True to the doctor's words, Althea was discharged the following day. Since her family was currently stuck overseas, I had the honours of being her ride home. Still, since I didn't have a car, I had to hail a cab once again.
The trip back was quite normal, boring even. Although Althea was no longer intimidated by me, she was still quite uncomfortable with my company. So our conversation was relatively dry all throughout the cab ride.
Once we'd reached our destination, I reached out to her hospital bag, only to be met with a soft gasp.
"What is it?"
"Ah, I can carry it myself."
"Are you asking me to let a patient do some heavy lifting?"
"It's not that heavy," Althea pouted in defiance. "It's just..."
"What is it?"
"N-Nothing! Just don't peek inside, alright?!"
Oh, so that's why she was so fidgety. Althea's hospital bag probably contained her used clothes and underwear, so it wasn't strange for her to feel protective of it. Still, did she really think that I would peek into a girl's bag for no reason?
"Haha, I got you."
I consciously put some distance between me and the bag as we'd headed towards our apartment complex. However, before I could press the elevator button, Althea walked right past me.
"What's wrong?"
"Hmmm, ah sorry. I didn't realise that you were going to use this elevator."
"This elevator? Oh, do you normally use the elevator at Lobby B?"
"Yeah, it's the elevator that's closer to my apartment."
Two lift lobbies reached our floor. Lift Lobby A was to the west, while Lobby B took the east. My apartment was the fourth from Lobby A, so I'd always used this lift to head up. Althea's apartment was just beside mine, but it was definitely closer to the elevator from Lobby B.
So that's why we'd hardly met each other even though we were next-door neighbours. She had always taken the opposite elevator, and in extension, the routes from that led to and fro from that lobby.
"I see," I nodded like a detective that had figured out a puzzle. "If it makes you more comfortable, I don't mind taking the other lift."
"No, since we're already here..."
Althea wore a wry smile before heading into the opened elevator doors. "Let's go?"
"Sure," I replied happily.
In less than a minute, we'd reached the topmost floor, and Althea was in the midst of opening her apartment door with her keycard. I could hear the distinct metallic sound of locks opening before Althea swung her door open.
"Please… come in." The young girl shyly invited me into her apartment.
So, what was my first impression of my neighbour's apartment?
Well, it was nothing surprising.
Since both our apartments were in the middle, it seemed like our layouts were quite similar. The only difference was that they were mirrored. My bedroom was to the left, while hers was to the right. Althea's living area was just as big as my own, and the marble kitchen island was exactly the same.
Naturally, our setups would be a little different. I had a home gym and an office. On the other hand, Althea had a mini desk and a make-up table with a huge mirror. She did have a resting area with a sofa and an entertainment area, much like my own. So we had that in common, at least. But otherwise, our interiors were worlds apart.
Still, there were some similarities. Althea's apartment was cleaner than I'd expected. Back in my university days, I'd been to other girl's dorms before. They had piles of used clothes and strands of hair littered all over the floor. Some were even putrid, and few were actually livable. But this apartment was in tip-top shape, a feat that could only be accomplished through constant cleaning.
Now I was genuinely impressed.
"P-Please don't stare too much..."
"Oh, sorry… I didn't mean to..." I immediately apologised, not wanting to put Althea in any further discomfort. "I was just amazed."
"Amazed?"
"Yeah," I nonchalantly replied while placing Althea's hospital bag on the kitchen island. "Your apartment layout is similar to mine, so I was fascinated to see how differently we designed it."
"Oh, so that's why..." Althea murmured softly.
"Haha, but I'm impressed. To think that your parents were willing to splurge on such a big apartment for you."
I knew full well how much the rent was for this apartment. Given that we were on the same floor and our apartment's layout were symmetrical, it was safe to say that her rent was about the same as mine.
As a single bachelor with no significant debts, I could afford it comfortably. But for a university student like Althea, it was basically impossible without her parent's help.
"Yeah… I'm grateful to them."
The young girl's neutral face blossomed into a beautiful smile. Just as I surmised, Althea's relationship with her parents must be quite good.
"Oh, I'd forgotten to ask. Have you eaten your lunch?"
"In the hospital? No, not yet."
"Perfect. Actually, I've prepared lunch before I'd left to fetch you back."
"Oh, right..."
Althea's lips curled down as she fell into thought. Looks like she'd remembered our prior arrangement.
"Don't worry, I may look like this, but I'm confident in my cooking abilities! I'll be back in a minute."
I left Althea's apartment and kept her front door slightly ajar. It didn't take long for me to locate the clay pot that I'd left on the stove. Returning back to her apartment, I could see Althea looking at me curiously.
