Alicia woke up the next morning to an unfamiliar scent. She was immediately wide awake and she jolted up from her futon. ‘Shit, is the house on fire!?’ But the scent was not of something burning. It was a pleasant scent, one that was both sweet and savory. She rushed to the kitchen and froze at the sight.

                The entire kitchen was a disaster. It was as if a hurricane had silently stormed through last night. Cupboards hung off their hinges. The fridge door was wide open, the freezer door broken and laying in front of it. Bent forks, spoons, and knives littered the room. Ingredients ranging from flour to eggs to raw meet caked not just the floors and countertops, but also the walls. In the center of the chaos was Chase Eheu Yong, innocently holding a pot of food while smiling.

                “My darling wife, you are awake!”

                Alicia glared at him. “What the hell happened to my kitchen!?” ‘How the hell did I even sleep through all this mess!? I’m sure the neighbors must’ve heard the commotion! They would’ve come to my door and demanded me to be quieter!’

                “I made you some breakfast!” Chase placed the pot onto the counter, nearly squishing a live octopus that was exploring the area.

                ‘Poor octopus,’ Alicia watched as it crawled away. ‘Wait, how the hell did this weirdo even get inside!?’ “I locked you out of my apartment last night!”

                “Oh, I entered through the back,” Chase pointed at the broken sliding door.

                ‘My apartment is dozens of feet above ground level!’ We’re on the sixth floor for goodness sake! Wait, what the hell are these ingredients!’ “I’m sure as hell that I didn’t have any of these ingredients!” Alicia motioned to the entire room. “And who the hell destroys a kitchen just to cook breakfast!?”

                “Oh, I saw that your food storage was lacking so I took it upon my duty as your husband to refill them,” Chase answered. “Though, I may have to restock again,”

                “You ruined my kitchen!” Alicia shouted. “Get out!”

                “Oh don’t worry about that,” Chase assured her. “My butler will clean this all up and repair any damages,” He poured the contents of the pot into two bowls and passed one to her with a spoon. “Eat up! You must be starving,”

                Alicia scanned the dish. ‘Carrots, meat, potatoes, mushroom, and a cream sauce?’ “Is this cream stew?”

                “Yep!” Chase nodded and started to dig into his own meal.

                ‘At least I now know it isn’t poisoned,’ Alicia poked and prodded at the floating chunks of vegetables and meat. “I’m not hungry,” Unfortunately for her, her stomach decided to contradict her statement by emitting a loud growl. “Fine! I’ll eat your stupid stew!”

                “Want me to feed you, my love?” Chase offered.

                Alicia shoved his chest. “I said I’ll eat it but I’m not letting you feed me,” She swallowed nervously and slowly brought the spoonful to her lips. “It’s delicious,”

                Chase no longer sported his happy, enthusiastic expression. Instead, it was replaced by one filled with worry. “Wifey, are you okay? You’re crying,”

                “Crying? What are you talking about? I’m not crying,” She brought a hand up to her cheek and was surprised to feel wetness. ‘Why am I crying? Crying is for the weak!’ She started to wipe her eyes with her palm, only to end up producing more tears. ‘I can’t cry! Crying does nothing! I need to be strong! Nobody will comfort me when I cry!’

                A handkerchief gently dabbed at her tears. “Please don’t cry, Wifey. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry,”

                ‘I’m wrong,’ Alicia stared at Chase as he continued to wipe her tears away. ‘Someone is comforting me when I cry. This man, this stranger, he’s the one who’s comforting me even though I’ve done nothing to deserve it. But why am I crying? All I did was eat the stew he made. He didn’t cry when he ate it,’

                “Alicia, you gotta eat lots so you can grow up big and strong,” Her father had told her when she was younger.

                “Okay Daddy, I’ll eat lots,” She would reply.

                “But make sure to not eat too much or else you’ll get a tummy ache, okay?” Her father advised.

                “Okay!”

                ‘Ah,’ Alicia realized. ‘This stew tastes like something indescribable. It’s not an actual flavor, it’s an emotion. It tastes like…love? Care? Affection? No…this dish tastes like home,’ “It’s been so long since I’ve eaten with someone else. It’s been so long since someone has cooked for me. It’s been so long since I wasn’t lonely,”

                She hadn’t realized that she had fallen to her knees, overwhelmed by her emotions. Chase gently wrapped his arms around her. She leaned her head against his chest, quietly crying. She heard the sliding door open as well as more footsteps. “Young Master, I have brought the requested creature,”

                Alicia lifted her head from Chase’s chest and saw an older man dressed in a suit. Beside him was a husky puppy. “Who are you?” Alicia asked.

                “I am Young Master Chase’s loyal butler,” The older man bowed respectively. “My name is Sevajin, but you may call me Jin,”

                The puppy ran to Alicia and jumped into her arms. He happily licked at Alicia’s face. “Arf! Arf!”

                Alicia giggled. “It tickles,”

                “He’s a present to you,” Chase told her. “It’s an apology gift for making you cry. Of course I’ll pay for all of his necessities,”

                ‘He is such a cute doggy,’ Alicia hugged the small animal and gently scratched him behind his ears. ‘I guess I could give him a chance and hear him out. If he has a butler, he must be extremely wealthy. Yet, I can’t recognize him as any of the famous people in the area,’ “Alright, I’ll accept the puppy. That man, Jin, he called you ‘Young Master.’ Seriously, who exactly the hell are you?”