"What have you prepared next?" Ivy asked as Joshua pushed the chair for her to sit down.

"Patience, sweetheart. I'll be right back. By then, you can have this glass of wine." Joshua poured her a glass and handed it to her and Ivy took it readily. 

"I'll be right back." The man left her alone and Ivy started to wonder again about what lay ahead. Barely a few seconds had passed when Joshua returned with a bowl covered with a plate. He placed it on the table and pointed at Ivy. "Don't you dare open it until I return."

Ivy nodded at him like a small kid, although mischievousness was dancing in her eyes. She had made up her mind to see what it contained once the man left her alone. However, she had underestimated her boyfriend. He had read her thoughts clearly and leaned in closer to her. "Ivy, hope will you open it so that I can punish you for not following my wishes." His hot breath fell on her ear and neck and Ivy shivered in her seat.

Joshua noticed the small blush making its way on her cheeks and he smirked in delight. He left her alone once again. Ivy thought about it. 'Should I see what he has prepared? I will just take a peek, he will not know anyway.' Her hands had made their way towards the bowl when she remembered the words he had whispered to her and immediately, she retracted her hand. She did not want to provoke him more when she already had a hunch about the way the night was going to end. Things were definitely going to get hot as time passed.

Joshua returned with a plate covered with a steel cloche this time and his face fell slightly, seeing that Ivy had not checked what was inside the bowl. This time, he sat down beside her. "I am a little depressed. I was expecting you to see what was inside the bowl. This way, I could punish you later. But you suppressed your curiosity. I am surprised as well as happy."

"See, I did not remove the lid. I am a good girl." Ivy boasted, patting her shoulder with pride.

"Yes, you are a good girl and for this, you will get a reward from me later."

His words stunned Ivy and she stared at him flabbergasted. "What reward? I don't need any reward."

"So what if I cannot punish you, I can reward you at least." The man said and this made Ivy's heart to beat in excitement, though her face said otherwise. She could only glare at him in frustration as she knew that the man was twisting the situation to his advantage. 

'If I had known that this would happen, I could as well have taken a look.' She thought and her eyes fell on the bowl as soon as Joshua removed the lid. 

"You made carbonara?" Ivy asked, her eyes gazing at her man in wonder. She had never expected such a thing from him, not when she knew he did not know how to cook. She had assumed the food to something simple that could be made with less effort. 'Who knew..'

"Yes," Joshua said and served her to food he had painstakingly prepared. Only he knew that after three failed attempts, he had prepared something that could be presented to his girl. "I hope you will like it."

"What is in that?" Ivy pointed at the plate

"That is the dessert but I did not prepare it."

"Then?" Ivy asked her eyes fixed on the other dish which right now was still kept a suspense.

"I ordered it from a restaurant. I did not know how my food tasted. So, just in case, for emergency..."

"Aww, so sweet. What is it?"

"It's caramel apple mousse cake." Joshua opened the lid and Ivy salivated just by looking at the delicacy. She could not wait any longer and took a forkful of the carbonara from her plate and the moment she tasted it, her eyes narrowed.

Joshua was waiting for her reaction and seeing her frown, his heart lost all its spirit. "Is it that bad?" The man had not tasted it as he wanted Ivy to taste the food first. This was the first time he was cooking and he wanted his sweetheart to have the first bite. But seeing her reaction, he reprimanded himself. 'I should have tasted it myself before giving it to her. I think it tastes horrible. Her expression says it all.'

"Wait a second." Ivy got up from the seat and went towards the kitchen. Even before Joshua could go behind her, she was back. 

Joshua noticed the two, small containers in her hand. "Ivy, what are these?"

"Just a second, dear." Ivy poured back the carbonara into the bowl and added some salt and pepper before she started to mix them thoroughly. "Have a taste." Ivy took a forkful and handed it to Joshua and the man could look at her in suspicion.

"Ivy, are you trying to poison my tongue by giving me horrible food just because I gave it to you first?" He questioned, eyes falling on the fork.

"Joshua," The warning in her tone was enough for the man to forget everything and he ate whatever she was offering him. The moment the food touched his tongue, his eyes widened and it was due to wonder. "How is it?"

"Delicious. Ivy, what did you do?" Joshua asked as he licked his lips. Although it was undercooked, it still tasted great and he wondered if it was all because of Ivy.

"It was a little bland when I tasted it. So, I added some salt and pepper. Let me try it." Ivy took her share and she nodded in appreciation. "This is so good for a newbie like you. It's a relief that there was less salt. If it was the opposite, then that would have made things difficult."

The couple finished the food as they chatted along. An amicable atmosphere took over the dining hall, replacing the gloomy and anxious air that had made its way a few hours ago. After carbonara, it was time for the cake and the moment Joshua pushed it towards Ivy, she dived in to have her first bite, startling Joshua completely. 

"Umm, this is so good." She moaned as she licked her lips and took another bite.

"Is it?" 

Ivy nodded and took another spoon not noticing Joshua's gaze. He leaned in closer and without giving her a heads up, he licked her lips, tasting the mousse that had smeared on her lips. His actions startled Ivy completely and she froze in her spot, with her spoon hanging in the air. 

"Umm, very tasty."

The next second, he picked her up making Ivy squeal. "What are you doing?"

"Ivy, I cannot wait any longer," Joshua said, his voice filled with desire, and walked towards the stairs with her in his arms.

"But my cake." Ivy looked at the abandoned cake before she went back to looking at her man.

Unable to deny her request and her gluttonous puppy look, Joshua retraced his steps back to the table. "Pick up the plate."

"What?"

"Ivy, pick up the plate."

Ivy did as she was told and Joshua almost sprinted towards their room. "What are you doing? I want to eat the cake."

"You eat the cake, sweetheart. I will eat you."