“For you,” I say, smiling.
“What about you?”
“I’ll set the dinner table.”
He looks at me, surprised.
“I wasn’t always a pampered, cold-hearted bitch,” I say.
“I never thought you were,” he murmurs. “What about we set the dinner table together. And then we get in the tub together.”
“Sounds good,” I say, a blush spreading over my cheeks.
Half an hour later, we eat at the table by candlelight.
He paces himself, sunk in thought.
I’ve never seen him rushing at the table.
From time to time, I steal a glance at him. The soft glow softens his expression.
He looks relaxed, and melancholy flashes through his gaze as I talk about the time I used to spend in this house as a little girl.
“So, do you like this place?” I ask, bringing the glass of wine to my lips.
“Yeah... I do.”
I sip the ruby liquid and set the glass on the table.
The sound of burning logs and howling wind tear into the silence from time to time.
“I’ve never been away from home this past five years,” I murmur.
“Me neither,” he says, staring blankly at the candle.
His voice is calm, lined with sadness.
“I couldn’t, for one, and then, I had no room in my life for anything else.”
I digest his words.
“What would you do if, um...?”
His gaze comes to me, an eyebrow slowly arching.
“Yes?”
“If you could do anything or change anything? What would you do?” I ask.
A thought gleams in his eyes.
“I’d change the past. Bring my parents back. And Jacob. Fall in love with someone for the first time,” he says, smoothly tearing his eyes away from me and leaving me cold. “I’d also like to erase my memory. I’d like to forget a lot of shit...” he adds, his lips moving into a rueful smile. “What about you?”
He swings his gaze back to me.
“Same... I’d change the past. Myself. I’d love to get a taste of real love... The kind that makes your heart flutter and stays with you forever... I’d also get a different set of parents,” I add sarcastically.
I expect a comment. Instead, he slants his gaze down and looks at his plate.