CHANGES 4

When she went back with two glasses of juice in her hands, he was also walking back to the dining table from the living room after getting his phone.

"Let's take a seat. I'm hungry." she told him and grabbed her own chair. "We still have sweet and sour fish, just tell me if you want some. I'll grab it for you." she waited for him to sit down before she placed some rice on her plate. She was about to eat her food when she felt awkward eating on her own while the person in front of her was still checking which food was place on which side.

"Just grab your spoon and fork." she told him then she grabbed his plate to her side and she put rice and the sweet and sour fish fillet on his plate. "Eat this first." she returned the plate back to him so he could start eating.

"You don't have to do this. I can manage." he said with a little sadness on his voice for being treated like a handicap. Well, he's indeed one but he didn't like being pitied or getting sympathy from anyone.

"I know. You can even wash the bowls, clean the kitchen, fold the blanket and do other stuff. I don't pity you, 'kay? I just want you to eat my dish already. I just can't wait. I rarely have time to show off my skills." it was just an excuse but she managed to get a smile from him. "So, expect this to happen again if I'm cooking." she was shredding two pieces of chicken wings on her plate and made sure that it's boneless. "Here. It's my buttered garlic chicken wings." she placed it on his plate before she started eating. When she saw him just staring at his plate, she urged him again. "I picked the bones for you. Tell me how it tastes?"

Ivan picked up his spoon and fork and started shoving food on his mouth. He ate and ate before he looked at her and say, "It's delicious."

"I'm confident in my cooking." she was beaming with smile when she heard his praise. She stood up and took the lava cake that she put in the freezer earlier. "We have a lava cake for dessert. I didn't really bake this. I just made something out of the ingredients available." she sliced it into four cubes and place one piece on  each small plate. She put a little bit of chocolate syrup and gave it to him.

"Do you always eat like this?" he asked her when she was about to put the remaining dessert back to the freezer.

"What do you mean with 'like this'?" she asked him back with confusion evident in her voice.

"I mean. Eat fancy food in your apartment. With dessert, fruit juice and all these."

"I understand what you mean now." she drank a mouthful of juice before continuing. "I hate eating alone in a restaurant. When I was in college, whenever I have spare time I would spend it to cook different kinds of food. I was basically expirementing that time. This is like a normal meal for me now." she told him how she learned to cook.

"Ahh, this is so bland. Did you put salt and pepper in this?" their helper tasted her dish one time and she couldn't help but frown on the food she made.

"Right. I actually forgot." she flicked her own forehead when she realized it. "Let me put some. Just give me a sec." then she let their helper taste it again.

"That taste better. Next time, place all the ingredients on the table. Once you're done, put it back to their places so you would know what you've forgotten or not. It helps you clean your mess as well." their helper tipped her before washing the things she used.

"I'll remember that." she told her before taking out the dish she made for dinner. It was her first time cooking for her parents and she cooked them the chicken curry that they loved the most.

"I wanted to bake something for dessert but it would take me time. I'll do it next time." she told her parents before placing the viand that she prepared. Aside from the one she made, there were other dishes as well that their helper cooked.

"That's fine. Take it slow. Next time, we'll have your dessert for an afternoon tea instead." said her mother who patted the chair next to her. "Have a seat already and let's eat."

Her father was the first one to try the dish before he looked at her saying, "You did a great job." he even gave her a thumbs up.

"I'm glad that nanny Jo pointed out my mistake. I almost forgot to season it with salt and pepper. It was really bland when she first tasted it. I thought I did." she laughed at her own carelessness while her mother gave her a pat on her shoulder.

"You can cook now, sweetie. I could still remember how afraid...no let's not go there. That's off limit." her mother smiled at her once again.

"Thank you mom. I will learn to cook for you and daddy."

"I'll make sure to buy every ingredient you'll need." her father told her after chewing his food.

"I'm glad that I'm not the one who tasted your experiments." Ivan's joke cut her off from her trance. She just smiled at him as she remembered how many times she failed before cooking for her parents.

"You're indeed lucky." Kaye said before standing up and went to the sink to place her utensils. She saw the sharp knife and the juicer she used together with other tablewares which were dangerous to clean.

She took the ones that could hurt his hands and placed them at the left corner, away from his touch.

"I'm washing these things, remember?" Ivan spoke to her with his things in his hands.

"I know." she said before giving him space so he could start washing. "And don't wander your hands to your left corner because I placed the ones with blade in there. I'll wash them before going to bed."

"Hn." was all he gave. When she made sure that everything's fine, she stepped out of the washing area and sat at the living room.

'A new routine is added to my life. I should place a note on my room to remind me of his existence before I start screaming.' she looked for pen and paper inside her coffee table when she realized this issue.

"YOU HAVE A ROOMMATE NAMED IVAN. DON'T SCREAM IF YOU SEE HIM." was written in black marker on the bondpaper she found. She pinned it on her door and made sure that it won't come off.

When she went out, he was arranging the things they used on the drying station. She liked to make things organized, so she has a drying station to dry off the kitchenwares before putting them in their designated drawer.

"Ivan." she whispered his name and for some reason, she felt happy that someone could actually help her. Someone, whom she didn't have to be wary of seeing her trueself, because he couldn't see. Perfect.