Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

It was Alyssa and Jasper!
It was hard to imagine the proud and noble billionaire Jasper Beckett indulging in street food at night, all in the name of love. His
typical diet of refined carbohydrates had been replaced with hearty suppers. His mouth even bore traces of grease from the fried
foods Alyssa had given him.
Any sane person would be astounded by this sight!
"Does it taste good?" Alyssa was beaming widely. She gently wiped Jasper's mouth with a napkin.
Jasper pecked her on the lips the moment his mouth was wiped clean. "It tastes wonderful. Any meal I share with you is
delicious."
His voice rang out loud, making Alyssa blush shyly. Even the old woman sitting across from them chuckled upon hearing
Jasper's words.
Jasper and Alyssa appeared nothing short of a match made in heaven. They were so in love with one another. Who wouldn't be
delighted at the sight?
"Tsk! It looks like you only think the food is good because you're trying to appease me." Alyssa pouted. "You can just be honest if
you don't like it. I won't bring you here next time."
Jasper blinked lightly and reached past Alyssa to grab two condiment bottles from the left end of the table. One was mustard,
and the other was relish. He added a dash of both to the hotdog Alyssa was eating before mixing them.
"Try it out," Jasper urged tenderly.

Alyssa took a couple of bites of her hotdog. Then, her eyes widened at Jasper in surprise, hands flailing happily in the air.
"Oh, my God! This is delicious! The condiments you added were so simple, yet they elevated the taste of the food! How are you
so talented?" Alyssa exclaimed.
Jasper gazed at her, his smile youthful. "Lyse, you were quite mistaken when you thought I was merely praising the food to
please you. Before the Beckett family took me in, these street food stalls offered my mother and me the finest meals in the
world."
Alyssa's heart clenched as her breath caught in her throat.
She thought she had learned so much about Jasper's mysterious past from Rosie. Little did she know that what she had learned
was merely the tip of the iceberg.
There were likely countless unimaginable things Alyssa would never have known about Jasper if he hadn't personally told her
about them.
Alyssa's occasional street food switch-up was Jasper's entire childhood.
"I always grew hungry after helping my mother out as a child. She would then bring me to get some hotdogs." Jasper slowly
turned the plastic cup in his hands, reminiscing old memories. "My mother would only order one hotdog to save money. She
would make sure I get the biggest sausage.
"Because she worried the hotdog would be too plain, she would add some condiments. My favorite became mustard and relish. I
loved the spicy, tangy kick to it. When I grew older, I added the same to my hotdogs whenever I had the chance to eat some.
"But I now no longer have the chance to enjoy the taste of my childhood anymore."

The silence that followed was heartbreaking.
Jasper then returned to his senses and shot Alyssa an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Lyse. Jeez, why did I bring all that up? It ruined
the mood."
The moment he finished speaking, Alyssa cupped his cheeks and kissed him tearfully.