Mark stood at the counter, stirring the vegetables. He glanced at Sara, who had been trying to slice the fish for half an hour without success. Finally, in frustration, he took the knife from her.
"It's okay. I'll do it. You can go sit down."
"Actually, I've never done this before," Sara said embarrassedly. "I can do something else."
Mark looked at her as if he were angry, but he controlled himself.
"It's fine. You don't have to do it."
She silently sat on a chair and stared at him. I never thought men could look so amazing while cooking, she thought.
"Do you like cooking?" she asked.
"Not really," Mark replied.
"Me too. I just like eating," she said excitedly.
"But I don't eat much," Mark replied.
Meanwhile, Lilly and Caden were busy with the decorations. Tired, Caden sat down on a chair and looked at Lilly. You've always been like this—perfect at everything, he thought.
Lilly noticed him staring at her.
"Is everything okay?"
He grabbed her hand and made her sit beside him.
"Let's take a rest."
He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Lilly became a little nervous but didn't say anything.
After a few minutes, she thought he might actually fall asleep. She gently shook him.
"If you're sleepy, go sleep properly on the bed."
He didn't answer. Instead, he pretended to be asleep.
He's not sleeping, Lilly thought. But how am I supposed to wake him up?
Meanwhile, Mark was washing the dishes. His thoughts drifted to Lilly.
What might she be doing right now? Is he treating her well?
Lost in thought, he didn't notice Sara cleaning the counter beside him.
"How did you learn to cook?" Sara asked.
"I'm not good at it. I can only cook well enough to survive," Mark replied.
"I'll learn too. Right now, I haven't received my salary yet, so I can't hire a house helper," Sara said while wiping the plates.
Mark looked at her in confusion.
Sara realized he probably didn't like strangers in the house.
"I know you don't like strangers in the house, but I'll learn to cook."
Seeing his confused expression, she added,
"What I mean is, I'll learn cooking."
"Okay," Mark replied.
"But why don't you like strangers?" Sara asked.
Mark felt like he would lose his mind if he kept listening to her.
"Because they talk too much."
Without waiting for her response, he returned to his room.
Sara stood there alone, wondering what he meant.
Back at Lilly and Caden's place, Lilly stood up to wake him.
As soon as she moved, Caden almost fell backward.
"We need to finish this before the guests arrive," Lilly said.
Caden sat up.
"Why do you always ignore me?" he asked sadly.
"When did I ignore you?" Lilly replied.
"Try to remember."
Lilly didn't respond and went back to work.
That evening, Mark waited for Sara to get ready so he could drop her off at Lilly's place.
Sara came out of her room wearing the earrings Mark had given her. She hoped he would notice, but he didn't seem to pay any attention.
Finally, she asked,
"How do I look?"
Mark observed her briefly.
"Nice."
She smiled.
"And my earrings?"
"They're nice too," Mark replied uninterestedly. "We're getting late."
Inside the car, Mark focused on driving while trying to understand what Sara was talking about.
Sara kept chatting nonstop.
"Have you ever had a girlfriend before?"
The question shocked him so much that he suddenly hit the brakes.
"What?"
He looked at her.
"Why are you asking that?"
"You're reacting like you still have a girlfriend," Sara replied.
He started driving again.
"I did, in the past."
"What was she like?" Sara asked curiously.
"Just like your sister."
"You mean perfect?" Sara joked.
Mark didn't answer.
Soon they arrived at Caden's house. Caden was outside talking to someone. When he saw Mark and Sara, he walked toward them.
"Hi! Come inside."
"I only came to drop her off. I have some work to do," Mark said.
Sara looked at him suspiciously. I've never seen him doing hospital work at home.
Caden looked at Sara, but she didn't say anything. Then he turned back to Mark.
"Come inside and have dinner. Then you can leave."
Mark couldn't refuse.
"Okay."
Lilly was standing at the gate waiting for Caden. Seeing Sara arrive with him made her smile, but her smile froze when she noticed Mark walking behind them.
Still, she welcomed them inside.
At dinner, Lilly and Caden sat together on one side of the rectangular table, while Sara and Mark sat opposite them.
"Where is everyone else?" Sara asked.
"They already left. You two came late," Caden replied.
Mark and Lilly avoided looking at each other.
"Sorry, but the food is really good. Who cooked it?" Sara asked.
"The chef cooked everything," Lilly replied.
"But my sister cooks better," Sara said to Caden.
"I know," Caden replied. "But I don't want my wife to suffer in the kitchen."
Mark paused while eating his chicken.
"Oh, that sounds so romantic," Sara teased.
Lilly blushed.
"Eat properly. You always leave food on your plate."
"I am eating," Sara replied.
"I need to use the washroom," Mark said.
"It's on the left," Caden answered.
Mark went to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet, splashed water on his face, and stared at himself in the mirror.
Back at the table, Caden asked,
"Lilly and I are going on our honeymoon. Do you two have any plans?"
"We haven't decided yet," Sara replied.
"Why don't you come with us?" Caden suggested.
Startled, Lilly accidentally knocked over a wine glass. The wine spilled onto her dress.
Caden quickly handed her some tissues.
"It's okay. I'll be back," Lilly said as she stood up.
Sara got up as well.
"I'll come with you."
"No, stay here. I'm fine."
As Lilly headed toward the bathroom, Mark suddenly pulled her into a nearby room.
Startled, she gasped.
"What?"
"It's me," Mark said.
Lilly stared at him with wide eyes.
"What is it?"
"I just wanted to ask... is he treating you well?"
"Yes."
Mark felt relieved.
"Yeah. It looks like he really likes you."
Lilly looked at him.
"What about you?"
"Your sister is really nice. I even made breakfast for her."
"That's good. You're taking care of her."
Mark felt disappointed. She didn't seem hurt at all hearing that.
He pointed toward the dining room.
"Look at them. Don't they look good together?"
Lilly saw Caden showing Sara something on his phone while she laughed.
Then Caden put more food on Sara's plate.
Mark continued,
"Wouldn't it have been better if they had married each other?"
Lilly glared at him.
"Don't ever say that again. They're just friends."
She walked away to clean her dress.
When Mark returned to the table, Caden called him.
"Mark, come. Let me show you the house."
When Lilly came back, she saw Sara sitting alone while Caden showed Mark around.
She sat beside Sara.
"How are you?" Lilly asked.
"I'm good," Sara replied with a smile.
Lilly hesitated.
"Is he treating you well?"
"I'm fine. But is Caden good to you?"
"Yes," Lilly answered.
"Are you happy with him?"
Sara laughed softly.
"It's only the second day. How can I answer that already?"
Lilly looked worried.
"Why?"
"You worry too much. He's good to me. Now let's go see what they're doing."
They walked toward the men. Caden was showing Mark the balcony.
"This is our balcony. I used to play games here."
Lilly stood beside Caden, and he immediately took her hand.
"Lilly and I are going on our honeymoon. Do you want to come with us?"
Before Mark could answer, Sara excitedly said,
"Yes!"
Mark and Lilly exchanged a glance.
"Great, then," Caden replied happily.