Day Seven 

Martin heard loud noises from the kitchen after he went back from jogging. He hurried to the scene, hoping it was not some sort of robbery all over again. What he found was a timid Celine cleaning up splashes from the floors and tabletop.

"What are you doing?" She was surprised to find him there. She acted like a child being caught and ceased all motions.

"Hmm…omelet. But it was harder than I thought." He looked around and saw eggshells behind her. He sighed and helped her clean up.

"You could have waited for me to come back and make breakfast."

"No, I just wanted to make you breakfast…."

"I thought you couldn't cook."

"Yes, that is true, but I want to try to make some for you. You said you would teach me, no? Then teach me." She smiled at him gleefully.

Yesterday, after the bar, after he agreed to give her a chance, she asked him out for dinner. The girl was still tipsy and laughed and smiled all evening. She never forgot to hold his hand while we walked.

He spent the whole evening listening to her rules. Some laughable rules confused him.

"We need to go on a proper date once a day."

"Huh?"

"You know, the kind of date like a dinner under candlelights, and we walk along the beach holding hands."

"What?"

"I'm serious! You need to comply!"

"I thought you have watched too many movies. And we hold hands every day anyway, isn't that true?"

"Martin! And you need to tell me what you like, the general facts, like your favorite food, something like that. Tell me more about yourself."

"I think you need to observe and put on an educated guess for yourself, no?" He said straightforwardly.

"As if you have anything to observe! That's why I need to ask."

"Why are you scolding me? Is this how modern-day dating work for your generation? Scary." He was teasing her; he pretended to be truly scared, like a kid who is scared to be in the dark. No one talked to him in this manner for a long time. He laughed softly, and that angered her.

"No, stop doing that. You are always like this. Gosh, I'm getting mad at you. Why do I have to fall for you? Life is so unfair."

Martin chuckled. Her personality puzzled him, being indecisive and whiny, but she made him smile, nonetheless.

But what she mentioned posted a question worth answering.

"You are right. Why do you like me? You haven't told me a real reason when I think about it." He stared at her expectantly, and that was enough to turn her face red.

"Should I give precise reasons for some feeling I have?"

"You mentioned I'm kind of a good person. But what if you found out I'm not the good, kind, and virtuous person you imagined? Do you still like me then?" He looked straight at her, becoming sterner than he intended.

She thought about it for a few seconds and answered with a bright smile.

"I still like you anyway."

She reached across the table to touch his hand. Her small soft hand was gentle. His heart started racing. She looked at our hands and said, "Can we not talk about the reasons and rationales behind any action for once? All I have is just a feeling. I like you. Perhaps, it is just some emotion, but I don't want to leave your side."

"..." An unexpected answer silenced him. Martin didn't know what to say. Celine smiled shyly at him and let go of her hand. She was busy with the food in front of her and said something more.

"You see…I don't lie about how I feel as well."

*****

Martin was self-trained in cooking. He got better after college since he had to live in a dorm with other students. He was the third person in his family that went to college other than his parents, but he was the first that get into an Ivy League. His family was not wealthy in the least. His parents were high school teachers, and they were the reason he studied all day and night to earn first place in class and compete for a valedictorian position.

His only happiness as a kid was reading. Because it served as an escape from all the stress his parents put him through at home and the stress from bullying at school. He was the school nerd, and his scrawny frame back in high school made him a target. He got used to it. But he felt the gap in his heart. He didn't feel he belonged anywhere.

But eventually, after the trial and tribulation, his torturous childhood with studying as the only timetable caused him to get an offer from one of the world's leading universities with a full scholarship. His monthly salary after graduation was more than his parents' combined annual income.

And after that, Martin had everything he ever wanted, except happiness.

He didn't understand happiness. Nothing computed. It may be something that comes and goes. Maybe he was destined not to find it.

He always thought so, but Celine started to change his mind.

"What do you think? Is it delicious?" Celine asked worriedly. He was chewing an omelet from her fourth attempt. He taught her the basics; cracking an egg, how to hold a pan, the types of cooking oils, the seasonings, and so on. She told him she had never set foot in a kitchen before for the purpose of cooking. She only came to get things from the fridge, and that was it. That explained breaking dozens of eggs, and nothing was cooked earlier.

"Martin, just tell me. Is it good?" She was concerned, and he gave out his verdict.

"Not too undercooked like another dish earlier and not overcooked like the last attempt. I think this one is just right. I think it's good." After his statement, she jumped in the air with joy and lifted her fist in the air triumphantly. She even walked to hug him. She seemed to like touches. She took any opportunity to touch his hand or hug him. She got closer to him on a daily basis that none of his exes had ever done—he couldn't remember they did anything remotely similar.

Oh, and there was a 'date' this evening. She said she had a surprise waiting for him. He didn't know what to expect.

He would just let her be. She could do whatever she wanted. It was like there was something he could do.