I was a little nervous, clutching my canvas bag, though I wasn’t sure exactly why. Perhaps it was because visiting other men’s apartments in the past had left me with too many bad memories. I hoped he wasn’t like Kael.
Sure enough, he picked up a baseball bat by the door and opened it. I refused the bat though.
Magnus poured me a glass of water. “You seem tired. Have some water.” The cold water slid past my lips and teeth, down my throat, and settled in my stomach. The icy temperature also helped calm my nerves a little.
I placed the canvas bag on my lap. By then, Magnus had already brought out the first aid kit, along with iodine and cotton swabs. He dipped a disposable swab into the iodine and dabbed it on the wound on my cheek.
As he applied it, he said, “It’s bleeding, but it’s not too deep. Lucky for you, no stitches are needed.” The iodine felt cool against my skin, with only a slight sting as it stretched from the corner of my eye to my jawline.
“Oh, ease up, Magnus! You’re making it sound worse than it is.”
“Honestly, it’s a bit serious.”
“Will it leave a scar?” I only felt Vivienne touch me briefly!
“Good, you’ve finally realized you’re injured.”
I laughed, feeling much more relaxed. “I really didn’t feel anything earlier. I hadn’t even noticed.”
“This wound is… unusual.”
I didn’t understand what he meant and wanted to explain, but he suddenly fell silent, his eyelashes almost brushing against my face. His breath warmed my cheek, and the faint, pleasant scent of sandalwood clung to him. My heart raced wildly at that moment.
But I turned my head away, my eyes landing on a pot of pothos in the distance. I told myself to stay calm. Magnus was just a doctor, doing his job with care.
Finally, Magnus finished his work. As he packed up, he said, “Seraphina, I think you need to see just how serious this wound is.” He handed me a mirror.
When I saw the injury, I was shocked.
“This cut is so long!”
It was a thin, elongated scratch running from the corner of my left eye to just above my chin. It looked terrifying, yet I felt no pain. There were even tiny scabs forming. A little closer, and it would have reached my eyelid.
How much did Vivienne hate me? Her nails could have ruined my face! I couldn’t help but reach out to touch it, but Magnus grabbed my hand. “No, Seraphina. You can’t touch it right now.”
I froze, staring at his hand holding mine. His palm was warm, reminding me of Kael.
“This is awful!” I thought about what might have happened if I hadn’t escaped.
“Seraphina, are you sure you did this to yourself?” Magnus asked seriously.
“Yes, I accidentally scratched myself.”
He examined my hand. “Your nails are trimmed.”
I quickly pulled my hand back. “But it’s still possible.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Oh, sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
I didn’t want to continue this conversation. Magnus applied a bandage to the wound.
“This will keep you from accidentally touching it,” he explained.
“Thank you, Magnus. You’re such a great doctor.” I felt awkward and didn’t want to bring up Vivienne again. I wanted to leave before I said too much.
“So, did something happen? If you’re comfortable with it, you can tell me,” Magnus said, studying me. “When I saw you earlier, you seemed upset.”
“Me?” I hadn’t realized my unhappiness was so obvious.
“I did have some issues, but I think I can handle them myself.”
Magnus looked a little disappointed at my response.
“Alright, Seraphina. Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m here.”
“Okay.”
“Have you eaten?” he suddenly asked.
“Me? Not yet. You haven’t either, right?”
“I already ordered some food. It should be here soon,” Magnus said with a smile.
“Then I won’t disturb your meal.”
“No, I mean, if you don’t mind…” He was searching for words.
I immediately realized he was inviting me to stay for dinner.
“I… um…” I was trying to figure out how to decline.
“Do you have plans?”
“No.” I admitted defeat to his expression. Every time he asked, refusing felt like a crime.
“Alright, I guess I could eat something. Thank you, Magnus.”
Magnus smiled brightly, his satisfied expression reminding me of my neighbor’s Czech Wolfdog.
Within ten minutes, the delivery arrived. To my surprise, there was mac and cheese!
“Thank you so much! This is my favorite. I love mac and cheese.” I had no resistance when it came to mac and cheese. If there was one dish I always ordered when eating out, it was this.
Evelyn could never understand my love for it. To her, it was a boring dish, just as I couldn’t understand her obsession with cakes and desserts. I hadn’t expected Magnus to order this.
Seeing my excitement, Magnus laughed. “I actually think it’s really delicious too.”
“Finally, someone who gets it!”
With mac and cheese, I could forgive everything that had happened tonight.
“Come on, let’s watch some TV,” Magnus said, grabbing my arm and leading me to the living room. When he held my arm, I felt how close we were.
Once we sat down, Magnus let me pick a movie. I chose a random popcorn flick, knowing it was just a way to pass the time. But I wasn’t really in the mood to watch.
The couch was small-perfect for Magnus alone, but a bit cramped with two people. Our bodies were pressed together, thighs touching. I held the mac and cheese in my lap while he placed the pizza and fried chicken on the coffee table. It felt casual, like we were at home.
I found myself completely distracted by Magnus. Even though my eyes were on the screen, I couldn’t focus.
“How’s the mac and cheese from this place?” he suddenly asked, eyeing my bowl.
“It’s alright. Want to try some?” I absentmindedly stabbed a forkful, but immediately regretted it. I had unconsciously treated Magnus like Evelyn, with whom I shared food freely. But Magnus and I weren’t at that level yet.
“Sure,” he said before I could pull back, leaning down to carefully eat from my fork.
I froze, watching as he used his tongue and teeth to avoid touching the fork.
“Hmm, not bad,” he said, licking his lips.
“Yeah, right,” I stammered, unsure if I should keep eating.
The rest of our time together was harmonious, though I had no idea what was happening in the movie. My attention was entirely on Magnus. I stole glances at him, only to find him suddenly turning to look at me.
“By the way, I haven’t asked-how was your first day at work?”
With us sitting so close, and both turning to face each other, our noses nearly touched.