Chapter 21 Wanting to Hold Her in His Arms

"It's very late now, please leave! My home is not welcoming to you," Lena's voice rang out coldly.

"I'm hungry," Grayson, choosing his words carefully, said.

Lying motionless on the couch, eyes closed, brows furrowed, hands softly massaging his stomach, Grayson showed signs of stomach pain. Lena knew Grayson had a stomach condition, and since she hadn't eaten dinner herself, she couldn't bring herself to send him away. She went to the kitchen to cook.

Opening the fridge, she sighed. Lately, it had been challenging. All that remained were a scallion, a few eggs, a tomato, and a handful of noodles.

Lena took out the remaining ingredients from the fridge and chopped the scallion. She decided to make tomato and egg noodles. After frying the eggs until golden on both sides and placing them in a prepared dish, she started cooking the tomato.

Grayson stood by the kitchen door, watching Lena's skilled knife work. His thoughts suddenly went back four years, when they had just rented a house. Lena didn't know how to cook back then; she would hold onto recipes from Google, sometimes cutting herself or getting splattered with oil. It was always a chaotic mess. Now, she was quick and proficient. The clumsy girl from before had grown up.

The orange light in the kitchen poured down from above Lena's head as she focused on chopping the tomatoes, emanating her unique charm under the spotlight. Grayson felt a surge of desire to hold Lena in his arms.

Fifteen minutes later, Lena served two steaming bowls of noodles. The noodles were topped with sesame oil and a sprinkle of fresh green scallions, bright and inviting, with golden fried eggs on top. Unable to resist, Grayson picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

The steam in the air made Grayson's vision slightly blurred. This was the calmest interaction they had since his return to the country. The faint scent of jasmine hadn't dissipated yet.

Just this bowl of hot noodle soup relaxed Grayson's tense mind after a long day. Despite having tasted all kinds of delicacies, cooked by five-star chefs at Grayson's home, none of them compared to Lena's cooking.

Grayson suddenly understood, "This is the taste of home." As long as he was with his loved one, even simple meals felt like a feast.

The table was unusually quiet, Lena lowered her head to eat, and Grayson remained silent. Neither of them wanted to break this peaceful atmosphere.

Lena silently thought to herself, "Let's consider this fulfilling the dream from four years ago of making noodles for Grayson!" Lena couldn't believe she had become so adept at cooking. Four years ago, she would have set the kitchen on fire just trying to make a meal. Every time she attempted to cook a feast for Grayson, it always ended in failure.

After Grayson left, Lena felt dejected for a while. During that bleak period, it felt like the end of the world, like everyone had abandoned her. But soon after, she discovered she was pregnant. Even for the sake of the child, Lena knew she had to pull herself together. In these four years, Lena slowly learned to cook, change light bulbs, and fix toilets by herself. With her frail shoulders, she carried the weight of the entire household, determined to make her mother feel at ease.