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?"

turned a little awkward and she fiddled with her hair. "It's... They're all for me. As you know, I'm rarely home, so I do meal

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

of the power outage! By the way, why isn't Lucas here yet? He knows about the power outage, and

property's management, which you ought to 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

soured. "You've misunderstood! I asked a friend for

insistence on playing dumb. "What do you take me for? A fool?

talking about! Why don't

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

the one who replied