"You remembered it, Ein?"
Henry's irises dilated and his mouth was agape. He pauses for a bit then pulls out two plates from the kitchen drawers.
"To be honest… I dreamt of it earlier." I groaned as I recollected the memory. "You ran away and then I gave chase..." I watched Henry set placemats and glasses in front of me, his demeanour had become tense and his face was sombre.
"And then what happened?"
Henry's voice had an inquisitive tone, he glanced at me, there was a hint of sorrow and anticipation visible from his eyes. He then looks away and divides the portions of pasta from the pan.
'God damn it, Ein. You triggered a sensitive topic! Don't answer his question you fool! But wait, he's helping me remember? I'm sure Henry won't mind! Don't worry, he's grown and he can take the drama.'
My inner thoughts were going awry. Part of me wanted to answer Henry's question, while my gut was telling me that I should dismiss it as Henry would feel like shit after.
'Screw this.'
I took a deep breath and tried my best to answer Henry with a neutral tone.
"Well, when I managed to catch up to you…" I nervously tapped my fingers on the counter. "You were blaming yourself and you wanted to die at that time…" Henry was staring at me intently, his face had a darkened expression and it was intimidating. I averted my eyes from him and focused at the placemat on the counter.
'Don't stammer. Don't stammer. Don't stammer!'
"Y-you wanted to be left alone..." I glanced at Henry, his face looked serious and his brows were furrowed. "A-after that I woke up… T-those were the only things I remembered." I fumbled as I explained myself to him.
Henry served my plate of Shrimp Aglio e Olio and filled my glass with water. The aroma of garlic, prawns and spices wafts in front of me. The shrimp were perfectly seared and its vibrant orange hue looked appetizing, the pasta had a brilliant golden sheen due to the infusion of olive oil, chilli flakes and garlic. Henry's cooking made me feel hungrier.
I almost drooled at the sight of food in front of me but Henry's piercing gaze proved stronger as his aura had become cold and gloomy.
There was an awkward silence in the room.
'Ein, you screwed up. Why did you let your mouth run on a touchy subject? You should've been careful! Henry was trying to help me remember, it's not my fault things got chilly!' I spoke to my inner voice to help relax, but it only made me feel terrible.
"Ein, let's eat before the food gets cold."
My trail of thought was interrupted by Henry's voice. I watched him grab his plate and take a seat across me on the dining counter. He pulls out two pairs of sealed chopsticks from the kitchen drawers underneath.
"I haven't unpacked the cutlery yet, you don't mind using chopsticks for the meantime?" Henry hands me over a pair of disposable chopsticks. "I'm sorry for being unprepared. Haha!" He lets out a nervous laugh.
I met his eyes as he passed the packet of chopsticks to me, it looked like Henry noticed the tension in the room and decided to lighten the mood by diverting my attention to eating.
"I… I'm all right with chopsticks." I grabbed the pair and split them apart. "Actually, I feel a lot more comfortable using them. Thank you."
A feeble smile appeared on Henry's face as I gave him my thanks. "Bon appetit, Ein."
『🍴』
Ein and Henry ate their dinner in silence, both men had an inkling that talking about the past was too heavy for dinner and opted to keep quiet so as not to spoil the mood. Ein didn't mind the atmosphere and decided to focus on eating.
The pasta was delicious, the noodles were cooked perfectly tender despite coming from an instant packet. The prawns were juicy and the seasonings enhanced the flavour of the seafood. Ein was pleasantly surprised at how Henry managed to create an excellent dish with a few ingredients.
Henry noticed Ein's mood brightening with every bite he took, he felt proud to see someone appreciate his cooking by eating with gusto.
However, the silence was stifling.
Henry felt uncomfortable after a while and decided to break the ice. He finishes his meal then sets down his chopsticks on the placemat.
"Thank you, Ein." Henry mumbles.
"Hmm?" Ein covers his lips as he chews the food in his mouth, he then swallows it and follows up his response. "What for?" he raises an eyebrow.
"For saving me back then." A warm smile forms on Henry's lips. "If you didn't give chase, I wouldn't be here eating dinner with you."
"Then the dream-"
Henry interrupts Ein. "It wasn't a dream Ein, it really happened." Henry takes a sip of water from his glass.
"Then… you must have been through a lot." Ein finishes the pasta and puts down the chopsticks.
"Indeed, it was a living hell back then." Henry sighs as he recalls the days when he was still living in the council house.
"I was a fickle child and no one in that house wanted to deal with me. The adults took pity on me at first, but when they heard about what I did in school… All of them started to talk shit about me." Henry's smile flattens and a bitter expression forms on his face.
"What happened to you when you were in school, Henry?"
