I wanna dedicate this chapter to the sweet @PragathiSuresh I don't know if you've tried my family cake recipe, but I hope you'll like this cooking session 😉😋 Thank you so much for your support on all of my works ❤😘 Love you!

My gaze wanders to Theone's bag on the stool instead of weighing the sugar, and the glimpse of his camera case leaves my thoughts to roam even more. It must be important if he's given up a photo shoot just because of a few walkers, when the sun is providing a perfect and exceptional lighting behind the few clouds today.

"Okay, I'll show you the list if you tell me." 

It draws Theone's head out of the fridge with, of course, a smug smile.

"But." I put my finger up as he puts the egg carton on the counter. "You tell me first."

"What tells me you're gonna honor your words?" He narrows his eyes at me, pushing the egg carton on the island between us, and I swear he's watched too many westerns, yet I still imitate his expression.

"What proves me you'll tell me? I don't trust you."

"Well, I'm not the one lying to everyone."

Shoot, he's got me, and he knows it, judging by the smug look in his eyes.

"Okay, but you gotta promise to not laugh at me." I heave out a sigh, knowing I'll regret it as he puts his left hand up, the other on his heart.

I slide my fingers under my sweater, reaching in my bra to pull out the white square of paper that is becoming more and more crumpled, while Theone stares at me under his lifted eyebrows.

"What?! This is the only place I know you wouldn't look."

"Don't underestimate me, Penny." He flashes his eyebrows, his gaze flicking down to my chest as he grabs the unfolded paper in my hand.

"Perv!" I turn away from his wandering piercing eyes as a rush of heat that is not only from anger flushes my cheeks. I don't even know why, but I'm not used to talk about my boobs with guys, especially because with their small size, there isn't much to talk about.

"Let's see..." I've barely finished pouring the sugar that his amused tone brings my gaze back to him.

"What? You're wearing glasses now?" I'm the one laughing now, shaking my head at this sight that I would have never imagined: Theone with glasses, and about to read my precious Christmas romance plan, but I try to divert my mind from this scary detail, observing his black rimmed glasses.

"Yeah, I'm old now. You don't know what it is." He adjusts his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"You're just two years older than me." I lift an eyebrow as he starts reading with a concentrated look that doesn't resemble him. "Besides, you didn't need them yesterday when you peeked at my list."

"I would have read the whole list if I'd had my glasses," he retorts, keeping his gaze down on the paper, and the lower his gaze travels down the written lines, the more my stomach shrivels.

"I bet you're wearing them just to look more mature!" I shake my head, glancing between the list and the still half-empty bowl. 

I know I should hurry a little, or those cookies will never be made, yet leaving my list in the devil's hands is raising all the alarms inside my head.

"I must admit that the ladies love it!" He flashes me one of his famous smirks, with both of his dimples of course, and indeed the black plastic rectangles are bringing out the green in his eyes.

"You haven't changed!" I roll my eyes playfully.

"You neither!" He waves my precious paper in his hand, and I unsuccessfully try to take it back. "Still doing lists for everything?"

"No, no... not everything," I mutter, finally grabbing the egg carton, mainly to avoid his amused piercing gaze.

"Okay, then tell me one thing that you've done recently that you haven't written down before." I can hear the laugh lacing in his voice as he's probably fighting it to keep his promise.

"Um..." I break the eggs to stall for some time because right now, my mind is blank, or more exactly filled with lists.

"I'm waiting..."

"Um... well, yesterday, when I helped you for the party." I break the last egg before lifting my head with a proud smile, which doesn't last long.

"It doesn't count. I didn't really leave you a choice."

My grin falls down, like my gaze as I desperately search for something because I don't want to give him the satisfaction of being right; his dimple is already mocking me enough.

"Um... This outfit! I chose it this morning without planning it." Well, this may not be exactly true because I've chosen it last night, but at least, I haven't written it down.

"Really?!" He laughs, and even I can admit that this sounds pathetical.

"Okay, but everyone makes lists. It helps organizing, not forgetting anything, and being more productive. It's proven." I find back my confident smile, though he just blinks at me, unimpressed. "Everyone does lists whether it's for grocery or for life goals."

"Uh, no, I don't."

