Jerome arrived home and found the lights were not working. Before he got worried about it, he noticed the path of candles (looking closer he saw they were battery powered, safe). He followed them to the dining room, where Charles was just finishing setting the table.
"Is light out?" Jerome joked, getting a chuckle from his boyfriend.
"I tried to set up a mood." Charles explained, blushing slightly. "Dinner is almost done."
"It smells delicious." Jerome said sincerely. "What is the occasion?"
"I just… thought it would be nice to do something different." Charles explained. He was ready to apologize when Jerome showed a bright smile that not only made him relieved but also made his heart skip a beat.
Charles told Jerome to sit down while he finished and served dinner. Jerome looked around, admiring his boyfriend's effort to set the mood. Dates with his ex-wife were going to fancy restaurants and not exchanging any words. He supposed that was how she was, a bit shy despite her tough image. But he would gladly just stay at home and share a simple meal if it would make them feel as if they were actually together, and not only sharing a table.
The food was as delicious as it smelled. Jerome made sure to praise it, but Charles just shrugged it off. He wasn't used to being praised, Jerome learned this much in the support group, but he loved it, as Jerome saw on the smiles he tried to hide.
Charles asked how his day was, how was work, if he was tired. He asked a lot of questions, and as Jerome answered, he listened, focusing his whole attention on him and his words. Jerome asked how his day was, and at the simple answer of "normal" he asked more questions. He asked about the recipes, and they ended up planning a day when Charles could teach him how to make homemade pasta. The two men were all smiles to each other.
Jerome took the initiative to press a kiss to Charles' lips, for no other reason than how much he loved him.
Each day they spent together, they were a little closer to fully healing from their pasts.