Evelyn scooped up Garfield into her arms and gave Coffee a kiss on his head. She held him close to her chest as she walked to her bedroom. As she got to the door she glanced back and she saw that he was watching her. She smiled then quickly went inside.
She closed the door behind her and released a breathe. She gave Garfield a quick rub behind her ears then set him down on the bed. She went to take a quick shower, she needed it after a long day of work.
The hot water hit her body as she rolled her shoulders to loosen the muscles. She made a mental note to get a massage chair as soon as possible. She scrubbed her face clean of make up and applied a thin layer of moisturizer to her face.
Then she put on her undergarments and then a pair of black leggings and a soft purple cotton shirt. The shirt hugged her curves without being overly tight and her leggings had a pocket against her thigh. She twisted her wet hair up then clipped it. She left a shorter strand tucked behind her ear.
She put on a little bit of lip balm then glanced at herself in the mirror. She shook her head. 'What are you doing?' She asked herself. She was going for a cute homey look and she definitely succeeded.
She felt silly that she was going through extra lengths just to impress him. It was something her younger self would have done. She wasn't that girl anymore. She was a woman and this time she knew she would get her man. When she knew her face wasn't beet red she went to the door to her bedroom. After releasing a breath she opened the door, gently.
As she approached the kitchen, she noticed that Jinhai had removed his blazer. His white button down shirt was rolled up to his elbows and the first two buttons were undone. His shirt was still tucked into his slacks and he looked incredible.
She paused to drink him in. She tried to swallow passed the sudden dryness in her mouth. He went to the refrigerator and opened the door. While his back was turned, Evelyn shook herself out of her trance. Luckily, Jinhai had not noticed her return.
Coffee was following Jinhai around the kitchen and he was very careful not to bump into Coffee. This made Evelyn smile. It never ceased to amaze her how different Jinhai could be. She loved how sweet, caring, and compassionate he could be. It was different when he was in work mode. He had a no nonsense attitude. He was impatient, but wasn't cruel to his employees
When she entered the kitchen, Jinhai had already cleaned off the meats and the beef was marinating in a bowl. Evelyn came up to him and took the broccoli that he had just picked up from him.
"Let me do this," she said and he relinquished it without a word. She began to cut the broccoli into smaller pieces with a knife.
"Are you thinking beef and broccoli?" she asked. He was in front of the sink peeling garlic and ginger.
"Yup," he answered. Evelyn smiled and made quick work of the vegetable. Then he washed the broccoli she marinated the salmon.
Once the oven was preheated and the salmon went in, Evelyn went to go make the rice. Jinhai put the broccoli into a wok with hot water then turned and watched her with his arms folded over his chest. His hip was against the counter.
"What?" she asked, she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "Nothing, I was just thinking that I've never seen you like this," she put the rice into the rice cooker and pressed the button before turning to him.
"What do you mean?" she asked. She felt her heart beat faster under his scrutiny. "Watching you cook like this," he answered.
"What are you talking about, there was that one time when we got snowed in by that blizzard back in America," Evelyn said.
"We did?" he feigned surprise but she didn't catch on. His brows furrowed like he was trying to remember but failing.
"Yeah, it was about seven years ago. Ben had gone to a friend's house so we were alone in my apartment," Evelyn continued. Slowly a smile spread on Jinhai's lips, he couldn't help it. Her ignorance was so endearing to him. It was when she saw it that she understood that he was teasing her.
"Hey! You do remember," she exclaimed. He smiled bigger. "Yes," he admitted and he smiled bigger. Evelyn shook her head in disapproval but she smiled too. She went to her alcohol cabinet. She pulled out a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.
"Are you okay with something sweet?" she asked him. "Of course," he answered. She pulled out two wine glasses and and a bottle opener before setting it down on the kitchen island. She made uncorked the bottle and poured them both a glass.
"Are you trying to get me drunk so you can have your way with me?" he asked her. She almost choked on the wine. Her cheeks tinted at his suggestion but she bit back the embarrassment.
"I doubt it would require that much effort to convince you to let me have my way with you," she shot back at him. The smug smile on his face grew.
"Are you offering?" he asked, lowering his glass. "Cause I assure you, you wouldn't be wrong," he said. Evelyn tipped her glass back and downed the rest of her drink. Hopefully he would think the flush of her cheeks were from the alcohol.
"No," she said. He licked his lips before raising his glass to take another sip. "I didn't think so," he muttered. She pretended she didn't hear that.
"What do you remember from that night?" she asked him, changing the subject. "Hm," he said as if he was thinking.
"I remember that you wore this loose blue shirt that showed off your shoulder and a pair of grey sweatpants. Your hair was up in this ponytail that swung every time you moved," he said. She watched him. She had indeed wore that back then. She was surprised he remembered. She recalled thinking that it was rather funny, because they had accidentally matched. He had worn a blue sweater and grey pants.
