Chapter 3

Two failed cakes later, the third cake came out decently well. At least, this time, I had not forgotten the baking powder and had definitely not overmixed the batter.

Satisfied with the appearance of the cake and keeping in mind the time constraint, I moved on to the decoration part. If baking had been tough, then this part was tougher.

Once the icing was completed, I was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. With tears in my eyes, I was almost close to deciding against showing the cake to Ace. I would just get him a proper gift some other day.

But Irene convinced me that the hours that I had spent baking the cake mattered more than how it had turned out. She was confident that Ace would love it and insisted that I let go of my negative thoughts and go and get ready.

Basking a little in her optimism, I headed upstairs to freshen up.

I hope Ace understands.

A half hour later, I was showered and dressed up.

"Smile," I told my reflection in the mirror.

I had put in extra effort to choose my outfit and do my makeup. My hair was left open, as I believed that the slight, delicate waves at the ends of my hair looked their best in this particular style.

Ace will be home anytime now.

Taking my clutch and spritzing my favorite perfume one more time, I headed downstairs.

The cake was on the dining table. In the sloppiest of handwriting, the icing read To new beginnings. I had tried my best and practiced multiple times before writing on the cake but there was no neatness whatsoever.

Taking one last look at the cake, I retreated to the living room to wait for Ace.

The clock had struck six, but he was not home yet. I checked my phone to see if there had been any messages or calls from him but there were none.

"Irene," I said, when I spotted her coming out of the kitchen. "Please don't wait up for us. We will let ourselves in."

"Okay." She smiled and happily got back to her work.

I did not mingle with new people easily. I wanted to but couldn't. Somehow, my nervousness came out as rudeness to new people. My hesitancy was mistaken for arrogance. No one understood how difficult it was for me to open up. There was always this barrier that I had to cross to be myself in front of strangers. Most of the times, I was unable to cross this barrier. But the few times that I did, I tended to make good friends with people. The latter was, however, extremely rare.

Irene was one such person with whom I was comfortable. I did not know her very well, but her presence allowed me to be myself. I did not recoil into a shell around her. Since she was the only company I had in this house, I predicted that maybe, finally, I would have a proper friend.

The doorbell rang and I stood up quickly.

Ace.

I walked as fast as the heels allowed me to and reached the door.

Wearing a bright smile on my face, I opened the door.

"Hi—” I stopped short when I saw him.

He was carrying a beautifully gift-wrapped box in his hands. On top of the box was a bouquet of red roses.

"Hi," he said, stepping inside. Seeing my awed expression, he chuckled. "You look beautiful, Dalia."

My eyes travelled up from the roses to meet his eyes. Something struck my heart when I saw the affection and surprise in his eyes.

"Thanks." I looked down, my heart racing.

"This is for the smartest and the most creative person I have in my life," he said, handing me the gift box.

"Thank you," I whispered, a lump forming in my throat.

"And this is for the prettiest woman I have ever met." He extended the bouquet towards me.

My heart raced. There was so much that I wanted to say but no words verbalized out of my mouth. I stood rooted to my spot, my cheeks growing warm.

"I hope you like them," he said, closing the distance between us.

Even my lips felt dry, and I could only nod hurriedly.

He laughed. "Let me get changed and we will leave soon after."

As he rushed upstairs, I slowly moved towards the dining room.

How is he capable of making me feel this way? He messes up my heart with that smile.

I placed the gift and the bouquet next to the cake and waited for Ace to come down. Compared to his gifts, my cake looked dull and out of place.

Irene locked the main door and retreated to her room. She probably wanted to give us some privacy.

Just as I had calmed my restless heart, Ace came down the stairs. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him. He was dressed in a white shirt, well-fitting black jeans, and black shoes. His hair was slightly ruffled but styled. In simple terms, he looked gorgeous.

Gorgeous? Seriously? You're losing your mind, Dalia.

"Dalia?"

I blinked and realized that Ace was standing right in front of me.

"Any problem?" he asked.

I shook my head and cleared my throat. "Nothing. You look good."

"Oh." He smiled, clearly trying not to laugh.

I was sure that my cheeks had turned a darker shade of pink.

"Anyway," I said, diverting his mind. "I, well, I-I baked a cake for you."

"For me?" He seemed surprised.

I nodded, my heart dropping at his excitement.

What I would give to not disappoint him right now…

"I tried my best, Ace. I know you love chocolate, so I baked a chocolate cake for you. It's the first cake I've ever baked, and it may not be good but—"

He placed his finger on my lips and took another step forward.

With wide eyes, I stared at him, overwhelmed at the closeness between us.

"I love it," he said, smiling at the cake. He moved his hand away from my lips and encircled my waist with it. With the other hand, he lit the candles.

"Let's cut it together," he said, taking my hand in his.

With my heart in my mouth, I let him guide my hand. His cologne, his touch and his aura dominated all around me.

"To new beginnings," he said, bringing a small piece of cake to my lips.

I took a bite, my eyes captured by his.

I have never felt this way before.

I forced myself to come out of my daze. With slightly trembling fingers, I took a piece of cake and raised it towards him.

He gladly took a bite, a twinkle playing in his eyes. I was almost sure that he could hear my heart hammering.

"It's delicious," he said, taking another bite from the piece in my hand which seemed to have frozen midair.

Absolutely not. It's not sweet at all. He is lying to keep my heart.

I saw him take another bite and realized that it would not be long before he stole my heart completely, that is if he hadn't already.