THE WAY TO A WOMAN'S HEART IS THROUGH HER STOMACH II

Ivan was inside the elevator holding the food box when his phone vibrated. He decided to open it once he's inside the room. The most important thing was to get home first.

When Kaye finished taking her bath, she walked quickly towards her room. She took her phone first and checked if there was any missed call or response -NONE. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought that something might have happened to him.

"Good Lord, I promise I would treat him better if you would return him back to me. I won't avoid him and I would cook his food. I won't bully this stupid blind man." She was closing her eyes, clasping her phone with both hands, praying for Ivan's safety.

The apartment was very quiet so Kaye could clearly hear the sound of the front door being opened. She immediately stood up and ran to the door, seeing Ivan crouching to get his slippers made her breath a sigh of relief.

"Welcome home." she said softly watching his movements.

"Hn. I'm home." Ivan responded to her but his face was directed somewhere and his ears were turning red. Ivan coughed slightly to regain his voice and said, "You'll catch a cold. Dry your hair." In fact, he wanted to tell her to go and put on some clothes but he didn't want her to become conscious.

The moment Kaye stood near him, while he was putting on his slippers, he caught the scent of her bath soap and shampoo which tells him that she just got out of the shower.

"Oh. You're right." Kaye realized that she was standing in front of her roommate with just her bathrobe on, nothing more. She was blushing and her heart was beating faster as she walked back to her room. "I'll be off to work soon." she told him while walking, her back facing him.

When Kaye left him alone, Ivan started calming his heart and mind. He placed the food box on the table and started setting the utensils they'll be using. He opened the lid of the food box and the smell of the hot food wafted to his nose.

Kaye finished changing her clothes and decided to go out so she could prepare simple meal to eat. However, what greeted her was a sumptuous meal on the table. She didn't know that the thing Ivan was holding earlier contains food.

"Come have a seat. Let's eat while it's hot." Ivan cut her off from her trance. She took a seat mindlessly, still staring at the food then to Ivan's hands.

"I can take care of our meals. You don't have to cook." she told him, her tears were burning in a corner of her eyes. She felt bad. Really bad. She felt guilty seeing his hands covered with burnt and cuts.

"I know that. I just wanted to make something for you. It's a small token of gratitude." Ivan smiled at her, for a moment Kaye could see melancholy on his eyes but it was gone after a blink of an eye.

Kaye grabbed her spoon and started putting rice and the spicy garlic shrimp on her plate. When she took a mouthful of food, Kaye frowned but couldn't point out why. Next, she ate the braised chicken and mushroom, this time Kaye couldn't stop herself from crying.

Her tears fell and she was weeping silently, making sure Ivan wouldn't hear her. She tried calming herself and drank a glass of water.

Ivan was eating quietly but it didn't escape from his ear the faint sound of her weeping. He guessed it correctly. He's right this time.

"Why did you choose to cook this? Most beginners would choose scrambled eggs." Kaye asked him with a slight tease.

"These are the only food I practiced cooking myself. I was used to have our helpers cook but for these dishes, I like cooking them myself." Ivan answered, staring directly at her with that blank gaze.

"I like these. Still, in the future you shouldn't cook." Kaye couldn't tell him directly that she's worried because it was embarrassing so she could only warn him with a stern voice.

"No problem." he agreed to her easily but that was just for show. He would cook again for her. For her, he would make things possible. For her, he would learn to do other stuff. For her, he would do everything to make up for the lost chances.

Kaye continued eating happily. She didn't bother going back to the past. She didn't care if it was him or if it was a different person. The girl before has been locked up, hidden from the world.

Ivan stood up and went to his room so he could get his hairdryer. Earlier, when he walked around the table to get some fruits from the refrigerator, his hand brushed Kaye's head and he felt her wet hair. "After eating, just leave everything on the table and come here." Ivan told Kaye from the living room.

Kaye, remembering the prayer she uttered earlier, chose to follow his instructions. She stood up after drinking water and approached Ivan. She saw him holding a hairdryer and a comb with a towel on his lap.

"I can do it myself." she awkwardly said to him, still standing one meter away from him.

"I told you to dry your hair earlier and you said okay, but you didn't. Now, I'll do it myself. Get that bean bag plush chair and sit here." Ivan instructed Kaye who was dawdling in front of him.

Without much choice left, Kaye took the plush chair and put it in front of Ivan, beside his feet. Ivan reached for the chair, pulled it closer to him and place it between his legs. Kaye sat straight, her back facing him but her breath hitched when Ivan touched her shoulder, trying to hold her hair.