Chapter 84: Dinner with my girlfriend [Part-3]

The dinner made by Alicia was finally ready, and Alden dug in enthusiastically. The meal was thousands of times tastier than his own cooking. There was simply no comparison between the two dishes; his food was basically trash next to the amazing meal she prepared with her own hands.

‘Sigh… What does she put in the food to make it taste so good?’ he wondered to himself.

“My love.”

Alden paused. He felt a sudden wave of embarrassment as she stared right at him, easily reading the thoughts off his face. He quickly made his expression blank to hide whatever he was feeling.

“Shut up,” he mumbled.

“Hmph…”

Alicia just smiled while chewing her food. Suddenly, she scooped up a piece of the dish and offered the spoon right near his mouth.

Alden looked at her blankly, staring at the offered food. He waited for her to pull her hand back, but she stubbornly waited for him to take the bite. As the seconds ticked by, Alden finally gave up, leaned forward, and ate it.

“Hehe.”

She pulled the spoon back and took her own bite, playfully sucking on the silverware while keeping her eyes locked on him.

Alden focused hard on his plate, feeling even more embarrassed.

‘Damn, she is becoming more and more bold nowadays. What a baddie.’

After dinner, they washed the dishes together without much trouble. Well, there was a little trouble. She playfully splashed water all over him, leaving him drenched. Thanks to his luck, he used his wind magic to dry himself off. He was sure that if he stayed wet, she would have forced him to wear her own clothes.

After the splashing incident, they sat together on the living room couch. Alicia stayed in her favorite position, clinging close to his side.

“Hey, tell me,” Alden started remembering a specific day.

“That time when you called me here, was it really a dream, or did you actually propose to me?”

He had to ask. She had lied to him before, claiming he was just dreaming. But since he still remembered the moment so vividly, he felt it had to be real. If it was a dream, he would have forgotten it by now.

Alicia looked up, meeting his eyes calmly. She reached up and squeezed his cheeks, shaking his head side to side as if he were a stuffed animal instead of a boy.

“Hmph… What do you think?”

Alden narrowed his eyes at her playful teasing.

“You did it, right?”

Alicia just nodded without saying a word. She did not want the conversation leaning too far in that direction, or else she would have to reveal various truths she kept hidden.

“Okay, I think it is time. Can you tell me about your summon now?”

A small smile curled on her lips. She pulled her hands away from his face and looked right at him.

“Do you really want to know?”

Alden nodded involuntarily. Of course he wanted to know. That was the main reason he came here tonight in the first place.

Alicia looked at him and leaned in close, so close he could feel her warm breath tickling his ear.

“I do not want to… Hehe.”

Alden squeezed her nose in mild frustration. She squirmed playfully, swatting at his chest while leaning her entire weight against him.

“Okay, let me tell you.”

She closed the distance even more. Alden almost thought she was going in for a kiss, but she shifted her direction and whispered a tiny secret directly into his ear.

Alden’s face went blank after hearing her whispered words.

“Wait, are you telling the truth?!”

Alicia pulled her face back, looking at him calmly, and nodded.

“Hmph.”

Alden felt stunned by the shocking revelation. He finally realized why she hid her summon, and why the strict professor gave her special privileges to skip the challenge. All the missing puzzle pieces matched perfectly.

“Okay then…”

“Yeah,” Alicia smiled. “Now that I revealed my big secret, I am feeling hungry again.”

Alden looked at her, not understanding her logic. They had just finished their dinner. How could she feel hungry?

“Why are you—”

“Do you remember what I said before leaving the kitchen earlier?”

Alden stared at her. The memory of her words echoed in his brain.

“If the food doesn’t suit my taste, I will eat you instead.”

Alden frowned as the voice repeated in his mind with surprising clarity.

‘Huh… That felt weird. Is my memory always this strong?’

Before he could say another word, she was already moving toward him, closing the distance.

Alden immediately sat up and pushed her away gently, making sure not to hurt her.

“Oh, look! We were going to watch a movie, don’t you remember? Let’s watch something.”

Alicia glared daggers at him, looking like she really was going to eat him. But she calmed down quickly at the mention of a movie date. She nodded involuntarily, standing up and walking over to turn on the TV.

“Can you move the couch toward the TV so we can watch it from the front?”

Alden nodded without a word. He stood up and pushed the couch directly in front of the screen. He also positioned the small table right in front of them so they could grab snacks whenever they wanted. Alicia brought a bowl of snacks from the kitchen, along with a bottle of juice, or rather, wine. She placed the glasses on the table and sat back down beside him.

“Alicia, are we going to drink… wine?”

Alicia nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She poured a glass for him and one for herself.

“Of course! Why do you ask? We have both passed the age of maturity, so there is nothing to worry about.”

“Well… But…”

Alicia smiled softly, picked up the glass of wine, and leaned toward him, pressing the rim right up to his mouth.

“No excuses. You have to listen to your girlfriend. Are you going to refuse my request?”

Alden looked at her. He didn’t know what she was planning by making him drink, and he really wanted to refuse. He knew she wouldn’t bring wine out without a sneaky plan.

“Alici—”

Alicia’s eyes turned cold for a split second as she pressed the glass closer, almost touching his lips, and threatened him playfully.

“Are you going to drink it or not?”

Alden couldn’t refuse her anymore. He leaned forward and took a sip. Her eyes immediately returned to normal, and her sweet smile reappeared.

“Hmmm… Good boy. Just listen to what I say like this.”

She wiped a stray drop of wine from his lips and sucked it off her thumb, looking at him shamelessly.

Alden felt sure she was deliberately seducing him, provoking him to make a move, or maybe just testing his patience. Looking at her face, he reached out and stroked her soft silver hair. She unconsciously leaned into his touch, enjoying the gentle affection.

“Shall we focus on the movie?”

Alicia glanced at the blank screen with an uninterested gaze and nodded.

“Oh, yeah. We were actually planning to watch something.” She turned back to him with a questioning look. “What type of movie would you like to watch?”

Alden thought for a while, considering his choices. If he thought carefully, he pretty much liked everything.

“Well, my preference is secondary. I want to watch whatever you want to watch. Tell me what you like.”

She stared at him, thinking hard about her choice. As the seconds ticked by, she finally answered.

“I want to watch a movie where no women exist. Not even in the background, so you will not be attracted to anyone else.”

Alden pursed his lips at her ridiculous choice. He didn’t think such a movie even existed. Even in the background, women always exist. Without them, no men could be born.

Alden folded his arms and mimicked her exact expression.

“I also want to watch a movie where no men exist. I do not want you looking at any other guys either.”

Alicia’s eyes widened, and they both stared at each other in silence for a second.

“Is there any movie that exists where both men and women are missing?”

“Hahahah!”

They both burst out laughing at themselves. They were behaving like jealous children, neither wanting to compromise. They just smiled happily at each other.

“Okay, I remember something. Let’s watch that.”

Alicia turned toward the TV and picked up the remote. She clicked onto a slideshow channel displaying different beautiful places around the world. It showed a peaceful world with gorgeous landscapes and no people in the pictures.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, and Alden rested his head on top of hers as they watched the screen.

“Let’s go to that place together during the next vacation,” she said, pointing at a stunning mountain covered in pristine white snow.

“Yeah.”

Alden just nodded. His gaze turned toward her face, which was unusually focused on the TV. She looked like she was genuinely thinking about spending her future time with him. He felt a deep warmth blooming in his chest.

For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel alone anymore. He felt truly alive. His grip around her tightened unconsciously as they leaned on each other, watching the world through the small screen, dreaming about visiting those beautiful places together.