Ashley stood up to get a better view outside the window, her big eyes shining brightly as she looked down into the street. Andrew was right behind her. His gaze was tender when it landed on Ashley.
"Do you like this street scene?" he broke the silence and asked in a low voice.
"Yes. To be honest, Ellie and I have been thinking about buying a big house near the sea, with big windows just like this one. Every morning we can open the windows to enjoy the beautiful view and the soft ocean wind.
I can just imagine how beautiful it would be when the sun rises there," she replied softly.
She didn't know why she was pouring her heart out here. Maybe she just felt comfortable around Andrew.
Andrew said nothing, but couldn't help but let out a wide smile.
Before his smile faded, Ashley had already turned around to look at him.
Andrew had never smiled like this since he was a child. As the heir of his family's business, he had to look stern and serious, and couldn't let his emotions betray him.
It was natural for him to act and look cold all the time.
But he looked actually so dashing when he smiled. When Ashley saw him smiling, warmth flooded through her body.
His eyes and his warm smile made her heart drop to her stomach.
She gently shook her head, trying to keep her cool. Just then there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Andrew said.
Then the waiters came in with trays filled with food, filling the room with a delicious aroma.
Ashley's eyes lighted up when she smelled the dishes.
"Please enjoy yourselves," a waiter said. Shortly after, they all left the room.
Ashley sat down at the table. Her mouth was watering. 'Wow, all dishes look delicious! I'm so excited to eat!' she thought.
Andrew ordered many spicy foods, including Mapo beancurd, spicy crawfish, spicy beef, chicken with chilies, peppery steamed fish and fish-flavored pork—all of these were Ashley's favorites.
Sichuan cuisine was characterized by its spicy and pungent flavor. It was also emphasized by using different chilies. But Andrew was not good with spicy things. The sight of these dishes made him furrow his brows. However, his worries seemed to go away when he saw how happy Ashley was.
Ashley loved spicy food. The hotter the better. At first, she was a bit embarrassed to gobble up the feast in front of Andrew.
So she ate in small and dainty bites, looking at how Andrew would react.
She was relieved when she saw Andrew was not looking at her. With that, she figured that she could eat more comfortably.
Curious about the taste of Mapo beancurd, Andrew picked up a small piece of tofu and put it in his mouth. He thought that it was not too spicy, but he was wrong.
When the tofu touched his tongue, the taste spread through his palette like wildfire. He quickly swallowed it, trying to decrease the heat with some rice. He wanted to cry out but he did his best to stay cool and acted like nothing happened.
After recovering from the scorching heat, he sat there and watched Ashley instead.
She had good table manners. Although she was eating fast, she still behaved with class.
Andrew looked at Ashley with loving eyes and remembered what her favorite dishes were.
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