"You won't escape me." Triumphantly, she takes hold of the piece. Then she turns to me and takes a blissful bite of the orange vegetable. Her top has a wet spot, but she doesn't seem to mind. With her gaze fixed on me, she chews loudly on the carrot. "And neither will you. Do you understand?" she says in such a serious tone that I have to swallow.
She wants to fight. For me.
A pleasant tingling spreads within me. Quickly, I avert my gaze and walk to the freezer. I rummage for frozen peas longer than necessary. "Once you're done with the carrots, you can move on to the kohlrabi."
"It will be done," Elina says happily. A second later,she's back at the cutting board, chopping away with the knife.
I turn on the stove, grab the zucchini, and start dicing it. I suppress the yawn that's about to emerge.
"You have a really beautiful place here," the girl says in the silence between us. "I noticed similar wooden furniture at Hanna's. They're unique... made with so much love."
"Thank you." I can't say more than that. What else should I say? That her compliment fills me with a cozy warmth? That I can't remember the last time someone who isn't related to me said something nice about me?
From the corner of my eye, I see her sneakily observing me. She has long since paused her work. "You make them yourself, don't you?"
Surprised, I let the knife sink. She can't know that. It's impossible. "Did Hanna tell you?"
Chuckling, she shakes her head. "There's more to you than meets the eye." And apparently, the same goes for her. I clear my throat awkwardly. "Will you show me your workshop?" she asks, with a gaze that makes it impossible for me to deny her this wish.
"Later," I say, quickly turning back to my vegetables. Whatever the city mouse is doing to me, I don't like it. I feel vulnerable to her, and it bothers me far less than it should.
"Great, I'm looking forward to it." Either she doesn't notice what's happening here right now, or she's pretending not to care. "The water is boiling. Should I add the vegetables?"
"The carrots first." Glad for the distraction, I cut the leek into rings.
"Oops." Elina's tone sounds alarming.
Immediately, I look over at her. She stands by the stove with the carrots in her hands, letting them plop into the boiling water. Naturally, the hot liquid splashes up onto her. She has never cooked before. Definitely not.
I can't help but smirk. Especially when I look at her blouse, which is now dotted with dark spots. When she steps so far back from the stove that her hands are only above the pot at maximum stretch and she turns her head away, a burst of amused laughter suddenly escapes me.
It's just too funny.
I can see her offended look. "Are you laughing at me?" she asks.
"Never." I raise my hands, and although I try to remain serious, I can't.
She lifts her chin and opens her fists. The carrots fall into the water. Once again, the liquid splashes in all directions, but Elina remains dry. "You see, it worked."
I step beside her, take the cutting board with the vegetables, and hold it over the pot. Then I carefully slide the carrot pieces off the board with my hand, gently letting them glide into the water. "Like this," I say, raising an eyebrow.
She bites her lower lip, lowers her head, and looks up at me from below. "You're a hero."
No. Not this hero thing again. "You'll manage the rest on your own, I'm sure," I quickly say, creating distance between us.
She looks at me, bewildered. Her mouth opens, but it closes again without her saying anything. She turns her gaze away from me, and we work silently until the last piece of vegetable is boiling in the water.Throughout, I can't shake the feeling that I offended her.
I hand her the lid so she can cover the pot. "Thank you for your help."
There it is again. That radiant smile. She seems a bit proud that she managed to cook a soup.
Strange, this city mouse. Very strange.
Suddenly, she gives me a sly look. "So I owe you something now, right?"
She has surprised me too many times already. But now I'm on guard. She definitely wants to talk about my health, but there's nothing to discuss. "The workshop is in the outbuilding."
Her joy is unmistakable. She walks straight to the door where her elegant shoes await her. Forest soil mixed with pine needles is stuck to the lilac-colored suede. She lifts the heels and looks at them with a furrowed brow. She's probably angry that they got dirty. Dirt doesn't suit the city girl, just like sturdy footwear.