"Long story short... I was bullied and tormented by the biggest bigots in the class." Henry scratches his head as he remembers his childhood. "I wanted them to leave me alone so… I pinned down their leader and kissed him on the lips to scar him forever."
Ein was amazed at Henry's actions. "Seriously!? You did such a thing?" Ein trembled as he tried to contain his laughter. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing… but to think you were able to pull off such a gutsy move there."
"Well... mother told me it wasn't wise to hit other people, instead she taught me to use love and understanding to sort out issues." Henry chuckles. "I guess the kids who bullied me didn't get it."
Ein lets out a hearty laugh as Henry's ramblings lightened the conversation. "I think that's the reason why people were probably wary of you though… You are aware that it would count as sexual harassment."
"Well, thankfully I was a minor and due to my circumstances, people back then didn't see it that way."
"You got lucky then."
"Indeed." Henry groans. "Too bad, the folks in that council house didn't and they ostracised me… They even talked shit behind my back and spread it around the neighbourhood." Henry clicks his tongue in annoyance.
"Ah… I think I remember that one." Ein recalls the dream he saw earlier.
"You stood up for me back then, and you made the nosy folks in the house shut up by giving them an earful too." Henry rubs his shoulder as he reminisces. "You were shouting at them and your raging voice was terrifying, to be honest… even now I still get goosebumps whenever I remember that time."
"Really?" Ein raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "I never thought that I would actually blow a fuse…"
"You did at that time, and you helped me get through all that…" Henry stands up from his seat and moves to the stool beside Ein. "And for that, I am forever in your debt." Henry pats Ein's back.
"Thank you, Ein."
Henry's face softens, his lips curved up forming a warm smile and his eyes glistened with endearment.
Ein's face flushes red in embarrassment. It was the first time in a while that he received a genuine gesture of thanks. Being in the hospitality industry for more than four years made Ein indifferent to such instances. After all, in management, the words Thank You was just a superficial business greeting.
"Y-you're welcome." Ein stutters as he tries to shake off his nerves. "I'm s-sorry if I recalled a bad me-"
Henry cuts him off. "You don't have to apologise, Ein." He stood up from his seat and took away the empty plates. "I told you, I'll help you remember. Don't mind it if you recollect a horrible memory." He opens the dishwasher and places the plates, pots and pans inside, closes the door and turns it on.
"To be honest, you haven't changed a bit."
"What do you mean?" Ein raises his eyebrow.
"You were wary towards the people around you, Ein. You would always apologise whenever you thought that you've offended someone… Just like what you did a few moments ago." Henry chuckles softly as he returns to his seat across Ein.
"I guess old habits don't die." Ein sighs.
"At least the body remembers the past even though your mind does not. That would help you in recalling your memories too, you know." Henry takes a sip of water from his glass and empties it.
"Anywho! I'll teach you how to make the honey-lemon ginger tea as promised." A beaming smile forms on Henry's face.
『🍴』
Both men spent a few hours in the kitchen talking to each other while making a fresh batch of ginger tea jelly. Thanks to Henry's concise instructions and cooking tips, Ein manages to learn how to make his own batch afterwards. Although Ein still struggled to remember the past, he was happy to regain a piece of his lost memories through Henry.
"Crap, I think we made too much." Henry rummages through his cupboards as he scans for containers to stow away the fresh tea jelly. He then sees a pair of medium-sized mason jars and pulls it out. "This should suffice."
Henry disinfects the jars by filling it with hot water and a few drops of dishwashing soap, he shakes the contents for a good minute, then rinses the soap shortly and wipes it dry before setting it on the counter.
"You can have the entire batch Ein, that should last you for a month at most." Henry grins as he transfers the jelly into each jar.
"I can't possibly finish it all by myself Henry… I'll just take one of them for now."
"Don't be shy! Just take both, Ein." Henry sighs as he puts on the lids on the jar. "The jelly will stay fresh for three months at most inside the fridge. It's a brisk tea, you can drink it any time of the day and it's good for your headaches and throat too."
"Alright then… I'll make sure to finish them before they go bad." Ein glances at his smartwatch. It was now 9:46 PM and it was getting late.
"I might have imposed too much on you today, Henry." Ein looks at Henry with a concerned face. "I'll be taking my leave by ten o'clock sharp. I'm really thankful for the tea and the delicious dinner."
"I don't mind it." Henry pats Ein's shoulder. "Ein, you're special, so don't feel guilty about hanging around!" Henry grins. "After all, reconnecting with friends is time well spent."
"...Friend?"
"Although you've forgotten about me, it doesn't change a thing, Ein." Henry winks. "I'll introduce myself properly this time then."
Henry reaches out his hand to Ein for a handshake.
"Henry Rivers, formerly known as Henny Hobbes, your old roommate and an old friend. I'm glad to meet you again, Ein Schmidt."