New Year's Eve that evening, Yusuf Zuck and Ruth Wilcox each cooked up four dishes, making a total of eight dishes, and then placed many bottles of red wine on the table.
The two had been apart for more than two months, and it seemed like they had endless conversations. Eventually, Ruth drank too much and collapsed on the table.
Yusuf gently picked her up and carried her back to her room.
He did not cross the final line of male-female relations because he would not touch her without her formal consent.
Around midnight, after taking a shower, Yusuf went back to his room to sleep but found himself unable to do so for some reason. Too many things had happened in recent days, and he hadn't had time to process them. He also felt an inexplicable restlessness.
Unable to sleep, Yusuf got out of bed, careful not to make too much noise, and sat on the sofa alone, boredly watching television.