Dread filled my gut as I stared at the salt filled tomato sauce. I'd ruined our lunch.
"Is the sauce ready?" Liam asked from behind me. He was finished, with the pasta plated and he'd even filled a couple glasses with apple juice.
"I uh... messed up," I sighed as I avoided his eyes. I stepped aside to let Liam see my mistake.
The lid of the salt shaker sat in the simmering sauce, and half of the salt that I'd accidentally dumped in had dissolved, mixing in with the sauce.
"I'm sorry," I said, dejected as I shut off the stove.
Liam glanced down at the pan, studying my mistake with a neutral expression. I cringed, hoping that he wasn't angry or disappointed.
Then, to my surprise, Liam chuckled, "It's fine, Ophelia."
I opened my mouth to tell him that it wasn't okay, but by then, he was already digging around in the grocery bag on the counter. He fished out a transparent jar, filled with red spaghetti sauce. Liam set the jar on the counter.
"Is... is that spaghetti sauce?" I asked, my brows furrowing.
"Yes," he laughed, turning back to meet my confused eyes. "I wanted us to try to make some from scratch, but I got a jar as insurance in case we messed up."
"Oh my gosh," I let out a breath of relief.
"We'll just heat this up," he said, opening the jar. He slid it across the counter to me and I caught it with my good hand. "Wanna make dessert after?"
"What kind?" I asked, he had my attention. After a couple days of hospital jellos and ice cream, I was looking forward to something different.
I dumped the sauce into a new pan and turned on the stove, waiting patiently for it to heat up.
"We could make cupcakes," he suggested, leaning against the table.
"Cupcakes?" I repeated with a grin and he let out a laugh at my reaction.
"We can make that first, and then as it bakes we can eat," he said.
He dug out more ingredients from the bag on the counter, this time setting out some flour, butter, eggs and baking powder onto the counter.
The spaghetti sauce sizzled in the pot and I shut off the stove, slapping the lid over top of the pot to keep it warm. I slid into the seat in front of the counter as Liam dumped the dry ingredients into the bowl.
I watched him mix it all together, trying my hardest not to eye his forearms and biceps flexing as he worked. He moved to the wet ingredients, mixing those together as well. My eyes trailed over to his face, and a familiar, warm bubbly feeling enveloped my chest. I really did love Liam, and nothing could ever stop me from feeling any different.
He glanced up, meeting my eyes and I immediately diverted my gaze to the table. My cheeks burned at the fact that I'd been caught. He only chuckled lightly to himself.
I got up, fishing out the cupcake pans from the drawer next to the counter. I placed them on the table and found my seat again.
The main doors opened, smacking against the wall before they slammed shut again a second later. I tore my attention away from Liam as footsteps sounded from the hall, growing louder and louder until Jackson appeared in the kitchen.
He held one large grocery bag in his arms and he stopped short when he noticed Liam and I blinking at him curiously.
"Jackson," I greeted him, grinning. "What's up?"
YOU ARE READING
Life After Life
Romance"I once saw an ocean of stars in someone's eyes. I never thought that I'd see them twice, in two different lifetimes." ~~~ Thalia Wilson has all she could ask for - wealth, a seemingly flawless boyfrie...
