Mrs. Crazy And Mr. Perfects
CHAPTER 48| THE BOLDEST STEP

“I make mushroom soup and roast meat.” Ocean stepped towards the kitchen counter, picking up the results of his cooking. He deftly arranged it on the dining table, along with a plate and a glass. Lastly, Ocean pulled out a chair for Selena, before grabbing her suit draped over by a long sofa.

Selena was still unmoved in her place, only observing Ocean with an expression that did not change much.

“I've cleaned the whole room. You can relax tomorrow morning.” Ocean smiled faintly as he faced Selena again. For a moment, he swept his gaze at every inch of face in front of him, saving it as a portrait he would remember a week ahead. “I'm leaving now. See you next week, Selena. Take care of yourself.”

The silence in the room felt so suffocating after no longer sounding the clattering of Ocean's steps. The emptiness enveloped Selena, again throwing her into the world of the antagonists where the pain was on every inch of land, on every trail of steps.

Rubbing his face that feels pias, Selena's gaze is fixed on the dining table where there is a dish of Ocean cuisine. He stepped closer slowly, sitting on the chair that Ocean had previously drawn for him. The seductive aroma of mushroom soup immediately greeted his sense of smell. Selena grabbed the spoon, took a little. The savory and earthy taste of creamy soup feels gently greeting the tongue.

“Enak—” Selena's throat suddenly choked, before a slow stuffing that chanted a painful melody followed later. Selena's shoulders trembled with the tightness that was squeezing her chest. Ocean's presence had truly been a nightmare. That brief interaction felt like it was destroying Selena's defenses.

All this time Ocean had done a lot for her, too much, to the point that Selena was worried she would get hurt even worse, even more painfully. No, it's not about Agatha anymore, it's not about her pride. From the beginning, the marriage was not supposed to exist. With Selena, Ocean will only be mired in a bottomless abyss.

The bad Selena, the troublemaker Selena, the sad Selena ... Ocean absolutely cannot be dragged into his pitch-black world. There was too great a difference between them, separated by a vast and precipitous abyss.

From the beginning, the names Selena and Ocean never deserved to be in the same line.

...****...

“You sleep well?”

That was the question Selena got when she set foot in the kitchen to grab a drink the following Saturday. With an apron hanging by the neck, Ocean smiled welcoming Selena. His hands were busy moving the spatula. An appetizing aroma enveloped the room.

Apparently Ocean has no intention of giving up—just yet. With a stern panted look, Selena gave a slow snort, before walking towards the refrigerator, fetching water from there.

Right now, there was only one word swirling around in Selena's head: crazy!

Air travel to get to Anchorage Airport at the earliest takes 20 hours, an average of 21-24 hours. Not to mention the road trip to the villa. That means Ocean only has two days; Saturday and Sunday to commute from his city to Anchorage, because Monday has to work in the office. At the villa he only had a short time, just enough to clean and cook, before making the flight home.

Imagine how tired he is. The rest time is only on the plane, and Selena believes, her working days are super busy considering the construction of the hotel in Labuan Bajo has entered the final stage. No matter how strong Ocean's stamina was, he would definitely fall. Without Selena bothering to do anything, Ocean would give up on her own.

“Sorry I changed my schedule to Saturday. I'll be late for work if I do it on Sunday. You know, the time difference between here and there.” Ocean casually stir the pasta, sprinkle parsley. There was not the slightest awkwardness in his tone, as if they were in a fine atmosphere.

“What does anyone care if you come or not? Don't talk to me!” Selena said ketus, waltzing quickly out of the kitchen after snapping the glass to the table.

Of course it was just Selena's nonsense, because after entering the room, she was twitching furiously. The last six days have felt so crawling. He could not meet Ocean, could not look him in the face. In this short time, actually Selena wants to see Ocean longer—wait! Selena hit her own head.

The door shook though Selena pointed at him with her index finger and glared, as if she was talking to Ocean.

Next sunday? Obviously Ocean appeared again, even more than a month later, Ocean still came, doing his routine casually. If likened to a person's health condition, it can be said Selena is dying, just waiting for the time of death. Meeting Ocean regularly like this is dangerous. Many times Selena had to thicken her defenses, cursing her heart that was easy to beat when faced with the man. No, in this battle Selena must win at any cost.

And about Ocean's schedule today .. since an hour ago Selena was fidgeting in the living room. His gaze was more often fixed on the tenuous courtyard of the villa, no one was in sight.

Ocean had usually arrived at nine in the morning, Selena quietly waited for him in the room while peering out the window to see his arrival. But it was eleven o'clock by noon, and Ocean showed no sign of coming.

“What happened? Flight has a delay? She's fine, ‘kan?” Selena stepped closer to the open door, rubbing her pias face. “Ah, fuck. I can't reach him.”

He paced back and forth with a feeling of nonchalance. The increasingly concentrated worry he felt, made Selena groan, about to grab the phone at the table, when she jumped as a familiar voice coming from the door snuck her ear.

“You're waiting for me, Selena?”

Selena desperately refrained from exhaling a sigh of relief. Ocean wasn't hurt, that's better news than anything. And yes, an effective annoying grin provoked vexation—

Selena was stunned when she finally was able to properly stare at Ocean. The usually fresh face now looks very tired and pale. Judging from her messy suit, Selena could deduce Ocean had just taken a business trip. Without feeling the need to go home, take a break, he forced to come to do some nonsense about clean schedules and cooking. Ocean is not in good condition.

“You've eaten? Can I make omelette?” Ocean's gaze looked adorable, the line of toughness on his face fading slightly.

Ocean is not okay. He did it too hard.

In a very short pause, Selena felt something rumbling in her chest. The long wall he had built as a shield, collapsed as a column of hope began to take hold of him. Selena wants to live, she wants to hold Ocean's hand.

“Alright, let's see if there are still eggs.” Ocean stepped past the unmoved Selena.

Just two steps Ocean moved, he stopped as he felt the end of his backcoat being pulled. With a slow motion, Ocean turned his head, finding Selena staring fixedly at him, as if to convey a thousand words that he had never spoken so far.

“My world is gloomier than you imagined, Ocean. You might get hurt even deeper, lose something valuable to you even more. Even so, can I forcefully stand beside you? I guess .. I think I like you too far.”

The end of Selena's sentence carried a silence enveloping them. Coinciding with the rustling of the wind that sounded from a distance, Ocean took the bravest step of his entire life, in response to Selena's question.

He kissed Selena.

...****...