Irresistible

THIRTEEN

Sage's amusement is evident as she watches me bustling around the kitchen. "Pancakes, really? It's dinner time," she remarks, her eyebrows drawing together.

"I've been craving them." I offer a nonchalant shrug in response.  "Are you just going to stand there or are you gonna help?"

Sage's brows knit together as she chuckles at my choice of dinner. "Pancakes, really? It's dinner time," she remarks.

"I've been craving them," I reply with a shrug. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sage salutes, joining me in the kitchen.

As she approaches, pancake mix box in hand, I can see the uncertainty in her expression. "Um, so what do I do?" she asks, her confusion tinged with a touch of embarrassment.

A gentle smile plays on my lips as I glance over at Sage, her blonde hair catching the light in the kitchen. I don't want her to feel embarrassed, not everyone can cook.

Together, we mix the pancake batter until it's smooth and ready to go.

As I pour the batter into the sizzling pan, the sweet aroma fills the kitchen. After a few moments, I expertly flip one, revealing a perfectly golden brown surface.

"Now you try," I say, passing the spatula to Sage. She takes it tentatively, as if it's a foreign object.

With a reassuring nod, I watch as she carefully pours the batter into the pan.

Sage follows the steps diligently, her focus evident as she prepares to flip the pancake. However, when the moment comes, the pancake ends up in a crumpled mess, one side folded over the other in the pan.

"Sage, you have to make sure the pancake is fully on the pan before you flip it," I advise gently, moving in to help salvage the situation.

With careful hands, I unfold the pancake, reshaping it into a proper circle.

"Fuck, this is too hard," Sage mutters under her breath, frustration evident in her tone.

"You're doing great, just try it one more time," I encourage, hoping to boost her confidence.

Sage eyes me skeptically, but with a determined nod, she accepts the challenge. With a swift motion, she flips the pancake, and to our surprise, it lands perfectly, golden brown and fluffy.

"I did it!" she exclaims, a cheeky smile spreading across her face that made me want to kiss her.

Jesus Lilia, stop.

"You did! Great job," I applaud, genuinely proud of her progress.

"Thanks for teaching me," Sage says gratefully, her gaze following my movements as I expertly plate the pancakes.

I nod, a sense of satisfaction washing over me. "Of course. And I'll teach you new recipes too. You're going to be as good as Gordon Ramsay," I say confidently, earning a shake of the head from Sage.

I realize that my implication of cooking together again might have come across as presumptuous, and of course I start to worry.

However, Sage doesn't seem fazed; instead, there's a glint of amusement in her eyes that puts me at ease.

I urgently snatch the plate of pancakes from Sage's hands just as she moves to set it on the dining room table.

"You really shouldn't sit there," I warn her, and Sage shoots me a puzzled expression.

I laugh, waving off her confusion, and carry the plate of pancakes to the couch instead.

Settling onto the couch, I flicked on the TV, the familiar sounds of Gilmore Girls providing background noise as we dug into our pancakes.