missus Snow?”

“T-That!”

Once again, both of us went too far in our teasing. Once we broke out from our playful mood, a wave of embarrassment descended upon us. I could feel the blood rush to my face while Althea’s complexion had already turned as red like a boiled octopus.

Crap… I almost proposed right then and there.

“Missus Snow… That doesn’t sound too bad...”

“Ahem! We can talk about that next time! Let’s finish our dinner, alright? I don’t want the food that you so painstakingly made to turn cold!”

Ignoring her statement, I returned back to the delicious fish on my plate. Yes, this is how fish should taste!

“I need to get better at cooking...”

“What was that?”

“N-Nothing, just eat!”

I couldn’t hear the last part of Althea’s mutter, but that didn’t change much. We silently ate the remaining of our dinner, with an awkward yet heart-wrenching atmosphere hanging over our necks.