"So here are my terms," Nikka said as soon as they walked in to his apartment.
"Do you want-" but Marcus was ignored.
Nikka didn't even wait for Marcus to offer her anything and just sat down on the stool by the kitchen island. She took a pen and paper from her purse, and started writing down. Marcus just studied her.
'Where is the sweet girl I knew?' he thought. 'Did I really cause her so much pain for her to hate me that much?'
Marcus walked towards her. He sat beside her and placed his hand over hers that made her rest her pen on the counter. She looked at him.
"Nikka, can we just talk?" he said calmly, and sighed. "We will get through all of your terms, and I promise I will follow whatever is written there but first, let's just talk."
Nikka did not know what to say. Somehow she was surprised at the sudden calm she felt inside. Her anger just melted right away nut she did not show it to him. So, she creased her brows pretending she did not care about what he said and kept writing.
Marcus saw how eager she was but he decided to change the mood. He wanted desperately to have his old Nikka back.
The woman whom he could easily talked to... and not this cold woman that was in front of him.
"Looks like you haven't even eaten anything yet. Why don't I cook up something for us?" Marcus said as he stood up, rolling up his sleeves.
Nikka wanted to say something, but then she stopped herself as her eyes focused on his strong arms. Her eyes followed his every move as he went to the fridge and took the eggs, and a pack of bacon.
Was he really cooking?
Ever since she knew him, she never saw him cook. He always ordered take-outs or take her to a restaurant to eat whenever she slept over.
"I didn't know you can cook," she commented as she watched his fingers clasping the egg. She auddenly got fascinated with her hands as she remembered how he held her cheek. She tried to look away to show those thoughts.
She needed to hate him yet as he gave her a sweet smile, she could not resis not to look back at him. He was a like a magnet pulling her back in whenever he wanted to and she hred herself for it.
"Well, it's because I never cooked for you before and your mom is the best cook. Who would want to compete with that?" Marcus replied, smiling sweetly at her. "Mom taught me how to cook some dishes but so far, Tita Martha was still the best. She would cook the best dishes all the time that every time I visit, I could not resist them. They were just delicious."
It's true. Her mom was the best cook.
Since they were always invited to large gatherings by the Joneses, Martha usually cooked for them. Oftentimes, people would ask about a certain food and they would like her to make it for them. Thus, it started her side business of catering.
As more people get the word of mouth, she gained more customers. Sometimes she would cook four different kinds of food in one day. Although she got exhausted most of the time, she did not mind since it made her happy. Serving others was what she loved the most.
Now, her mother was gone and she felt a huge void in her heart. Tears suddenly fell from her eyes and she wiped them away with her hand.
"Here," Marcus offered his blue handkerchief to her.
She didn't even notice he was standing beside her. She looked at him as she took the handkerchief and wiped her eyes with it.
"I missed her so much," she cried. Marcus hugged her close to him as she kept crying.
"I know. I miss her, too. I missed them both," said Marcus.
Nikka buried her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Suddenly, she did not feel so alone anymore. She felt him gently stroking her hair.
How it feels so good to be in his arms!
She felt so secure and protected. It has been a long time she ever felt this way, and she held tighter, not wanting to let go. She could feel his breath on her face, and the slow rise of his chest. It relaxed her and soon out of exhaustion, she dozed off.
Marcus traced his hand on her cheek then to her lips as it slightly parted with his touch. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the guest bedroom. Despite of the changes he made in the apartment, that room was the only one that remained the same. There were times that he would lie there, trying to remember her sweet innocent face, hoping one day to touch it once again. He wanted to trace his finger on her jawline and admired her sweet red lips.
He placed her on the bed gently careful not to wake her. Bending down beside the bed, he pushed a strand of hair from her face.
He could not stop admiring her as she still looked beautiful even when asleep. It had been three years since she last laid down on this bed and he took in every detail of her, filling up the longing he had been feeling for a long time.
"If I could only ease all the pain, Nikka, I would..." he whispered and kissed her forehead
Seeing the dark circles around her eyes, he could not resist not to kiss her eyelids, too.
"Mom..." she moaned, creasing her eyebrows. She shifted to her side, revealing a flawless brown thigh as her skirt hiked up.
Sighing, he gently pulled the skirt down.
As much as he desired her, this was not the best time. Nikka needed to rest. Pulling the blanket on top of her, he gazed upon her beautiful face ince again before walking towards the door.
"Rest well, my sweet," he whispered more to himself than to her, before closing the door.