Chapter - 55 - Unknown chemistry

"You can take a seat. I will do the rest," said Gianna as she added chicken broth to the pot and simmered the flame. Rick nodded and sat on the chair and admired Gianna's cooking. She put in the whole raw chicken breasts, some dried thyme, a little crushed red pepper, a few pinches of salt, and a little grounded black pepper into the pot. It took another 15 minutes to get the chicken cooked thoroughly. She removed the cooked chicken from the broth and placed it on the cutting board.

"The chicken is hot. Allow me to cut it. You continue with the broth," said Rick standing behind Gianna. Gianna turned unexpectedly and came very close to Rick. They looked at each other for a brief moment and turned away instantly before any embarrassing incident could happen. Gianna pushed the cutting board towards him and continued to stir the broth.

Gianna turned the flame back to medium and added cheese Tortellini to the boiling broth. She kept stirring the broth so the tortellini won't stick together. Rick pushed back the cutting board towards her. She saw neatly chopped chicken on the cutting board. She nodded and thanked him. Rick went back to his seat after washing his hand. He felt joy in his heart after a very long time when he helped Gianna while cooking. His mouth watered as the delicious aroma filled the kitchen.

Gianna added the chopped chicken to the broth of the half-cooked tortellini. After the tortellini was well cooked, she turned off the flame. Later, she added heavy cream, spinach, and parsley to the hot broth and mixed it well. The tortellini soup was finally ready! She took a spoonful of the soup and asked Rick to taste it if the amount of salt was correct. She walked over to him and gently blew over the hot soup before bringing the spoon near his lips.

Rick was surprised by her action. He looked at her pouted lips and slowly drank the soup from the spoon, suppressing his temptation. She waited for Rick's opinion and looked at him eagerly. Suddenly, Rick clapped loudly and said, "It's so delicious!! Your hands are indeed magical." Gianna chuckled and said, "Shut up!" She transferred the soup into two medium-sized bowls and then to another large-sized bowl. She placed the pot and the two medium-sized bowls on the table and said, "Have your fill. I will drop by Mrs.Rogers's apartment."

Gianna walked away with the large-sized bowl and rang the doorbell of Mrs.Rogers's apartment. "What a surprise!!" exclaimed Frank as he opened the door. Gianna smiled at Frank and walked into the dining room. She saw Mrs.Rogers cooking in the kitchen and said, "I made some tortellini soup. I don't know whether you both will like it. But please have it," said Gianna as she placed the bowl on the table. "Doc? Do you know how to cook?" asked Frank as he sniffed the soup.

"Grandma! The soup smells so good!" said Frank looking at Mrs.Rogers with a bright smile. "Why did you cook instead of taking a rest? Didn't I tell you that I will cook for you?" asked Mrs. Rogers as she came towards them with two spoons in her hand and passed one to Frank.Mrs. Rogers and Frank drank a spoonful of soup from the bowl. "Oh my!! It is delicious!!!" exclaimed Frank as he continued to drink a few more spoonfuls of soup. "You have gifted hands. Take care of it, Gianna. You have to teach me how to prepare this soup." said Mrs.Rogers as she drank another spoonful of soup.

Gianna laughed and said, "I am not so good at cooking like you, Mrs.Rogers. But I will surely share the recipe later. I will take a leave now." She bid them good night and entered her apartment.

She saw Rick sitting at the table surfing on his phone instead of having the soup. "Why didn't you start drinking the soup?" asked Gianna as she sat next to him. "I was waiting for you." Gianna's hand stopped in mid-air as she looked at him.

"What is it?" asked Rick as he chewed the tortellini. "Hmm…Nothing. Is the soup still hot? Should I reheat it?" asked Gianna. Rick shook his head and continued to enjoy the soup. Gianna was touched by his words and wondered why the Ellerbrocks claimed him as a notorious criminal when he looked nothing like a criminal. Rick was happily drinking the soup. Gianna asked, "I remember someone saying that they had no appetite. Did I hear it wrong?"

Rick nearly choked and started coughing after listening to her comment. Gianna immediately poured him a glass of water and patted his back. He looked at Gianna, who was still patting his back with a twinkle in his eyes. He held her hand and said between his coughs, "I am fine. Drink the soup. It will get cold." Gianna was surprised and took a few steps back from him because he cared for her even though he was not well.

Gianna heard Rick clearing his throat and came back to her senses instantly. She sat and drank the rest of the soup without glancing at him. They both did not speak a word and completed their dinner.

As usual, Gianna cleaned the table and washed the dishes, and this time Rick helped to wipe the dishes. They worked together but in complete silence. It was like they had unknown chemistry between them.