It had been so long since Henry and Sterling had engaged in a proper dinner. He hoped Sterling had not been too upset that he had bought the meats and asked him to cook them. He wished he could have prepared a meal as grant as this with his own skills. However, Henry was not naive enough to think that he could accomplish this and it be perfection on a plate. He needed Sterling's help. He hoped that he at least understood his appreciation for the man's efforts.

Henry asked quietly about Sterling's job at the bakery. It seemed like a mundane sort of job, something he knew Sterling didn't love. He missed the days that he could surprise Sterling at work and seeing that happiness upon his face was intoxicating. Henry didn't see that now and he wished he could. "What if you opened your own restaurant." Henry had the money. He could easily gift his boyfriend a restaurant that he could make out to be whatever he wanted. It was a large gift, something that boyfriend didn't just give his significant other. But perhaps, it could be a wedding present one day.

The rest of the dinner went along with very little conversation. Henry had been too engrossed in the flavors that assaulted his palate to even think of conversation. It was only when he was finished that he stood from the table and began to gather up the finished plates and set them in the sink. He flipped on the water, turning it to near scorching before he began to wash the dishes for Sterling. After all, Sterling had cooked the meal and it was his job to clean it up.

Only when the last dish had been washed, dried, and put away did Henry turn to smile at his boyfriend. He stepped closer to the man and brought his hand to stroke the other's cheek with a delicateness that Sterling had probably not seen from the man in some time. He leaned forward, his lips pressing against Sterling's own in a soft and yet, loving kiss. Such affection had been missing from their relationship for some time, but Henry wanted to change that. Slowly, he reached towards Sterling's hips, hoping to pull the man closer to him. As the kiss broke, his eyes rose to rest softly on Sterling's own as his thumb stroked affectionately on the man's cheek. "I love you Sterling..." They were words he had not spoken in some time, though his actions might say otherwise. So much had happened in the last few months and Henry hoped that Sterling still felt the same about him. While he wouldn't blame the man if he did not love Henry in a romantic manner, he would most certainly be hurt.

As he stood there in the dimly lit kitchen, waiting for Sterling to either repeat those words or turn away, he could feel the way his heart was beating wildly out of his chest. His heart never beat like this for Malia and he doubted it ever would. Why had he been so stupid? He owed everything to Sterling and it was about time he paid up.