It's my turn to blink my wide eyes at him. "What?! Not even for grocery? How do you know you won't forget to buy your favorite yogurt or have everything to cook for the week?!"

"I just buy what tempts me, and I'm not one to follow recipes."

Of course, I don't even know why I'm surprised.

"At least, you must have once written your dreams and goals for life? Your travels?" I try, but he stays unfazed.

"No, never. I just live them." He shrugs as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It sounds so easy when you say it..." I gaze down at the bowl in front of me, my thoughts wandering back to a particular lavender paper.

"It is. When I really want something, I just pursue it," he states simply, and his eyes are fully serious, yet still shining with probably all the dreams he's lived. It makes his speech really convincing, and I can't help but question how many lines of my lists I've checked; except for my grocery lists, I can't count many.

"Come on, let me mix it. You've got no muscle!" He takes the bowl and the spoon from my hands, and I haven't even realized I've had started stirring the batter.

I turn back to check the recipe, even if I already know it by heart, to occupy my thoughts that are going back to spinning, even faster than Theone is stirring the mix in the bowl.

"Ah yes, your mom's recipe, of course!" I jump when I hear his voice right over my shoulder. "With the secret ingredient? That's why it was on your list? Smart." He chuckles, and since he's so close, it echoes down my spine, itching my nerves deeper.

"You promised you wouldn't laugh at me."

"I'm not laughing." He rolls his lips inside his mouth to hide his stupid grin. "It's a compliment, I told you it's smart."

"I see your smile." I shake my head. "I knew you wouldn't understand anyway." I take back the list he's left on the counter and that I've almost forgotten for a few seconds.

"Actually, yes, I don't understand." He furrows his eyebrows, only accentuating the effect of his black frames on his clear eyes. "Your parents are some of the nicest people I know–"

"Yes, I know I'm lying to them, but technically, it won't be a lie if it works," I repeat what I always say to shut my conscience up, or Amy, and like always, I try to distract myself, going back to find the batter, which I realize Theone has beaten in almost no time.

"No, not this. Of course, it's bad," he explains as it's my turn to crease my eyebrows. "But who hasn't already lied to their parents?"

I've forgotten I'm talking to the devil, who has the world record of stunts, lies, and pranks.

"But where in hell did you get this idea?"

"In the Christmas romance movies." I wait to hear his mocking laugh, yet surprisingly it doesn't come; instead, he still has the same confused frown etched on his features.

"I don't understand why you're doing this?" He cocks his head, once again stopping me as I'm about to add the flour to the mix, and I swear that if he keeps asking questions, the cookies still won't be baked tomorrow. "I mean, you're beautiful, you look quite sane, at least, in appearance," he adds, and I'm left in a dilemma between glaring or gaping at him.

"How should I take this?"

"Why haven't you simply asked him out?"

"Wow! I haven't thought of this! Thank you! You should be a matchmaker!" I put all the irony I have in me through my tone, though I still add, in case it isn't clear to Captain Obvious, "I've tried, but he's always seen it as 'friendly'."

"Don't take it badly, but maybe he's just not interested in you?"

"How can I take it well when I'm only 'sane in appearance'?" I narrow my eyes at him, my hands starting to sieve the flour as my defeatist thoughts come back clouding my mind. "And I don't think so because he's oblivious to any romantic or flirting things. He's just built a strong armor around his heart."

"If you say so..." he mumbles, and it echoes the whisper of doubt in my head that keeps growing stronger.

"Help me mix the batter while I add the flour." I change the subject, though my brain isn't so easy to distract.

"I never take pics of people, or at least, never for work, because I never manage to carry their emotions through the image..."

This stops my hands and my thoughts as I snap my head toward him again.

"I don't know... With landscapes or objects, it's easier, it's unmoving. Of course, emotions can change with the lighting and all, but with people, there's so much more nuances. Emotions are always evolving, and... well, it's alive." He shrugs, finally lifting his gaze to mine and finding me staring at him.

"Hey! The flour?" He nods to the bowl still containing half of the flour that should be in the batter too.

"Wow! This is deep! I wasn't expecting something like this." I finally pour the rest of the bowl in the batter, while still stealing curious glances at him.

It doesn't resemble the devilish Theone I know, yet his gaze is the most transparent I've ever seen it.