"I remember how cute you were when you screamed and dropped the crab on the floor," he said with a teasing smile. "Hey!" she exclaimed. He laughed at her reaction.
"It had pinched me with its claw. I was bleeding, you would have dropped it too," she said indignantly.
"No, I would have thrown it in the sink and then cleaned the wound," he challenged. "Easy for you to say," she said. "It didn't happen to you." She sounded angry but she laughed too. Despite the crab wounding her, it had actually been a really good night. Despite the mishap, the crab had ended up tasting amazing.
They had also enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate and on the balcony when the snow had lessened. They had huddled close together while sharing a blanket. She remembered how romantic the moment had been.
They had spent many night in a similar fashion. They would huddle together under a blanket while the sipped hot chocolate. They had done so often while they gazed up at the stars.
Then there was this one time when their families had gone on a vacation together to the mountains in the America's. They had rented out a ski lodge for two weeks. They had huddled under a blanket while it snowed lightly.
When they had gone into town and saw the necklace it had made her think of that night. It was what instantly attracted her to it. The fact that Jinhai got it for her and then gave it to her on her birthday made it extra special.
After the night that they were snowed in, she had thought that Jinhai would ask her out but he never did. Then a couple of months after she met Shawn. She thought the chance had come and gone for them.
"When did you first realize you had feelings for me?" she blurted. He paused to look at her. She looked back at him and with her eyes wide. She couldn't believe she asked the question.
"Do you really want to know?" he asked, the mirth gone from his tone replaced with seriousness. Evelyn swallowed and then nodded.
Jinhai turned to drain the broccoli into a strainer and left that in the sink before he answered her.
"The night your mom passed away," he said in a soft tone. She blinked, a rush of emotion and questions rushed through her.
"What?" she asked her eyebrows furrowed together. He gave a soft smile.
"You had come over that night crying; I had never seen you so devastated. You clung onto me and I wished that I could take your pain away. I wanted to protect you from it," he said. He stepped closer to her and she stopped breathing.
"I had never wanted to protect anything or anyone. I was always rather selfish and always put myself first. But I could never do that when it came to you," he said. He was right in front of her and she looked up at him.
"Why didn't you ever say anything?" her voice was low. He gave her a wry smile.
"You had just lost your mother. Did you expect me to try to take advantage?" he asked her in an equally low tone. She shook her head.
"Not to mention you were fourteen. You were still a kid," he continued.
"What about when I turned eighteen?" she questioned him. He sighed then turned away. She let out a quiet breath.
"I hesitated," he answered truthfully. "I wanted you to experience life and the world. I didn't factor in Shawn," he said bitterly. He turned and began to stir fry the beef. She went to sit quietly and poured herself another glass of wine.
She was surprised by his answer and she hated how much time was lost. Evelyn had a young school girl's crush on him.
Ever since he defended her in elementary school when the kids had teased her about her mother's background. Jinhai had beat up every kid and almost got suspended. The only reason why he didn't was because he was Jinhai Li, heir to the great Li Empire. He had been her hero and she wanted to spend her time with him.
As she got older and they spent more time together she started noticing him differently. Her heart would beat a little bit faster and she would feel a little bit shy around him.
Then she met Shawn and everything changed. She buried her feelings for Jinhai and became completely faithful to Shawn. Shawn was so good to her and she never looked back on what could have been with Jinhai.
Now she wondered what would have happened if it had been Jinhai all these years. If he had been her husband. All of a sudden she wanted those years back. The years she had spent with the wrong man. It wasn't too late but he was here now. She wouldn't waste another moment doubting him. Maybe she couldn't forget his absence but she could forgive him. She won't allow it to take anymore time from them.
Soon the food finished cooking and they sat down to dinner. They placed food in each other's bowl and chatted about their work days.
Evelyn told him about the surgeons and he asked her questions about them. He listened intently and if she wasn't wrong, he looked proud of her.
When they finished eating they stood side by side and washed the dishes together. Evelyn washed the dishes and Jinhai dried them and then put them away.
Evelyn had really enjoyed this night with Jinhai. They cooked a meal together and cleaned up after. For the first time in a long while she felt happy. It was all thanks to the man next to her.
But the night wasn't over yet. About an hour after they finished cleaning the dishes, he told her to go change. He said that he had a surprise for her. She bit back her questions and did as she was told.
She changed into a pair of comfortable jeans and black cami top. She threw on a gray knitted sweater and met him near the door. She grabbed a jacket and hooked it over her arm. He had changed as well and wore a pair of jeans and a sweater. He had on his jacket and he got the door for her.