Listening intently, Tom felt a tightness in his chest. He quickly put down the bag in his hand and walked towards the bedroom. He pushed open the slightly ajar door and, in the dim light, immediately saw the girl sitting by the window with her knees hugged to her chest. Her figure appeared so desolate, lonely, and even a bit helpless.
Upon hearing the door open, Agnes turned her head abruptly. By the light of the crescent moon, she saw his face clearly. She froze for a moment, then quickly got up and rushed towards him. Agnes hugged him tightly at the doorway like a child, holding on as if she never wanted to let go. The force of her embrace nearly knocked him over.
Tom, held tightly by her, soon reacted and hugged her back immediately. Agnes said nothing and did not cry; she just held him tightly, burying her cheek deeply into his chest. She was wet; he was drenched… and she felt heartache. But he had finally returned, and she was overjoyed! Her prayers had been answered. She closed her eyes tightly and vowed to be kind and grateful for the rest of her life.
Feeling the immense strength of the girl’s embrace, he understood how she felt at that moment. He apologized sincerely, “I’m sorry, I meant to call you, but… my phone died.”
“You don’t need to explain; it’s enough that you’re back,” Agnes said without questioning or blaming him at all. She knew he had left the lab long ago and it might not have been due to work.
Agnes quickly adjusted her emotions. She released him from her embrace, looked up from his chest with a smile, and said, “You must not have eaten yet? Because you promised to come back for dinner.”
Tom shook his head, looking at her with sincere warmth in his eyes.
“Do you want to change clothes first?” Agnes asked with concern.
Tom shook his head again. “No need, just a little wet; I’ll shower soon.”
“Come on!” Agnes grabbed his hand with one hand and opened the door with the other. “Let’s go taste the food I made! Mrs. Brown kept it warm for you! We haven’t eaten yet either!”
Waiting for him until so late and cooking with her own hands-how disappointed she must have felt? Tom felt extremely sorry but said nothing more.
As they came out, Mrs. Brown had already brought out the dishes that had been kept warm and placed them on the dining table again.
“Go wash your hands; I’ll serve the rice,” Agnes said, suppressing tears in her eyes with a bright and sweet smile as if nothing had happened.
Watching Agnes walk towards the kitchen, Tom felt very sad but went to wash his hands anyway.
When he came out, the three of them sat around the dining table. Agnes enthusiastically served soup to him and Mrs. Brown without any complaints or blame because her affection and love for him were genuine. As long as he returned safely, she was very happy. She didn’t even want to know why he was late; she didn’t want him to waste energy explaining.
“This green bean looks delicious,” Tom said as he picked one up with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. “Hmm, it tastes good.” He looked at Agnes warmly.
“I made it,” Agnes said happily with a smile at him. “If you like it, I’ll make it for you often!”
“No no no, I wouldn’t want you cooking all the time; just because I like it doesn’t mean you have to make it often,” he said sincerely. “I didn’t marry a cook; I married a wife-you don’t need to serve my meals every day.”
“Can I cook occasionally?” Agnes asked. “I think sharing is also a form of love.”
“Of course! We can cook together; I’ll have more time in the future,” Tom said. “I can cook too.”
Mrs. Brown smiled contentedly as well, feeling that their love for each other was genuine. Agnes’s character was truly commendable-she didn’t cry or demand explanations from him.