range was huge, eight burners across the top. It even had one of those metal hoods above it to catch the smoke. There were dual ovens, each of which had their own controls. The stove, like all of the other appliances, was steel. There were two huge refrigerators sitting side by side and a dishwasher next to the giant dual sink. Cherry cabinets surrounded you at every turn and contained more storage space than I’d ever figure out what to do with.
In the middle of the room was an enormous island, with a black marble top, its own sink, and a pair of burners. Five people could comfortably sit down one side and I mostly used it as a breakfast bar. There were five high-backed chairs made from cherry wood to match the cabinets. I helped Erika take a seat and grabbed a couple of large mugs from the cupboard. There was a machine on the counter that always provided hot water, and I made us each a cup of Jasmine tea. I placed one mug in front of Erika and leaned against the island with my own.
“When I was at the temple, the masters would always say that ‘for every problem in life, the solution starts with a cup of tea’. Here’s to solutions.”
I tipped my mug in her direction and she responded with a small smile. Cupping her mug in both hands, she was letting the warmth seep into her palms. After a big sniff she took a sip.
“Not bad.”
“Thanks. One of my many talents.”
She nodded softly, “Do you ever miss it?”
“Miss what?”
“The temple.”
“Sometimes. It was a simple life.”
“Maybe one day you can go back to visit,” she offered.
I knew that she was just trying to be sweet, but my stomach wrenched at the very thought. I didn’t want to imagine what the monks might say about the man I had become. Their views were pretty clear on the value of life. In my pursuit of revenge, I had desecrated every single thing they taught me. I didn’t even want to think about that right now. I cleared my throat and did my best to put a smile back on my face. Erika was kind enough to ignore my brief moment of self-pity.
“So, how are you feeling?”
“Much better. Thank you. I don’t even know what to say,” she tried.
“You don’t have to say anything. Clearly you weren’t yourself.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you ready to talk about it?”
“Not sure I have much of a choice,” she frowned.
“You always have a choice. I don’t want to push you.”
“After what happened tonight…I can’t keep this from you anymore.”
“You did kind of let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. I now know for sure that you have been holding back in our training sessions. You are incredibly strong Erika. Luckily for you, I find that attractive in a lady.”
I raised my eyebrows and gave her a goofy smile. She rewarded me with a real laugh and some of the tension in her shoulders started to fade. Those big beautiful eyes started searching my face, looking for any hint of judgment. But tonight had taught me something I didn’t want to admit. I really liked Erika. After years of keeping my feelings bottled up inside, this was the last thing I expected. Interestingly enough, it was probably one of the big reasons I found the strength to stop her advances. She rolled her mug back and forth in her hands as she tried to figure out how to start.
“Before I explain, will you tell me something?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Why did you stop me?”
I took a deep breath and a long sip of my tea before I answered. She was in a delicate state and I didn’t want to say anything that might upset her. Plus, I wasn’t sure it was time to declare that I had feelings for her. Especially since those feelings were too new and even I didn’t fully understand them yet. I looked her in the eyes as I responded.
“Believe me when I tell you that I didn’t want to say no. But somehow, deep down, I knew that you weren’t yourself. I couldn’t take advantage of you in that state Erika. I’m not that guy.”
She gave me a
In the middle of the room was an enormous island, with a black marble top, its own sink, and a pair of burners. Five people could comfortably sit down one side and I mostly used it as a breakfast bar. There were five high-backed chairs made from cherry wood to match the cabinets. I helped Erika take a seat and grabbed a couple of large mugs from the cupboard. There was a machine on the counter that always provided hot water, and I made us each a cup of Jasmine tea. I placed one mug in front of Erika and leaned against the island with my own.
“When I was at the temple, the masters would always say that ‘for every problem in life, the solution starts with a cup of tea’. Here’s to solutions.”
I tipped my mug in her direction and she responded with a small smile. Cupping her mug in both hands, she was letting the warmth seep into her palms. After a big sniff she took a sip.
“Not bad.”
“Thanks. One of my many talents.”
She nodded softly, “Do you ever miss it?”
“Miss what?”
“The temple.”
“Sometimes. It was a simple life.”
“Maybe one day you can go back to visit,” she offered.
I knew that she was just trying to be sweet, but my stomach wrenched at the very thought. I didn’t want to imagine what the monks might say about the man I had become. Their views were pretty clear on the value of life. In my pursuit of revenge, I had desecrated every single thing they taught me. I didn’t even want to think about that right now. I cleared my throat and did my best to put a smile back on my face. Erika was kind enough to ignore my brief moment of self-pity.
“So, how are you feeling?”
“Much better. Thank you. I don’t even know what to say,” she tried.
“You don’t have to say anything. Clearly you weren’t yourself.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you ready to talk about it?”
“Not sure I have much of a choice,” she frowned.
“You always have a choice. I don’t want to push you.”
“After what happened tonight…I can’t keep this from you anymore.”
“You did kind of let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. I now know for sure that you have been holding back in our training sessions. You are incredibly strong Erika. Luckily for you, I find that attractive in a lady.”
I raised my eyebrows and gave her a goofy smile. She rewarded me with a real laugh and some of the tension in her shoulders started to fade. Those big beautiful eyes started searching my face, looking for any hint of judgment. But tonight had taught me something I didn’t want to admit. I really liked Erika. After years of keeping my feelings bottled up inside, this was the last thing I expected. Interestingly enough, it was probably one of the big reasons I found the strength to stop her advances. She rolled her mug back and forth in her hands as she tried to figure out how to start.
“Before I explain, will you tell me something?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Why did you stop me?”
I took a deep breath and a long sip of my tea before I answered. She was in a delicate state and I didn’t want to say anything that might upset her. Plus, I wasn’t sure it was time to declare that I had feelings for her. Especially since those feelings were too new and even I didn’t fully understand them yet. I looked her in the eyes as I responded.
“Believe me when I tell you that I didn’t want to say no. But somehow, deep down, I knew that you weren’t yourself. I couldn’t take advantage of you in that state Erika. I’m not that guy.”
She gave me a
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