Henry was happy that Sterling found humor in watching him attempt to eat his meal with chopsticks. He had always wanted to learn, but he had never been very good at it. Normally it just scooped some meat onto his chopsticks and ate it that way. Eating the rice? That was impossible. So when Sterling suggested the fork, he did just that...happy that he could now enjoy his dinner. When Sterling spoke, explaining that one day he would teach him to use chopsticks properly, Henry nodded. "Good....because these things are the devil right now." His words came before some good laughter as he finished off his meal and began to pack up their trash.
After they were finished eating, Henry inquired if Sterling had any sort of plans for this evening. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see some of his old friends or coworkers. When he spoke, Henry smiled and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on his lover's lips. "I have something special for you. But you need to wait here..." His voice trailed off as he hopped off the couch and padded down the hallway and into the bedroom they used to share.
Closing the door behind him, Henry went to work preparing the bubble bath that he wanted Sterling to enjoy. He made sure the water was warm and plenty of bubbles were forming. He placed lavender bath salts in the water to help soothe Sterling's aching muscles. He lit candles all around the bathroom before turning on some relaxing music and flipping off the lights.
When he arrived back into the living room, he smiled. "Close your eyes." He waited until his lover had done so before he helped him to his feet. Taking hold of his hands, he led his lover down the hallway and into the bedroom. Once the door was closed behind him, he led him into the bathroom, closing those doors as well. He halted Sterling before he slowly let go of his hands. "Open." He waited for Sterling to take in the scene before him before he continued. "Into the bath you go!" He slid off his jeans, dressed only in his boxers as he climbed onto the platform of the tub. He slipped his feet into the water while sitting on the edge. "Come on, get yourself settled. I'm going to give you a shoulder massage." And when he finally settled between his legs, Henry began to massage the knots in his shoulders that had built up from his stressful job.