Chapter 77 Chapter 77
“So it was a date after all,” he muttered and turned around to head back to the living room without waiting for an answer.
“It wasn’t.” She called after him, but he didn’t seem to be interested in listening to her anymore.
“Damn it.” she cursed. “Why is he so difficult?” Shouldn’t he know that she was just friends? Sighing deeply, she picked up the bag and carried it to the kitchen, putting some of the ingredients in the fridge and keeping the rest on the counter. She had planned to make the cake tomorrow, but seeing how annoyed he was, maybe she should just make it now—perhaps it would brighten his mood.
Valerie wanted to put things right between them as soon as possible, and even though she was tired, she got to work immediately, rummaging through cupboards, readying various bowls for the ingredients.
There was just one thing she hadn’t counted on. What if he walked into the kitchen as long as she was still busy? She had to make sure he stayed away without revealing her plan to him. Heading to the living room, she was met with the unexpected sight of Mochi sleeping next to his thigh while he played a PS4 game.
“Maxwell?”
“What is it?” he grumbled without looking away from the tv screen.
“I’m going to clean the kitchen now, so you better not get in the way, okay?” she said. “If you come in, you have to help me.”
“I’m not cleaning anything, so don’t worry about that,” he replied and clicked his tongue annoyedly. “Weirdo.”
Holding in a retort, she turned back and closed the kitchen door. That should keep him away for a while. Now she just had to get to work and not mess this up.
She took several ingredients, put them in a bowl, and mixed them to make the cake batter. This was the easy part that didn’t need much effort; she just had to make sure she used the right amount of each ingredient. While she turned on the oven, she buttered a springform pan and dusted it with flour before pouring the batter into it.
“So far so good,” she mumbled and glanced at the clock to check how long it had to stay in the oven. She set an alarm on her smartphone just to make sure she wouldn’t miss it and put the pan in the preheated oven.
Next, she cut the strawberries into even pieces, putting them in another bowl. She couldn’t help herself and ended up snacking on them now and then, but of course, she left enough for the cake.
By the time she was finished preparing the strawberries and cleaning up the kitchen, she heard the alarm on her smartphone ring and turned off the oven. The sweet smell of freshly baked cake hung in the air, and she prayed that Maxwell wouldn’t notice anything.
Holding back a tired yawn, she opened the oven, planning to put the cake on the counter using a cloth to protect her hands from the heat, but she was unlucky and accidentally touched the hot pan with her wrist.
The pain came instantaneously, shooting up her arm like a bullet. She let go of the pan and stumbled back with a strangled cry, clutching her wrist that was reddening already. The pain had tears well up in her eyes. However, a sudden realization made her freeze in her spot.
He’d notice… he’d notice the cake and the strawberries, and her surprise would be ruined…
The kitchen door was torn open not a second later, just like she had predicted. Maxwell stormed in and spotted her kneeling on the ground, holding on to her wrist. His eyes zeroed in on the injury, and he let out a breath. “Valerie, what are you doing? Didn’t you say you wanted to clean? This doesn’t look like cleaning to me,” he said. Scrunching his brows, he crouched in front of her. “Let me see.”
He took her arm and turned it carefully to take a look at the red burn. “You’re too clumsy,” he uttered. “Unbelievable.” To her astonishment, he seemed more worried than angry, lifting her body and setting her down on the counter next to the sink. He turned on the tap and tugged at her hand until her wrist was under the flowing cold water. The coldness had a soothing effect on the burn and calmed the ache.
“Keep it under the water. I’m going to look for burn ointment. There should be some left in the first-aid kit,” he said, and left her alone for a moment.
She sighed to herself, cursing her bad luck. This could have been a perfect surprise, but she had to ruin it. Why couldn’t things have gone the way she wanted for one single time? She just wanted to have him back. Why was it so hard? Tears of frustration spilled over and trickled down her cheeks, dripping down her chin.
“What’s wrong now?” she heard Maxwell ask when he was back, yet again keeping his distance without realizing that this only caused her to feel worse. “Are you hurt anywhere else?” He sounded nervous, reaching out a hand to her, but then he faltered, his hand forming a fist when he retracted it.
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and sniffled. “I miss you.”
He watched her with wide blue eyes, thinking he had misheard her, but she looked at him so pleadingly that he knew she had really said it.
“Maxwell, I miss you so much,” she cried, and he felt the pain within her heart, stabbing like a knife. His resolve to stay away from her crumbled to dust within a few seconds, and he bridged the gap between them with two strides, standing between her legs that were dangling down the counter.
She barely had the chance to look at him before he enveloped her in his arms and pulled her into his chest. His hold was tight, but not uncomfortable, and she found herself calming down. “Stop crying,” he uttered and rested his chin on her head, his fingers gently brushing over her hair.