He asked her, "So, what do you want to eat?"

She didn’t say anything.

He tried again, grinning, "What do you want to eat, Zeynep? Think of me as your personal chef, Forest Gordon Ramsay, ready to help." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Upon hearing him referred to as the "Forest Gordon Ramsay," she recalled calling him that name before. She smiled and replied, "So, what delicious options do you have for me, Forest Gordon Ramsay? I’m open to anything!"

Seeing her open up made him smile. "Why don’t you go freshen up a bit? I’ll take care of lunch for you," he said. After a short pause, he added with a laugh, "Actually, let’s be real, it’s way past breakfast time, so it’ll definitely be lunch."

Zeynep was surprised to realize it was already afternoon. Sunlight was flooding in through the window, making everything feel warm and cozy. She looked over at him, and he was still giving her that intense stare. Feeling a bit awkward, she glanced down at her wrinkled clothes and then back at him. He had a small smile on his lips that made her heart race. Noticing her discomfort, he got off the bed and headed into the next room.

She could hear him digging through the cupboard, making a bit of noise as he sorted through things.

A minute later, he came back with a light frock, a soft sweater, and some comfy black leggings. The fabric looked nice and inviting. He closed the cupboard gently, breaking the stillness in the air.

When he stepped back into the room, he held the clothes out to her with a friendly smile. Zeynep stared at him in surprise but hesitated to grab them right away.

"Come on, just take them," he said with a gentle push, his smile encouraging. "Go freshen up and put them on. You’ll feel better, I swear."

After a bit of hesitation, she finally took the clothes, her fingers grazing the soft fabric. A rush of embarrassment hit her—here she was, in his cabin, wearing his sister’s clothes, feeling like she hadn’t done anything productive all day. The memories of the night before hung around her, and she couldn’t shake the worry that he’d bring them up and make everything awkward.

Zayden then wandered off to the kitchen, humming a little tune as he went, leaving Zeynep alone in the room with her swirling thoughts. She felt overwhelmed by everything that had happened. She had expected him to bring up last night, but instead, he popped back into the room, grinning, and asked what she wanted for lunch.

After a long moment of thinking, she finally shook off her thoughts and decided it was time for a nice, relaxing bath. While she soaked in the warm water, enjoying the nice lavender scent from the bath foam, Zayden was busy in the kitchen making some hearty deer fried rice and deer egg soup.

In the kitchen, Zayden chopped up an onion, letting its smell fill the air, and minced some garlic, the aroma getting stronger as he worked. He started digging through his cabinet and pulled out some leftover veggies he’d saved from earlier meals, a colorful mix of bell peppers, carrots, and peas. He diced those up skillfully, arranging them on a cutting board and getting ready for his cooking.

Next, he headed outside to grab the deer meat he had stored in an insulated container. Once he was back, he placed the meat on a clean cutting mat and cut it into small, even cubes, saving some for the fried rice and chopping those even smaller for better flavor.

Zayden picked a sturdy pot from the cabinet and set it on the stove, then poured in some oil and waited for it to heat up until it shimmered. He added the deer meat, listening to the satisfying sizzle as it cooked.

While the meat browned, he cracked open some eggs in a bowl, mixing them with a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor. He also took some cold leftover rice from the fridge, its grains nice and separate.

Peeking back at the pot, he flipped the meat to make sure it cooked evenly. Then he grabbed a frying pan and set it on another burner, adding oil and heating it up. Once the oil was hot, he scrambled the eggs until they were fluffy and soft before setting them aside.

Back at the pot, the deer meat was perfectly browned, so he tossed in the chopped onion and minced garlic, stirring it until the onions turned a nice golden color. He added a dollop of tomato paste and let it cook for a couple more minutes until it was bubbling softly.

After adding the right amount of water, he waited for it to boil before turning down the heat to let it simmer and let the flavors meld together.

He went back to the frying pan, added a splash of oil, and heated it again. In went more chopped onions, cooking until they were golden before he added garlic and the colorful veggies. He stirred those for a couple of minutes, letting the smells fill the kitchen.

When the veggies were tender, he added the reserved deer meat to the fried rice. After a quick stir to combine everything, he tossed in the cold rice, mixing it all together. He drizzled some soy sauce, added a bit of chili for some heat, and a spoonful of oyster sauce, making sure everything was perfectly balanced.

Finally, he folded in the scrambled eggs, mixing until the dish was colorful and well-combined. After a quick final stir, he turned off the stove, pleased with the delicious meal he’d just created.

With everything set up, Zayden got the dining table ready, trying to make it look nice since she hadn’t eaten since last night, and it was already way past lunchtime. He put the plates and silverware in place, then headed to the coffee maker to brew her favorite blend. As the smell of the coffee filled the kitchen, he hoped it would lift her mood a bit, and maybe she’d feel more relaxed and at home, because he really wanted to make sure she wouldn’t just take off.