Chapter 1101: Did her instructor also give up on her?

"I’m so tired!" Benjamin shouted as he plopped down on the floor, lying on his stomach just a few steps from the couch. "I can’t anymore — I feel like I’m going to get sick."

"You just got here, and you’re already dying?"

Benjamin slowly turned his eyes, only to see Mint standing a few steps away from him. Her arms were crossed under her chest, covered only by a bra.

"Minty!" he gasped in disgust. "Why are you only in your bikini?! At this hour!? Where are your clothes?"

"Huh?" Mint peeked down at her body, and her face hardened in surprise. "Since when did they go missing?!"

Mint ran back to the bedroom in a flash, only to come out minutes later wearing a dress she hastily threw on. When she returned, Benjamin had already managed to climb onto the couch.

"I’m so tired..." he grumbled, his face contorting as he tried to recall what he had done today.

All he could remember was traveling. Benjamin might’ve arrived earlier than his boss and coworkers, but that didn’t mean he didn’t travel the same long hours as them. Worse, he had to travel back and forth to the island where Pierson’s rest house was because Mint was in the main town.

And the person to blame was right here.

Benjamin slowly turned his gaze to Mint, who was sitting on the one-seater couch. "Mint, what are you doing here?"

"I told you I’d be staying with you, but then you suddenly packed your things," she remarked nonchalantly. "How is that fair?"

His face twitched in disbelief. "Oy, Mint, weren’t you in the city for work?"

"I am."

"Then, if you’re here, what about your work?!"

"..." Mint propped her temple against her knuckles and closed her eyes. "I didn’t think about it when I booked my flight here."

"!!!!" Benjamin held his breath, a sense of déjà vu creeping in from earlier at the airport. But unlike Zoren and Atlas, Mint was more nonchalant about it... until he saw her breaking out in a sweat. "Why did you even come here if you have work in the city?!"

Mint chuckled at her distressed cousin. "Don’t worry about it. The least I’ll get is a scolding and would be asked to do an explanation letter for ditching everyone at the branch. They can’t suspend me."

"Goodness." Benjamin bent over to cup his face with both hands, his elbows on his knees. "I’m so tired that I want to sleep, but I can’t even move a bit. I’m hungry too, but I feel like chewing will be tiring."

"If you’re hungry, I can reheat the food I prepared for you."

"..." Benjamin didn’t react, his expression dead serious. "That’s not right. I’m not hungry. I’m just too tired to even want to eat."

"Come on. I did cooking classes just so I could feed you properly."

"Thanks, but I’m really not hungry."

"Alright, then! I’ll be back!" Ignoring his refusal, Mint happily got up and walked to the kitchen to reheat the food. But contrary to her claims, the food she was talking about was just takeout from a restaurant, which she had transferred to bowls and plates to reheat. Along with that was a short note saying,

[Prepared and cooked by me! <3]

"Ready to dig in?" she announced cheerfully after a minute, holding a tray and walking back to where Benjamin was. "Here! Enjoy!"

Benjamin gazed at the food, sniffing the aroma that made his stomach grumble. Picking up the note she wrote to make a claim, he flipped it over, and his face contorted.

"Mint, did you really cook this?" he asked quietly, watching her nod shamelessly. "Then why is there a receipt here?"

Mint glanced at the receipt in his hand where she wrote her note. "The pen seems to have auto-corrected my note. It was supposed to say prepped by me."

"Goodness. And here I thought your cooking classes helped."

"It did," she nodded. "My instructor, the head chef, this is what I should do."

Did her instructor also give up on her?

"..." Benjamin was rendered speechless, but he wasn’t one to complain. As long as it wasn’t her cooking, he would eat it. After all, he was really hungry. A subtle smile turned up on his face as he spoke appreciatively, "Thanks for the food, Minty."

Mint smiled back at him. "Eat well."

Having said that, Benjamin happily slid down from the couch to sit on the floor and eat at the coffee table. He ate to his heart’s content, almost crying as he finally quenched the hunger that had drained his energy.

He had actually thought tonight would pass without any food.

Meanwhile, Mint watched him with soft eyes and a gentle smile. She then slowly looked around at their home. It was a two-story house that was neither big nor small—just enough to house a small family.

"This brings back a lot of memories. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but it still looks the same as I remember it," she whispered, her voice clear enough to reach Benjamin. The latter slowly looked up at her, only to see her looking around the house appreciatively.

Benjamin finally had a reason to smile while looking at her. "Mhm. It does." After saying that, Mint turned her eyes back to him.

"Ahh... I’m so full." Benjamin leaned back until his back was resting against the side of the couch, cocking his head back as he gazed at the ceiling. His smile stretched a little as his eyes glimmered with memories of the good old days.

"I can’t believe it’s been years since I’ve been here. I almost forgot about it, but now that I’m here, it feels good to be back."

"Mhm." Mint hummed a short tune, still resting her jaw on her knuckles. Her eyes lowered. Her lips stretched into a smile, and her eyes squinted slightly. "It does bring back a lot of nostalgia."

As silence slowly filled the air, the sound of children’s lively voices slowly caressed their ears, taking them back to some of the memories they had in this place.