Song: Zehnaseeb from the movie Hasee toh Phasee.
Lyrics: http://www.bollymeaning.com/2014/01/zehnaseeb-lyrics-translation-hasee-toh.html
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After getting the information out of Christine, things went back to their normal, boring selves. My dad contacted the police in the Maldives not long after the interrogation, and they immediately got on the case. They're still working on where Philip is, but I'm sure that they'll get to his location soon. The Maldives are pretty small, so it should be relatively easy.
The week after, on Sunday, I'm running around like crazy trying to make things perfect. I'm measuring flour, writing out notes, and just making sure everything is going to be perfect for what's coming up. Let's just say that this is a pretty big event. And I'm planning to bake.
If you want to be relatively uninjured, I suggest you stay out of the kitchen and let me do my job.
I have a lot of flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and other baking products out. As I'm beating the egg whites together like it's their punishment for committing murder, I see Anthony walk by the kitchen. When he sees me, his face looks like someone said that England is a city.
Basically, he looks like he's questioning his faith in humanity.
"Sophia, what are you doing?" he asks. I raise an eyebrow at him.
"I'm spying on the President. What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" I ask sarcastically. Anthony rolls his eyes.
"I know you're baking, Soph. I'm not blind. But why? You're baking something like the government is going to personally execute you if you don't do it," he says. I roll my eyes.
"Well, wouldn't you do something nice if your boyfriend's birthday was on Tuesday?" I ask. Anthony's mouth opens.
"Ohhhhh. So that's why you're acting like you're baking as if there was a lifetime supply of Oreos as a prize at stake," he says. I scoff.
"You'd do the same thing if you ever had a girlfriend. I put a heavy emphasis on ever," I say. Anthony rolls his eyes.
"Oh come on! I've had a girlfri-," he says, but I cut him off.
"For. The. Last. Time. Julia. Doesn't. Count. How many times do I have to say that?" I ask. He opens his mouth to argue, but I cut him off.
"Don't even bother arguing. I have everything against you," I say. He sighs.
"Fine. So what are you making for Ray?" he asks. I smile.
"Heart shaped macarons for school so we can share them with all of his friends. And then for home, with his family, I'm making Parizsky dort," I tell him while still beating the crap out of the egg whites.
"So, I know that you're making macarons since Grandpa gave you that recipe. But I know that Parizsky dort is definitely not something from our family because that name is very West Slavic. And I'm pretty sure we don't have anyone in our family who's from the Slavic area of Europe," he says. I look at him.
"How'd you guess?" I ask him. He smiles.
"I may have remembered a few things when I took Bosnian last year," he says confidently. I sigh.
"Ok, Anthony. How would you be able to connect the dots? Bosnian is a language in the South Slavic family. Tell me how you connected the dots," I say. He sighs.
"Ok fine. I picked up a few things from Devon," he says, like he's surrendering at the end of a battle.
"Yeah. That makes sense. Devon's half Polish. But yes, you're correct. Parizsky dort is a Czech recipe. I borrowed it from Mrs. Richards, and I'm trying my hand at it. She says it was her grandmother's recipe. And Ray's a total chocoholic, so this is the perfect dessert for him," I say. Anthony smiles.
"Well, I'm glad that you're making something nice for him. You're a great girlfriend, Sophia. And besides, maybe Ray will get a little something special for his birthday," he says, winking and giving me a nudge. With my dirty mind, I immediately know where he's coming from. I roll my eyes and step on his foot hard. He winces in pain and holds it up.
"Ow! Gosh! Sophia, what the hell?!" he exclaims. The egg whites are frothy enough, so I leave them.
"First Pete telling me that Ray should get something extra this year, now you? What is it with everyone's dirty mind?" I ask. Anthony just laughs and steals a chocolate chip before running out of the kitchen. I just go back to making my baked goods. Because I know that I have to make this birthday perfect for Ray.
After making the macarons, I leave them to dry so that they don't crack while baking. I then mix together egg yolks, sugar, and oil to make the Parizsky dort. While I'm mixing together the ingredients, my phone rings. Without stopping the mixing, I pick up my phone and press it to my ear with my shoulder.
"Hello?" I ask as I add some water to the mix.
"Hey, Sophia. You seem distressed. What are you doing?" she asks. I sigh.
"I'm trying to find a way to get to Narnia and if I do something incorrectly then I could potentially freeze to death. What the hell do you think I'm doing?" I ask. Sonia scoffs.
"You and sarcasm. You're making something for Ray, aren't you?" she asks. I smile.
"How did you guess?" I ask. She snickers.
"Oh, just a hunch, I suppose," she says, and we both laugh. I raise my eyebrows at the loud yelling in the background.
"Um, Sonia. Either there's a wrestling match going on or your mom is talking to your aunt," I say. Sonia snorts.
"It's the latter. My parents are too afraid that I'll break something in the house if I wrestle inside," she says, laughing.
"So anyways, what are you making?" she asks.
"Heart shaped macarons for school so we can all share, and then Parizsky dort for his family. Ramona is the only person who knows that I'm doing it. She's really excited for me to make this dessert. It was her grandmother's recipe, and she and Danicka always make it when there's a special occasion," I tell her excitedly. Sonia giggles a little bit.
