Delicious drama

Three days later, Kyley woke up to the shining ray of the morning sunlight that ushered in through the window. The silk curtains could not prevent the ray of light from showering into the room.

Remembering her condition, Kyley slowly sat up in bed and scrubbed her eyelids with a finger, removing the dirt in them. After some time, Kyley looked down on her body to check her wounds.

The pain had considerably subsided and the burn had turned into a slightly irritating itch that still stings if she tried to move too much. Kyley looked at her arms as well and although there wasn't much of a change, she could now move them without squinting her face in pain.

" Haah!" Kyley couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. She reclined on the wooden head of the bed and looked outside the window, looking through the slight openings as the soft morning breeze blew the curtains apart, allowing fresh breeze that carried the scent of the woods to blow in.

Kyley was reminded of Darren by this scent.

' He smells just the same' With a longing gaze, she looked towards the door.

Darren had been frequent in her room these past few days and they would have a lot of talks while he helped dress and attend to her wounds and apply medicines to it.

Kyley had slowly begun opening up to him, seeing him as someone she could actually have a talk with and not act reserved around. She couldn't even act so around him as he always made her forget her act. And that annoyed her most of the times...

Slowly but surely, she's started to see him as a good friend and helper. She didn't think he had an ultimate intent to harm her any longer as she'd figured by herself that Darren only meant her well.

After all, if he had such intent, wouldn't it be best for him to make his move while she was still helpless? And even if he needed her healed before he could do what he wanted, he surely needed to keep her restrained right?

So why would he allow her the freedom to roam about however she liked?

After Darren told Kyley that she could walk around the house if she wanted, she hadn't done so out of her own volition. She couldn't walk on her own just yet after all.

It had only been out of her request that Darren took her outside to appreciate the view of the wilderness from the porch outside. And he'd done so in the wheelchair, carrying her about.

' ...' Kyley flashed a small smile at the memory of the past few days. Him carrying her about made her feel some sort of way that she couldn't explain. Kyley was still embarrassed about it!

' How about I surprise him today?' Kyley thought. Considering the improvement that she had made with her wounds, she believed she could at least walk about the house if she was gentle enough.

But on the other hand, Kyley hesitated as she knew how Darren would react if she messed up and reopened her wounds.

After a while of thinking about it, Kyley decided to act on it. She slowly and gently got off the bed.

" Mmh!" She grunted slightly as there was a slight burn from her wounds, however, once she stood, it began to subside. She gently held a palm to the wound and slowly began walking around, using the bed frame post at the feet of the bed and every other thing in the room she could find as support until she could stand on her own.

Getting to the door, she reached to grab the door knob and turned it to open the door.

Creak! Slam!

Kyley walked out of the door and closed it shut behind her. She had finally made it out of the room!

However, just as she got in the hallway, a waft of tasty scent hit her nostrils and she couldn't help but take a deep long breath to take in the delicious scent that filled the air.

From the delicious aroma in the air, Kyley could tell that Darren was making breakfast. She smiled warmly and made her way down the stairs, using the wall as support.

Nearing the kitchen, she could hear the sound of food sizzling on fire and the delicious aroma in the air grew stronger. However her face conveyed her delight at the sight of Darren.

Standing by the stove in the rustic kitchen, Darren confidently seared a juicy steak on a sizzling hot skillet, the savory aroma filling the cozy cabin kitchen. Clean sounds reverberated through from the kitchen as he flipped the steaks in the iron cast skillet using a pair of tong. From the look of it, he had only just started making breakfast not too long ago.

Darren's expression was focused, conveying his dedication to the delightful meal he was making.

Kyley smiled amusedly as she thought about Darren's possible reaction seeing her walk in the kitchen.

Deciding to see for herself how Darren would react, she took several steps and walked in to stand by the door to the kitchen and stood there to watch Darren.

Quite surprisingly, Darren still didn't notice her presence as he flipped the steaks in the skillet with utmost seriousness and dedication.

Kyley found this so funny that she couldn't help but giggle after a long while of holding the laughter in.

" Hihihi!"

Just as she did, Darren jolted in shock and paused on what he was doing to look at Kyley. Every feature on his face widened in shock for different reasons that left him speechless.

First off, Kyley was standing right by the door to the kitchen, right there and he hadn't noticed!

Secondly... Yeah!

Kyley was standing right there!

Seeing the look on Darren's face, Kyley couldn't help but burst out in a fit of laughter " Hahaha!" It was the best she could ever get!

All these while being frustrated by his teases and annoying remarks, none of those could beat the look on Darren's face at the moment. It was even better than she'd imagined.

She felt accomplished.

" Hahaha!" Kyley couldn't stop laughing. Not until her wounds started to hurt. "Aah! That was epic" Kyley mirthed trying to catch her breath. It had been so long that she'd laughed like that.

