Crayfish date.

Zen's POV:

I asked Elle what she wants to eat, however, instead of giving me an answer, she put an address in the navigation and I was confused to read it because, it wasn't some restaurant but a name of some street. Maybe there is some good place there. Although I go to Michelin places all the time still I am aware of the fact that most good places are the one that are located in the shady areas, only known by the locals or true gourmets.

I never knew she liked eating. I sighed in my head, 'It's not like I have shared a lot of meals with her to know that. Every time we ate, we would be accompanied by our parents and they would nitpick on the way she ate. You should hold the fork this way, you should hold the knife like that- No wonder she was so frustrated there.' Meanwhile, I did nothing to stand up for her. I was no more than a spectator. Her animosity towards me, hate, this anger, I deserve every bit of it and I want her to leash out at me so she could feel better. So, she would not be overwhelmed by such heavy emotions.

In the meantime, we arrived at the address where she wanted me to take her. I glanced out. It was a wide street with some stall on the road sides. It appeared to be like a local market. Moreover, it was bustling with people.

"There is a parking there." She pointed at one corner and I drove there in a daze as I could not comprehend the situation.

I parked the car exactly where Elle pointed, though I felt like I was driving into the unknown. My hands lingered on the steering wheel for a moment even after turning off the engine.

When I looked at Elle, she was already out, fixing her bag on her shoulder. I took a deep breath and followed her. The street was busy—too busy. People walked around with plastic bags, kids ran past us holding skewers of something grilled, and music played from a nearby stall. Bright lights blinked above every stand, and the whole place smelled like chili, garlic, and grilled seafood.

"Are you sure this is where you want to eat?" I asked cautiously, glancing around at the cramped stalls.

Elle turned to me, a small smirk playing at her lips. "Why? Too crowded for you?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Not that... I mean... are these places even... clean?" I whispered the last word, feeling ridiculous as soon as it left my mouth.

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t laugh like I expected her to. "You think I’m going to bring you somewhere that’ll make you sick?"

"I didn't mean that," I said quickly, but I could tell she wasn’t offended—just amused. She walked past the people as she made the way and I was trying my best to follow her but it wasn't easy.

"Come on, Zen. Don’t just stand there like a statue," Elle called out, turning to look at me really frustrated by my sloth like way of walking.I walked up to her, stuffing my hands into my pockets. "I didn’t know you like places like this."

"Well, there are a lot of things you don’t know about me," she said without missing a beat.I swallowed and gave a small nod. She wasn’t wrong.

Elle led the way, weaving through the crowd easily while I tried to keep up. She seemed so relaxed here, like she belonged. I, on the other hand, felt like an alien who just landed on Earth. Well, if she wants to eat here, I have no choice but to listen to her commands. I can do anything and that literally means anything for her.

Finally, she stopped in front of a small stall. The owner, a middle-aged man with a towel around his neck, was shouting out to people, in mandarin, telling them how good his food was. Well, this might came out a surprise but before coming to Shanghai, I learned Chinese. I want to learn everything when it comes to her. Thus, I am also aware of the conversation which she had with the doctor earlier. Although I was hurt to see that she does not want me to know about her too much. I pushed those thoughts aside as I focused my attention on the present, on her.

"What are we eating?" I asked, peering at the table covered in metal trays filled with red, spicy-looking things.

She grinned. "Crayfish."

I blinked. "Crayfish?"

"Yeah. Spicy crayfish. You’ve never had it?"

I shook my head. I mean, I’d been to fancy restaurants where the food looked like art pieces, but this—this was completely different. Elle's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Good. You’re going to love it."

'Or die from it,' I thought silently. I smelled way too spicy.

She placed an order like a pro, throwing in a few extra side dishes. Then, she grabbed a seat at one of the wooden tables set up beside the stall. I followed her, sitting stiffly.

"You don’t have to look so scared, Zen," she teased, resting her chin on her hand as she watched me. "I’m not scared," I said quickly.

