I stood in the doorway to the kitchen as I watched Florence baking cookies. She was humming a soft tune to herself as she glided across the kitchen floor. Today was one of the rare days she had her hair down and I always tried to savor it. She always looked so at peace when she was baking, even if it was for Jonathan.
She loved to pretend she hated him but I could see the love in her eyes. She would probably never admit it, but he was a part of her family. I stood for a moment trying to remain undetected, I just wanted a few more minutes.Unfortunately that was ruined when my arm that was leaning on the doorframe slid off.
I hit my elbow on the corner of the wall and yelled. Florence turned around and gave me a smirk veiled by a look of confusion. "H-hey" I said awkwardly and she just chuckled, "hi y/n" she responded. I gave a shy smile and pushed some hair that had fallen in my face, behind my ear. I walked over and leaned over the counter a bit so I could see what she was doing.
"You wanna help?" She asked pretty much rhetorically because I always wanted to help her. I nodded eagerly and she pointed to an apron that was hung up. The only one left was Jonathan's since they were the only two that cooked. It read 'kiss the chef' and I giggled as I put it on. I hurried back to my spot and awaited directions from her on what I could do.
She always made her cookies from scratch, so it was a really fun experience. She listed off ingredients for me to grab and I brought them back to her. She let me mix the dough while she went to preheat the oven. Afterwards we rolled them into balls and there was a little left over.
I always snuck a bit to eat and she always scolded me for it. This time saying, "y/n you could sick from that" trying to wipe it off my hand with a paper towel. I managed to swipe out of her grasp and I put my finger in my mouth licking it off. All of sudden she went red looking and me and I looked at her confused.
"Are you ok?" I asked sincerely, "y-yeah, I'm fine" she said looking back at the dough. She was acting kinda weird but I figured I could cheer her up a little. She tolerated no funny business in the kitchen so definitely no throwing flour. But something else crossed my mind that should be appropriate and I smirked.
I calmly walked over to her and dipped a different finger in the dough. As soon as she looked at me to scold me I swiped my finger across her nose. I bust out laughing and her face just made it even funnier. "I think you got something, right... there" I said pointing at her nose. She narrowed her eyes and my but smiled lightly.
Another idea came to my mind and I smiled mischievously. "Oh no. What're you thinking? Can't be anything good" she said shaking her head. She picked up a napkin to wipe her nose but I lightly grabbed her wrist. "I got it" I said leaning in quickly and licking it off the top of her nose.
She stood there stunned for a moment and I just bit my lip nervously. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. "Wow. I've rendered THE Florence Zimmerman speechless" I said with a fake gasp. Before I knew it her lips were pressed against mine in a passion-filled kiss.
It took me a second to adjust, but once I did I deepened the kiss. Putting my hand on her cheek and caressing it softly. We both pulled away when the need for air grew unbearable and just looked into each other's eyes. "I've been waiting to do that for so long" she said still trying to catch her breath. "So why didn't you?" I asked pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I didn't know if you felt the same way" she said nervously. "Well now you know I do..." I said leaning closer again, having caught my breath. She stared into my eyes lovingly and I swear I could just stare at her all day. "This feels like a fairytale" I whispered, "but real" I continued.
She softly smiled at me, "what am I you're happily ever after?" She joked. When she looked at my straight face her smile dropped. "You're exactly right, my love" I said seriously. "You're cute" she said playfully rolling her eyes, "and your beauty is breathtaking" I responded.
"One of these days your compliments are gonna go straight to my head" she giggled. "Then maybe you'll know just how gorgeous you are. That wouldn't be such a bad thing" I say and she gives me a soft kiss. "I love you" she says, "are you trying to one-up me Zimmerman?" I say faking offense.
"No. I'm serious" she says raising an eyebrow. "I love you too" I say grinning stupidly and she laughs. "Let's finish these cookies" I say trying to turn her attention back to baking. "Right" she says as if she's just remembered and I turn around to wipe a few tears that fell from my eyes.
She starts to hum again and I sniffle thinking it will be drowned out. She quickly stops, "are you ok?" she asks and I can hear her footsteps coming. "Yeah just allergies" I try to sound convincing. I feel her hand on my shoulder and let her turn me around. She puts her hands to my cheeks and wipes a few tears.
"Why are you crying, honey?" She asks softly yet concerned. "You just said you love me" I reply quietly, "and you said it back" she says confused. "I know but still, I've wanted to hear that from you for so long" I say wrapping my arms around her. "Well, I love you darling and I'll never stop" she says pulling me closer, if possible.
