“Have some chicken.” Enrico commanded as a matter of course.
Paige picked up her chopsticks and carefully dismantled the chicken, which was stewed so fluffy that it fell off the bone as soon as it was dismantled, and brought it to Enrico’s lips one chopstick at a time.
Gabriel sat watching them with a small bowl, spooning white rice into his mouth, his eyes red with frustration.
He wanted chicken too.
But no one was feeding it to him.
Enrico just sat there, eyes locked on Paige, enjoying this sudden service from her, his mouth commanding from time to time, “I want another mouthful of soup.”
“Good.” Paige smiled faintly and spooned up more soup to his lips.
Enrico didn’t even lift his hand, bowing his head and taking the soup into his mouth, the flavor of the soup simmered lightly, but it tasted fresh in his mouth, unbelievably fresh.
There was no other chicken in the world that tasted as fresh as this.
Looking at such a gentle Paige, Enrico hooked his lips, “I’m starting to believe what you said in the first place now.”
“What words?” Paige looks at him.
“You said you’d be by my side wholeheartedly when the dust settles.” Enrico said.
“And did you like that?” Paige smiled and gazed into his deep brow, her eyes soft and loving.
“What do you say?” Enrico lifted his hand to hook the hair that had dabbed her cheek behind her ear and tilted his body over to get closer to her ear, his voice raspy and sexy, the words seductive, “I like it very much.”
“…”
Paige’s ears burned at the sound of his voice.
“…”
Gabriel sat there biting hard on the white rice in his mouth glaring at the two of them, protesting vaguely, “What are you whispering about?”
“Of course it’s only whispers if you can’t hear them.” Enrico turns his head to glance at him coolly.
Paige laughed at him, “Gabriel eat, more food.”
“I’ll feed too.” Gabriel watched Paige closely as his tiny body moved and the chain pendant hanging around his neck shifted.
Looking at the tiny metal ball, Paige thought about the chain of events that had preceded this one, and how thankfully, all the bad hadn’t fallen on a child’s head.
Since all the worries hadn’t happened, Gabriel was no different than a normal child, and it was time for her to change her previous coddling.
“You’re three years old and you need to eat on your own.” Paige said and added, “And learn to use chopsticks early.”
“…”
Gabriel was like being hit by a thunderbolt from a clear sky, the whole person looked at Paige in shock.
You still need to use chopsticks?
It’s tiring to eat with a spoon, but you still need to use chopsticks?
“What’s wrong, you don’t want to learn how to use chopsticks either?”
Paige laughed at him, “That’s not good, if you don’t even want to learn the basic operations of life, then I really need to hire a teacher to teach you.”
A teacher?
A teacher!
Gabriel’s eyes went wide with disbelief as he asked, “Mommy, I thought you said you’d never have to take a class again?”
Paige gave him a strange look as she sat there unwrapping the chicken, “When did I say I’d never have to go to class again, am I not going to let you go to school even when you’re of school age?”
How is that possible.
“Snap.”
The small spoon fell from Gabriel’s hand.
He sat paralyzed in his chair, just feeling like there was thunder in his little head all the time rumbling, rumbling … shocking him into confusion.
He was about to say something when Enrico pointed to a dish across the room, “Paige, I’m going to have that.”
“Good.” Paige complied as he went for the dish, her eyes skimming over Gabriel.
“…”
Gabriel froze and looked up as he watched Paige busy herself with Enrico.
The rumble above him turned into a downpour, he thought.
…
Paige was as gentle as a different person today.
When he entered his room, there were flowers on the side and warm water on the bed; when he entered the bathroom, there was toothpaste on his toothbrush, hot water in the tub, the blow dryer had been hooked up to electricity, and even his bathroom shoes had been replaced with a new pair.
Enrico stepped out of the bathroom and reached up to button his buttons as a cool breeze blew in through the floor-to-ceiling glass door.
The door was open, and on the yellowishly lit patio, a showered Paige sat alone at the table hugging her lifted legs, her dark hair lifting slightly in the light breeze.
Hearing the noise, Paige turned her head and smiled beautifully, “Come here, I washed some fruit.”
With that, she picked up a skewer and forked up a cut piece of apple.
Enrico walked over towards her and took a seat on the other side of the table, just as he sat down, the apple was brought to him.
He watched as she opened her mouth and ate it, her eyes deep.
Paige continues to feed him as Enrico also picks up a skewer, settles on a seeded grape and brings it to her.
Paige smiled at him and looked down at him, gladly taking it into her mouth, the sweet flavor melting on her tongue, “Yummy.”
“In such a good mood today?” Enrico gazed at her favorably.
“The world is at peace and good things are happening.” Paige said.
“Good things are happening?” Enrico asked, “What other good things besides the tree job at Wind Island?”
How he didn’t know.
Paige’s eyes stayed the same, and she said calmly, “Rebuilding the slums, ah, doesn’t that count as a good thing?”
“Is that all?”
Because the world is peaceful, she started … spoiling for him?
Looking at the apple that was handed over again, Enrico could only think of the word “spoil”.
“Uh-huh.” After Paige fed him the apple, she put her fork aside and leaned back in her chair, hugging her knees and looking out at the night sky in front of her.
Tonight’s night sky was particularly silent, with stars dotted in the pitch darkness and a cool, extremely beautiful moonlight.
She looked, “It’s been a long time since I sat down quietly like this and looked at the night sky.”
“…”
Enrico followed and raised his eyes over, used to seeing the concrete and steel of The Capital, it was indeed calming to look at the night sky that erased everything once in a while.
“I used to see it every day at Wind Island, I just didn’t think the night sky was pretty.” Paige looked up at the night sky and smiled, “Now, I can tell which star is a little more beautiful.”
“That’s for sure, before it was without me by your side.”
Enrico said rightfully, “Now that I’m around, isn’t it true that you can look at the channeled moon and see the cinnamon tree blooming?”
“…”
Paige loses her smile and turns her eyes to him, “Mr. Gustin, aren’t you being overly narcissistic?”
She was obviously just lamenting that life was peaceful now, okay?
Enrico raises an evil eyebrow, “No.”
“…”
“The way you’ve been acting today makes me think that I’m the moon.”
People have been held up to her in the sky.
“…”
Paige was speechless, okay, big moon, you float.
“Come here.” Enrico hooked a finger at her, “The moon wants to kiss you.”
“Just a kiss?” Paige’s eyes cleared.
“Guess.” Enrico smiled a particularly bad smile.
Paige didn’t say no and frankly got out of her chair and walked over to him.
Enrico took her hand in his and tugged her to sit in his lap.
Paige gazed at him almost fondly, lifting her hands to cup his handsome face, her warm, soft fingertips tracing over his bladed brows and landing on his eyelids.