Darren just stood there with a wry smile on his face seeing Kyley helplessly laughing at him. He felt like a clown, but... He was even glad that Kyley was laughing and smiling so happily... and cutely. Darren felt accomplished.

" Kyley? What are you doing here?" He asked after a while. He looked down at Kyley's hand that she held to her side with a small frown on his face, not sure if she should be up and about like this.

" What? I'm just walking around the house like you asked me to" Kyley pointed in a sarcastic tone. " I know I'm not fully healed, but I'm fine. Really! I wouldn't want all your efforts to go futile afterall" She added with a smug smile before Darren could speak.

" M-mmm" Darren nodded but his gaze was still latched unto her wound.

Hiss!!

Silence reigned for a second between the two until a burning sound that didn't sound too good broke out in a loud sizzle.

" Um... I think that's burning?" Kyley pointed as Darren still hadn't noticed.

He still couldn't take his mind off the fact that Kyley was walking about while her wounds weren't healed.

However, after being reminded by Kyley, he quickly turned around and put off the fire to the skillet and grabbed it to put it off the stove top.

" Hihi!" Kyley held a palm to her mouth as she giggled softly at Darren's dilemma. She enjoyed seeing him in such a state.

After putting off the skillet from the stove, Darren quickly grabbed the tong tyo flip the burning side of the steak. He heaved a sigh of relief, glad that he hadn't burned the whole meal. He wiped the sweat that had began to form on his face and moved to expertly crack some eggs into a bowl, ready to whip up a batch of perfectly scrambled eggs to accompany the steak.

He half-turned to face Kyley in the midst of it and said. " Well... If you say you're fine then that's okay. Just don't overdo it. If you feel like you can't anymore, do not hesitate to tell me." Darren warned with a stern expression.

Kyley just smiled and nodded her head. She understood his concern after all.

" Do you need my help in -"

" No!" Darren retorted almost instantly, cutting Kyley off before she could even ask. However, seeing the disappointment in her face, he rephrased his words. " I mean, you shouldn't stress yourself."

Despite having gotten really close to Kyley in the past few days, Darren still wanted to maintain certain boundaries. He wanted her to trust him but at the same time, he didn't want for her to get too close and grow attached to him.

' This is for her own good.'

" No, it's fine really. I can't cook so I'll only help you bring whatever you need" Kyley begged as she looked around the kitchen.

Wooden cabinets covered almost all of the space. There was even one underneath the countertop which stood in the middle with a vessel sink on it. Pots and plates were stored in the cabinet on the wall atop the stove where Darren stood, making it easy for him to pick them up. Sets of spatula and cooking utensils hung on the wall and certain cabinets that had been left open.

The kitchen was of a simple rustic setting and a comforting atmosphere that perfectly complemented the serenity of the house as the soft glow of the morning light filtered through the small window, casting a golden hue over the quaint kitchen.

Darren stated at her for a while. He wanted to tell her to not worry and go rest up, however, he could tell that Kyley really wanted to be there in the kitchen for many reasons unknown to him. ' perhaps, she's bored upstairs" Darren thought and decided to not be a spoilsport. " Okay, then." He sighed in defeat. " I'll tell you if I need anything."

Kyley nodded excitedly and moved to sit in the chair by the countertop. Her wounds were starting to hurt from the long standing.

" Great! You're making steaks and eggs for breakfast?" Kyley asked shortly after. Used to meals that contained meat, Kyley knew her delicacies.

" Yeah, and a side of mash potatoes" Darren confirmed without taking his concentration from the meal he was making.

" Hmm... Sounds delicious." Kyley muttered.

Darren just nodded and continued making what he was making with his back to Kyley. Kyley watched him in silence for a while, not wanting to distract him too much as he could tell that Darren was currently concentrated.

Clink! Clank!

The clinking of utensils and the sound of steak sizzling create a delightful symphony of breakfast preparation.

At some point. Darren turned around to face her and opened his mouth to speak but he decided otherwise and just walked towards the cabinet in the side.

Darren didn't ask her to bring the things he needed. He simply walked around the kitchen to take them by himself.

Kyley frowned at this but didn't say anything. Now that she thought about it, how was she to help him with these things when she didn't even know what they were nor where he kept them. She had only realized this just now, and she was certain Darren's actions just now was also as a result of this.

However, Kyley made note of this as Darren picked each ingredient.

' There's always a next time' she thought to herself as she silently watched Darren cook.

It took a while but once Darren was done, he turned around to face Kyley and smiled. " Food is ready. Time to go back upstairs now"

Kyley frowned, however, hearing Darren s words. She didn't want to go back to her room to eat alone. She quickly looked about in thought and said to Darren. " Foods are meant to be taken at the dining table" she grumbled in a soft mutter.

...