"You're really excited to be making this cake. And I get the heart shaped macarons. Convenient that Ray was born on Valentine's Day, right?" she says.
"Oh very convenient. I like to think that he was born on that day because he had a lot of love to give," I say dreamily. Sonia snickers.
"He still does. Maybe you'll return the favor in a special way," she says suggestively. I add the sugar and cocoa to the mix.
"Sonia, not you too. I already had Pete and Anthony make that joke," I say as I stir the mixture. Sonia laughs. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. By the way, did Anthony use his Bosnian knowledge to sniff out the fact that Ramona gave you the recipe?" she says. My eyes widen.
"How did you know? You're scary," I say. Sonia chuckles.
"I remembered you told me Anthony took Bosnian for two semesters. He's not bad. Plus, the only reason I remember is because you were literally etching into my brain how Anthony was trying really hard to learn Bosnian for college. It's literally tattooed into my brain," she says. I roll my eyes.
"Hey, it's not your fault that you offered to be my therapist. Anthony was trying to memorize Bosnian so loudly, it drove me insane. I had to rant to you about it," I say. Sonia sighs.
"Fine, that's fair. But you went all out like a freaking nutcase. It was like someone had tortured you and I was a police officer getting your statement," she says. I stir the mixture a little bit more, and I add the rest of the ingredients.
"I can never win with you, Sonia. Honestly. You always have something snarky or the other to say to me," I say. Sonia scoffs.
"Have you met me? Snarky is my middle name," she says. I grab the trays of macarons that have been drying.
"That's a lie. Your middle name is-," I say, but she cuts me off.
"Say my middle name and I will reach into the phone and cut your throat," Sonia says. I snicker.
"Come on. Your middle name isn't that bad," I say. Sonia scoffs.
"It's bad enough for Pete to tease me for a whole week about it. I never heard the end of it," she says. I open the oven and I place the macarons inside.
"Well, it's not the worst thing that he teased you about," I say, and I whip some cream for the topping.
"Well true. He always teases me about being Russian. I'm proud of it, not going to lie, but honestly, it gets so old after a while," she says. I raise my eyebrows suggestively.
"Maybe you like it," I say, and I wiggle my eyebrows. Sonia can sense the nature of it over the phone.
"SOPHIA! Gross! No! Oh my goodness, no! That just put the worst images in my head!" Sonia screams. I start to laugh really hard.
"Hey, that's what you get for being really dirty. Don't act all innocent," I say. Sonia sighs. "Fair enough. So anyways, do we all get macarons?" she asks. I sigh.
"Maybe. Depends on how greedy Ray is that day," I say. Sonia smiles.
"Hey, your birthday is in 5 days itself. Maybe you'll make a second batch," she says.
"Yeah, I don't think so since I don't think my mom will like me dirtying up the kitchen. She's already going to lose her marbles when she sees what I did today," I say. Sonia laughs.
"She probably will. Ok, I have to go. I have to get an earful from my aunt about how my Russian has too thick of an American accent," she says. I laugh.
"Fine. See you, Sonia," I say. "Later," she says, and I hang up. After that, I just continue to bake the rest of Ray's baked goods.
On Tuesday, I go to Ray's locker in order to find him. When I get there, he comes up to his locker with his chemistry book on hand. "Ray," I say, and he throws me a warm smile when he sees me.
"Hi, belle," he says. I pull out the container of macarons, and I give it to him.
"Happy Valentine's Day and happy birthday," I say. Ray looks touched. He takes the container and he opens it up. His face beams when he sees the heart shaped macarons.
"These look so good, belle," he says, and he takes one and shoves it into his mouth. His signature smile forms over his face, and he wraps his arms around me.
"Belle, these are amazing. Thank you. I love them," he says. He then closes the container, but not before noticing the note on top.
"What's this?" he asks. He detaches the note, and he reads the contents of it out loud.
"You were always there for me,
even at my worst.
Now I can safely say
you've captured my heart first.
You never let me down.
You were always by my side.
You held on to me
through this very bumpy ride.
I had always imagined
that I'd fall for you.
I didn't know one day
my dreams would come true.
I've always had your back
through fights and tears.
I've been there everyday
for all those five years.
I'm always thinking about you
every day and night.
Through all my dark times
you're my source of light.
Through all these years,
you've held my heart.
I'm now convinced
we will never be torn apart," he reads out loud.
He then holds the note close to his heart, and looks at me with a dreamy look in his eyes. "Belle, this is the best birthday ever. The poem was amazing. Thank you so much," he says smoothly, and I smile.
"I wanted to make this one memorable. You deserved it anyways," I say. He smiles, and he brings us together in a soul warming hug. I bury my face into his chest and he rests his chin on my head. We stay there for a good 2 minutes, and then he lets go of me.
"I have something for you too. For Valentine's Day," he says. He reaches into his bag and he pulls out a little box. It's really cute. It's a bronze-brown box with a red ribbon tied on it. I look up at him, hopeful, and he nods. I pull the ribbon off of the box and open the top of it. Inside, I'm struck by awe. There are two heart shaped earrings, and on the hearts, his name is carved in gold.
