章 15: The Lingering Sweetness

It's as if their awkward position back in his piano room the other day didn't teach him a lesson.

For what seems like another round, Zen encloses the gap between them once again. Anastasia can only blink at him in surprise and confusion, wondering what he's up to this time.

He was just goofing around a minute ago, but now, he's staring down at her in a way that makes her think that she woke something up within him.

Something dangerous, perhaps.

"I'm not always calm, though. Like this, for instance..." Zen trailed off, voice low and raspy, before snatching her hand and placing it on his chest, right beside his racing heart. Anastasia slightly jolts at the contact and the faint yet erratic thumping that comes along with it.

"Can you feel it? I always react this way when you're around."

At his uncalled-for gesture, she almost stumbles backward in flummox, her half-lidded eyes flying wide open all of the sudden. She should've expected another direct attack, but with such a passionate gaze, she lost hold of her senses once more as she plummeted into the ambiguity of his dicey crimsons.

"S-Seriously, what's up with this guy? Can't he tell how flustering his impetuous actions could be?" she silently grimaced, face all flushed from hogging his undivided attention like this.

"But this feeling... It sure is erratic..."

For a second, Anastasia finds herself diverted by the beating of his heart. Her eyes unconsciously stray to his chest, visibly transfixed.

Zen is taken aback the moment he feels her hand loosen up and willingly attach itself to him.

"A heart..." she mumbled listlessly, her mind in a daze. For some reason, she is entranced by the idea of a living's innards, not because she's a zombie, but more likely because she misses the feeling of possessing one.

Zen blushes when she suddenly lets her dainty fingers stroke him ever so gently, spellbound by her touch again. The two then stay that way for a fraction of time until she finally snaps out of her train of thoughts.

"A-Anyway...! Onto the serious matter. I believe I haven't heard how you almost burned this place down. Care to explain?" Anastasia blurted out before pulling away and averting her gaze.

"Oh, right, of course..." Zen trailed off, a bit disappointed at how fleeting that moment was.

With that, he proceeds to explain how he set a good half of the kitchen on fire. He has no choice but to confess about his plan to prepare a platter of sweets for her as a make-up gift to which she only reacts with mixed surprise and incredulity.

"So, you tried baking cookies? That's it?" Anastasia questioned while blinking twice in disbelief.

"I know I'm not a good cook. I also never baked alone before. We usually did this together... And I'm sorry for making you go all through that trouble. I should've taken more care," Zen muttered in low spirits, looking a little regretful.

"It's alright. You also don't have to go through all this trouble to make up with me. We didn't even fight to begin with."

"Still, I just want to make something as an excuse to talk to you. You've been avoiding me these days, and I had no other idea how to approach you... I've been lonely, you know."

Anastasia feels her insides churn a little at his crestfallen tone and expression. Zen sounds really dispirited that it catches her off guard.

It turns out that keeping her distance has a toll on his emotional state all along. Now, she isn't being gullible when she says that she feels a bit guilty.

After all, she can always sense how genuine he is whenever he lets his heart bare like this, and it's called woman intuition.

"Well, since we're already here, we might as well finish what has been started," she offered out of nowhere, making him perk up.

"Really? You'll help me?" he asked in evident delight.

"Rather than leave you alone and put this place in jeopardy again, I will. I believe I can bake as far as my present memories go."

"Sure, you can! In fact, you're very good at it."

"There's only one way to find out, then."

Contrary to her expectations for today, Anastasia ends up helping Zen bake cookies. She thought that it's quite a weird turn of events, but at the very least, she learned something new about herself.

She was surprised when her body began moving by instinct, and some sort of recipe just popped up in her head all of the sudden. It's as if she'd been doing this kind of thing since forever.

"Glad you recalled this, Sia. I can finally taste your cookies again," Zen chirped with an ecstatic grin as he only watched her whisk away, a bowl of cream in hand.

"I see that you're still acting as carefree as ever. Why aren't you moving your hands?" Anastasia chided while she just continued stirring.

"Hmm? Like this?"

Zen then scoops a handful of cream and playfully rubs it on her cheek, making her jump in flummox. As he giggles at her reaction, she glares daggers at him for a moment before taking revenge by doing the same and brazenly spreading it on his face.

Now, he has cream all over his nose and down to his chin.

"Pfft...! You'll make a good Santa with that beard on!" Anastasia suddenly chortled, making him pause in surprise.

"You finally laughed," he then muttered out of nowhere, taking her aback.

As Zen quietly stares at her for a while, completely endeared once more, Anastasia loosens up a little before slowly returning his soft gaze with a confused one. She never thought that merely laughing could get him all tongue-tied as well.