Gu Cheng watched Zaria as she leaned over the sink full of warm, soapy water and washed their dishes. The leftovers were put away, the table cleared, and he was taking his time wiping down the counter and stove so that he could watch her stealthily while claiming to be helping. Dinner had gone well. Zaria was a good listener and quick to pick up the instructions given to her. The stirfried noodles and vegetables were a simple dish but healthy and did not take long to make. A good first dish to practice with. To put her at ease, he gave instructions for each step and then stepped out of the kitchen so that she could complete each part herself without her boss staring over her shoulder. Truth be told, he needed those moments outside of the kitchen as well, if for a different reason.
Sitting in her living room so close, while they waited for the items to finish in the dryer, was torture. The offer of a set of his own clothes for her to wear since hers were wet had been an impulsive one, and seeing her greet him at the door wearing them made him feel as though his insides had been scrambled. Words stuck in his throat, made worse when she hinted about certain items being in the dryer and, hence, not being worn. Years of self-discipline kept him from pulling her to him, and it took him several minutes while she was gone to check on the status of her items to get himself back under control.
He sat on the couch while she went to go get a glass of water and stared at the blank television. Never in his life had he felt such strong reactions to another person. In his younger, rebellious days before joining the Army, he had dalliances because it was what all the other boys were doing. As he got older he learned that arousal was easy to control. Perhaps it was because he was older he didn't remember what that teenage lust felt like anymore, but this felt different. He was drawn to her, like a moth circling a street lamp at night, and he did not know why.
She walked up to him with a proud grin, presenting a glass of water. He stared at it, wondering if she had put something in his food or drinks to make him so obsessed. She apologized and set the water down before sitting and fidgeting with her fingers in her lap. No, it was a preposterous idea. Even if she had the opportunity to slip him something over the last week, he couldn't convince himself that she was capable of it. Fiery and yet polite and even docile at times, she seemed incapable of deceit. She had her secrets, but he didn't for a second belief that she was manipulating him.
Obviously uncomfortable, Zaria chattered about needing to find a shop nearby to buy some supplies. Gu Cheng pulled the glass of water closer, taking a long drink to soothe his parched throat. When she mentioned that she had used a men's body wash left behind by someone, he felt a strong feeling very similar to anger. He tamped it down. It was a silly thing to get angry about. There was no way that she had soaps of her own yet, and it was not her fault that his brother left his noxious products behind the last time that he was there.
His thoughts were murky as he showed her how to cook her first dish. He was still angry, and every time it started to fade she would pass closer to get to a pan and the smell of the body wash would enter his nose again and his anger was back. He finally stepped away completely to get away from the smell.
As they were cleaning the dishes and the kitchen afterward, she asked questions about the kind of food he enjoyed eating so that she could look up recipes on the internet rather than relying on him to show her how to make things every night. She looked relieved to learn that he would eat just about anything, with no known allergies, although he did prefer to stay away from the super spicy dishes.
" I believe I can remember all that," Zaria said with a satisfied smile. " I have to admit that I rather enjoyed preparing this meal tonight. Not that I will enjoy preparing every meal I make, but it was an interesting experience. Normally, I use a lot of prepackaged things because it is easier. I used to try out new recipes a lot, but...it doesn't matter. Maybe it is just more fun to cook for someone than to cook for just myself."
"You used to cook for your... boyfriend?"
She laughed and shook her head. "Oh, jeez no. I wouldn't date any of those boys from my town. I cooked for my dad. He was a big fan of deep-fried everything, so the only way I could get him to eat healthier was to cook for us whenever I was able to. So I played with recipes a lot, and I learned as much as I could from my grandmother when I spent summers with her. "
"Your mother did not enjoy cooking?" Gu Cheng asked as he meticulously dried his hands and led her from the kitchen to the living room.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"She died when I was very little. I don't know." Zaria smiled and shook her head when Gu Cheng offered his condolences. "Thank you, but I don't remember her. I was raised by my dad, and I think he did a great job."
They were interrupted by the buzzing of a phone. Gu Cheng picked his cell phone up from the coffee table in front of him, opening the message when he saw it was from Chiu Leong. "It looks like your bags are on their way upstairs. I will ask him to leave them at your door, and you can go out and get them in a few minutes."
Zaria started toward the door. "I should go and thank him for bringing them. It is probably better that I head over to the apartment now, anyway. I don't want to bother you anymore, and it is getting late."
Gu Cheng stood up and blocked her path to the door. "I don't think it would be a good idea to greet him in your current state. I will send him a message with your thank you later."
