Secret in the Heart ||Descendants|| (♡Ben)

6

The group found themselves in the kitchen because Mal had announced she had found the perfect love spell. Mal and Evie were currently mixing the cookie dough, while Jay, Carlos, Dude, and Kara sat perched on one of the counters, watching them work.

"All right. It says that we still need one tear, and I never cry," Mal said, her voice tinged with frustration.

"Let's just chop up some onions," Carlos suggested, reaching for an onion.

"No. It says we need one tear of human sadness. And this love potion gets the best reviews, so we have to follow it exactly," Mal insisted, resuming her task of mixing the dough.

"A tear's a tear," Jay said, shrugging.

"That's not true, Jay. They both have antibodies and enzymes, but an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear," Evie explained, surprising everyone with her knowledge.

Kara grinned widely. "Listen to you," she said, clearly impressed.

Evie looked down, a shy smile spreading across her face. "Yeah, I knew that," Jay said, trying to play it cool.

"Did not!" Kara retorted.

"Yeah, I did," Jay insisted.

"No, you didn't," Kara teased, poking him in the side.

"Yes, I did," Jay said, before launching a tickle attack on Kara. She burst into laughter, trying to catch her breath as she pleaded, "Jay... stop-p... please s-stop."

Just then, the door opened, and Jay immediately stopped tickling her. Lonnie walked into the kitchen, a bright smile on her face. "There you are, Mal!" she exclaimed.

Mal quickly threw a towel over the spellbook. "I was looking for you. You know, all the girls want you to do their hair! Midnight snack, huh? Whatcha guys making?" Lonnie asked, curious.

"Nothing special. Just cookies," Kara replied, trying to sound casual.

Lonnie reached out to dip her finger into the bowl. "Oh, no, no!" Mal exclaimed, stopping her. "Wait, wait, wait!" Carlos added as they all leaned forward, their eyes wide with anticipation.

Lonnie looked at them, confused. "What? I'm not gonna double dip," she said.

"Feel anything?" Evie asked, her voice hopeful.

"Yeah, like maybe it might be missing something?" Mal added, watching Lonnie closely.

Jay stepped toward Lonnie, giving her a seductive look. "Hey, there," he said, trying to charm her.

Lonnie raised her eyebrows, giving him an awkward smile before turning her attention back to Mal and Evie. "It could use some chips," she said, moving toward the refrigerator.

"Chips?" Jay repeated, stepping back beside Kara.

Mal and Evie let out a collective sigh of relief. "And those are...?" Mal prompted.

"Chocolate chips," Lonnie replied, closing the fridge with a small bowl of chocolate chips in her hand. "Just the most important food group." She walked over to Mal and Evie, placing the bowl on the counter. "Wait, didn't your moms ever make you guys, like, chocolate chip cookies?" she asked, popping a chip into her mouth.

The group exchanged confused and sad glances. "Like, when you're feeling sad, and they're fresh from the oven, with a big old glass of milk, and she just makes you laugh and puts everything into perspective..." Lonnie's voice trailed off as she noticed their somber expressions.

Kara let her head fall onto Jay's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, offering silent comfort. Lonnie looked at them, her expression softening. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" she asked.