By the time Violette freshened up and came out, Lucian was already back and arranging the dishes on the small table in front of the kitchen counter.
As he looked back, Lucian saw her wiping her wet face with her sleeve so he turned around and bent down to open the cabinets under the kitchen counter. He pushed around a few things inside and brought out a roll of light blue towel stuffed in a clear poly bag.
He tore the package open and passed the towel to her with a smile. He then directed her to the table and helped her settle into the seat.
Violette sat down quietly as she wiped her face and hands with the towel. But when she saw the scene in front of her, she was left slack jawed. The small table was crowded with all types of food as if it was an offering of some sort.
There were 5 rolls of Sweet Potato Enchiladas, a plate full of Fried Chicken pieces, a big bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup along with a big pile of Pancakes, Sandwiches and even a plate of French Toast and Waffles each.
The table was so thoroughly packed with food that there wasn't even an inch of space to move things around. On the contrary, one would feel too anxious and stressed to serve anything from the table.
Violette kept staring at the table full of food with a confused expression as she didn't know whether to just laugh it off or to cry in embarrassment.
Did her stomach really growl so loudly?
Did he think she was starving for days?
Lucian noticed that Violette was just gazing at the food and hadn't picked up anything so he spoke up slowly. "Uh… I have ice cream and apple juice in the fridge, if you'd like."
More food? Was he joking?
Wait, did he think she didn't like any of the dishes here?
"Is butterscotch okay with you?" Lucian asked and Violette turned to look at him as he grabbed a bucket of ice cream from the fridge and looked at her for approval.
Violette gave a big nod and kept her head low to hide the smile emerging on her face as she pretended to wipe her face.
Anyway, rejecting ice cream wouldn't be polite now, would it?
Lucian noticed her subtle actions and couldn't help the twitch of his lips as he observed his wife in amusement.
As he grabbed a bowl and spoon to scoop the ice cream, he felt Violette stand beside him. He saw her picking up two empty plates, spoons and forks from the side drawers under the kitchen counter and turn to the food table.
She then picked up a roll of Sweet Potato Enchiladas and a couple fried chicken pieces into one plate and put it on the seat beside her.
She then held the second plate in her palm and picked up another roll of Sweet Potato Enchiladas before looking at Lucian with an inquiring gaze.
Lucian looked at her with a smile and gave her a nod as he stood there holding a bowl of ice-cream in hand and watched Violette putting food in his plate.
She put the Enchilada roll in his plate and then picked up a fried chicken piece as she once again looked at him for confirmation.
Lucian was so thrilled by her actions, he kept nodding his head and Violette kept adding more food to his plate.
Violette was at first surprised by his appetite and then it turned into a concern for his health. But she kept her opinions to herself as she filled his plate with food and handed it to him.
Lucian had a sweet smile on his face as he absentmindedly took the plate from her, his grey eyes sparkling as he stared at her. Then he noticed that she was looking at his other hand with an expectant look and realized the he was still holding the ice cream bowl.
"Oh, here." He promptly passed the ice cream bowl to her and watched as she took a seat at the table with her dinner plate in one hand and the ice cream bowl in the other.
That was when Lucian realized that there was no place on the table for them to put their plates. So he quickly placed his dinner plate on his seat and started removing some dishes from the table.
Violette also lent him a hand, and as if they were working with silent tacit understanding, they quickly transferred the dishes onto the kitchen counter. Then, Violette pushed the remaining dishes to the other side to make some space and placed her plate and ice-cream bowl on it.
She then pulled out two glasses from the kitchen cabinet drawers and placed them on the table while Lucian took out a water bottle from the fridge and filled them with water.
Then they both took a seat and began their dinner with a tranquil mood lingering in the air.
Violette started with her dessert as she seemed calm and relaxed. Lucian raised his eyes from his plate and saw her savoring her ice-cream with a peaceful expression and let out a chuckle.
The remainder of the dinner went by quietly as both of them concentrated on their food. Neither of them felt awkward or reserved around each other Violette even grabbed some second servings and ate to her heart's content.
After they had their fill, they both continued to work in sync as Lucian grabbed their plates and other utensils and began washing them in the sink while Violette began sorting out the remaining food items into small flat containers or covering them in plastic wrap accordingly to store them for later.
And as Lucian finished washing the plates and put them aside, Violette also finished storing the remaining food in the fridge and passed the other dirty plates to him.
Lucian took them without a complaint and began scrubbing them under water while Violette took the plates he put aside and started to wipe them down with a towel before putting them back in their drawer.
Lucian quietly took a peek at her from the corner of his eyes, his lips slowly twitching into a smile as he washed the remaining plates and passed them to her.
Violette took them, wiped them with a towel and arranged them back in their drawer one by one in a smooth and efficient manner.
Then she raised her head and unexpectedly locked eyes with Lucian. He was looking at her with a silly smile on his face which made Violette's heart skip a beat.
His grey eyed gaze bore into hers as they both stood still, gazing into each other's eyes. The surroundings blurred into the background and everything turned silent as if the world slowed down to pause.
But the unexpectedly ambiguous atmosphere didn't last long as it was abruptly broken by a ringtone and brought them back from their stupor.
They were both suddenly jolted awake and Lucian felt disappointed as they had to break their connection. But Violette was the first to avert her eyes as she dropped her gaze and turned away.
Lucian let out an inaudible sigh and walked to the couch behind him and pulled out his mobile from his jacket.
He glanced at the Caller ID and huffed in annoyance before he begrudgingly accepted the call. "Yes."