Chapter 906

Tonight, Lena had stayed late at the hospital for surgery. When she returned, she didn’t see Aaron’s car and assumed he wasn’t home. Without having eaten dinner, she cooked some noodles and chatted with Keira while eating. Out of nowhere, Aaron appeared. He was dressed in loungewear, his hair slightly damp as if he’d just showered—clearly, he had been home all along.

“Uncle… you, you’re home?” Lena stammered, hurriedly trying to turn off her phone. In her flustered state, she accidentally knocked over the bowl of noodles she had barely touched.

She was embarrassed, frustrated, and downright annoyed. What a mess—starving to death, and now the noodles were gone too.

Aaron, having clearly overheard Keira’s voice message, seemed completely composed. He walked over and stopped her from grabbing at the spilled noodles. “Let me handle this. Did you burn yourself?”

“No burns, just scared by you,” Lena replied as she finally managed to turn off the voice message.

As Aaron cleaned up the spilled noodles, he said plainly, “Daring enough to tease me, but still afraid?”

His frankness left Lena with no reason to feel awkward. “What do you mean, tease? Everything she said was true. Look at you—middle-aged and still single. It’s not just others who are suspicious; even I think there’s something unusual about you.”

Aaron paused in his cleaning, his reserved eyes lifting to meet hers. The depth in his gaze sent an unexpected shiver through Lena. That kind of gaze, if directed at another woman, would be impossible to resist.

“I have someone I like,” Aaron said suddenly, his tone calm but resolute.

Lena froze for a moment before laughing. “No wonder you’ve stayed single all this time. You must’ve met them abroad, right? But wait, didn’t you say before that you didn’t have a girlfriend while you were overseas?”

Aaron finished cleaning up the noodles, tossed the mess into the trash, and wiped down the table before heading to the fridge to grab ingredients.

“Uncle, don’t bother cooking. I’m not eating anymore,” Lena said, the sharp edge of her hunger having dulled after a few bites earlier.

“Damaged property must be compensated,” Aaron replied, making her chuckle.

He opened the faucet and began washing vegetables with an unhurried elegance. “I don’t have a girlfriend. That doesn’t mean I don’t have someone I like.”

Lena nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. But if you like her, why not confess? Why aren’t you together?”

Aaron lit the stove, the blue flame flickering like a reflection of the fire in his heart. Turning his head slightly to look at her, his gaze was clear and unblemished. His voice dropped a notch. “I’m afraid… I’ll scare her.”

Lena laughed, amused. “You’re not some monster or ugly freak. If anyone’s going to scare her, it’s probably because you’re too exceptional.”

After a pause, she added, “Uncle, is it that she’s not good enough for you? Maybe she’s so far from your league that you think you’re incompatible?”

Otherwise, why would confessing scare her?

The pot on the stove was heating up. Aaron poured oil and vegetables into it, the air filling with the sound of sizzling. “No, she’s excellent.”

“Then why would you say she’d be scared?” Lena leaned against the counter, puzzled.

Aaron added water to the pot and, as he waited for it to boil, turned his calm gaze back to her. “She and I aren’t ready yet. It’s like this water. If you add the noodles before it boils, they won’t cook well and will clump together.”

Lena burst out laughing. “Uncle, even your approach to love is this theoretical? Isn’t it exhausting? Besides, you might be willing to wait, but how do you know the water will wait? What if someone like me dumps the noodles in early? Then you won’t have a chance.”

A shadow of something dark flickered in Aaron’s eyes. True enough—someone had already cut in line during his wait.

“I’ve said it before: if you add the noodles too early, they’ll clump together. No matter who does it, the end result will be inedible,” he replied evenly, as though foreseeing the inevitable failure of Lena and Nate’s relationship.

“Well, take your time then, Uncle. Let’s hope the woman you like won’t let you down,” Lena said with a faint smile, glancing at the water in the pot beginning to bubble. “By the way, Uncle, why wasn’t your car at home?”

She had assumed he wasn’t home because she hadn’t seen his car. If she had, this whole awkward situation wouldn’t have happened.

“I had a bit to drink tonight, so I had the driver bring me home,” Aaron explained.

Lena wrinkled her nose and sniffed theatrically.