Duke could not withstand it either so he laughed back to owning up to not being able to do it as he had never been faced with such a situation. Bethany, could not stop laughing at him and without noticing that she had held some garlic with her hands, she touched her face with it and the effect was instant as it began hurting her face.
Not being able to control herself, she cried for help and Duke walked to her asking what the problem was and she explained what was happening to her. Rushing into the bathroom and getting a soaked towel, he told her to have a sit in the kitchen while he massage her face and later applying some pain relievers on her face.
“Calm down I am here Bethany, stop moving your body so that I can apply it better”, he spoke out holding her against his body and blowing her face while applying the rub. Telling her that everything was going to be fine, he could watch how beautiful she looked even with so many pains.
Watching her calm down her asked whether she was feeling better but she felt like her face was on fire. Duke reassuring her that it was because of the rub, she sat still and waited for some minutes.
” You can leave the cooking and we could just order some food and have it deliver here”, Duke spoke out and Bethany raising her gaze, laughed at him saying,
“The city’s majority parts are been flooded because of the rain and you think that anyone will come here to deliver us food?”.
Searching his head with both hands, Duke confirmed that he was really stupid as he had forgotten about the present situation of the city now. Sitting down he asked Bethany what they were going to do and she told him that she was going to make dinner for them.
Making an effort to stop her, Bethany told him not to bother as it was just a minor issue that was already been taken care of, and besides, that was not what was going to stop her from making a meal for herself.
Duke came to admire her the more and was happy that someone like her had to path his way. Everything seemed to have gotten back to normal and she had risen to her feet asking him to proceed with what he was doing.
” I think I will just sit and watch you do it if not I might just soul everything”, he spoke out excluding himself as he went to get a glass of wine. Bethany was loving every second of the moment that she was living and she could. jit have asked for any other thing than that, just that she did not know how to confess her feelings.
Returning to the kitchen, Duke stared at Bethany while she washed the ingredients and placed them in a bowl, turning to cut the chicken into pieces. Taking a look at Duke, she told him to oat attention as she cut the sizes, showing him what she was doing at every step of the way.
When the slices were piled up, she told him to use one lemon to wash it again properly. Taking out the lemon, he asked whether he should press it on the chicken and open the tap so that water could gill the chicken.
Turning around, she asked Duke whether he loved fruit juice as she had notched that the only fruit that was in his fridge was a pineapple. He nodded in acceptance. Letting out a smile, she rinsed her hands and turned to walk to the ride to get the pineapple out.
Duke standing in front of her blocking her way, she could not bear but to notice his features flaring in his singlet. Changing positions, she started at the width of Duke’s broad shoulders under the white singlet that he was putting on.
Stammering while she was looking at them lusting as it was very obvious, Duke could see that she was dying to touch it but the courage was lacking.
Asking her what the problem is, Bethany came back to her senses and shaking her head in denial, she said that there was no problem. She took out the pineapple and came back and with the knives, she made some cuts to season the chicken parts with some salt, thyme, curry, and some seasoning cubes.
Blending them well, she set it aside to meld well while she focused on the tomatoes and onions. Duke approached her, watching as she manipulated the tomatoes and onions on the chopping board, closing his eyes each time he saw that the knife was too close to her hands.
“Do not be scared I am used to the kitchen and its cuts, but what I can not endure are personal cuts”, she said keeping her eyes on what she was doing.
Duke glanced at her and returning to the seat behind Bethany, he shook his glass of wine, telling her to permit him to ask her a question. Bethany turned around to look at him and without any disturbance, she asked him to go ahead.
” Have you ever dated in your life?.
The question fell out like thunder and she took her time before answering it, so as not to make a mistake. Standing the pot on the stove, she poured in some oil letting it get heated up a little before taking the chopped tomatoes and onions to put inside.
When she was done doing that, she took in a deep breath while she answered with a “no” to Duke’s questions.
“So how do you know that you will be hurt if you have never had to be in any relationship before?”, he asked while waiting for an answer.
Storing the ingredients in the pot, Bethany related how the relationships of a good number of people that she knows, had ended up badly and most times, both parties turned to become sworn enemies.