"Hold on, it's cold right now. May I borrow your kitchen to warm it up?"
"Ah, yeah. Sure, go ahead."
Instead of feeling repulsive, Althea was genuinely interested in my actions. She laid her elbows down on the kitchen island while I'd worked on the stove.
Speaking of her kitchen, I could see some dirty dishes lying in the sink. It was the only filthy place in this whole apartment. Furthermore, after a quick cursory glance, I could see that Althea wasn't the type to work in the kitchen.
There were no knives nearby. Ingredients seemed scarce. And I wasn't able to find any semblance of salt nearby.
There wasn't even an oven. I could, however, see rows upon rows of instant noodles lined up.
Wow, no wonder she collapsed.
"What is in it?"
Unaware of my harsh judgement, Althea popped her head forwards like a little puppy sticking its nose into the ground.
"Porridge," I succinctly replied. "Since you'd just got discharged, I didn't want to overwhelm your stomach."
"Oh, thank you..." Once Althea heard what was in the pot, her interest significantly waned.
"That reminds me, do you have any allergies or preferences? Since I'm going to cook for you from now on, I wouldn't want to make something you couldn't eat."
The young girl thought for a moment before tilting her head: "I'm not allergic to anything. As for preferences… I don't really like spicy or bitter food."
"Hmmm, simple enough. I'll take that into account."
Don't like spicy or bitter food… Was she a child?
Well, I didn't like bitter stuff anyway, so I could live with that. However, I did have a liking for spices. No matter, next time I'm cooking a spicy dish, I'll cook a small portion without any spices.
As I was thinking about the future dishes I would make, my current meal was already bubbling up. I turned around and saw the lid of the clay pot shaking slightly, showing that it was ready to be served.
"It's ready," I informed the young girl seated at the kitchen island while I turned off the stove. "May I borrow your utensils?"
"Yes, they're in the cabinet to the left."
I pulled out two bowls and two spoons from the cabinet that Althea mentioned and placed them right before the pot. Removing the lid, I carefully scooped out the porridge before placing the filled-up bowls on the kitchen island.
"Careful, it's hot."
"Okay..."
The piping hot steam of the porridge tickled our faces as the heavy aroma of chicken stock played with our sensory organs. Althea didn't know it yet, but her face was slowly beginning to salivate.
The young girl waited for a few seconds before twirling her spoon around the porcelain bowl. She looked like a curious cat dipping its paw in water, just that instead of a paw, she used her spoon. In the end, Althea was unable to wait anymore and took a big mouthful.
"This… It's delicious."
"Haha, I know, right?"
"Why… Isn't this supposed to be porridge? Why does it have so much flavour?"
"Was there a rule that porridge had to be flavourless?"
"That… No..."
It seems like Althea had only eaten bland congee in her life, so it was natural that she was behaving this way.
"Still, I'd never had anything like this before! What did you put into it?"
"Can you guess?"
"Hmmm… I can taste chicken and pepper, but that's about it. No, there's another distinct flavour… Seafood?"
"Haha, you'd got it right." I chuckled at Althea's quick deduction. "It's Chicken Abalone Porridge."
"There's abalone in here?!" Althea dropped her spoon and glanced down at her bowl in shock. "Isn't it too wasteful to put in porridge?"
"There's no such thing as a wasted ingredient," I corrected Althea's misunderstanding with a smile.
"Besides, the abalone that I'd used were the cheap canned ones. The only reason it's so flavourful is that I mixed the abalone stock in the cans with my own chicken stock. To supplement the lack of meat, I used scallops and shredded chicken, and to finish up the meal… I added some chives and garnish to balance the flavour."
"..."
"Haha, don't worry. I've spent many months perfecting this dish. It can be considered as one of my specialities!"
"I see… That's unexpected..."
"What is?"
"I didn't think that you were able to make such delicious food."
Oh, this girl was a little rude, isn't she?
"Oh, come on, even the devil has to eat, right?"
"A-Ah, I didn't mean it that way!"
Althea frantically waved her hands as her face broke into a crimson blush.
"Haha, don't worry about it. I'm used to people getting scared by my looks. Still, it isn't good to judge someone based on their outer appearances."
"... I'll keep that in mind."
"So, what do you think? Is my cooking good enough?"
"Most definitely! There's nothing to complain about!" Althea's face brightened up in delight. "It's the best meal I had in months!"
"... Thank you."
A wave of pride filled my heart. It didn't matter if we were strangers; it was nice to have someone appreciate my cooking skills.
"Don't worry, I'll keep making lunch and dinner for you from now on. Well, at least until the pandemic is over."
"Thanks! I'll be looking forward to it."
And for the first time since we'd met, Althea beamed with the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen.