Chapter 14: Cooking Together

The cafeteria was buzzing with its usual noise... students chatting, trays clattering, and the occasional burst of laughter from different tables. I sat down with Nathan, and to my surprise, Marco was finally back.

“Yo, you’re alive,” I teased, setting my tray down.

Marco rolled his eyes but smirked. “Yeah, yeah. I just had a fever, but I’m fine now.”

Nathan nudged him. “You missed a lot. People are talking about Aiden and Jake.”

Marco raised a brow. “Oh? What did I miss?”

I groaned. “Not this again.”

Nathan just laughed, and we continued eating while talking about random things.

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Later that day, I didn’t go to the café since I didn’t have a shift. Instead, Jake and I headed straight home.

After setting our bags down, Jake stretched. “So… should we start working on the project now?”

I sighed. “Might as well.”

We moved to the living room, spreading our notes and laptops across the table. Jake was surprisingly focused, scribbling down ideas while I tried to keep up.

At one point, I glanced at him. His brows were slightly furrowed, lips pressed together in concentration. For some reason, I found myself staring for a second too long.

“What?” Jake suddenly looked at me, tilting his head.

I quickly looked away. “Nothing. Just… thinking.”

Jake chuckled. “Thinking about how much you love doing projects?”

I scoffed. “More like thinking about how long this is gonna take.”

He laughed and tossed a pen at me. “Come on, let’s finish this fast so we can relax.”

And so, we continued working... side by side, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

I stared at my laptop screen, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t get the right words down. I sighed in frustration, rubbing my temples.

Jake, on the other hand, seemed to be doing fine. He was writing effortlessly, his expression calm and focused.

“Need help?”

I jolted at the sudden voice near my ear. Before I could react, Jake had already moved behind me, leaning over my shoulder to look at my screen.

“W-What the...”

“Relax,” he chuckled. “You’ve been staring at the screen for too long without typing. Let me see.”

His warmth was so close, his scent fresh and distracting. I tried to focus, but my heart was hammering in my chest.

Jake reached forward, pointing at my screen. “Here, you can phrase it like this…” He started typing, his arm brushing against mine.

I swallowed hard, nodding as he explained. When he finished, I turned my head to thank him... only to realize just how close we were.

Our faces were mere inches apart.

I could feel his breath, see the slight part of his lips. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a second, time seemed to stop.

Neither of us moved.

I felt my pulse quicken, my mind suddenly blank. Then, just as quickly as the moment came, I snapped out of it.

“I... uh... thanks.” I quickly turned away, pretending to focus back on my screen.

Jake chuckled, but I could hear a hint of something else in his voice. “No problem.”

I didn’t dare look at him for the rest of the time.

I was so focused on the project, my eyes glued to the screen and fingers typing away, that I didn’t even notice how much time had passed. The sun had set, and the dim light of the room made everything feel… quiet.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. The work was overwhelming, and I couldn’t concentrate as much as I wanted.

Just as I was about to type another sentence, Jake’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“Hey, Aiden.”

I looked up, blinking. Jake was leaning back in his chair, a relaxed smile on his face.

“You’re still staring at the screen. How about we just call it a day and have dinner instead?” he suggested, his voice casual but with a certain kindness.

I hesitated for a moment, glancing at the project laid out in front of us. We hadn’t finished, but Jake seemed calm, and honestly, I was starting to feel exhausted.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I muttered, closing my laptop with a sigh. “We’ve been working on this for hours. I’m starving.”

Jake stood up, stretching. “Exactly. Let’s take a break and eat. We can finish this later.”

I nodded, feeling a bit relieved. As much as I hated leaving things unfinished, I knew I needed a break.

“So, what’s for dinner?” I asked, following him into the kitchen.

Jake smirked, looking over his shoulder at me. “What do you think? I’m cooking, so you’re in for a treat.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll believe it when I taste it.”

Jake chuckled, and for a moment, the tension from earlier faded. It felt nice... almost normal. Maybe a little too normal, but I didn’t mind.

As Jake started pulling ingredients from the fridge, I hesitated for a second before speaking up.

“Hey, um, do you want me to help?” I asked, stepping closer to the counter.

Jake looked at me, raising an eyebrow. “Help? You know how to cook?”

I shrugged awkwardly. “Not really, but... I can try. I want to learn.”

Jake laughed softly, shaking his head. “You just want to avoid doing the dishes later, huh?”

I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. “Maybe a little, but also, I don’t want to just sit here and do nothing while you work.”

Jake gave me a smile, the kind that made my heart skip a beat. “Alright, fair enough. But don’t say I didn’t warn you... it’s not as easy as it looks.”

“Hey, I can handle it,” I said, trying to sound confident, though I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting myself into.

Jake handed me a knife. “Alright, chop those veggies.”

I stared at the knife in my hand, then at the pile of vegetables. “Uh… okay. How do I do this again?”

Jake chuckled, coming over to stand beside me. “I’ll show you,” he said, gently guiding my hand with his.

His proximity made my heart race, but I forced myself to focus on the task.

“You just need to hold it like this…” Jake said, his voice steady as he helped me slice through the veggies.

His hand stayed on mine for a moment, guiding me, and I couldn’t help but notice how comfortable it felt.

“Thanks,” I muttered, trying to ignore the way my pulse quickened.

Jake smiled, pulling away slightly. “No problem. You’re doing fine.”

I looked down at the vegetables, feeling a little proud of myself, but also aware of how close he was.

We continued working together, and even though I had no idea what I was doing, it felt oddly... nice.

The kitchen was filled with the sound of chopping and sizzling, and I found myself getting more comfortable with the whole cooking thing. Sure, I was still making a mess, but Jake was patient, occasionally pointing out things I was doing wrong or offering small tips here and there.

“So, how’d you learn to cook like this?” I asked, trying to break the silence.

Jake glanced over at me with a smile. “My mom used to make me help out in the kitchen when I was younger. She said it was a good skill to have, and I guess I ended up liking it.”

I nodded, impressed. “I guess I never really learned. My mom’s always been the one to cook, so I never had to.”

Jake’s smile softened, and he finished stirring the pot before turning to me. “I get that. Not everyone has to cook, especially when you’ve got someone else to do it for you. But you’re doing pretty well for a first-timer.”

I flushed at the compliment, looking down at my hands as I chopped more vegetables. “I just don’t want to mess up.”

“You’re doing fine,” Jake reassured me. “And even if you do mess up, it’s all part of learning, right?”

His voice was easy, like he was trying to make me feel at ease, and it worked. For some reason, the tension in my chest seemed to loosen, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

We worked in comfortable silence for a while, the rhythm of cooking helping distract me from the racing thoughts in my head. With every glance at Jake, I felt my heart do that familiar thumping thing.

Finally, after a bit more time, Jake plated the food. “Dinner’s ready,” he said, a proud smile on his face.

I looked at the plate in front of me... it actually looked pretty good. “Wow, this looks amazing. You really know your way around the kitchen.”

Jake laughed. “It’s not that impressive. Just some pasta and veggies.”

“Impressive to me,” I replied, grabbing my fork.

We sat down to eat, and as I dug into the meal, I felt a warmth spread through me... not just from the food, but from being here with Jake. The way he made everything feel effortless, the way he smiled, the way I couldn’t seem to stop noticing him.

“Thanks for teaching me,” I said, looking up at him.

Jake met my gaze, his eyes soft. “Anytime.”

And in that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe I was starting to feel something more than just appreciation for his cooking.

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