Salty-sweet Bread

The clinking of cutlery coming from the kitchen diverted my attention from the movie I was about to play. I made it clear I wouldn't be cooking today. No wonder he couldn't handle his hunger anymore. He has always put his needs before mine, and my anger is almost comical to him now. He has always turned me into a wolf because of his childishness. The thought of him being so laid back towards my anger boiled my blood even more.

 “ He is so done now.” In a hurry, I hopped off the bed and walked over to the kitchen to yell the hell out at him.

As I entered the kitchen, a mixed aroma of roses and noodles hit my nostrils like a warm hug. A smile appeared on my lips as I uncovered a few surprises on the dining table, a box of chocolate, packets of chips, and candies. I laughed to myself wondering how come he got time to prepare all this; I was in the room for only fifteen minutes.

“ You married a very smart person. Might be surprising but I’m pretty fast too.” Rian embraced me from behind, resting his head on my shoulder. 

The warm environment and his comfort temporarily melted my heart, but I would not easily set him free from his guilt. Gently pushing him away, I distanced myself from him, giving him an obvious hint of my mood. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, just like he always does when he is sad over his actions. Honestly, I don’t like to see him like this, plus he is too cute to handle when his jaw clenches due to stress. While restraining myself from hugging him, I turned to the food on the table. Wearing no facial expression, I stared at the noodles pitying them for getting cold because of us. 

“ You didn’t have to do all this, a single apology would be enough. “ 

He chuckled after listening to me, and I almost gave him a glare which turned his laugh into a fake cough.

“ I didn’t do it as an apology. I want us to sit properly and have a direct discussion over our previous argument. No yelling and no overstepping other’s points of view, a conversation where we’ll listen to each other more openly. “ 

This time I looked into his eyes, and I knew he was serious. We have always discussed our problems over dinner before, but this time we were more angry and almost broke each other's hearts. But fortunately, Rian took a wise decision to resolve the issue, or else I would've stayed in my room for the entire night. Wait a second! Is it me who is childish in the relationship? Not taking too much time, I nodded in response, as I knew we had to sort this out.

Both of us sat on the chairs as I again stared at the cold noodles. Starving was a different topic. I felt bad for the food. Rian followed my gaze and picked up the food from the table. For a second I was heartbroken until I noticed him processing to reheat them. In a matter of a second, he came back on the table and sat quietly; probably trying to think of something to say. Before he could begin, I interrupted his chains of thoughts and apologized for being an immature person. To my relief, he gave a pleasant smile, grabbed my hand, and caressed it softly. 

“ Even I’m sorry for yelling at you. I was being a complete jerk. “ 

I gripped his hand, disagreeing with his last statement. I wanted to confess how much I love him for being that jerk who speaks his mind without flinching, just not with anger. After reading my expressions, he continued to speak.

“ So, before I told you this in a hurry, I really wanted it to be special for both of us. Niya, I got my joining letter from the company I badly wanted to work with. “

He then took a pause “ But, it’s in another place so I probably have to move there for almost one year. “

Tears rolled down my cheeks because it felt so relieving to see the glitter in his eyes when he talked about his dream job. A sudden regret prickled through me on how I reacted before. The fact almost devastated me, he’ll be leaving me alone in this city all by myself, however, I felt a different sensation this time. Calmness can indeed tackle emotional disasters. I readjusted myself in my position. I knew how I wanted to approach him without being insecure. 

“ I’m so happy for you, but Rian we are in this together we have to decide before anything. I have a job here and your dream job is in another city. How are we going to sort it out? “

I could say my patience impressed him. Hyperactivity isn't always a part of my personality, but sometimes I'm too sensitive. 

“ I understand, it's a quite confusing situation for us. If I take the offer you'd have to leave your job and rejecting it will ruin my career, choosing either way will tear us apart from our dreams.” 

I nodded to his point as the microwave dinged. Food was ready, but we weren't. He left again to take out the meal and placed it on the table; the atmosphere was again filled with a delicious smell.

“ We don't want to leave our dreams and long-distance relationships are hard chunks. I can't even imagine myself without you. We have two options, and both of them involve separation. “

Once again, silence hovered between us, alluring me over the food's smell. Before I could touch it, Rian stopped me halfway, before getting up and came back with freshly baked bread. How could I not smell it? He laid it down, sliced it elegantly, and gave me a slice to taste.

“ Ow, this bread is salty. “

“ How could it be… wait, I think I used salt in the place of powdered sugar. “

I laughed uncontrollably at his reaction. As if he had lost his favorite toy, he was now pouting. I couldn’t help but interrupt his cute sad phase before it disappears.

“ I will miss your noodles and salty-sweet bread. “ 

He paused and replayed my words before responding. Shocked, he looked my way. I smiled because this time I knew I would not feel guilty about deciding it for us on my own. He didn’t respond, his eyes were speaking on behalf of words, he immediately got up and embraced me in his arms, and said “ We can do this. “

It was easy to make this decision when his happiness was at stake and distance sometimes increases love.