English Version: Sands & Sparrow

51

"Do you like the jeepney?" Aveline asked with a bright smile as they walked along the hallway towards Mrs. Poulain's bakeshop. Margo exhaled sharply, a brief crease forming on her forehead. "It's horrible. I hate the smell, but I can ride it again as long as you're with me," she admitted.

Aveline chuckled at Margo's response. "I thought I would have melted from all your sniffing. You kept burying your nose in my neck," she teased, her dimples deepening with her smile. Margo shot her a glare, though her eyes twinkled with affection. "I won't let you out of my sight," she declared, gripping Aveline's hand more firmly.

The workshop was held in the spacious kitchen owned by Mrs. Poulain. The surroundings were inviting, with all the necessary ingredients and tools neatly prepared and laid out on every counter. Other students began to busy themselves with making bread, most donning aprons and white uniforms provided by their teacher. However, Mrs. Poulain didn't need to give much instruction, as Aveline had been her regular student from the very beginning.

"Are you ready?" Aveline asked as she adjusted Margo's apron, carefully tying the knot at the back.

"Baking is easy," Margo replied confidently, prompting Aveline to arch an eyebrow and shake her head in amused disbelief. "You and your smugness, Margo," she teased, her voice laced with affection and a hint of challenge.

They began the process of baking the cake. Aveline was enchanted by all the sounds and the vibrant energy in the kitchen; to her, it felt like music to her ears, and being with Margo transformed the experience into the best day of her life. Margo placed the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, beating them together until the mixture became fluffy and creamy. Then she added the eggs and vanilla, stirring the mixture diligently until the eggs were fully incorporated. Suddenly, Margo paused as someone playfully wiped a pinch of flour on her cheek. Her hand halted in the midst of flavoring and measuring ingredients. "Hey!" she protested, her cheeks flushing with a mix of surprise and mild irritation. She shot a glare at Aveline, who simply shrugged, her dimpled smile giving her the innocent look of a child.

The kitchen was soon filled with the enticing aromas of cinnamon, vanilla, and strawberry. The sugary sweetness that enveloped the air was a delight, satisfying to the very core of their senses.

"Baking cake is more challenging than cooking," Margo remarked as she began to artfully spread the cream from a piping bag, while Aveline delicately rotated the cake, ensuring the icing was distributed evenly on top.

"Why?" Aveline's chocolate eyes widened in amazement as the buttery aroma tantalized her senses.

Margo focused on sculpting the icing over the cake. "You can't just toss in any ingredients. The amounts of baking powder and other components need to be precise. Otherwise, things can go awry."

The cake transformed under their hands into a masterpiece resembling a white flower, its soft and creamy design invoking a sense of delicate beauty. Margo dusted the surface with sugar and generously sprinkled coconut shavings over it. She then artistically drizzled luscious caramel sauce on top, adding layers of buttercream in between. The cake exuded elegance and temptation, its velvety layers adorned with caramel and coconut inviting admiration and desire.

"Oh, that explains why you become so focused when you bake," Aveline noted with a cheerful laugh, savoring the buttery scent filling the kitchen. She stepped away from Margo and approached the oven containing freshly baked buns. Wincing slightly from the heat, she carefully removed the muffins from the oven and arranged them on a silver plate. "I made some muffins while you were busy," she announced, placing the plate beside the beautifully decorated cake.

"Can I try?" Margo asked, her green eyes captivated by the colorful muffins. Steam rose upward from their centers, filling the kitchen with a medley of scents. Strawberry, chocolate, cinnamon, and raspberry muffins were meticulously arranged on a silver platter, each topped with grain-like, colorful candies.