Listening to her explanation, he told her not to deprive herself of love because of the experiments of others but Bethany did not want to listen to him as she quoted her friend Eva and the last incident that she had encountered, that relationship had left her friend in pieces and it was very difficult to get her back to the way she uses to be.
” I know that a lot of people enjoy being in a couple but I just don’t see it as something that is a priority for how”, she mumbled.
Duke further asked her if she has never thought of having a man or a family of her own but his answer shock him,
“I don’t always think of that”.
” I always thought most women wanted to marry and have children”, he said feeling the conversation getting more tensed.
Raising her elbows in the glass-topped table next to the sink, she started directly to his distinctive profile, ” I suppose I am not like most women”.
” Don’t you want children?”, he inquired,
She nodded, “Yes”
“But you don’t want to marry?”, she nodded again,
” You plan to be a baby mama?”,
A hint of a smile curved her mouth. “No, what I would be is a single mother”, she spoke out, adding cream to the sauce that she was already making inquiring from him how he loves his chicken.
” Do you like it fried, baked, or just fresh like it is?”, and Duke answered with,
“Whatever way you want to do it, I know that it will be very delicious”.
” Oh, sure it will no doubt”.
Bothered, Duke had never seen a lady who was so firm with her convictions.
Kyle raising his eyebrows, he raised a question,
“You said that you will be a single mother, is there a difference with all the other things that I had asked you?”.
” Of course there is”, Bethany states emphatically.
“A baby mama is a woman without a husband or a man in her life. A single mother can be divorced, widowed or she can adopt a child without the benefit of marriage”, she clarified.
Duke was wowed by her responses without even having to mix her words. He was aware right from the start that he was going to be faced with a lot of challenges but listening to her from the moment that they began to have a normal conversation, he had noticed that the journey will be tougher.
” Do you intend to adopt?”, he kept the questions going and Bethany noticing that he was asking so many questions, asked him what he had at the back of his mind.
Duke smiling at her, said that he had nothing in particular and that he just wanted to get to know her more.
“You wouldn’t want us to stay here like people who are dumb right?”, he raised a question and they both laughed out.
The aroma from the food and already filled the whole place and she was done cleaning the potatoes and cutting them into reasonable sizes. switching on the oven, she placed the sliced potatoes in very good positions and sprinkling some olive oil on them, she wrapped the tray with foil paper and opening the oven with her left hand, she placed the try with the help of her right hand.
” Now we just have to wait for it to get ready”, she said licking her lips and Duke adding behind her that he is certain that the meal will be yummy, Bethany smiled.
She began with The pineapple and inquiring from him whether had a juice presser, he said no but Bethany had to find a way to do so, and sighting a blender that was on the sink, she took it and chopping the pineapple into smaller sizes, she was able to blend it and with the help of a sieve, she was able to extract the juice with it.
Thinking that she had forgotten about his question, Duke called her attention to it and she replied,
“Yes, I will love to adopt. There are so many homeless children languishing in a foster homes and that is criminal. Once I have a stable job and I am done with my mum’s treatment, I will go through the adoption process for a school-age child”.
Duke stared at Bethany, his admiration for her surpassing his interest in her as a woman. He had found her physically appealing, but her intelligence and sense of purpose as to what she wished for in life, were very pleasant surprises.
He had met so many women whose sole focus was landing a ” rich young man”, and he had stopped dating because he realized that, most of the ladies that he had encountered, had nothing upstairs.
It was as if they had all gone to the same school and had taken the same courses.
Their brains seemed to think just of the same things, “rich and influential men and most times the sex”.
Rising on his feet and walking closer to her, he pulled her closer from behind and whispering in her ears,
” What if I want you to be in my life and also in my bed?”.
That question made goosebumps appear on Bethany’s skin and feeling so uncomfortable, she laughed at it saying that she knew that he was not serious.
She turned off the flames under the pot and taking off the lid, the sauce was looking so yummy.
The potato too was ready and she turned off the oven as well. Inquiring from him whether they were to eat on the glass table in the kitchen or the room, Bethany took out two glasses and rinsing them, she opened the fridge to get some ice blocks for the juice.
“We can eat anywhere as long as you are comfortable”, he spoke out letting out a smile.