Carlos' hand hovered over his laptop keyboard. He shifted his gaze to Debbie. Again, the expectant look in her eyes made him unable to refuse her. He nodded.
Debbie's heart was filled with joy. The small smile on her lips spread across her face. She knew that she had been right all along. Carlos would surely come back to her!
She was too excited to continue working on her song, so she stopped writing the lyrics and began browsing some posts on Weibo. When she raised her head to peek at Carlos again, she was surprised to see that his glass of fruit tea was already empty. He even ate all the fruits in it.
Her heart fluttered. She was pretty sure that he had drunk it for her sake.
Around six o'clock in the evening, Carlos was about to wrap up his work for the day. Just before finishing his work, he asked Debbie to get his car out of the parking lot and wait for him downstairs.
A few moments later, Carlos left Champs Bay Apartments. He saw Debbie waiting outside in his car. He smiled and walked towards it. When he got into the car, Debbie suggested, "How about we have dinner at Colleen's restaurant? After dinner, we can walk around the commercial street nearby." Carlos raised his brow. There was clearly nothing for him to do. She had already planned out everything for the night.
He nodded helplessly and said, "Whatever you say." Debbie grinned at his reaction.
Curtis and Colleen were not at the restaurant that night. So, when the manager saw Carlos, he immediately ushered them to one of the VIP rooms and called Colleen immediately to tell her of his arrival.
Colleen told the manager, "Make sure you take good care of him and serve the best food. Free of charge." After a pause, she inquired, "Is he alone?"
"No, he is here with a lady."
'A lady? Is it Debbie or Stephanie?' Colleen wondered curiously. "What does the lady look like? Does she have big eyes? Is she good-looking?"
The manager thought for a few seconds and said uncertainly, "The lady was wearing a mask and a cap, so I couldn't see her face clearly. But I heard Mr. Huo call her by the name Debbie..."
'Wow, so that is Debbie. Stephanie doesn't need to wear a mask and a cap to go out!' she thought excitedly. Sparing a glance at Piggy and Jus, who were playing in front of her, Colleen instructed the manager, "That lady is way more distinguished than Carlos. Remember, all of her meals at our restaurant are free of charge."
'She's more distinguished than Mr. Huo?' The manager was taken aback. 'Who is this Debbie? Is the boss kidding?' But he kept his doubts to himself and said, "Yes, we'll treat them both well."
"Good. Go ahead with your work."
In the VIP room
Carlos passed the menu card to Debbie. "What would you like to have?" Generally, Carlos was a decisive man. He would order the dishes and arrange everything in advance if he was taking someone out for dinner. But he didn't remember what Debbie liked due to his memory loss, so he had to let her make the decision herself.
Without looking at the menu, Debbie told the manager outright, "Please ask your chefs to cook their specialty dishes. We'll have six vegetarian dishes, two meat dishes, a pot of soup, and some rice. And please don't make them too greasy or spicy. We'd like it light and healthy."
'Ten dishes including the soup and rice?!' The manager's mouth was agape in shock. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Never had he heard a woman order like this before. He politely said to her, "Excuse me for reminding you, it's our restaurant's policy to not waste any food. Each of our dishes comes in a generous quantity. So...I believe that ten dishes for two people...Um..."
He let his voice trail, but Debbie understood what he meant. She smiled and was about to explain, but Carlos cut in firmly, "Just bring it. And there's no need to reduce the quantity either."
The manager nodded without any more questions. Carlos turned to Debbie and confirmed, "You sure you don't want it spicy?"
He remembered that she had cooked spicy dishes at her apartment last time.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Fine. That will be all." Carlos gestured for the manager to leave.
When they were left alone in the VIP room, he asked curiously once again, "You can't eat spicy food?"
Debbie took off her mask and cap. "I can, but you can't."
She had found out earlier that he was taking pills every day because of the sequela due to the car accident. He needed to be on medication for some more time.
Carlos frowned. He softened his voice, "Just order what you like."
"No, you shouldn't eat spicy food while taking medication." She gazed at him lovingly and added, "That's what you used to tell me whenever I fell sick." Carlos always forbade her from eating spicy and greasy food. He even kept away seafood from her while she was sick.
Carlos grinned. She was unfolding the wet napkin. He took her hand and said, "Let me help you."
"No way. You used to take care of me all the time in every aspect, no matter how trivial the matter was. Now, our roles have been reversed and it's finally my turn to take care of you. I need to do this right, just like you did for me. No, I should be even better than you, so that I can win my handsome man back as soon as possible."
Carlos was moved at first, but when he heard her last words, his face fell. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Whatever, a man is supposed to treat a woman well." Moreover, she was his ex-wife. Even though he didn't know what exactly had happened between them in the past, he felt an obligation to treat her properly.
Touched by his words, Debbie held on to his arm and rested her cheek on it. "You have said those same words to me before. It's so true that a leopard never changes its spots." 'Even though he has lost his memory, he still treats me so well. Thank God!' she thought, sensing a pleasant ache in her chest.
'A leopard never changes its spots? Are you sure you are praising me?' Carlos thought, his lips twitching into a smile.
Shortly after, the dishes arrived. Debbie grabbed a pair of clean chopsticks and picked up some food for Carlos. But just as she was about to put some vegetables onto his plate, he stopped her.
Confused, she looked at him. He said calmly, "Let me do it." He felt like it was a man's job to do so.
Debbie smiled. "Never mind. Let me do it. Rest assured, I'm using fresh chopsticks. Don't complain." She knew about his obsession with cleanliness. Since they hadn't yet restored their former relationship, she wouldn't dare use her own chopsticks to pick up food for him.
Carlos put down his chopsticks and stared at the woman. "Debbie Nian."
"Yes?" Her hand stopped in front of a cucumber dish. 'Is he... mad at me? Why?' And then it dawned on her that the bossy man didn't like people disobeying his orders.
Debbie sighed and drew back her hand. She lowered her head to hide her embarrassment. "Okay, fine. I'm not gonna serve you."
Her unexpected humble reaction made Carlos uncomfortable. He took her hand and made her look at him.
"What now?" Debbie asked, confused. She had already stopped serving him.
Carlos raised her chin with his other hand. He drew closer to her and said in a husky voice, "Just be yourself in front of me. No need to be cautious. No need to fawn over me. Understand?" He felt his heart ache when he saw her act so humbly in front of him. It wasn't like her usual self at all.
Debbie was shocked by his words. She stammered, "I... I don't..." She gazed into his dark eyes and saw the sincerity in them. She felt so nostalgic. After taking a deep breath, she smiled and found her voice. "It doesn't matter, Carlos. You have been so much nicer to me than I am being to you now. Seriously, what I'm doing now is incomparable to what you have done for me..."
Besides, it was she who had failed to keep their marriage alive. She was too stupid, too weak. She felt guilty for not holding onto him tightly.
Now, God had given her a second chance. Carlos was alive. As long as she could make him come back to her, she was willing to do anything for him. Even if she had to be humble and lose her pride, she didn't care.
As she was lost in her thought, she felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. And just like that, his lips were on hers, devouring her again. It was not a soft kiss; he was hungry. For her. She couldn't think. Her thoughts were jumbled and blown away by the heat from his lips.
He didn't stop until a waiter knocked at the door.
Gasping for air, they broke apart. In a fluster, Debbie tidied her clothes and bowed her head down to eat the food, her heart pounding in her chest.