Manesa

Chapter Four: Manesa

I followed behind the stranger. I should probably call him by his name, Soran. I was still wearing my burgundy hoodie and I was thankful for its warmth and large size that seemed to envelope me with the comfort I needed. As we walked, I took in Soran's home. It was a lot larger and the bedroom wasn't the only room so luxuriously furnished. The walls in the corridor leading to the kitchen were painted dark green and there was a big chandelier hanging low from the high ceiling and the warm golden light poured into the surroundings.

We seemed to have walked forever but in reality, it must have taken us a minute or two. I could not really focus on much and he must have picked up on this because he remained silent as he led me to the kitchen. When we entered the kitchen, I immediately noticed the immense size of it and how white and pristine it was. The walls were all tiled with marble and I loved how shiny they glistened. There were hanging baskets filled with potatoes and onions and garlic on the walls and there were glass jars on the open shelves labelled with cooking ingredients like lentils, corn kernels, chia seeds, what seemed to be homemade granola. All the shelves were open and there were beautiful porcelain dishes and mugs arranged neatly. The island had a large and deep farmhouse sink with two taps and there was an induction hob next to the sink. My dream kitchen. I must have been gawking because I heard him clear his throat and a small, faint smile appeared on his face.

"Do you like my kitchen?" he asked shyly, looking around his kitchen as if seeing it for the first time. I nodded and moved towards the barstool that he had pulled out for me at the other end of the island. It was then that I noticed the delicious scent of food wafting in from the oven. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't plain rice porridge. My stomach made a loud gurgle sound and even though I didn't think it was possible to crave food in my current state, my body obviously had a mind of its own.

"So, I do have some rice porridge but I was wondering if you'd like something more comforting?" he rubbed his hair and glanced at me waiting for my response. If what the 'something else' was what I was smelling now, I'd prefer to try that instead.

"Yes, I'd like that instead please," I smiled briefly and turned to sit.

As I sat down, he walked briskly but noiselessly over to the oven, put on a pair of mittens and took out a casserole dish covered with kitchen foil. He set it down on the island counter, took off his mittens and looked up at me suddenly, catching my eyes. Heat spread across my cheeks and neck and I tried to smile but it didn't reach my eyes as it usually did. He smiled back too and whatever he saw in my expression caused him to pause longer and he seemed to reach out over the counter to comfort me with his gaze. Strangely, I felt his comfort and though my smile faltered, I knew that he would understand and this made me feel comfortable. I looked down at my hands clasped together on the counter and slowly released my fingers one at a time. I could still feel his warm gaze on me but I felt at peace about it. After a moment, he went back to uncovering the foil, taking out two floral-printed bowls and cutlery. He then dished out what looked like the most delicious moussaka into the two bowls. He put a fork and spoon into the bowl and handed it to me. I took it and mumbled a thank you. I waited for him to come round to sit beside me but he stood there seemingly waiting for me too.

"Try it first," he said softly. I nodded and took a spoonful of the warm delicacy now filling my mouth with such delight. I took another spoonful and another and I thought I was smiling at him when I looked up but he looked blurry and I could see him moving slowly towards me. He sat beside me, took the spoon from my hands, turned me around and hugged me. I was so puzzled by his actions that it didn't dawn on me that I was crying until I saw my tears drip onto his light blue polo. I still had food in my mouth and I wanted to tell him that it was delicious but I could barely speak or chew anymore. Trying to swallow seemed to hurt my throat but I didn't want to offend him by not eating. He seemed to have taken so much effort to take care of me.