When Love is a Question Mark-Chapter 50: Cooking together

Zinnia asked, hoping to break the tension in the air, "Do you need help with dinner?"

Samuel glanced over his shoulder and gave her a small smile. "Actually, I’ve got it covered tonight. I’m making creamy chicken Alfredo with garlic bread and a side salad."

Zinnia raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Wow, Chef Samuel is stepping up his game!"

"Just trying not to burn the kitchen down this time," he teased with a smirk, turning back to the cutting board. "I’ve been practicing. Turns out, it’s all about technique."

Zinnia chuckled and moved closer to the counter, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, if I taste even a hint of burnt garlic bread, we’re going to have a problem."

"I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen," Samuel replied, pretending to be serious, though the smile on his face gave him away.

As they worked together, Zinnia felt herself relax. The playful banter made things feel almost normal again, despite the chaos surrounding them.

"So," she asked, stirring the sauce while Samuel chopped the chicken, "do you ever get tired of cooking?"

Samuel paused, his knife hovering over the cutting board. He seemed to think about it for a moment. "Honestly? No. It’s actually a stress reliever for me. There’s something about making a meal that just... calms me down."

Zinnia nodded, understanding what he meant. "Same here. Cooking lets me focus on something simple and real, you know?"

He smiled slightly. "Exactly. Plus, it’s a great way to impress a date," he added with a wink.

She laughed, feeling the tension between them ease. "Well, consider me impressed. If you can make Alfredo like this every week, I might just keep you around."

"I’m glad to hear it! But wait until you taste it before you decide," he said, his eyes lighting up as he went back to the stove.

The kitchen soon filled with the delicious smell of creamy sauce, garlic bread, and fresh herbs. Zinnia felt a little lighter as they kept talking, swapping stories about cooking.

"So, I had this one cooking class," Samuel began with a grin, shaking his head. "First time making garlic bread, and I was way too confident. I thought, ’It’s just bread and garlic, how hard could it be?’"

Zinnia laughed as she stirred the sauce. "Let me guess... it didn’t go as planned?"

He groaned, rolling his eyes. "You have no idea. I forgot to set a timer, and before I knew it, the whole kitchen was filled with smoke. My instructor wasn’t too happy about that."

"Did you save the bread?" she asked, grinning.

"Not a chance. It was charcoal by the time I got to it," he said with a laugh. "I had to throw it all out and start again."

Zinnia shook her head, still smiling. "Well, everyone has cooking disasters. When I was abroad, I tried cooking for the first time. I thought I’d impress my roommates with a simple pasta dish."

Samuel raised an eyebrow, interested. "How did that go?"

"Let’s just say I didn’t realize you had to boil the water first," Zinnia admitted, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I threw everything into the pot at once, and it turned into a mushy, tasteless mess."

Samuel laughed, shaking his head. "You didn’t!"

"Oh, I did. My roommates never let me forget it. We ended up ordering takeout," Zinnia said, laughing with him.

As they kept swapping stories, the conversation flowed easily. The laughter and light-hearted moments helped them forget about everything else, at least for a while.

When they finished cooking, they set the table and sat down to eat. Zinnia looked at the meal in front of her, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

"This looks amazing," she said, picking up her fork. "Let’s dig in!"

Samuel smiled, watching her take her first bite. "Well? How does it taste?"

Zinnia savored the creamy sauce, its warmth and richness comforting her. She let out a contented sigh. "Wow, this is really good! You’ve definitely improved. You might have a future as a chef."

"Thanks! I’ll add that to my résumé," Samuel joked, biting into the garlic bread. "And I didn’t burn it this time, did I?"

Zinnia held up the perfectly toasted slice. "Nope, this is garlic bread perfection."

As they ate, the conversation turned back to cooking.

"You know," Samuel said, wiping his mouth, "we should do this more often. Cooking nights, just the two of us, trying new recipes."

Zinnia’s eyes lit up. "I’d love that. It sounds fun. Maybe next time, we could try making dessert."

Samuel’s face brightened. "Dessert, huh? Now you’re speaking my language. I’ve been wanting to make a chocolate lava cake."

Zinnia smirked. "Chocolate lava cake? That’s ambitious. Just don’t burn it, or we’ll be back to takeout."

He laughed, leaning a little closer. "I’ll make sure not to disappoint."

They both laughed, and the atmosphere between them grew lighter. For a moment, the weight of everything outside the kitchen seemed to disappear.

As they finished eating, Zinnia reached for the salad bowl, and their fingers brushed lightly. The touch was brief, but it sent a quiet spark between them, filled with unspoken emotions.

"Hey," Samuel said softly, looking into her eyes. "I just want you to know you can talk to me. About anything. No matter what’s going on, let’s promise to talk things out from now on."

Zinnia nodded, her heart warming at his words. "I know, and I appreciate that. It means a lot to me."

Before they could say more, the doorbell rang, interrupting the moment. They both looked toward the front of the house, surprised.

"Who could that be?" Zinnia asked, her heart starting to race.

"I don’t know... maybe a neighbor?" Samuel said, though the concern in his voice was clear.

They stood up and went to the door. Samuel glanced at the small camera near the door and frowned as he looked at the screen.

Zinnia moved closer, her heart skipping a beat when she saw who was standing outside. Her breath caught as the familiar face of her friend, Lily, appeared on the screen.

"Lily?" Zinnia whispered, shock in her voice.