At this point, Javier felt a thick layer of sweat tickling down his spine. He has never felt this fear but all of the sudden, she made it obvious that he has to praise her food, otherwise this might be the last day of his life. 

Moreover, she looked no less intimidating right now. He saw how her face was entirely expressionless, with no emotions, neither warmness nor cold. 

‘Was she serious? She will not handle any criticism against herself?’ but still, he drank the soup and ate the remaining vegetables.

Unexpectedly, the dinner wasn’t as bad he was imagining it to be. She never cooked since they both started living under one roof and this will be considered the first time. 

“So, tell me? Is this good or bad?” Jennifer asked in the coldest tone which reflected that she was more serious about her words which she earlier said. 

“Well, you want me to be honest or just give my opinion?” he threw the ball in her field. But somehow she managed to say, “Your truest opinion will be praised and appreciated by me. Just tell me, without making any biasedness and beating around the bush too..”

“It is good. Not as bad I was expecting to be but also not professional..” The honest answer gained her smile. The coldness of her eyes faded and her lips curved into a wide smile, with a sigh escaping via her lips when he noted, she was holding her breath. 

‘Wait! Was she afraid that I will not like her cooking skills and will try to insult her? Or was my opinion of that importance too?’ The exact answer didn’t lie within him, but still, his heart was happy to know that his opinions do matter to her.

Jennifer sat opposite him on the chair and her smile kept on brightening with no limit, “You know I was..kinda getting nervous that you may not like but somehow you liked so I’m feeling better now.” 

“Seriously? You asked me the question while keeping a knife on my shoulders. You wanted me, to tell the truth either?” he tried to tease her through his words and looked like she successfully did because her aloof tone was back. 

“I’m giving you some experience when it comes to girls. Do you wish to die single? I don’t mind you being single but just for your betterment, if you will go and tell your wife that the food is really bad, she will kick your ass and make you sleep on the couch, the hard couch!! Imagine! Will that be a good option?” 

Jennifer asked and in return, he shook his head. But deep inside he was imagining how things will turn in the future?

‘How will she react when she gets to know about my crush and the lady love from the past five years?’ he was indeed looking forward to having seen her reacting but the right.. time was yet to come. 

Both of them sat around the dining table and were quietly eating the food when suddenly, Jennifer decided to initiate the conversation to make this boring dinner at least a little bit light. 

“Javier..” calling his name slightly made him lift his eyes, while he kept on eating with one hand, “Why don’t you tell me about your family? You know, your sister…it wasn’t necessary to shout o-“

“Jennifer, why don’t we talk about your simple family back in the states? Your brother..your mom and your dad. You love them a lot, right?” he asked in a hurried tone, clearly indicating that he doesn’t wish to talk and bring up the topic of his sister currently. 

Jennifer appreciated this privacy too, so in the end, she decided to speak about her lively family, “You already saw them. My father had a small business but that was still low… It has experienced losses in the last few years. My brother is in the second year of college currently back in the states itself.” 

“Your parents didn’t send your brother out of the states, I mean to some other country, unlike you?” 

As far as he heard, Lucas’s state is kind of conservative related to education for girls. They aren’t given the same opportunity and it was evident why the men are in the top front, not women there. 

But when compared to his place, women and men are all equal. That is the main reason he wasn’t surprised to learn that she went out of the state to some other country but if he thinks from the perspective of her state, it was uncommon among people. 

Jennifer scratched her head a little bit, when she answered back, “My parents wished for me to attend because our business was doing good by then. In the middle, it crumbled and at that point, I finished my graduation so they asked me to come back.” 

“…And your brother never got the chance to go and study unlike you because of the current situation, am I right?” he asked, in a slow voice to not sound rude but in return, he got a nod from her side.

“He got stuck studying there. But what is the fun of having a good educational degree when in the end, you are going to be wed by your parents and you can’t even go and handle your own family business due to… the gender issues.” 

He too agreed with her on his. The gender issue was a serious concern to be addressed. Especially when she is such a good person, to begin with, even outshining back in her university’s days, in the classes.

Javier didn’t say much in relation to it, yet he asked her the question arising in his mind, “Will you marry a guy if he lets you work after marriage as well…gives you full freedom too? Someone like…

…..

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