Rescue mission

"Thank you for all the help tonight, Mat." She was really grateful. The idea of a surprise birthday party was a flop. She wondered how on earth Patrick came up with such an idiotic idea. She didn't like such gatherings. She preferred celebrating in an intimate setting, surrounded only by her closest friends.

"No problem! Always at your service." Mathieu said, opening the front door of his apartment. "My new base. Not quite finished, but livable."

"When did you find this new place? You never even said when you got back from the Middle East." She asked, but didn't expect an answer. She had no doubt, looking at his face, that he wasn't keen on any explanations. So she decided to drop the subject for now. 

She took off her shoes, noticing the gleaming hallway floor. The first thing that caught her eye was the meticulous way everything was organized, despite the row of cardboard boxes sitting in the hallway. 

"You don't have to! I don't have slippers!" He said, helping her out of her coat. " And I'll tell you everything, but not tonight. I promise."

"It's alright, extra socks will do." 

She decided to ignore the second part of his statement. It was important to respect his wishes. Perhaps he was feeling the same way today, like she did after Patrick's surprise.

Mathieu quickly disappeared through the door and returned moments later with woolen socks, which he promptly helped her into.

"This place is nice!" She remarked, looking around the almost empty living room, but at that moment, she was more interested in the kitchen, so she instinctively headed in that direction.

It seemed that the kitchen hadn't been used yet; everything was sparkling with cleanliness. She was surprised upon not finding even a trace of smudge on the white cabinets. Also no tracks of any food being ever cooked there. All the kitchen countertops were not only completely empty but also perfectly clean.

"I see, I don't need to give you a tour around my base." Mathieu said bluntly. He guessed that she was truly hungry. After all, she hadn't touched anything at Patrick's.

"I manage just fine on my own." She started to laugh.

"I see, but I have a proposal. You sit at the kitchen table, the only one I have at the moment in my home, and I'll handle the cooking, serving."

"With pleasure." She hadn't even finished speaking before she found herself seated at the kitchen table. "Are you sure we don't need to order takeaway?"

"I'm sure I can satisfy your taste buds." He announced, ostentatiously rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt. Jo didn't miss this subtle action of his. "The lad's been hitting the gym a lot since I saw him last time!" She thought, looking at his muscular forearms.

Judging by the pristine order of things, she suspected that Mathieu would pull out some ready-made boxes of food. Chinese? Maybe some Thai dish? Anything will do as she was so hungry.

She wondered how he intended to maintain the kitchen, which resembled more of a sterile operating room than a place for meal preparation. She liked bright spaces, but this was overwhelmingly white. If it wasn't creamy-white, it was white.

"Should we order some takeaway, Mat?" She wanted to be sure she will have a decent dinner tonight.

"You have already asked a few times tonight, Jo." He smiled, pulling out the plates, cutlery, and hot ovenproof dishes. The smell of food began to waft around the space they were in.

She was taken aback. She hadn't expected this, for sure.

"I see I managed to surprise you." He said with a smile, taking out more dishes from the oven.

"How on earth is all this still hot?"

"Not just hot, but piping hot. Right before heading to Patrick's, I turned everything off. Unfortunately, my visit there didn't last long, as I suspected, so everything is perfect for eating."

"You amaze me, Kid! So, this was all well planned."

"Not everything, but I hoped you'd dodge Patrick when the opportunity arose."

"I didn't realize you knew that well." She laughed.

"You don't have to be a seasoned clairvoyant to predict your behavior in such circumstances. Besides, I told Patrick that the surprise was a shot in the foot."

"I honestly don't know how he even came up with such a brilliant idea." She admitted. 

"Beef Bourguignon, mashed potatoes, and additionally, braised vegetables." Mathieu informed her. "One of your favorite French dishes till some time ago." He added.

"Still one of my favorites. It smells amazing!" She said as Mathieu handed her a plate of food.

"I see that in terms of food, nothing has changed in these past five years!" He remar seriously.

"I'm still a foodie who loves delicious meals." "Not just in terms of food, unfortunately…" She added to herself.

"Like me." He admitted. He wanted to say more, but decided to keep quiet for the moment.

"This calls for good wine." She pointed to her plate. 

"I still don't drink any alcohol, but I foresaw that too." He pulled out a bottle of red wine from one of the kitchen closets and opened it. "Uncle Pierre said that this is an excellent Bordeaux, so he sent a crate from some local vineyard."

She knew 'his uncle' Pierre, who for her was just Pierre, so she was absolutely sure that the wine was outstanding. 

"Will you have a drink with me?" She asked playfully. "To celebrate my B-day, which was almost three weeks ago." She laughed, but after a moment of hesitation, she added. "I am getting older. There is nothing to celebrate. A meeting after five years is a better excuse for having a glass of red wine." 

"There are many more reasons to celebrate." Mathieu said in a defiant tone. "Sure, but I can't promise exemplary behavior afterwards."

"Don't worry, Mat. I'll survive your behavior." She said, pouring him a glass. Their last meeting before his departure to the Middle East came to her mind. They both definitely had way too much to drink then.

"Just so you know, Jo. I warned you." Mathieu declared, ostentatiously raising a toast. "I can't promise an exemplary behavior afterwards though." He added playfully. He also recalled their last meeting in every detail as he wasn't that drunk. He couldn't turn back time, but he could make sure not to repeat the same mistake again.