Agnes guided Damian through another alleyway, it was one alleyway to another, one might think she has a thing for the crampness of alleyways, but when they arrived at a restaurant, Agnes gave Damian a wide smile and said, "I'm sure you thought we were lost."
"Let's not go there," Damian replied.
The restaurant was anything but fancy. Damian even wondered why she brought him here. 'The food must be good,' he thought as he contemplated reasons why she came here.
"They serve the best pork strips," she said. "If you thought the orphanage food was anything to write home about, then I'm about to blow your mind."
Immediately, she pulled Damian into the restaurant. Damian wasn't all that fond of the way she pulled him, but he didn't mind, seeing her this happy was worth all the pulls.
The restaurant wasn't what one could call fancy. The wooden stools were shaky, the floor was greasy, and hygiene seemed to be at a bare minimum. Damian was contemplating whether the food was really good or if this was simply the best Agnes could afford. He wouldn't mind if this was all she had, but he didn't like that she had tried baiting him, claiming the food was amazing.
But, the open-concept kitchen, which directly faced the customer seating counter, was intriguing to Damian. Diners sat close enough to the chef to fully experience the cooking, enjoying both the enticing aroma and the visual spectacle of their meal preparation. The menus dangled from the beams above, allowing guests to select their options while settled in front of the counter.
"Mr. Dogi!" Agnes called out, waving to the man in the kitchen.
The man smiled warmly. "Nice to see you, Agnes. Has it really been over a month already?"
"Sorry Mr. Dogi, but the orphanage doesn't allow us to go out that much," she replied.
"That's by the way, I'm just happy to see you again," the chef said. "Oh, my, you even have a boyfriend."
Agnes quickly blushed and waved her hands in protest of what he said. "He's not my boyfriend, just a friend from the orphanage."
Damian just stood there, watching as Agnes just shut down any chance of them being in a relationship. But was she being sincere? That was for Damian to find out.
"Please have a seat," the chef gestured to the shaky stools that were closest to the kitchen.
Damian slowly sat, as he didn't fully place his trust in the stool. It was sturdy but still a bit shaky. As the man poured some oil onto the hot kitchen bed, the smell of the previously cooked meal made Damian quickly turn to face the chef. The aroma was very good.
'It smells so good,' Damian thought as he kept watching the chef.
"It smells good, doesn't it?" Agnes said, using her elbow to get Damian's attention.
"Will you be having the usual, Agnes?" the chef asked.
"Yes," she answered. "He will also have that."
"So that's two pork strips and fried egg coming up," the chef said.
The chef immediately reached for one of the drawers and brought out a large chunk of pork meat and four eggs. He professionally sliced the pork into thin strips and placed all of them in a bowl. Next, he brought out some spices and some nut oil, mixed them in a separate bowl, and poured the mixture over the pork strips.
He then massaged the pork strips to perfectly blend the spices with the meat. After that, he picked up an egg and placed his knife in a way that the sharp edge faced the ceiling, catching the egg and cracking it perfectly. Its contents poured onto the hot cooking surface.
The chef quickly started moving the egg, expertly shaping it until it formed a heart shape on the hot bed. "A special one for the couples," he said with a smile.
Agnes quickly blushed again, and had a look at Damian's expression for a second before turning to face the chef. "Mr. Dogi, please don't make this uncomfortable."
Damian chuckled at the cute face Agnes made as she told the chef to cut it out with the love jokes.
The food was ready and served to both of them in wooden bowls.
"Enjoy," the chef said with a bow.
Damian quickly grabbed a handful of pork strips, and immediately reached for another. It tasted really good, better than anything the orphanage had ever served them.
Agnes smiled as she watched Damian enjoy the food. She was starting to realize that Damian's happiness also made her happy.
"I told you it was good, didn't I?" Agnes said, as she savored a piece of the fried egg.
"It's incredible, I won't lie," Damian admitted, wiping a bit of grease from his chin. "But you know, you looked awfully smug when you were guiding me through all those back alleys."
"Well, I know the city better than you think," she replied. "And I actually think I could cook something this good."
Damian let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "Okay, now you're pushing it. This is peak-level pork strip. You're telling me you can cook this good?"
"Why not? It's just seasoned meat and eggs! I've seen him do it," Agnes replied. "Besides, I definitely have skills in the kitchen, you know."
He looked at her, his smile softening into something more genuine and warm. He saw the look in her eyes, the simple happiness radiating from her, and realized how much he cherished these moments. The dim, greasy restaurant suddenly felt like the most intimate place in the world.
"There's only one way to really find out if you're as good as the chef, Agnes," Damian said, his voice dropping slightly as he met her gaze. He reached out and gently took her hand. "The only way is if you cook for me every single day, for the rest of our lives."
Agnes quickly froze, her cheerful expression was gone. Her eyes widened, focusing intently on his, searching for any hint of a joke, as the noise of the busy kitchen was slowly fading into a distant hum.
Then, a sudden, powerful wave of emotion washed over her. Tears instantly began to well up in her eyes, as she was overwhelmed with relief and joy. She hadn't realized how much she had been hoping for him to say exactly that.
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[A/N:] How good did I do the romance? Anyways, this hard working author that just wishes to be glazed has a simple request, he just wished to be supported with power stones and comments.