She looked down at her outfit, the baggy sweats making her look like a child playing with their parents' clothing. "Oh, I guess it would be rude to greet him when dressed so casually. Actually, I apologize to you as well. I should have put all my clothes in the dryer at the same time, but I was worried it would make the dry time much longer. I will strive to be more professional in the future."
Gu Cheng watched her as her mind seemed to wander, and her eyes drifted to the side. The jealous bug came back and bit him again at the idea of his old friend seeing her dressed so adorably.He scowled and shook his head to clear it, unsure of where that thought came from.
"Is there a dress code that I should follow? I don't know if what I have will be office appropriate," Zaria said in a small voice, her eyes unfocused.
Gu Cheng stared at her for a moment, his brain trying to get back on track. "You can show me what you have, if you don't mind, and I will let you know."
They exited the apartment together after slipping their shoes back on. Zaria giggled quietly behind his broad back, stifling it when he looked at her inquisitively. "Sorry, I was just thinking it seemed a little odd to be changing back into my shoes to walk nine meters to my own door. It is definitely the shortest distance I have ever walked between homes."
He did not respond, and they walked quietly to where her meager assortment of bags waited. Zaria had a chance to practice inputting the code for the first time, and when she turned back to pick up the bags, they were already all in Gu Cheng's hands. She hurriedly opened the door and apologized, "I'm sorry, you didn't have to pick all of those up." She followed him in, pulling out the pair of slippers he used earlier and setting them in front of his feet so he could slide into them easier before pulling out her own. By the time she had her slippers on, she was scurrying to catch up to him. Gu Cheng set all of the bags down by the dining room table, frowning at the single bag that was not from the mall store he bumped into her at earlier in the day. "Is there more than this? Where is all of your clothing?"
"I haven't bought much since I arrived. There were more important things to do with what money I earned." Her face flushed in embarrassment.
From one of the mall bags, she pulled out the cargo pants and tops and then pulled her outfit purchased from Auntie Wang's shop and her restaurant uniform. Not waiting to hear Gu Cheng's judgemental remarks, she dug into her canvas bag and pulled out her painkillers before going into the kitchen. Gu Cheng's frown deepened. "Are you in a lot of pain?"
"It isn't too bad," she said, her voice intentionally bright. He remembered thinking a few times during dinner that she seemed tired, but the thought of her injury completely slipped his mind. "It doesn't matter, I have the pills now so I can take them right away."
"If you were in pain, you should have told me. I could have gotten more for you."
When she blankly blinked up at him, he sighed and stepped around her to get a glass for water so she could take her pills. "I don't like that you would keep something from me like being in pain. Please don't do it in the future."
"I-," she accepted the glass of water and stared at it like it might suddenly come alive. "I am sorry, I didn't think it was worth bothering you over."
Gu Cheng sighed and ran his hands through his silky black hair. He started to respond but shook his head and left the kitchen instead. When she reentered the dining room a moment later, he tilted his head toward the sad pile of clothing.
"This is all you have?" Gu Cheng crossed his arms over his chest, his biceps straining the short sleeves of his top.
"Well, I have what I was wearing earlier, but I would like to wash it before wearing it since it got all wet in the rain. I need to pick up some laundry detergent before I can do that..." Zaria looked down at the limited variety in front of her. She felt the need to defend herself, so I added, "I was working in a clothing shop, I didn't need to have anything too fancy. And like I said, what money I had was better spent on other things at the time."
She looked back up to see Gu Cheng rubbing his fingertips lightly against his forehead. He pointed at the jeans and flowy top she purchased the second day in City C. "Wear this tomorrow,and I will take you to get new clothing after work." Seeing her open her mouth to argue, he walked around the table to stand in front of her, startling her enough that her mouth snapped shut.
Zaria nodded mutely, and Gu Cheng felt his heart beating faster. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned in closer and sniffed near her shoulder. "You are right. That body wash is really awful. Do you want to take another shower tonight to wash it off? I can bring you mine to use..."
Unable to speak, she swallowed hard and shook her head. "No -" her voice came out raspy, and she swallowed again. "No, thank you. People might get the wrong idea if we come into the office smelling the same. I can rinse off again to get rid of more of this smell." She stepped back, bumping into the wall behind her.
Gu Cheng slowly straightened, his eyes as dark as a moonless night. If he didn't leave right then he was going to trap her against the wall and claim her lips for his own. And she would hate him for it. Without a word, he turned on his heel and headed out of the dining area and toward the front door. Stopping only to get his shoes on, he called over his shoulder, "I will be here at 730 am to pick you up, be ready." The door was opened and closed before she could respond.
Zaria fanned her face with her hand and headed for the bathroom to take another shower. "If he is that intense with all women, then it is no wonder that they all chase after him."