0.1 | No Exit from Deception ✓

0.50 | Eggs, Lemons And Hard Potatoes

Ruby stirred in the bed until she reached the end and woke up to the heartbreaking fact that Joseph was not there. The warmth suggested that it didn't take him any longer than two minutes to disconnect. Dangling one leg, as she sat upright folding the other, she was in the process of recovering from the morning nauseousness. She found that she had been missing the inspiration to get up, wash up and grub up the breakfast into her stomach for a few days.

Contrastly, she wanted to stay affixed to the bed for a while more just because the fluffy and cozy white blanket made her feel as if she was in a bathtub with soap suds. The round white pillows were the big bubbles.

"Where are you Pig Muscle? I want you here." She whined, dipping into the sagged part of the bed.

Ruby drew the collars of his shirt to her nose softly and threw herself back, reminiscing about the sweet moments they shared.

"Ahh . . . I love it Joseph, the smell of his shirt on me is the best fragrance I could ever wear," she professed.

She had a second wind after hitting the bed for a small indulgence of forty winks to meet up with today's challenges. Hope it wasn't such a big deal.

****

The doorbell went from dingdong to DINGDONG. A distorted smile stretched his lips as he juggled an egg, a lemon, and a potato.

"Argh, who is this forever-bachelor, juggernaut who doesn't know what ─quietism actually means for a couple in the morning? My princess will wake up if this continues," he enumerated, blushing at the thought of calling her princess. "I have merely poured some water into the boiler and then I have gotta peel the baby potatoes afterward. Jesus."

The probability of two names was higher on Joseph's mind; it was either the infuriated white head, as lean as a beanpole AKA watchman who's overdue for three months had flexed to the extent where his shirt met two inches below Ruby's knees.

"I'll definitely pay it all after this month," he said to himself with sheer determination.

And the second person could be Anshuman. Daily, he and Sarah would come and have breakfast together. But it was too early for him to knock on the door, or break the door in other words.

He threw the apron aside and fled to the door. Opened it wide and closed it in an instant as he realized it was Anshuman.

"Joseph! Open the door, man!" Anshuman exploded.

Joseph sighed and opened the door in a way that gave way to a space equivalent to a slit that was sufficient enough to slip his vocal messages through it. "Just go back!"

"What is wrong with you? Open the door──oh, see Sarah's here as well. Are you having any suicidal thoughts which is why you are ousting us?"

Sarah was surprised at the hard words. She linked her arm with his and asked, "Is Joseph trying to kill himself? Hell, no! Joseph! Open the door! Talk to us please!" As she was about to hurt her fists on the door, Joseph opened it.

Standing like a mountain, he didn't relax his shoulders and the potato was secured in his hand. "Today you people have to eat out. Understand that."

"No, but why? I think you said to me that you hated cooking and that you would eat anything that I cook for you. Was that a lie? Did you dupe me in the name of friendship just to eat those top-rated dishes you have been getting all this time?" Sarah was about to cry as she recalled the moments.

Instantly Joseph barked the truth, "She's here."

Sarah exchanged a perplexed look with Anshuman. "You mean to say . . .
she's here," Anshuman clarified.

Joseph let out a shaky breath and spoke lowly, "I'm cooking for her." He threw the potato in the air and caught it back. Joseph did it repeatedly to ease the nervousness.

Sarah's jaw fell wide open and she merely would've clapped her hands when Joseph stopped her. "But, can I meet her? She would be so happy to see me."

Joseph and Anshuman had been already glimpsing at each other slyly and each of them was trying hard to hide their grins and waggling of eyebrows born out of the hot topic. After all, Anshuman had had some good experiences being in a long relationship. He knew what it was like to be in love with someone and how essential these moments in solitude were.

Anshuman shrugged his shoulders and pretended to take the side of his girlfriend. "Exactly, she could talk her heart out with Ruby while I'd have a taste of your dishes." He crossed his arms.

Joseph's face turned scarlet and he pointed at Anshuman. "Stop playing an innocent card! You know why I'm stopping you from coming inside. Cause it's just Ruby and me.

"The hero, his heroine, and no extras, aight," Anshuman concluded humorously.

All of them laughed and Sarah slapped his arm playfully. "I still can't believe Joseph speaking the love language so fluently. What has she done to you?"

"She instilled the importance of affection in me. She has taught me so much more that I will always be grateful for. I seriously would have never led my life so peacefully as I'm right now."

A gurgling sound hit his ears. The water that he had kept on the heat was now overflowing.

"Maintain your peace in the kitchen," Sarah said wittingly.

"Holy shit! Gotta go." He shut the door and nearly jumped as Ruby was standing behind the door. "Morning Ruby. Em, do you want to meet them? I can call─" His fingers gripped the handle again.

Ruby shushed him and adorned a garland of unbending arms around his neck, standing on her toes with a little smirk. "If I really needed to talk to them, then I wouldn't be hiding here and listening to them for five minutes."

Joseph nodded shyly. "You have been hearing everything?"

"Yes. So, umm . . . we are having something from outside──"

"Oh, no. I'm making you an amazing breakfast which I guess you would have had," he paused and continued in a dejected way, "twice or many a time at the mansion before. But──"

"But this one is going to be a special one since I have never had hard potatoes ever before."

"Hard potatoes, huh?" He marveled at her morning face, the dusting of freckles around her nose brought his eyes back to it. Joseph was dancing from inside as she was wearing his shirt and it didn't look like she was going to take it off soon.

"You were boiling this right?" she lifted her gaze at the potato.

A gasp left his mouth and he made his way to rectify his mistakes, grabbing the apron. Ruby followed after him.

A few moments flew by, astonishment silenced her and the lip-smacking revelation pushed her forward to see what was on the plate.

Joseph looked extremely concentrated as if he was burdened with the duty of making the sautèed dish the best. "You will relish the taste and remember the chef forever," he put in without breaking his eyes from the chard and gruyère egg toasts.

Ruby gamboled around the kitchen counter and gave him a back hug. "Mea culpa. I'm gonna start thanking you now . . ." her voice was so deep that it even came to her as a surprise. Her fingers rested on the waistband of his jeans and slowly gadded upwards and underneath the apron.

His pale green shirt loosened ponderously. She managed not to touch the apron, sliding his arms out of the sleeves and pulling it. It joined the floor.

She tried to match her heartbeat with his which was, therefore, useless when he turned to shower kisses on her neck. "Black apron looks so sexy on you," she moaned. "Say no to shirts, sir."

"I'll think about it," he moaned back, holding the nape of her neck.

She pushed him, faking to be uninterested, and slipped into a digression. "Joseph. What are these papers?" She stared at the papers while resting her butt against the table.

Word count - 1300

a/n; Please give them some private time. 🧐😣