Before his hand could wrap itself around her slender waist, he found the restraint he could not muster a few minutes back.
The thought of baring his real feelings for her to see scared him witless and remembering his foolishness from years ago which still taunted him, he kept his hands to himself and stood rigid behind her. She was just a servant after all.
Mia who was half bent with her hands on the counter to support herself while she slowly recovered from the impact of the tears went still. One of her hands still held tightly to the knife from earlier.
Her deep brown pupils moved frantically in her eyes without turning her head in the thought of guessing who was standing behind her.
At the thought of Rey standing firmly behind her, she wanted to laugh it off. What would Rey be doing in the Kitchen when she was trying to fix him something to eat?
As if an imaginary light bulb came on above her head, she heard a snap of finger in her head.
'Oh on! He is pissed that I haven't even started the cooking process yet!' She screamed in her head and prepared herself to turn slowly towards him while cooking up a lot of excuses to give for her reason for delay.
"What do you think you are doing putting out your butt like that?" Rey's voice made her stand still and painfully straight as if she was commanded by the press of a button.
"You wanted a spank on your buttocks." He had a short laugh after that.
Mia's eyes moved from one corner to the other.
''It didn't sound like a question.' She would have refuted it immediately.
'He doesn't seem angry either.' She reasoned, her head was beginning to bang.
"Where is my food?" He asked and this time, she felt the frost in his voice.
Forgetting she still wielded a knife in her possession, she turned abruptly to face him, the knife flying in the air a few inches before him.
"Jeez Mia!" He dodged and glared at her.
"I'm sorry, I am sorry." She was frantic, her movements were jumpy as the knife fell from her hands to the fall with a loud clang.
"Mia?" He called again and when she looked up at him, the original hardness in his eyes was gone.
He stepped closer to her but she stood still, not having the strength to walk back, only watching his face frown in something she could associate to confusion.
Seeing her extremely puffy and red eyes, Rey felt like the world was reeling around him and he felt himself soften before stepping closer to her.
Putting the tip of his index finger beneath her chin, he tipped her head towards his and she averted her eyes.
"Hey? Look at me." He intended to sound hard and commanding but his voice betrayed him, he sounded soft and even he found his tone soothing.
Mia's heart thumped when he said that. The edges of her lips pointed towards the floor and she felt the urgent need to cry.
'Why did he choose this moment to look so caring?' She thought as she searched his eyes to see some kind of conflicted emotions in them.
"What happened?" He asked her but she only shook her head.
"Babe?" He added it as an afterthought and she lost it.
She didn't care to know if it was a name she earned because of the contract or from the bottom of his heart. She found the tears springing up without a stop and she let the dam open.
Without thinking, Rey drew her to himself and enveloped her in his warm hug, awkwardly tapping her back without a word of encouragement, only his silence and her loud cry.
He didn't know if he was supposed to feel guilty for being the reason behind her tears, or feel angry for showing too much emotion. Either way, he still patted her back the best way he could.
Holding onto his clothes and unconsciously feeling the hardness beneath his clothes, Mia's cries slowly came to a hiccup, then to an abrupt stop leaving her wondering why she allowed herself to get vulnerable in the first place.
It got awkward staying that way. Her loosening grip on his clothes, his unsure pats on her back and the loud silence that followed.
As if being suddenly burnt after touching something hot, Mia jerked away from Rey and made a small awkward cough with her face all red and shiny from the drying tears on her face.
Rey tucked his hands into his pocket, looking equally flustered too but seeing her red face, he made a sound of controlled laughter, gaining her attention.
When she managed to look at him with guilt written all over her face, he averted his gaze to ingredients on display and ready to be cooked before walking towards her.
Mia opened her mouth to talk when she saw him take another step towards her. She didn't know what he was about to do or what she was supposed to say, but when he reached out for her hand she froze.
"What? Surprised?" He asked her in a not so playful manner.
"Come on." This time he was back to Rey with the exception of the connection of hands and she found herself allowing him drag her to the dining.
'What is he going to do?' She asked in her head as she stared at the back of his head.
Letting go of her hand, Rey pulled a chair backwards while Mia watched him do it, her eyes following him till he walked around her, placed his hands on her shoulder and led her towards the chair before placing her on it.
Mia felt strange, it all felt new, leaving her wondering why Rey would have possibly led her to the chair himself and not command her to sit.
'What if people were coming?' Mia had thought and at that, her head whipped towards the door.
Seeing her nervous action, Rey found himself stifling a laugh.
"Relax, no one is coming." He told her after regaining his composure, drawing her attention towards himself.
She looked back at him, a small feminine frown sitting on her face as she tried to understand him.
"Where's your ring?" He asked and without thinking twice or a bit of hesitation, she presented the hand with the ring and watched him inspect it like he wanted to catch her unawares.
He nodded, then proceeded to leave, making her frown deepen even more.
Then pausing midway, he turned back to her. "Stay put." He ordered before claiming up the stairs, leaving her eyes following after him in deep thoughts of what he had in mind.