Do you like me?
Noah was waiting for the elevator, holding a bag of ingredients for Japanese sukiyaki, mentally planning his dinner options. He had rented a room nearby for convenience, hoping that if all went well, he could settle down here, especially since the building's occupancy rate was only 40%.
As the elevator doors were about to close, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure hurrying toward him. "Please wait a moment!" Ethan's low, pleasant voice echoed in the empty hallway. Noah's heart raced, and despite his efforts to remain calm, he felt a wave of surprise wash over him.
He quickly pressed the open button multiple times, waiting for Ethan to approach. Once Ethan stepped inside, Noah greeted him, trying to sound casual. "Have you eaten yet?" He noticed how Ethan seemed to tower over him, a little taller than he had imagined.
"I haven't eaten yet," Ethan replied, his tone even and relaxed.
Noah, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness, blurted out, "If you haven't eaten, would you like to join me? I... uh, I'm going to make sukiyaki."
He thought about the ingredients he had bought, realizing they were nothing fancy, but perhaps Ethan wouldn't mind. After all, someone like Ethan surely had a much higher standard of living.
"If it's not too much trouble, I'd be willing to," Ethan said, which caught Noah off guard. He quickly recovered, "No trouble at all! I bought a lot of ingredients."
As they exited the elevator, Noah seized the opportunity to keep the conversation going. "Do you live here all the time?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"No. I have a property here. If I'm busy with work, I stay close to the office," Ethan replied.
"Then how do you handle dinner?" Noah wondered, curious about how someone like Ethan managed everyday life. Lunch was taken care of by the company, but dinner was a different story.
"I cook occasionally," Ethan answered simply, but Noah sensed there was more beneath the surface.
As they walked out of the elevator, Noah's mind raced. He felt a strange mix of anticipation and trepidation. When he punched in the code for his apartment, he could feel Ethan's presence nearby, which both thrilled and unnerved him.
"My house doesn't have guest slippers at the moment; feel free to just step on the floor," Noah offered, trying to sound casual as he led Ethan inside.
Once inside, he noticed Ethan standing just outside the door, maintaining a poised demeanor. Noah fetched a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and quickly changed before turning back to Ethan, who was now holding a pair of black slippers. "Now I have some."
As Noah began preparing the meal, he felt the warmth of the heater filling the space. He removed his coat to reveal a cozy white sweater, and then donned a black apron, diving into the task at hand. The kitchen was small, and he noticed Ethan watching him intently.
"Let me help you; I can't just eat and drink for free," Ethan insisted.
Noah moved slightly aside to give Ethan room. "You can wash the mushrooms; I'll chop the onions and then switch the knife," he suggested, feeling an electric tension in the air.
As they worked together in the cramped kitchen, the sounds of water splashing and the knife hitting the cutting board filled the silence. Noah was keenly aware of Ethan's presence, the proximity making him acutely aware of his own heartbeat.
When the sukiyaki was finally simmering, Noah handed Ethan a raw egg, noting that different people had various tolerances for such dishes. "Do you eat raw eggs?" he asked.
"Yes," Ethan replied, his gaze unwavering.
Noah opened the lid of the pot, releasing a cloud of steam that filled the room, and said, "Let's eat."
The atmosphere had shifted, and Noah could sense something unspoken hanging between them. He wasn't oblivious; he could tell that Ethan had been pursuing him, and he needed to address it directly.
"Boss, have you been... pursuing me during this time? That seems like the right word," Noah asked, his voice steady despite the rush of emotions.
Ethan's expression remained calm. "Yes, I am pursuing you."
Receiving a straightforward answer made Noah's heart skip a beat. "My resume includes my marriage history. I just ended a long-term relationship. So, I don't have any intentions of starting something new in the short term."
The weight of his recent experiences hung heavily on him. He had been divorced, betrayed, and humiliated by someone he had once trusted deeply. Although he wanted to believe in love, the scars from his past still stung. "I still believe in love," he continued, his voice softening. "But right now, I really need some time to recover. It's difficult to open my heart again after everything that's happened."