Page 162 of King of Ruin

Her eyes slowly lifted back to him, but instead of the bright smile Xavier had been expecting, there was only a quiet hesitation.

"I'm not hungry, Xavier."

A flicker of disappointment crossed his face, but he quickly hid it.

"Just... try it," he said softly, holding the plate a little closer. "I promise it's good. I made it exactly the way you like it."

He looked at her with quiet anticipation.

"You'll like it. Please... just try it."

Elise slowly shook her head.

"I'm not hungry," she repeated, her voice just as calm as before.

She continued drying her damp hair with the small towel before letting it fall over the back of the chair. When she looked back at Xavier, her heart clenched painfully at the sight of the disappointment on his face.

"I don't want to eat it."

The words seemed to knock the air out of Xavier's lungs.

The hope on his face faltered, replaced by a sadness so raw that it made Elise's chest ache. Even then, he refused to give up. Breaking off a small piece of the omelet with his fork, he held it out toward her with quiet determination, his dark eyes never leaving hers.

"Just one bite," he said softly. "Only one. I promise it's good. I made sure it was perfect this time, exactly the way you like it. Just... taste it."

Elise's gaze fell to the fork.

The small piece of omelet remained suspended between them, waiting for her to accept it. She stared at it for several long seconds, her throat tightening as countless memories threatened to overwhelm her. Then, she quietly turned her face away.

The rejection made something flicker across Xavier's face.

His fingers tightened around the fork as hurt gave way to frustration, though it was directed far more at himself than at her.

"Elise..." His voice rose slightly before softening again, almost pleading. "I made it for you. I really tried. I kept making it until I got it exactly right because I know how you like it." He looked at her helplessly, the desperation in his eyes impossible to miss. "Please... just take one bite. I made it for you. Don't be like this."

His words made her heart ache even more.

Unable to help herself, her eyes lifted to his face before drifting down to the hand still holding the fork.

Only then did she notice the burns.

Fresh red marks stretched across his fingers and the back of his hand, some already beginning to blister from where he had carelessly touched the hot skillet while trying over and over again to make the perfect omelet.

Her breath caught.

An overwhelming urge to grab his hands, run them under cold water, and carefully treat every burn hit her so suddenly that she had to grip the edge of the chair to stop herself from moving.

The longer Elise looked at the burns on his hands, the harder it became to keep her resolve from crumbling.

Her heart ached.

She knew those burns hadn't happened by accident. He had stood in the kitchen, making omelet after omelet until he got it exactly the way she liked it, burning himself in the process without caring in the slightest.

That was who Xavier was.

He wasn't perfect.

He never knew how to express himself with words, and more often than not, he hurt her without even realizing it. But when it came to the little things, he always tried in his own quiet way. If he believed something would make her happy, he would put his whole heart into it, no matter how insignificant it seemed to everyone else.