Rosalind appeared in the doorway, her hair still damp from the sea as she ran her hands through it. "Is the water ready?" she asked.

Rowan glanced up from the kettle. "Almost," he replied.

She smiled, her cheeks warming at the sight before her. "I didn’t realize marriage came with such excellent service," she said lightly.

"This establishment receives terrible reviews," he informed her. "The staff is overworked."

That made Rosalind chuckle softly, and then she sighed as she dusted sand from her body. "I didn’t think the sand would be this much... it’s everywhere," she complained.

Earlier, they had agreed to take their bath first before preparing dinner, because after all their playing at the beach they were both exhausted and wanted something simple, although Rosalind did not want sand and salt mixing into their food. After a moment, Rowan said, "It’s ready," and he carried the water himself. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Rosalind followed him immediately. "Well, thank you," she said softly from behind him.

Rowan pulled aside the curtain, then emptied the warm water into the already prepared bath before testing it with his fingers to ensure it was comfortable enough. "Come, wife," he said afterward.

Rosalind’s feet padded softly across the floor as she walked toward him, the candles casting a warm glow around the room. "Can I take my bath now?" she asked, and he nodded, straightening slightly.

"Do you need any help?" Rowan asked her.

Rosalind had already begun to peel the dress from her skin, the fabric hanging just above her chest as she held it in place with one hand. She turned toward him and caught him looking at her, which made her press her lips together before she spoke.

"I’m trying to be fast so we can eat dinner quickly," she said.

Rowan narrowed his eyes slightly. "You don’t trust me?" he asked, sounding mildly offended.

Rosalind’s gaze flicked between him and the bath before she sighed. "Not like that..." she began, and his eyes narrowed even more, making her quickly continue. "You just have... distracting eyes, and I know if we start anything, it won’t end anytime soon. I’m just trying not to let us starve here," she admitted in a rushed jumble, wondering if she even made sense.

Rowan almost smiled at how flustered she looked trying to explain herself. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, and just like that, she stopped talking. "I’ll be outside," he reassured her.

Rosalind took a deep breath and nodded, and only then did he step out, leaving her to draw the curtain and let the fabric fall into place before she slid into the already warm water.

Meanwhile, Rowan couldn’t help but glance at her reflection through the curtain. His gaze lingered briefly as he followed the movement of her hands, and he unconsciously held his breath.

Rosalind was right, he thought, because if he had stayed any longer, they would have gotten distracted and dinner would have been forgotten entirely. "She’s always right," he muttered to himself, exhaling slowly while trying to steady himself as he felt the effect she had on him.

When Rosalind eventually finished bathing, having washed the sand from her hair and body, she stepped out wrapped neatly in a towel. "I’m done," she said.

Rowan’s gaze flicked over her briefly, catching the sight of water still clinging to her skin before he looked away. "That was fast," he said.

Rosalind nodded. "You should go too," she replied.

"Of course," Rowan said, though the way he said it made Rosalind blush slightly even if she wasn’t sure why.

While she dried herself and changed into comfortable clothes, Rowan took his turn to bathe as well. When he came out later with a towel wrapped loosely around his upper body, Rosalind’s eyes instinctively drifted over him, noticing the water still trailing across his chest and shoulders, and she quickly turned away as if suddenly very interested in fixing her hair instead.

Eventually, they went together to the kitchen, where everything had already been arranged and the utensils set out, leaving only the preparation left for them.

Rosalind watched as Rowan lit the fire, and when it sparked to life she clapped lightly, which made him turn toward her.

"Don’t mock me," he said.

"I wasn’t," Rosalind replied with a soft chuckle. "Here, you can help with these eggs. Just break them into the bowl," she instructed.

Rowan immediately moved to work, taking the bowl as she watched him closely.

Rosalind narrowed her eyes slightly. "You can break eggs, right?" she asked.

Rowan glanced at her. "You’re enjoying this a little too much" he said as he cracked them one by one into the bowl.

Rosalind only nodded slowly while watching him finish, and once he was done she added the seasoning herself before whisking everything together. "Are you sure the seasoning is enough?" he asked.

"I’m the chef here," Rosalind reminded him, and Rowan immediately clamped his mouth shut while watching her pour the eggs into the pan she had heated while he was busy cracking them.

At once, they began to sizzle, and she carefully flipped them as they cooked.

"You’re good at this," he said, glancing at her while she smiled to herself.

When the eggs were done, Rosalind turned away for a moment, only to catch Rowan cutting off a piece and tasting it.

Her lips parted in disbelief as he chewed thoughtfully before giving a small nod of approval. She said nothing, although she made a mental note of it.

Afterward, she began preparing the potatoes.

But when Rosalind turned around again, she found Rowan already helping himself to more of the eggs.

"You’re going to finish everything before dinner even starts," she accused.

Although, he had only taken a small bite and most of the eggs were still sitting untouched on the plate, Rosalind was clearly exaggerating.

"I think we should have roasted the potatoes first," he said, attempting to redirect her attention.

Rosalind paused and considered it. "Actually, you’re right. I probably should have done that."

Satisfied that his distraction had worked, Rowan behaved himself and waited until the potatoes were ready.

Once everything was finished, Rowan helped arrange dinner on the balcony while Rosalind carried out the food. There were roasted potatoes, eggs, bread, fruit, and a bottle of wine.

"Thank you for this beautiful dinner," Rowan said as they settled into their seats, and he reached out to gently caress her cheek.

Rosalind didn’t respond with words, although the blush spreading across her face told him everything he needed to know.

Soon they began eating while the evening breeze drifted around them.

After a while, Rosalind sighed softly. "I can’t believe the day went by so fast."

"It did," Rowan agreed, "but at least we spent it doing things that mattered."

Rosalind nodded because he was right. They had explored, swum together, and simply enjoyed each other’s company, which was exactly what she had wanted.

"Tomorrow we should do something even more memorable," Rowan added.

"Agreed," Rosalind said as she took a bite of the eggs she had made.

The moment she tasted them, however, her expression changed.