The Day I Kissed An Older Man

A bottle of red wine had even been prepared, and its purpose needed no explanation.

"Hmm... I don't think your reaction is natural for someone afraid of a late-night power outage. You've even prepared a marvelous candlelight dinner. It seems to me you're quite at ease in this dim atmosphere," Beatrice remarked. She could tell that Stella had spent a considerable amount of time and effort preparing food for just two people.

"You've even spent all that effort in preparing dinner after the power went out," Beatrice continued sarcastically.

Stella was beginning to feel a little guilty, but she defended herself and said, "I'll come back home to make a home-cooked meal if I'm not too busy on that day. I like trying out new recipes, and I think I've got a pretty good knack for cooking."

She figured that she could leverage the situation to impress the old woman with her ability to cook.

Beatrice then pressed further. "Who did you prepare all this for?"

hair. "It's... They're all for me. As you know, I'm rarely home, so I do meal preps. They keep pretty well in the refrigerator, and I can reheat them whenever I need.

glanced at the small apartment and teased, "Well, aren't you a romantic at heart? Can't say I've ever seen someone

froze. "Uh... It's only because of the power outage! By the way, why isn't Lucas

have rung up to inform them of the situation. That way, they can send an electrician over. What business do you have in calling a married man for something like this? Do you expect him to come and keep you company? I've always thought that girls are very particular about keeping up appearances and having

I asked a friend for

playing dumb. "What do you take me for? A fool? I've seen my fair share of tomfoolery

don't know what you're talking

scoffed. "You don't honestly think that Lucas answered your message, did you? No one knows about the outage except for

was the one who replied to my message earlier..." Stella said in