44. Adelaide
FORTY-FOUR
ADELAIDE
Moonshine opened in full blast. Lo-fi music played in the background while people were talking and eating. I asked him to bring me back to his kitchen. I wanted to see him in his natural habitat, cooking and doing what he loved the most.
I’d seen him be CEO of Moonshine, but not be the chef. I had to say it was fascinating. The way his hands kneaded dough, or how professionally he cut vegetables.
They weren’t only talented in satisfying me.
When Christian spoke to his team of cooks, I busied myself with what I saw earlier. The same eyes haunting me while Christian was on the phone.
Her brown hair blurred in the corner. The small head peaked out before vanishing.
It wasn’t possible that Ayeza worked at Moonshine, right?
He would have told me if she was here.
Brushing the image aside for now, I’d ask Christian later— when we were out of this fluttery phase. I didn’t want to ruin what we had going on, especially since being an us is new.
Lounging on one of the counters, my feet dangled in the air. I was the professional taste tester and the kinds of food that blessed my tongue were heavenly.
Christian turned around and smiled when he saw me munching on a kabob. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
“Tell me about this food critic?” I asked.
Vegetables sizzled on the stove. “He’s part of the International Food Committee. It’s taken me three years of convincing him to taste Moonshine’s food.”
Blasphemous. If I were a food critic, I’d accept Christian’s offer within a heartbeat. Free food made by an attractive person, count me in . “How’d he agree?”
He flipped the vegetables with the pan. “Pretty sure it was after he found out we got married.”
Maybe I wasn’t completely useless. “At least something good came out of this for you.”
He narrowed his eyes into slits. “For me, you’re the best outcome from our marriage.”
“You didn’t marry me with the intention of staying married, Christian.”
“But I’m staying married to you because I love you.”
He knew exactly how to get my heart racing. “You’re insufferable.”
“You still love me,” he took a bite out of the kabob in my hand.
He silently worked while I obsessively stared at him. For a while now, I’d been wondering why he broke up with me. He hadn’t slept with anyone in the past seven years when the reason for our breakup—according to him—was to explore and to meet someone else. I didn’t want to ruin the moment, he was happy, he was loving, and he was kind. He’d look at me in an odd way and get annoyed if I bought it up. What mattered was we were together now right? That’s what should matter. But I couldn’t help thinking about that day. About his reasons, about why he forced me out of his life when he didn’t do much after.
“Wanna tell me what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” He snapped me out of it with his rough voice.
Now or never.
“Why’d you break up with me seven years ago?” My voice quaked, shivered, thrashed in my throat.
Christian’s mouth dropped like he didn’t expect me to ask him that.
“Never mind.” It was a stupid question to ask.
His presence invaded my senses—commanding them to figuratively spread their legs to make room for him. Christian came to stand in front of me with both hands on either side of my legs.
We got a couple of glances from the other chefs. With two thick fingers on my chin, he lifted my head. “Look at me, Sunshine.”
I did.
“I was an idiot when I broke up with you.”
“That’s obvious,” I mumbled.
His thumb brushed my chin. “It wasn’t because of you.”
“When Eomma passed away… I was hit with these sudden feelings of loneliness. You loved me so much and it… scared me. I didn’t want to hurt you while I was hurting. That ’s why I came up with a shitty excuse like wanting to meet other girls.”
His gaze softened. “But I know now that not even death could stop me from loving you, Adelaide.”
To think I tried to stop loving him when he was a selfless man.
I was heartbroken but my heart never broke because of what he did. It broke because of what he didn’t do. I waited to take care of him—wanted to hold his tears while he flooded the entirety of our relationship.
He didn’t let me do that and now I get why.
It should’ve been obvious back then.
“I’m not mad at you for breaking up with me, I asked because I wanted to understand why you lied,” I said.
“I’m sorry, it was easier lying at the time.”
I pecked his lips.
“Did you ever think about reaching out again afterwards?”
“Many times.”
“Why didn’t you?”
A dark look casted over his face, concealing him into a misty cloud that I couldn’t look through.
“Let’s have dinner tonight.”
I forced a smile, “Of course.”
“Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Hayes.” An older man with white hair turned to look at me and smiled, “Mrs. Hayes.” He tilted his head down in greeting, which I returned by sliding off the counter and extending my hand.
“Adelaide, this is Monty—my assistant chef. He takes care of Moonshine when I’m not here.”
“He’s being too kind. I take care of this place even when he is here.”
Laughing, “That does sound like Christian.”
“Indeed,” his smile widened. “I like her.”
“I do too,” Christian grinned. “What did you have to tell me?”
“I’m wondering where to put Ayeza. You said where she’d be most comfortable, but she’s been doing work only part-timers do.”
Ayeza.
Christian’s adam's apple bobbed in his throat twice. “I’ll get back to you on it.”
Monty walked away but I was frozen.
Was she really here?
“Ayeza—”
“Not the same one,” he said quickly. “She’s a new worker…”
Before I could open my mouth and say another word, Christian continued. “How about you go home, get some rest and I’ll pick you up at night for dinner?”
Whiplash hit hard. “Okay.”
Christian pressed a hard kiss on my mouth. “I love you, Adelaide.”
I thought we settled that already.
Bewildered and a little shook, “I love you too.”
While I walked out of Moonshine and down the streets of New York, I chose to let go of the odd unabating discernment in the shift in Christian’s behaviour.
What mattered was he loved me, and I loved him and that he promised he’d always be honest with me.
Right?