"Are you here to buy groceries too?" Noah greeted them as he held Ethan's left hand while carrying a basket.
Sam, who had always gotten nervous when talking about Felix's mom, now relaxed. His brows and eyes softened, and a faint smile curved his lips. "Oh, it's Felix's mom here. She insisted on seeing me, so we ended up shopping together."
Ethan knew Sam's comment was aimed at him, but he remained unfazed. "Well, Felix's mom is probably just worried about her son's love life."
Felix scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. "You know about the blind date, Mr. Harrison?"
As his boss, Ethan was always addressed more formally by Felix, but today, it felt a little out of place.
"I know. No need for formalities when we're just talking casually."
"Alright, Ethan."
Sam, realizing the real reason behind the visit, felt a bit foolish. "So that's why Felix's mom is here? I thought it was something more complicated."
"Well... that's part of it. But sometimes, I don't make it home," Felix said, holding up some freshly bought seafood.
"..."
Sam was excited, but then a thought occurred to him—this was a perfect opportunity to make a good impression. If he could win Felix's mom over, then Felix wouldn't have to go on blind dates anymore.
"We've finished our shopping, so we'll be heading off. You guys can continue browsing," Sam said, and with that, he and Felix walked away.
"Anything you want to eat?" Noah asked as he noticed that since they entered the store, he had been the one picking things up, while Ethan had barely moved a finger.
"If you don't say anything, I'm not cooking tonight."
Though Ethan had visited Noah's place before and had a meal, it had been Japanese sukiyaki, which didn't really showcase Noah's cooking skills.
"But aren't I the one cooking tonight?" Ethan assumed, as he had been the one doing the cooking on previous visits.
Noah snatched the basket from Ethan's hand, swinging it over to his own arm, and crossed his hands over his chest. "You go pick the stuff, I'm going ahead."
"Alright, alright." Ethan couldn't resist Noah's insistence, so he picked out some soft tofu, a bunch of bean sprouts, and two preserved eggs.
"...Could you take this seriously?" Noah looked at the cheap items in Ethan's hands, irritated.
"But I really like these," Ethan said casually.
Noah couldn't help but feel a little surprised by Ethan's down-to-earth nature. For a moment, he struggled to reconcile this side of him with Ethan's background and status. But he silently made a note of the foods Ethan liked.
"Pick something else then."
Ethan, looking innocent, replied, "But I already have two things in my hands."
He then took the basket from Noah's arm and, with his other hand, gently took Noah's hand in his.
"Let's go."
Noah watched their hands linked together, and before he knew it, they were back at his place. Ethan opened the door with such ease, it almost felt like it was his own home.
"Is Shawn not home today?" Noah asked.
Noah nodded, glancing at a message from Shawn on his phone. Shawn had texted that he would return as soon as he was done handling things at home. Noah didn't know how long he'd have to wait, but he also couldn't afford to leave his café without a barista.
So, Noah messaged Shawn, telling him he'd hired a short-term barista and would welcome Shawn back whenever he could return.
This afternoon, Noah had closed the café. He didn't want to trouble Emma again since he knew she was busy with an important project. So instead, Noah hired a coffee taster online, arranging for a more professional connection.
For this evening, Noah was in charge of the main cooking, and Ethan was the assistant, handling the prep work.
Soon, the kitchen filled with the savory smell of cooking, but it quickly rose, being sucked up by the range hood.
Noah quickly stirred the pork tenderloin in the pan. "Grab a couple of plates from the lower cabinet."
Ethan squatted down and recognized the plates—those were the ones he had gifted Noah.
"When did you open them?" Ethan asked.
Noah transferred the bright, glossy sweet-and-sour pork to the plate. "The night I came back from confessing."
"You..."
The coat hanging on the wall was interrupted by the familiar ringtone of a phone.
"Your phone's ringing. You should answer it," Noah suggested, still focused on the task at hand as he sliced the tofu.
Ethan hesitated for a moment. "It's a video call from my mom. Do you want to be on camera?" he asked cautiously, always eager to respect Noah's feelings.
Noah's mind involuntarily recalled Lyon's words, "A relationship with marriage in mind."
"Your mom already knows about me, doesn't she?" Noah asked, looking up from his work.
"Yeah, I told my family about you," Ethan replied. "I'm not trying to pressure you. I just want you to know that when I say I like you, it's not just words. I genuinely want to build a future with you."
Noah, with perfect timing, threw some cold water on the situation. "What if we don't end up together?"
Promises of always being together are only real in the moment they're spoken.
The air suddenly grew heavy with silence. Even the video call eventually disconnected after no one picked up.
"If we break up, and you give me another chance—no, even if you don't—I'll keep trying. Once, twice, three times, many times."
Noah wanted to believe Ethan. He was willing to give them both the time they needed.
Over time, he thought, would this love blossom and grow smooth and beautiful, or would it slowly fade away like so many things lost in the river of time?
"Go ahead and call your mom back," Noah said after washing his hands, then excused himself to the bathroom to freshen up.
