The living room felt welcoming with an open floor plan, allowing natural light to fill the room; very simple and elegant. The wall on the right only had white bookshelves and an enormous TV screen in the center while huge balcony windows covered the front wall. The living area, in all, consisted of only two big white sofas and two armchairs around a wooden coffee table.
The dining area was very simple and was at the far left side of the living room. Large balcony windows covered the wall, allowing the room to fill with warm light. Along the windows stood a long wooden table with six wooden chairs and a modern wooden chest of drawers.
As she moved closer, she saw that the table looked very elegant and was set for dinner. There were only two light grey table mats with white plates, silver cutlery and glasses prepared, so she knew that only the two of them would dine there tonight. A lovely glass vase with fresh white roses stood in the center of the table, providing a romantic atmosphere.
Jo loved the view from the windows. Outside was a huge terrace with many types of flowers. There were geraniums, lavender, and hydrangeas in big pots. The smaller ones contained herbs such as thyme, dill, rosemary, basil, coriander and mint. Jo even noticed small mandarin and lemon trees. She wanted to go out onto the terrace, but Matthew stopped her.
"Let's go, I want to show you something before dinner..." He said, pointing in the other direction.
Entering an almost empty room at the end of the corridor, she saw multiple frames were hanging in one corner of the room. Matthew rushed over in excitement to show her the photos, but he stopped in front of two special ones. One was a photo she took years ago of a magnificent lavender field during their one of many trips to France. The other one was a view of a castle in the mountains in the morning mist.
Her attention drew to a photo of Matthew in swimming trunks training with a wooden sword on the beach. His beautiful, naked torso with perfectly sculpted traps and ab muscles looked stunning in the light of the setting sun. She loved his expression of absolute concentration, and it brought back a lot of memories from that holiday…
"Once I frame these photos, I plan to hang them all around the apartment."
It elated her that he planned to hang her photos. As they approached the corridor, Matthew's kitchen timer rang causing their attention to switch over to dinner.
"Let's go, dinner's ready."
"You didn't show me that room." She pointed towards the closed door.
"I won't show you my bedroom unless you plan to stay for the night!" He added with a smile.
"I am not in a rush…" She scoffed. ‘That’s not funny at all, Matt!’
Jo and Matthew went into the lovely kitchen with white cabinets that contrasted with the light grey tiles on the floor. The smell of roast turkey was so aromatic that she felt her stomach tighten.
"Sit in the dining room and I will bring you each dish, one at a time." Matthew knew what she was thinking about.
She had no choice, so she left the kitchen. Sitting at the table, she gazed at the plants on the terrace, reminding her of the familiar Provencal landscapes.
"I have an appetizer first, if you want to try it. It's my first time cooking this, mind you." He said, entering the dining room with two plates in his hands.
"Hm… smells absolutely fantastic!"
"Seared scallops with garlic, lemon and parsley. I know you are not crazy about seafood, but you have to at least try it."
When she saw the plate on the table in front of her, she was not sure if she could even touch it. It looked lovely, but she still remembered when she got sick the last time she had seafood.
"I know you have an allergy, but you are only allergic to prawns. You love lobster, so I think you might like scallops."
She was still very nervous about trying different kinds of seafood.
"Ok. I will help you." He said, pouring Chardonnay in her glass. "Don't think about what's on the plate, just enjoy your favourite wine and I will handle the rest."
They talked about what to do with Thomas. Most of their friends and even family already knew about the bet and it could really ruin their reputation.
As she savoured the taste of her wine, she didn't notice that he was feeding her at the same time. Half of his plate was empty. It was an old trick that he liked to pull on her. Years ago, he fed her snails, and she actually liked them. It was the same with crabs. When she realized she was eating from his plate, she burst out laughing.
"Matt, I don't like your tricks!"
"I know baby, you never liked them." He laughed. "But you like my scallops."
"I have to admit... I love it. Thank you for tricking me, I would never have tried it myself."
"Wait until you taste the rest." He said, serving her roast turkey with a roasted mix of typical Mediterranean vegetables. "Do you remember what Garrigue is?"
She knew but she always liked his stories, so she didn't want to interrupt.
"The Garrigue is a term referring to the low scrubland in the Mediterranean forest. What makes this land so spectacular is the vast abundance of herbs that grow wild throughout the entire area. Wander down a path and you will crush these herbs under your feet, releasing the wonderful fragrance of juniper, rosemary, thyme, sage, and lavender. Just imagine that heavenly aroma…"
At that moment her mind was in France, in the Languedoc region. His family owned a house there that she had been to so many times in the past…
"That's why many wines from the Languedoc region have the unique ability to capture this aroma of the land. The hint of herbs in the wine's fragrance makes them unique." She finished the story.
"I miss France so much." He hesitated. “And I miss you.”
"You are there often, how can you miss it?" He travelled to France a few times a month, so how could he miss it? She ignored the second part of what he said, because they used to say often that they miss each other's company, so it was normal for her to hear it.
They continued eating and enjoying each other's company.
