Serena smiled as she hugged him back. Then she looked up to meet him in the eye, "I don't know how you did it but I'm glad that you're here. By the way, I'm reheating the lunch I prepared for you earlier." 

Charlton felt his heart swell, "you made it yourself?"

"Well, I wanted to do something for you. Also, they did say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so..." she opened up shyly. Honestly, she has never been a good cook. Even in her previous life, she had maids to do that. She just thought that it's a romantic thing to do for the person that you love. 

Charlton chuckled then kissed her nose, "You already have my heart but thank you." Then he interlaced their fingers, "Please lead the way. I'm excited to have a taste of the food my love made."

--

"This must be what you call, a taste of heaven." Charlton said trying to look and sound sincere as he drank the bland soup in front of him. 

"Are you being sarcastic?" Serena replied with a pout. She was also drinking the soup, and although it was tolerable, it wasn't as good as he made it out to be.

"of course not! In the future, I would love it if you were to make more meals for me. Now that I've tasted your cooking, my taste buds are forever ruined. I don't think I can stomach food prepared by anyone else." He teased.

Serena who was sitting beside him smacked his bicep, "Quit exaggerating. If you don't, I'll take out the rest of the extra food I made earlier and make you eat all those too."

"I would never let the effort made by my love go to waste, but I still have a game later so maybe next time." 

"Now I see your true colors! Hmpft!"

Charlton laughed as he ate the rest of the food in front of him. It was not the best meal, but it made his heart full.

--

The air horn whistled indicating the end of the match. It concluded with Geoffrey's team leading with a score of 10-6. They all left the field and dismounted their horses.

"I'll go ahead. See you back here later at 2pm for the next match." Geoffrey announced.

"Oooh, off to see your darling?" Alex teased.

Geoffrey shook his head. He was a little down hearted that he did not see Serena in the crowd during his match, but considering what he did earlier, perhaps she's still miffed. The corner of his lips tilted up recalling how she looked as she covered her red face with her hands. He does not regret it.

After taking a quick shower, he went to join the other players and organizers in the tent specifically reserved for them. He saw Kylo and Leonard who were both having their lunch. 

"Where's Charlton?" he asked as he pulled a seat.

"Resting in his room, I think. Anyway, good game earlier. As expected, we'll be seeing each other for the finals." Kylo replied.

"I see. I also watched your game earlier and you guys really crushed those first years."

 "Yes, we saw. By the way, we heard that you did something outrageous during half time, but Diether won't spill. Haven't gone to join the crowd to ask as we don't want to break our concentration for the game later. Care to share?" Kylo asked curious. 

Geoffrey glanced at Leonard then back at Kylo. "Nothing much. Just continue eating your lunch, I'll go grab mine."

--

After the meal, Charlton volunteered to wash the dishes. Serena tried to dissuade him by telling him that Beatrice can do it later. However, he did not let her stop him. He walked carrying the used utensils and stood in front of the sink. He chuckled as he opened the faucet.

"I need to impress you by showing that I too can do domesticated work. You cooked, so let me do this. In the future, whenever you make a meal, I will personally wash the dishes."

Serena giggled as she saw him start washing a plate, then she moved to stand behind him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. When he was almost done washing everything, she said, "I think that the love potion I poured on the soup was super effective." 

"So that's why it tasted so strange." He replied as he closed the faucet.

Serena pinched his waist, "Just as I thought! Your words were all lies!"

Charlton laughed denying her words as he tried to move away from her as she continued to pinch the side of his waist, "ouch ouch! I was not lying, the food you prepared was really heavenly." 

"Still lying through your teeth? You bad bad boy, I think you need a spanking." she said getting tired of pinching him.

Charlton continued to laugh, then he hoisted her up and placed her on the countertop. "I don't mind domestic violence as long as it's from you. Anyway, with the number of times you slapped me, I kind of saw that coming." He teased.

Serena blushed, was she that violent? "You deserved them." She tried to defend herself as she crossed her arms in front of her.

Charlton chuckled, "Yes, yes, I did. Now, don't pout, it just makes me want to ravish you."

She raised her brow as if daring him to do so.

Getting the hint, he inclined his face toward hers to kiss her. The kiss started innocently enough, yet like every time that they were alone, it turned heated. 

Serena draped her arms around him as she pulled him closer. She parted her lips, inviting him to kiss her deeper. She felt him lean his frame forward and heat rose from her stomach as her whole body tingled. Her fingers slipped in under his shirt, his skin was smooth and radiated heat, but his stomach was hard, dipped, and rippled in all the right places. 

He shuddered and there was a sound from the back of his throat, half growl, half moan. However, he knew that they must stop. With much difficulty and frustration, he pulled her hands out of his shirt and interlaced their fingers. "I want to do so much more, but I still have a match later."

Serena groaned but understood why they needed to stop. "Okay, but remember, win or lose, we must continue this after your match."

--

TBC 

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