The Experience Buddy [Completed]

Chapter 16

Since the weather wasn't cold enough, it has yet to snow so we couldn't go skiing or snowboarding around the area. The water in the lakes was not frozen enough as well for ice fishing. So over the next few days, we did mostly indoor activities like visiting museums, art galleries and even the arcade in the shopping mall.

"Loser grants winner a wish?" Hero suggested.

"Okay, 3 games out of 5." I said.

"Fine." He agreed.

One hour later...

"What is your wish?" I asked reluctantly.

Hero hesitated for a moment and then said, "I'll keep it first."

"Okay fine. The wish expires on the last day of this year."

When Christmas eve came, we decided to watch movies at Hero's place. Since shops will close early today, we might have a problem ordering take out for dinner later so I suggested cooking our own. We made a quick trip to the nearby mart and grabbed some groceries since Hero's place has nothing except for drinks in his fridge and chips in the cupboard.

Our plan was to make mac and cheese.

I stood in front of the electric stove and stared blankly. Inhaling a deep breath, I took another look at the recipe on my phone that I have found online.

"It says simple macaroni and cheese. I can do this, right..." I muttered under my breath.

Following the instructions on the recipe, I first have to boil a pot of water. Added salt into the water and stirred, then left the pot alone to move on to work on the sauce. I melted the butter in a saucepan, sprinkled salt and pepper, added in the flour and stirred.

"This is not too hard!" I thought.

While I was stirring the mixture, the water in the pot came to a boil, causing the lid to jump around on top of the pot. I rushed to get the pack of macaroni from the kitchen island only to realize I forgot to measure out the amount that I would need. When I was opening the packet to pour out the portion enough for two people into a cup, the mixture in the saucepan started to bubble. I poured the milk into the saucepan and things were calmed for now.

Or so I thought.

I forgot about the lid and it started dancing on top of the pot now. While trying to remove the lid, I got scalded by a couple of droplets of hot water that jumped from the surface. I dropped the lid on the counter, causing a loud clanging sound.

"Are you okay?" Hero shouted from the living room.

"Yeah! It's all good!" I shouted back.

The mixture in the saucepan was bubbling again. I ignored the burning sensation on my hand and gathered the macaroni that I spilled on the counter while trying to stir the mixture at the same time to stop it from splattering.

"How is this okay?" Suddenly Hero came up from behind me, causing me to jump a little.

"Uhm, I-"

Then he turned off the stove, made me empty my hands then dragged me to the sink. He turned the tap on and held my hand under the running tap. My heart began to race as I was caught between him and the kitchen counter.

"You should have turned the stove off and take care of your wound first." Hero said in a low voice, his eyes fixated on my hand.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled.

In the end, the sauce got burnt so it had to be thrown away. Hero chased me out of the kitchen and told me to fetch the first aid kit to dress my wound.

"I didn't know you could cook." I said, feeling amazed when he placed an appetizing bowl of mac and cheese in front of me.

"I didn't know you couldn't." He remarked as he sat down on the couch beside me.

"Thanks anyway." I told him, clearing my throat to hide my embarrassment. Then I crossed my legs on the couch and picked up the bowl from the coffee table. "So, what are we watching?"

"Anything that scares the shit out of you."

URGH.

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"This, the season to be jolly~ Lalalalala~ Lalalala~" Carollers were singing in the streets and the same few songs were playing on repeat in stores.

We didn't exactly have a plan on where to go or what to do on Christmas day but we both didn't want to stay indoors. So we strolled along Seaport Boulevard in Redwood City, just to soak in the jolly season atmosphere.

"I have never met anyone who cried while watching Jurassic World!" Hero exclaimed.

"It's weirder that you didn't tear. The scene of the dinosaurs drowning was just too sad!" I argued.

"Then there was also the scene of the dinosaurs crying for help when the lava was gonna consume the island." Just thinking about those scenes again made my eyes teary.

Yesterday, quite surprisingly we came to a consensus on the movie quite quickly. So we ate our mac and cheese dinner while watching 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' on Netflix. About 45 minutes or so into the movie, I started to bawl my eyes out. Good thing I have already finished my food, otherwise, my dinner might taste extra salty.

"So where is my Christmas present?" Hero asked.

"You will only get it when the rest returns." I told him.

"Oh, so I really am getting one." He muttered with his eyebrows raised.

"Just so you know, I didn't get you anything. So don't have any expectations." He told me.

"I wasn't expecting anything." I rolled my eyes.

The place was filled mostly with couples. Well, I suppose families and friends would be hanging out indoors instead? At least that was how it was for me. Every Christmas, I was home with my parents and during high school I would be over at Madison's.

This was the first time for me to be leisurely strolling around outdoors like this. It was a nice change.

We were heading for the pier when we passed by a couple who was kissing under a mistletoe that was hung on a decorative well in the square, beside the christmas tree.

"Have you heard of how the tradition of kissing under a mistletoe came about?" I asked.

"No. Go ahead and bore me." Hero answered.

So I started with the plant's history, and how the Greeks used to use it as a cure for everything. Despite Hero's lack of enthusiasm for the subject, I went to talk about the Norse mythology. We reached the pier by the time I was done with the folklore.

"Bottomline is, it's just a sacred herb?" Hero scoffed.

"Yeah, I guess it is. And I didn't think you were paying attention." I grinned.

"Since it's tradition..." Hero grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him. Then he kept inching closer that I had to walk backwards until I had my back to the pole of a street lamp. His other hand reached for my waist while the other was still tightly gripping onto my wrist.

"What are you-"

Then right there and then, he pressed his lips against mine, under a mistletoe that was hung onto the pole of a street lamp.

Holyshit. What just happened?

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A/N: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/238691/simple-macaroni-and-cheese/

If anyone is interested, the URL above is the recipe that Emily attempted (and failed). Do share how it went if you attempted the recipe!

Pssst! True story: I tried making beef stew once, it was my first and last time. We had to throw the entire pot away. ):