The Royal Contract

Thankfully, the accident did not do much damage. In a few minutes, the pain in her injury had subsided. She could eventually tolerate the pain.

Although she had not recovered the full strength of her muscles yet, she could now move without the need for supportive devices.

With a few more therapy sessions, the doctor assured her that she could go back to normal, physically at least. But in the meantime, she was under the care of her visitor, who would not let her stand on her feet.

"Are you sure you don't need any help? My foot doesn't hurt anymore." Rosella expressed loudly over her shoulder.

She could not help but wonder what he was doing in the small kitchen. The room looked crowded, with him standing in the middle of it.

Besides, he was the guest. He should be sitting and not her.

"No. I got this, Rosella." He responded with a cheerful smile. "It is just hard to find the things I need. But I think I got everything under control." David assured her as he moved around the kitchen with a slight clumsiness.

She could see that he kept bumping into the counter, the chairs, and the cabinets. Unfortunately, the space did not intend to fit a man of his size.

"Ok. But you did not need to bother fixing me a meal. I can easily do it on my own." She protested as she leaned on the couch, feeling she had to do something.

She felt guilty that she was letting him do all the work while she sat on her ass, doing nothing. She had enough of lying and sitting around. It was fast becoming frustrating.

"I am here, and it is lunchtime. I might as well work for my free meal if you don't mind. Unless you wish me to leave." He spoke with a hint of hesitance.

Her mind insisted that she should heed caution. This man was still a stranger. But somewhere deep inside her, she could not feel a tinge of fear inside her.

She was not afraid of him despite not knowing anything about him. On the contrary, her heart calmed as soon as she heard his voice and saw his face. It was like she knew deep inside she was safe.

"No. I don't wish you to leave, David." She hastily uttered until she realized what she just said. "I meant you are welcome to stay, but I feel like I am abusing your kindness by letting you slave in the kitchen alone."

She quickly made up an excuse, embarrassed by her sudden admission. She kept telling herself that she only wished to reciprocate this man's help by being courteous.

"Great. Let me finish this dish. Then, we can eat." He assured her. "For your part, I will let you dry the dishes and wipe the table after our meal." He offered as a compromise.

She guessed she had no choice but to accept his offer. She doubted she would win in an argument with this very articulate man.

"Ok." Rosella finally conceded as she stood from the sofa and strode to the kitchen, taking the empty stool on the counter.

"I am just going to watch." She quickly raised her hand when he saw he was about to say something. Then, she picked some grapes from the fruit basket, munching on them.

Strangely, she found it refreshing and relaxing to watch him, a grown man move in the kitchen. It felt like it was the most natural thing to do. It was as if they had been doing this for the longest time.

He shrugged his broad shoulders as if contented with her answer while continuing to cut some vegetables. "I am no gourmet chef, but I can make a delicious salad." He bragged as he combined the ingredients in the bowl.

She could only smile as he watched him mix those green leaves with the colorful ones. Suddenly, she could not help but wonder what it was like to leave with him.

They said she used to stay with him in his luxurious apartment. But, of course, she had no recollection of it.

"I will be the judge of that." She teased him while she waited for the rest of the meal to cook. She could see from her spot that something was cooking on the pan, searing over the fire.

"I remember you said it was the best you ever tasted." David proudly stated as he moved toward the fridge to take out two cans of sodas.

Suddenly, silence enveloped the room as she realized what he said. She believed she could hear her heartbeat as she could not find anything else to say. But apparently, he was the same.

"I am sorry." She finally said it. "I am trying, but I wish I could remember you and our past." She felt guilty for some reason, even though she knew she should not.

"It is not your fault. You don't have to say I am sorry. You don't have to force yourself to remember. And I also did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable." David placed the two plates he took from the cabinets on the counter, looking contrite.

She could see his sincerity. She knew he meant well. Nonetheless, it was hard when she could see how much he was trying. And yet she could not guarantee that she could ever reciprocate his feelings.

She liked him. She believed she was comfortable around him. There was no doubt about that. Still, she could not force herself to love him. And she could not assure that would ever happen.

"I..." She felt she had to say something to remedy their situation when she noticed something behind him.

"You don't have to say any..." He stopped her before she could say more.

But her mind had wandered off somewhere else as her eyes got distracted by what was happening behind him.

"I need you to look..." She pointed at the dark smoke building up behind him. But his confused expression told her that she did not make herself clear.

"Look behind you." She repeated as the smoke became more evident. "I think your meat is burning." She finally realized what was happening as the unpleasant burning smell reached her nose.

He finally turned around and understood what she was trying to say to him. "Damn!" He shouted as he abruptly ran toward the stove, turning the fire off before grabbing the pan.

But, of course, he had forgotten about the pot holder, making him drop the scorching pan back on the stove with a bang.

"Are you alright?" Now, she was worried about his well-being. She could tell he was hurt.

"Yeah, I am ok. Just feeling quite stupid." He admitted as he waved his injured fingers in the smoky air and tried to blow some air into them.
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Then, he ran to the sink, letting the cold water ease the burning sensation in his skin. "It is just a little burn, nothing to worry about." He repeated as he tried to calm the situation.

Fortunately, the smoke detector did not work, or they would be soaking in water by now. But, of course, Rosella would have preferred it had done its job.

What if the accident had worsened? A chill spread through her, imagining her sister burning in this building.

"Let me see." She finally moved closer to him, wanting to assure herself that it was not worse than she thought.

Thankfully, it was a tiny blister that would heal in a few days. "I told you. It is nothing." He smiled at her as he wiped his hands dry. "Now, why don't you return to your seat and let me finish cooking."

In a few more minutes, he managed to salvage the situation, cooked the meat perfectly, and served it without any more untoward incidents happening to any of them.

"It looks great." She commented as David placed the meal before her. "And smells good too." She added as the aroma of the meat hit her senses.

He grabbed the salad and offered it to her before he took his place on the opposite side of the counter.

"I hope it tastes as good as it looks and smells." He said, slightly doubting his cooking after burning the first batch.

She took a knife and cut through the meat. So far, so good when the knife effortlessly went through the flesh smoothly.

And when she looked at the meat, the pinkish middle told her it was how she liked it. She had no idea how she knew it. But somehow, she could tell she would love this dish.

"It is delicious." She commented after taking two bites of the meat. "Absolutely." She added. Then, she took a large bite of the salad that he made. "I guess I can eat this all day."

She agreed with him that it was indeed a great dish. Maybe she was not hard to please, but she loved what he prepared for them.

"I am glad to hear that." He repeated, looking relieved and happy.

She guessed she had not lost all of her identity. She realized that maybe some of it was still buried underneath the rubbles in her mind. All she needed to do was dig it up.

Could it be that easy?