Where the Streets Have No Name
Chapter 65
Collecting himself as quickly as he could, Edward smiled at her.
"I know you can cook, it's just..." Edward paused, deciding to say something positive instead of pointing out that she hadn't cooked anything for the better part of a year. "It's just you weren't feeling all that well... lately. I'm just a little surprised. And happy, of course. You look great, by the way. You did this all on your own?" Edward spoke cautiously, hoping that nothing in his words or voice would cause this bubble to burst.
Putting the casserole down on the table, Carmen approached Edward. She didn't appear to be put off by the uncertainty in his tone.
"Renate put Ella down for the night and so I thought maybe we could have the evening just to ourselves. I know I haven't been-" She seemed to be looking for the right word "-the easiest person to be around these days. But... but I want to do better. And I think I can," she said with conviction, gently reaching out to place her hands around Edward's neck.
Caught between disbelief and hope, Edward could only nod.
"I know you can. I'm just so glad you... you realized that," he said as he dutifully gathered her close to him.
She pulled away first and began recounting her plans for the evening. "I made chicken fajita, 'cause I know they're your favorite," she said excitedly.
Chicken fajita wasn't Edward's favorite food, but he wasn't about to refute her, not when she was this enthusiastic about it. The fact that she didn't know what he liked to eat belonged to a whole different can of worms that was best left unopened.
"Thank you, Carm. It smells wonderful. I can't wait to try it," he said instead.
"Then I thought you and I could just veg out in front of the TV. Rent a movie maybe? We could crack open that bottle of champagne Kate gave us for housewarming. And then... who knows?" she said, averting her eyes and biting her lip in a suggestive manner, leaving little room for doubt about how she hoped the evening would turn out once champagne came into play.
Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.