"Sure." She rolled her eyes playfully.Soon, a huge metal tray of bright red crayfish arrived. Steam rose from it, carrying a strong smell of chili and garlic. Elle clapped her hands like a child about to get a treat. "Here we go!" She picked up a pair of plastic gloves from the side and handed me one.

"What’s this for?" I asked, eyeing the gloves like they were alien gadgets. "To peel them, of course. Unless you want spicy fingers for the next three days."

I hesitated but put the gloves on, watching her expertly grab a crayfish and twist its shell off. "Like this," she said, showing me the soft meat inside. She dipped it into the spicy sauce and popped it into her mouth, closing her eyes like it was the best thing ever.

I tried to follow her example, but the shell was slippery, and after a lot of awkward twisting and pulling, I finally got a small piece of meat out. Elle looked at my struggling hands and gave a faint smile. "You’re really bad at this."

"I’m not used to... eating things that still have eyes." That made her lips twitch, though she quickly looked away like she didn’t want to laugh out loud.

"You’ll survive."I wasn’t so sure. Still, I dipped the crayfish in sauce and popped it into my mouth. The flavor hit me like a punch—hot, salty, garlicky—and then the heat grew stronger.I coughed, reaching for my drink almost immediately.

"It’s... really spicy." I complained.

Elle calmly picked up another crayfish. "Of course, it’s spicy. That's the point." My mouth felt like it was on fire, and I was sure I was sweating.

"Do people actually enjoy this?" I couldn't help but ask after eating this thing that torment the hell out of people.

She shrugged. "I do." I watched her eat without any sign of struggle. She peeled another one and ate it so casually, as if it was nothing.

"How are you even eating this?" I asked, wiping my forehead.

"I might have grown up in England but my roots are Chinese," she said, glancing at me. "You get used to it." I wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words because my tongue was burning.

She reached for a side dish, some kind of pickled vegetables. "Eat this. It'll help. She took a pity on my state as she offered me. "I took a bite, and to my surprise, it did cool down the fire a little.

"Better?" she asked quietly.I nodded. "Yeah... thanks."

We kept eating, though I was sure I was turning redder with each bite. Elle was quieter than usual, not laughing at my misery, but I could see that little spark in her eyes as she watched me suffer through the spice.

"You don’t have to keep going if it’s too much," she said after a while, her voice softer.

"I can handle it," I said quickly, though my throat burned.

She gave a small smile. "You don’t have to prove anything to me, Zen."

I looked at her for a moment, unsure how to respond. "Maybe I want to." Her eyes met mine, and for a second, something passed between us—something I couldn’t name.

"Suit yourself," she said after a moment, but her tone was gentler. By the time we were done, I was sure my stomach would hate me later, but somehow, I didn’t mind.

As we walked back to the car, the night air felt cool against my still-burning lips.

"You do not have to force yourself for me, you know," Elle said quietly, glancing at me sideways.

"I was not forcing myself. I just want to experience what you like," I admitted.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

I hesitated but then answered, "Because... I wanted to share something with you. Even if it's just spicy crayfish.

"Elle looked surprised but didn’t say anything right away. "You know, this is the first time we had a dinner together." I said to her, "And this is one of the favorite days of my life." I confessed and she avoided looking into my eyes.

Meanwhile, all of my favorite days involve her. The day I saw her for the first time, the day we got married, when her saw her dance.. and so on. The days when I saw her genuine smile, they are my favorite. She looked happy and relaxed tonight.

"Thanks for bringing me with you, Elle."

She smirked. "Next time, we’ll go for something even spicier.

"I raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to kill me?"

She shook her head. "Maybe."As she got in the car, I stood there for a moment longer, watching her. Something about tonight felt different—lighter, easier. Maybe, just maybe, this was the start of fixing things between us and even if my mouth still burned, I couldn’t help but smile.