AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“When you came home, did you take off your suit and put on that?”
He dwells for a few seconds on my question. “Yes, it’s comfortable. Why?”
He is genuinely surprised by my question, and a smile crosses my lips. “Evan, sweatpants and a T-shirt are comfortable clothing, not Chinos and a button-down shirt. Have you ever tried wearing sweatpants?”
He almost blushes, embarrassed by my question.
“I’ll let you off the hook because you’re barefoot, otherwise I’d force you to change,” I tell him as I walk into his apartment and place the paper bag on the kitchen counter.
I look around in surprise. I didn’t expect an apartment with warm, welcoming tones, wood flooring the same color as the ceiling beams, and exposed brick walls. The large windows overlooking the city have that dark metal frame restored from the twenties, making this place charming and unique. The wood furniture and sofa in a charcoal-colored fabric make you want to curl up with a good book and a blanket in front of the fireplace in the living room. It’s the kind of home where you want to pamper yourself and drink hot chocolate in the winter.
“Are you surprised?” he asks with a half-smile as I look around.
“I was expecting an ultra-modern house with marble floors and all the latest technological trends. Not such an intimate space.”
Evan smiles and shakes his head. “I don’t know why you all expect me to live in some kind of operating room,” he laughs, amused.
Leaning back on the sofa, his hands in his pockets, legs crossed at his ankles, he’s more relaxed than at work, and I must say that this side of him piques my curiosity.
“Because you’re someone who thinks comfortable clothing is trousers, Evan. You’re precise in a maniacal way. Ofcoursewe expect you to live in an ultra-sanitized house.”
He shakes his head and smiles. “What’s the real reason you came to see me?”
“I brought you some things that my grandmother always makes for me when I have an upset stomach. They help with nausea, and reduce stomach acid.”
He comes over to look as I put down the jars of powders and herbs I grabbed from home. Evan holds one and frowns. “It’s in Chinese.”
“I know, so I have to explain how to use them. They come directly from Chinatown and are miraculous.”
“Do you know Chinese?” There is some surprise in his tone.
“No, but my grandmother has been using them for years—since she was kicked out of her home for getting engaged to my grandfather, and the only apartment they could afford was the size of a closet near Chinatown, where almost no one spoke English. She never learned Chinese but managed never to die from taking these…”
He raises a puzzled eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re not killing me? I’m skeptical when I don’t have clear directions to follow. Even the ‘pinch’ in recipes makes me angry. Give me a precise measurement, don’t make me guess.”
I laugh as I take the jar from his hands and head to the kitchen sink, opening cabinets in search of a glass. Everything in here is tidy and stored in labeled, transparent containers. So there is something obsessive-compulsive in this house. I smile. I got a little disoriented at the sight of my boss’s cozy apartment.
Evan reaches out from behind, opens one of the cabinets, grabs a glass, and hands it to me before leaning on the kitchen counter and watching me prepare the concoction.
“You need to take this on a full stomach, so if you haven’t eaten yet, leave it there and drink it later. And these two pills you take before going to bed.”
“I haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
I shake my head. “I thought I’d stop and get something to go on the way home.”
He observes me for a few seconds, then approaches the fridge and opens it. “Would you like to keep me company for dinner? I’ll cook.”
I’m surprised by the invitation; it’s the first time he’s asked me to do something not work-related. If we go out for fun, we always do it with the Jailbirds. It’s a pleasant novelty that makes me hope today’s fight was just a moment of tension we’ve already resolved.
“What do you have in there?”
“Not much. I only have salmon and asparagus.”
I smile, thinking of the pizza cartons crammed into my fridge along with Chinese takeout boxes. I wouldn’t even think of buying salmon and asparagus.
“It’s perfect.” I gladly accept his invitation.
Evan’s simple dinner turns out to be a dish worthy of a starred restaurant, complete with crostini with goat cheese, olive oil, and pepper as a side dish to the fish and vegetables.
