445 Little Boy

"Are you settled in just fine?" Damien asked Katherine on the phone as he tried to choose a dress shirt that would match his pants. 

"Yeah, I'm okay here. Don't worry about me."

He stood topless in his walk-in closet. Usually, it was easier for him to choose what to wear, but he didn't know what was up with him today that he couldn't pick a damn shirt. How difficult was it to dress up? It seemed like none of the hundreds of clothes he owned passed his approval. He cursed.

"Woah. What's got you so worked up?" she wondered.

"Sorry. I'm… I don't know what to wear." His voice was sheepish as he rubbed his nape and sighed, embarrassed that he just said that and sounded like a girl.

Katherine chuckled at his dilemma. "Mr. Billionaire having trouble looking for a dress to wear on his first date? Yikes!"

Damien rolled his eyes. "Ha—Ha. A little help maybe?"

"Of course. Anything for you. What are you wearing? Turn on your camera."

He did as he was told and extended his hand away so that the video could capture his figure. He heard her whistle and saw her wiggle her brows as she teased, "Mm… Daddy looks so fine~" He couldn't help but laugh at her silliness, the muscles in his abdomen rippled as he did. "Come on. Be serious, Kitten."

"Alright alright, jeez." Katherine also turned on her video, careful not to show any designs on the wall of her suite so he wouldn't recognize where she was. "What's the color of your pants? It's dark in there. I can't see clearly."

"Grey chinos," he answered at the same time that he turned on all the lights in the closet.

"Ah, look to your left. I hung up a crew neck sweater this morning. Wear that."

Damien looked to his left and a sweater caught his eye. He removed it from the rack and showed it to her, the soft pink cashmere felt nice in his hand. "This?" he probed.

"Yeah. Go on try it."

He wore it on him and checked himself in the mirror. He wasn't used to wearing this kind of color but it did look nice when paired with his grey pants. "What do you think?" he asked.

"You look pretty," she said, earning another eye roll from him and she laughed.

Damien picked up his phone and brought it with him to the bathroom. "I won't have time to change anymore. She'll be here anytime soon."

"Seriously, I mean it. You look very nice and... approachable. I'm sure she'd think the same. You'll do great, Damien."

He smiled. "Thank you. I'll call you later?"

"Mm. Enjoy dinner with your mom."

"Be safe, Katherine." 

"Shît," he cursed when he heard the doorbell rang. Amelia had arrived.

…

"Come in." Damien ushered Amelia into the living room.

"Here… I got these from the shop downstairs. I wasn't sure what to bring..." Amelia handed him a wine bag, a bouquet of flowers made of gardenia and lilac, and a flat box of pastry. "And I also got you an apple tart from the French bakery at the corner. Katherine told me you love it."

"Ah… You shouldn't have. Thanks…" A warm smile cast on his face as he received the gifts and went to put them away in the kitchen. Katherine sure was trying her best to help mend his relationship with his mother.

She followed behind him and offered to put the flowers in a vase. He was suddenly nervous with her around. Usually, there were other people in the room, but it was just the two of them now and it felt awkward and familiar at the same time that he didn't know if he was doing okay. Grabbing an empty vase from the cabinet, it almost slipped from his hand but he caught it just in time. He didn't think she noticed it.

Damien toured Amelia around his penthouse, showing her the library, the study, the gym, the bedrooms and baths, the pool, and the balcony. He felt like he was just showing off at this moment but he wasn't really sure what else to do. What was one supposed to do in his place? 

They've had a conversation before and casual interactions here and there. But this was the first time that he actually got to bond with her. What he was feeling was different from when he's with Katherine. He also got nervous around the latter but it was a different kind of nervous compared to what he was feeling now.

He didn't realize it yet but there was this feeling inside him… It was as if he was afraid that she wouldn't like him. It was a silly thought. But she was his mother. And although he didn't want to think about it anymore, she did leave once… Maybe this was why he was anxious about this dinner.

When they finally circled back to the kitchen, he checked on the beef that he left to slow cook since he arrived at four in the afternoon. It was still half past five at the moment, so the meat needed more time to tenderize.

"That smells great. What are you making?" Amelia wondered, a beautiful smile forming on her face as she peered from the side.

The question struck Damien and he froze. He glanced at her and then at the meat that he was cooking. He hadn't realized what he was preparing until she asked because he had done it a hundred times in the past that it already seemed like a routine for him. His heart suddenly raced, not knowing how to answer his mother.

He didn't like lying, so he decided to come clean. Damien scratched his head as he faced her and started, "Actually… I didn't realize that I was preparing this until you asked. It's beef noodle soup… one of my specialties…" Then, he told her about how he started making them and that it was the only good memory he had. He was hesitant to talk about his other mother, Miriam, but Amelia listened to him patiently. When he was done explaining, he uneasily waited for her to say something.

"Were you worried that I was going to get mad… or upset?" Amelia probed, her expression unreadable.

He didn't answer but the bobbing of his throat indicated that he was indeed worried.

She chuckled upon seeing his reaction and without thinking much, she closed their gap, raised her hand, and patted his head gently. "You did great growing up by yourself, Damien. I wish I was there. But you don't have to feel bad about your past. You learned this by yourself—with or without other people's help, it doesn't matter. It's food… and it's made with good intentions. I will enjoy eating it because you made it."

The two exchanged smiles and Damien felt better right away. "Are you hungry already? It still needs about half an hour or so until it's done."

"I'm okay. It's still early. It smells delicious already though. I can't wait to taste it." She inhaled the aroma of the braised beef and her mouth watered. "What can I do to help?"

"Hmmm… There's not much left to do… But you can help me with the vegetables?" He wiggled the bok choy in his hand.

"That I can do." Amelia rolled her sleeves up to her elbows and washed her hands, ready to get to work.

While his mother worked on the vegetable, he decided to whip up some appetizers that they could snack on while waiting. His anxiousness slowly floated away as time went by.