When Jo and Matthew finished their dinner, they moved to the living room. Jo was in awe with the simplicity, elegance and comfort of that room."What would you like to listen to?" Matthew asked as he entered with a pitcher of water and two glasses."Let me think…"For Jo, the reunion with her friends was a trip to the past. She thought about the time they had spent together, studying for their exams. Each of them were learning completely different subjects, and they couldn't help each other. It was their way of spending time together while doing their schoolwork.She also thought about their trips and the places they would visit together. She remembered how they would take Matthew's parents' car in turns to watch the sunrise in the Alps. They would have to take turns using the car so they would arrive in time."A penny for your thoughts?""I'm remembering our crazy weekend trips, watching the sunrise in the mountains and the sunset by
She woke up with not only a headache, but also a stomach ache. All her muscles were sore."Again… I won’t drink anymore…" She thought.Judging by the sunlight falling into the room, it was not early. She was in a king sized bed adorned with white sheets. Everything around her was white or light grey which gave a sterile feeling but she liked it. She got up very slowly trying not to move her head too much. When she made it to the bed, she was surprised to see a large framed photo hung on the wall above the bed with a magnificent view of the sunset. She took it when their crazy team was together, the same evening she took a photo of Matt training with the wooden sword on the beach…She opened all the blinds and the windows, and felt a pleasant breeze. There was a faint scent of linden, rose and lavender outside. After a few deep breaths, she felt better. The familiar rumble of her stomach demanding food roused her from her lethargy. She
A knock on the door broke her train of thoughts. She felt sick inside as her head would explode any moment. Her stomach hurt badly. She still wanted to throw up, but she had nothing left in her stomach to do so. She mentally promised herself that she would never drink alcohol again. Not that she drank it, but occasionally she had a glass of white or red wine with dinner, sometimes a glass of excellent cognac. In fact, she also couldn't think of her favourite pancakes, macarons, or any food in general. She loved good food so much. This was not her at all... It was supposed to be a reset from her perfectionism, but it turned out to be a dud."Jo, are you ok? You've been in there half an hour now." She heard Matthews' upset voice call out to her from outside."Yeah… I'm fine…""It doesn't sound like that. Can I come in?" He asked, but came in without waiting for an answer. He was afraid that something bad might have happened to her again.She w
"Where?" Matthew and Mike enquired together. They looked at her as if she was about to give them a shock any second."Where do you want to go?" Mike asked her again, this time in a friendlier tone.She saw that characteristic twinkle in their eyes.‘What is wrong with you guys?’ She thought. ‘I am only a woman, weak and vulnerable at the moment. Not that I can't break your necks. You have taken care of it and I was a very diligent student in this matter, but not in that state. It's hard to concentrate, let alone any physical exertion…’Matthew pressed her shoulders against the sofa and he wasn’t gentle compared to when Mike was holding her hand with the drip. Both of them knew that she could be unpredictable. If they pissed her off, they could easily have black eyes. They couldn't afford it. Both of them had to go to work."Baby, think of your magnificent body. I'm sure you don't want to have more bruises.
The white kitchen table was perfectly set for three people. Every detail looked polished to excellence. Jo loved the contrast between the table: grey placemats under white plates and bright grey napkins accompanying them. In the middle, it was like a full-fledged feast had been arranged with all kinds of stuff like salmon, potatoes, green asparagus and spinach."Wild Atlantic salmon and organic vegetables. All steamed. No fat. No oil. No salt." Matthew informed. "Jo, try something. The food is light. I also have some steamed whole grain rice, if you prefer some.""Where is my favourite white wine?" She asked looking around the table."Nooo… She looks like a ghost from a dark horror movie and still asks about Chardonnay!" Mike was really frustrated."Why Chardonnay? It doesn't go nicely with this meal! I was thinking more like Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling, something more suitable for fish. And who said that I will drink it?" As Jo was speaking, she s
The rays of the summer sun streamed into the bedroom through the open window blinds. Jo woke up just before 6.00 am as she felt some warm light on her face. It was an amazing feeling to wake up without the after-effects of a great night with alcohol: a pounding headache, but most importantly, no burning sensation or stomach discomfort and nausea. She felt refreshed. "No more parties! No more alcohol! No more madness!" She decided.She could already hear some noise in the apartment which, she was certain, was coming from the kitchen. She heard the clinking of cutlery and dishes; she could feel the delicate aroma of freshly brewed coffee tingling her nose.Matthew didn't drink it in the morning so probably Mike was already here. She didn't want to see him. That wasn't a secret. So why was he here so early in the morning?Jo didn't feel sorry for him regarding what had happened years ago. She didn't blame him or herself. Why would she? They were not perfect h
As Jo entered the kitchen, she felt consternation. In the background, she heard the Zimmers' music score from The Dark Knight. That moment she knew for sure they were playing with her. That was the sophisticated game they've been playing for years: a game of words, music, lyrics and gestures. They expected her to be the foreground character so she would play along as they wished.She didn't mind their way of playing. She was good at it too. The only thing that surprised her was that they didn't take into account that she really felt bad. Today she should have been fasting because of the tests and visit to the hospital, but judging by the smell throughout the apartment, the two had prepared her favourite breakfast. Were these two friends of the seven sorrows so ruthless?"Good morning my handsome, heartless heroes!" She smiled.
More than a reset, Jo needed a proper rest. Right after graduating from university, she moved away, far from everyone she knew. She lived in a completely unknown environment and started everything from scratch. All she had achieved so far was due to her determination and hard work. She was very proud of herself but she had been working so hard over the past few years. She couldn't remember the last time she had allowed herself to a moment of weakness. When she had a cold or even pharyngitis or bronchitis, she continued to go to work unless she had a high fever and couldn't get out of bed, in which case she stayed home. Immediately after graduation, she had joined the corporate "rat race” in which she lost herself for several years, but that was the reality of the labour market when she finished university. There was no other choice. If you wanted a job, you h