In the mirror, Noah's face looked tense, so he puffed out his cheeks and slowly exhaled. He repeated this a few times.
Finally, he massaged his face lightly, loosening the tension without making his skin turn red.
When Noah returned, Ethan pulled him over to the sofa, placing his hand on the back of Noah's hand, giving it a gentle pat.
"I'll call her back now."
Noah adjusted his smile, making sure to look as natural and pleasant as possible in the camera's frame.
The phone rang twice before it was answered. "Sweetheart, were you busy just now?"
Mrs. Jones was adjusting her face mask, tilting her head slightly.
"Cough, cough! I'm not a little kid anymore, stop calling me 'sweetheart'!" Ethan's voice was half-exasperated, half-amused.
Mrs. Jones didn't mind, using her hands to adjust her mask even though it wasn't quite fitting.
"What's wrong? Just because you've grown up, does that mean you're not my baby anymore? Does growing up mean you're no longer my little sweetheart?"
Ethan, seeing Noah struggling to suppress his laughter, couldn't help but smile too. The tension had finally eased.
When Mrs. Jones noticed the second person on the screen, her eyes widened. "Oh, you must be Noah! My son talks about you all the time—he even called his dad for advice!"
Though Mrs. Jones was wearing a face mask, the warmth in her eyes was more than enough to put Noah at ease.
"Wow, you're so handsome! Much better looking than my poker-faced son," she added with a playful smile.
Ethan, smiling at the compliment, nodded along. "Yes, yes, totally agree."
Ethan pointed at his own face, and Mrs. Jones, presumably still unaware, had a face mask covering her entire face, making her expression hard to read.
"Oh dear!" Mrs. Jones exclaimed, and then only her voice could be heard through the screen, as she disappeared from view.
"I'm going to tidy up for a moment—"
Noah smiled with a playful gleam in his eyes. "Your mom is so cute."
"I'm back!" Mrs. Jones reappeared, and Noah couldn't help but think, Wow, she could easily be a beauty queen.
"We're so happy to have Ethan's first relationship. If there's anything he's doing wrong, don't hesitate to 'discipline' him. If he misbehaves, just let me know, and I'll handle it."
Noah's eyes widened at the mention of first relationship. Wait… Ethan's first love?!
"Mom! Don't start airing all my business!" Ethan groaned, clearly embarrassed. This was the moment when everything was laid bare.
Noah, ever the calm one, took Ethan's hand gently. "We'll be understanding of each other."
"Alright, alright. Ethan, you—"
"Who are you video calling?" A man's voice cut through, and Noah was taken by surprise as another person appeared on the screen.
He hadn't expected his first meeting with Ethan's parents to unfold this way.
"Hello, Uncle. I'm Ethan's boyfriend, Noah," Noah introduced himself, trying to keep things composed.
Mr. Jones, sitting close to Mrs. Jones, with an affectionate expression, smiled warmly. "I know you. Ethan actually called me before, asking for advice on how to win someone over."
Ethan: "..."
Having parents who loved to spill your secrets was truly something else.
"Well, I have to say, it seems like I gave pretty solid advice. I was wondering back then how he suddenly seemed so 'enlightened.'"
Noah chuckled inwardly. If it hadn't been for Ethan moving in as a neighbor, he would never have noticed the little things Ethan had been doing.
Who knows how long it would have taken them to figure this out otherwise.
"Of course! Otherwise, how would I have married your mother?" Mr. Jones boasted proudly, puffing out his chest.
"Back in the day…"
Ethan immediately cut off his dad's reminiscing. "I've heard this story a thousand times since I was little. I could recite it by heart."
Mr. Jones snuggled into Mrs. Jones' shoulder, giving her an exaggerated look of mock hurt, as if silently asking her to intervene and stop their son from teasing him.
"Alright, Ethan. Have you two had dinner yet?" Mrs. Jones asked, patting her husband's shoulder affectionately.
"No, we haven't. I'm only halfway through cooking," Ethan said, turning the camera toward the kitchen.
"Well, we won't keep you from your meal. We can chat another time."
Noah, contrary to his expectations, didn't feel a rush of relief. In fact, he was surprisingly relaxed—there was no tension, no worry at all.
"I'll finish up here. You sit and rest for a while," Ethan offered, about to get up, but Noah quickly grabbed his arm.
"It's fine. It's just like chatting with relatives I've known for years. Your parents are lovely, and I really like them." Noah pushed gently on Ethan's shoulder, his tone confident and a bit domineering. "Just relax. You said I'm cooking, so I'm cooking."
Because of the time constraints, Noah moved even faster, efficiently handling the cooking and prep. In no time, the dishes were ready.
"This is preserved egg with tofu and stir-fried bean sprouts. I made crispy tofu with the remaining tofu."
He placed the three dishes on the table, setting them closer to Ethan.
Things were calm and harmonious on this side, but over with Sam, things weren't going quite as smoothly.