The Doctor Who Loves Me

Rui was sweating badly when he finished cleaning the whole house. He looked at the clock and it was past two hours already. He was about to enter Cali’s room when the door suddenly opened and he saw her standing there with her just awoken face. Something that he loved the most and wished to see everyday when he opened his eyes in the morning.

"Oh, I was about to wake you up." he said smiling.

Cali nodded but furrowed her brows while she looked at his chest. "Look at you bathing in sweat. Go and change fast!" she snorted at the thought of Rui getting sick if he let that sweat last long on his body.

"Noted sweetheart." Rui answered with a wink and quickly turned around to rush into his bedroom for a shower and to change his clothes.

Cali, on the other hand, went directly into the kitchen and smiled. She wanted to cook something good. She went to the kitchen and halted, murmuring, "What should I cook but? I don’t even know what he likes and his favourite dishes!"

She opened Rui’s refrigerator and smiled, seeing all the ingredients she needed were there. Cali began her cooking full of passion. She would show Rui how good she was in it.

When Rui came back, he had already had a bath and was looking fresh. Cali was almost done with the lunch as well.

"Do you need help?" Rui asked as he knitted his eyebrows when he smelled that familiar aromatic scent. His heart skipped a beat as he looked intently at Cali and asked, "What are you cooking?"

"Oh, wait for me at the dining table. I’m almost done here. It’s braised beef..." Cali answered with a smile. She was somehow confident that Rui would love what she prepared for lunch.

Rui quietly followed her request and waited at the dining table while he watched Cali serve him the food.

Cali sat afterwards and said, "Common dig in."

"You’ll even forget your name once you get a taste of my cooking." Cali even boasted. She stared at Rui while he began to eat. She wanted to see his reaction.

"Why did you make braised beef?" Rui asked in his cracked voice. This was his favorite dish, and Cali even particularly made sure she learned how to cook it with her own specific touch and style.

He looked deeply at Cali, waiting for her answer, hoping she somehow could recall him.

"Hmm, I don’t know why, but when I saw the beef in the refrigerator this dish suddenly popped in my head. It just came to my mind and I felt like cooking spicy braised beef for you. Did you like it? I mean is it too spicy?" Cali asked.

She was confident she did well in cooking it but still she wanted to hear Rui’s comments on it. She wanted him to love it and actually even anticipated him to ask her to cook dishes for him.

Her face soured recalling how that cunning Ruth boasted about her cooking skills and blabbering about why she enrolled at that school, so she could cook better than what she already did for her man. She shook her head to erase that woman from her mind and looked back at Rui, waiting for his judgement.

Rui smiled brightly and nodded saying, "I love it."

Then tilted his head down as tears fell from his eyes. He tried his best not to cry as he ate the food, chewing the familiar and his favourite flavours, hoping Cali would not notice his tears that he was trying to stop but in vain.

He was too emotional while he ate, because he did not expect Cali would anyhow remember that dish with exactly the same flavours and spices as she used to cook for him and he loved.

It hurt him so much that she remembered his favorite dish, remembered even the exact proportion of spices but she still could not recall the person for whom she learnt to cook that dish, her husband!

’Sweetheart... I really want to cuddle and kiss you right now,’ his eyes yelled in yearning but he knew he must control himself. Patience... He needed to boost his patience.

"Are you alright? Didn’t you like it? Was it too spicy for you? Sorry I added chili, thinking you preferred a bit of hot food."

Rui could no longer hold his tears while he answered Cali, "Yeah a little spicy... So it’s making me cry, but I love it just like this. I love eating this kind of food. I like spicy food."

"I thought so..." Cali answered with a grin and handed Rui a tissue.

"Here... Geez... I can’t believe that spicy food can make you cry like this. Now I know what to do just to make you cry," Cali commented in a jest.

She stood up to get Rui some fresh juice and also served him some desserts.

"I’m not crying because of chillies but because I was touched as it’s the first time you cooked me something delicious ever since we moved in here." Rui uttered to disguise the reason for his crying more.

Cali laughed and beamed with an evil and playful grin, "Don’t worry from now on the kitchen area will be my ground. I will handle our meals, doc. I will make more spicy dishes for you so I can make you cry every day."

Rui chuckled and said, "I really don’t mind as long as it’s you. But remember, even I will have my chance in making you cry..."

Cali suddenly blushed when she heard him and peeled the underlying meaning of his words, which he might or not have meant...

Soon they finished lunch and Cali cleaned up the table and went to the sink to wash the dishes.

"I’ll do the washing," Cali heard Rui from behind as he added, "Go and rest or watch some movies in the living room and I will follow you shortly."

Cali turned around and said, "Thanks..."

But paused because Rui was too close to her.

"I really love what you cooked for me, Cali. Thank you, sweetheart. I’m looking forward to eating more of your dishes..." Rui whispered with his eyes gazing into hers deeply and Cali felt those stares pierced deep down into her soul. And the word ’sweetheart’ coming out from his mouth felt like tingling the nerves of joy inside her erratically beating heart.

She was mesmerised, but she controlled the parting of her lips, remembering her embarrassment before at the thought of Rui would kiss him.

She would not make the same mistake again.

Cali gave him a half smile and said, "You really want to cry every day, huh?"

She moved to get away from him and Rui gave her way, chuckling as he teased,, "Why? Are you getting distracted with my closeness? I can’t blame you... Most women do, whenever I’m in their close proximity."

Cali’s face twitched as she murmured, "I’ll better leave now doc instead of listening to your boasting about yourself..."

"Is he referring to Ruth?!" Cali whispered annoyingly as she walked into the living area to watch some good movies.

Rui heaved a deep sigh as he watched Cali leave.