Flour, sugar and a hit of faith

The next morning, Kai stretched as he walked into the kitchen, still half-asleep. His little sister, Mia, was already at the table, happily munching on the pastries he had brought home. She looked up at him with a sly grin.

"Sooo," Mia began, kicking her feet playfully. "Who’s the baker guy?"

Kai blinked. "Huh?"

"The one who gave you these! Vallentino, right?" Mia smirked. "You were blushing when you talked about him yesterday."

Kai scoffed, grabbing a piece of toast. "I was not."

Mia leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "Oh, you sooo were." She wiggled her eyebrows. "He likes you, doesn’t he?"

Kai choked on his toast. "What—No! I mean… I don’t know!"

Mia giggled. "I bet he’s super handsome, huh?"

Kai felt his face heat up. Vallentino was ridiculously good-looking, but that wasn’t the point. "Can you stop? It’s just a job."

"Mm-hmm," Mia hummed teasingly. "You know, if he asked you out, you should totally say yes."

Kai groaned, rubbing his face. "You watch too many romance dramas."

Mia grinned. "And you’re living in one!"

Kai quickly grabbed his bag and headed for the door. "I’m leaving!"

"Say hi to your boyfriend for me!" Mia called after him.

Kai groaned as he shut the door behind him. His sister was impossible.

But as he walked to the bakery, he couldn’t help but smile.

Maybe Mia wasn’t completely wrong.

Kai arrived at the bakery, still flustered from his sister’s teasing. He took a deep breath before stepping inside, determined to focus on work and not Vallentino’s stupidly charming smile.

But the moment he entered, Vallentino was there—leaning against the counter, arms crossed, golden eyes twinkling with amusement.

"You’re late," Vallentino teased.

Kai frowned, checking the clock. "I’m actually early."

Vallentino smirked. "I just wanted to see how you’d react."

Kai rolled his eyes and walked past him, tying his apron. "You’re annoying."

"And you’re cute when you’re flustered," Vallentino shot back.

Kai nearly knocked over a tray of freshly baked bread. "I—shut up!"

Vallentino laughed, clearly enjoying himself, and Kai tried to ignore the way his heart did a little flip at the sound. He focused on kneading dough, pretending like his hands weren’t shaking just a little.

As the morning rush came and went, Kai started to relax. The bakery had a warm, homey feeling, and despite Vallentino’s teasing, he was actually a really good teacher. He patiently guided Kai through making pastries, correcting his technique with gentle touches to his hands—though each touch sent little jolts of electricity through Kai’s skin.

At one point, while reaching for the same bowl of flour, their fingers brushed.

Kai pulled away quickly, his face heating up. "Sorry!"

Vallentino chuckled. "You apologize too much."

Kai huffed. "Maybe because someone keeps making me nervous."

Vallentino leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a playful whisper. "And why is that, Kai?"

Kai’s brain short-circuited. "I—I don’t know!" he blurted out before turning away, furiously focusing on decorating a cake.

Vallentino let out a soft laugh but didn’t push further. Instead, he just stood beside Kai, quietly helping him work.

It was oddly… nice.

By the end of the day, Kai was exhausted but strangely content. As he untied his apron, Vallentino called out to him.

"Wait, before you go."

Kai turned around, only for Vallentino to hand him a small box tied with a ribbon.

"What’s this?" Kai asked, raising an eyebrow.

Vallentino smiled. "A surprise. Don’t open it until you get home."

Kai hesitated, then took the box. "Fine… but if it explodes, I’m never talking to you again."

Vallentino chuckled. "Noted."

As Kai left the bakery, he held the box close, curiosity bubbling inside him.

For some reason, he had a feeling that whatever was inside… might change everything.

To be continued

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