"Ray. These are stunning," I exclaim. He smiles. He takes the earrings out of the box and he slides them into my piercings. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear so that they can be showcased.
"I thought that these would look amazing on you. "That way, you can see how much my heart beats for you," he says. I feel all warm and tingly inside. Why does he have to be so perfect? I wonder.
"Happy Valentine's Day, belle," he says, and he lifts my chin up with his hand.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Ray," I say happily.
We spend the rest of the day having a lot of fun and enjoying the macarons that I made. The sad part was that Ray didn't eat the majority of the macarons. Pete did. He saw them and he just went crazy. He was just like "oh I'll just take one more." He did that at least 5 times.
It shows that I nailed it.
Eventually, I go home, and I grab the Parizsky dort that I made a few days prior. While I'm adding the finishing touches, Anthony comes in. He looks at the cake and I can tell his mouth is starting to water.
"Damn it. I wish my birthday was today," he says.I look at him annoyed.
"Your birthday is in a month. Plus, we all know that I'm going to be making a crap ton of Italian treats for you, Anthony," I say. He shrugs.
"That's fair. But that cake looks delicious," he says. I smile.
"Well thank you. I'm sure Ray's family will enjoy eating every single crumb of it," I say, and exit the kitchen. With the cake in my arms, I go to my car and I start to drive to Ray's house.
When I get there, the lights are on. Especially the kitchen light. I think Mrs. Richards is making the best Estonian dinner that she can possibly manage. I go to their door, and ring the doorbell. I hear footsteps coming towards the door, and then Mrs. Richards opens it. When she sees me, her face lights up.
"Sophia! You brought the cake!" she exclaims. I nod.
"I did the best that I could. I'm really excited to see Ray's reaction," I say. She smiles.
"I am too. It's one of his favorite cakes ever. Come inside, and we can see," she says. I go inside, and I put the cake on the dining table.
"Ray! Randy! Come over here!" Ramona says, while she goes to the cupboard to fetch candles and matches. I can see Ray almost frolic from his room, and when he sees me, the look on his face brightens.
"Sophia! What are you doing here?" he asks. I smile. "Celebrating your birthday! No duh!" I tell him. He smiles.
"So sweet," he exclaims, and then his glance shifts over to the cake.
"Is that Parizsky dort?" he asks. I nod. "Your favorite," I say happily. He looks at me, overjoyed. "You made it for me?" he exclaims. I nod.
"Just for you. Your mom gave me the family recipe," I say. He comes over to me and he plants a long kiss on my lips. I can tell that means a long, "thank you." He's really appreciative of it.
"Okay, tone down the PDA!" we hear someone shriek. Ray disconnects our lips, and he turns around. Randy is standing there, with a slightly disgusted look on his face.
"Hey, deal with it. You're going to see a lot of it," Ray says. Randy walks into the kitchen. As he's walking into the kitchen, I hear, "I wonder if a fork is enough to claw my eyes out from what I just saw." Ray and I both start to laugh really hard.
"That doesn't matter. I'm just glad that you're here with me, celebrating my 18th birthday," he says. I smile.
"I am too," I say in return. I hear Mrs. Richards' footsteps come closer to us.
"Okay, I hate to break this cuteness up, but we have to sing 'Happy Birthday' for Ray," she says, and Ross follows behind her.
"Agreed. It'd be a sin to not do it for my son. Especially when he just turned 18," Ross says. Ramona puts the candles on the cake and lights them. Once they are lit, we start singing the song. At the end of the song, Ray blows out the candles, and then we all cheer. He then plants a kiss on my lips. We then deal the cake, and we're all enjoying it.
"Holy moly, Sophia. You nailed the recipe! The cake is delicious," Ramona says.
"Thanks, Mrs. Richards! I tried my best," I say. She nods.
"I give it the seal of approval. It's amazing. Ray, what do you think?" Ramona asks. He doesn't say anything. The little bit of chocolate on his lips and his clean plate is a good enough answer.
"I guess the recipe was good," I say, and Ray nods.
"Best Parizsky dort ever. Thank you, belle," he says. I smile. He walks up to me and he plants a light kiss on my lips. I can taste the chocolate from the cake.
"Wow, I think you have chocolate on your lips. I taste it," I say. He smiles, and then wipes his mouth.
"Can't help it. The cake was amazing," he says, and we all laugh. After that, we just eat and be merry. It never hurts to celebrate the fact that your boyfriend has finally become an adult.
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Well, I did it, guys. I didn't think that I would be able to write a chapter that was longer than, "The First One." But, I did it. This one is over 5.5k words. I think that's a good enough explanation as to why I'm splitting it. Do you guys think that I should've included their birthdays and Valentine's Day? Let me know.
Hey everyone! Yes, another fluffy chapter. The second part of this, and the next chapter are all going to be pretty fluffy. But after this, I won't put fluff in here for a whole cycle, I think. Well, not this kind of fluff, but you know what I mean. Or do you?
Just kidding. I hope you guys liked this chapter!
Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all on Wednesday with the second part of this chapter! Have a great week!
Love you guys,
Shree