IX
Inhale.
Exhale.
I took several deep breaths to steady my rapidly beating heart as I finally gained enough courage to ring Bradley's doorbell. I stood behind the door, feeling my grip on the bag with a bottle of wine, tighten.
I remembered Bradley's words from the day before and began to wonder what he meant when he had said,
"I'd like to thank you properly."
The door opened to reveal Bradley smiling at me.
"I'm glad you made it," he said.
"Me too," I heard myself say. He chuckled slightly before moving aside and gesturing for me to enter.
"You came bearing gifts," he said jokingly. I felt the corner of my lips tug into a smile as I held the bag towards him.
"I wasn't sure if you drink wine or not," I said. His smile widened as he took the bag from me, removing the bottle of red wine.
"Thank you, Mia." I smiled.
"No problem."
He led me to the kitchen where I was able to finally decipher what the smell which filled his house was.
"You can have a seat, the food is almost done." I nodded before sitting at the table which had already been set.
"Have some of the wine too," he suggested. I poured myself a glass before sitting back and watching him as he continued to cook. I couldn't remove the smile from my face the whole time as he moved around.
---
Before long, dinner was served. And it looked so beautiful that I felt bad about eating it.
"I hope you'll like it," Bradley said as he sat down.
"It looks amazing."
"Thanks. I know that it's not enough to thank you for all you've done for me and my family," he said. He lifted his glass of wine and continued speaking.
"Mia, I know we haven't known each other for a long time but already, I feel like you've done a lot for me. And for that, I honestly mean it when I say, thank you."
He smiled as he reached his glass towards me. I did the same to him before the sound of the glasses clinking filled the room.
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