"It must be the glasses!" His dimples are quickly back, avoiding too much seriousness, or maybe just this subject that seems to make him vulnerable.

"Yes, it must be this," I laugh. "Now, go wash your hands, we get to the fun part," I tell him, already dipping my fingers in the sticky mixture and tasting a small bite.

It's sweet and buttery, with a hint of vanilla, yet it doesn't equal my mom's pastry, and I can see that Theone is of the same opinion, although he doesn't say anything, keeping his thoughtful pout as his fingers join mine in the pastry.

"You know that you're actually the first person to notice this."

I open my mouth to ask what he's talking about, but he continues, and his clear gaze glancing from me to the bowl gives me the answer: it's still about his photos.

"At least, the first one to ask." He stares at me, his jade gaze that has been avoiding mine while talking about this same subject – which seems to make him uneasy – now fixed piercingly on me.

It's almost disturbing, and I realize it's because he's so close when our fingers brush in the bowl. Even through the sticky dough, it brings back the too-fresh memories of yesterday's kiss with a hint of the same deep warmth, and I quickly jump away.

"I guess I'm just observant..." I wipe my hands in a towel, as we don't need four hands to knead the dough.

"Or just curious." He lifts an eyebrow, his attentive gaze now going back to the bowl to check his work.

"Says the one who has sneakily read my list." I offer him a close-lipped smile, much more at ease and used to the playful sparkle in his green eyes.

"Is it good?" I ask as he licks some batter off his fingers, though I already know the answer.

"Yeah... but–"

"Not as good as my mom's?" I glance at the recipe book, almost hearing my mom's voice saying 'the most important is the secret ingredient'.

My stomach turns with this secret ingredient, or more exactly the lack of it.

"Yeah, they're the best! I remember when we were little and she made us all cook together..."

The memories easily come back to my mind too, especially when I pull out the Christmas cookie cutters.

"A dash of love," I vaguely hear him mumble, but I block out those words, the sound of dishes clinking as I take out the rolling pin helping to mute the words.

This has been the perfect recipe for Aden and me, for a perfect romance. We would have put a lot of love in these cookies, and maybe shared a hint too. But I shake my head to chase those now hopeless scenarios.

The cookies still have to be made; they're for a great cause, and we'll put love for this cause in the recipe.

Just when I turn back to the bowl, Theone makes me freeze in my tracks and determination.

"What are you doing?!" I gasp, watching horrified as he stirs the multicolored button-shaped chocolates he's just thrown into the dough.

"I put a 'dash of love'." He smiles proudly, and I can only put my hand over my wide-open mouth as I stare between the dark brown packet that can't be mistaken and the batter now dotted with those colorful candies.

"It isn't love!"

"Have you tasted them? Because I swear they taste like it!" He puts a handful of the chocolates in his mouth, while I'm still as breathless.

"This is a disaster! Do you realize you've just ruined the whole recipe?" I shake my head, something improbable tickling my lips behind my hand: a smile, actually a laugh. I don't even know why. 

I should be horrified, and I am, yet his grin that resembles the sheepish smile of a kid who has just done something stupid on Christmas Eve is contagious.

"Come on! I've only put them in one batch, and maybe it'll taste even better!"

"It'd better because this is the only batch! Haven't you seen the large amount of dough?!" I point at the enormous bowl, and his eyes follow, widening with the realization.

"Oops?" He offers me another sheepish smile, and I should be mad right now, but instead, I burst out laughing like a crazy person.

"You better own up totally!" I warn him as he joins my fit of laughter.

"It would have lacked something otherwise."

"I'm not sure my mom will agree that chemical rainbow-colored chocolates are love!" I try to calm down my laugh, yet it only resumes wilder as Theone offers me a spoon to taste, and in this instant, all my worries vanish from my head. It only remains a colorful lightness as sweet as those chocolates.

Are you hungry? 😋😉🍪 What do you think of Theone's special ingredient? I didn't mention the brand, but we all know what it is! 😉 Will they taste good? And most importantly, aren't they too cute?😍

We also learned Theone's secret, what do you think? I think hot guys with glasses are even hotter! 😅😍🤓

Don't forget to vote ⭐ and comment if you liked this chapter!! All your feedbacks keep melting my heart more and more, and you're sweeter than cookies made with chemical rainbow-colored love!! 😁❤😘