Never in my thirty-two years of life did I think I'd be in a white my little pony apron, fidgeting my ass off beside the girl I'd come to adore. Her smile stretched so vastly, the guess that she shed a tear wouldn't even come to mind. Seeing Amelia's tears tore a piece of my heart, I silently prayed she'd understand when explaining the entire ordeal to her.

Unlike what I was used to, she didn't spring on her feet and curse at me for leaving her hanging. She asked if Gabe was alright. How sweet could this little lady be? I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Abel and she were siblings, I mean, the similarities were there but...I didn't see it coming. I'm sure her brother had become suspicious of me, his glare affirmed my thoughts.

But goodness, I meant no harm.

"Everest?" Her light, adorable voice pitched out my name, bringing me from the realm of thoughts. Humming instantly, I look down at her with a nervous smile. The first agenda of our 'mini' date was baking. Ha, I'd never baked a thing in my life; her grin made me agree right away though. "You're the chef, remember?"

"Shi--I mean, I am?" To be honest, it felt vulgar to curse in front of Amelia, it seemed like her big doe eyes absorbed my every move. Amelia giggled, an airy sound on her plump lips. "Yes, silly. You said yes, remember?" Ah, right. How could I not?

Chuckling at the girl, I nodded white itching the back of my neck. You know what? I'd try to bake the best damn cake I could. "What's first, little lady?" I teased, leaning over with a smirk. If I didn't know I'd have pegged the bright smile on her face as a confident one but I knew she was squirming underneath. "W-well..." Her stutter validated it.

She puffed out her chest, pointing her index in the air. "We're making a confetti cake! I have some ice cream in the freezer so that could be our dessert." Amelia began with a cute cheese. A confetti cake...how amusing. "I assume you'll direct me?" She smirked, tilting her head.

"If I don't we'd be eating stones by the next hour." She teased, shrugging her shoulder innocently like she didn't just dent my ego. "Oh? You have jokes, I see." Amelia rose up her hands in surrender as my hands subconsciously went to her sides.

"E-Everest!" She squealed, trying to squirm out of my hold. Deciding to stop, I removed my hands from her sides, the smile refusing to fade from my lips. If Saffron saw how big I was grinning right now, I wouldn't hear the end of it. "That reminds me, you haven't told me how dashing I look in the apron you gave me."

I hummed jokingly, taking a step back and striking a subtle pose which as expected, drew fits of laughter from her belly. "My bad." Amelia scrunched up her nose, her faded girl orbs seeming brighter than before.

Thank God they weren't red anymore. "You do look handsome, even more with the apron on," Amelia commented seriously, fiddling with her thumb which gave out her nervousness. "I did make an effort because of today," I admitted with a shrug, dusting the apron of the nonexistent dirt.

Her eyebrows drew up, "Oh, I see." She muttered cutely.

"So! Let's begin." The little lady interjected into the silence, clapping her hands. As she instructed me on the measurements of the flour and eggs, I took them to her house. It was fairly big and homey, and my curiosity peaked when I spotted a picture on top of the cabinet. It was of a woman, a teenage boy and a small girl. The woman was beautiful, a resemblance to Amelia so daunting. That was her mother, was she not around anymore? I'd never heard Amelia speak of her.

Noticing that Amelia had stopped talking, I glanced over to see she was already looking at me. Her face wasn't lifted in a smile, she seemed conflicted as she saw what I had been focusing on. Was I intruding? "I'm sorry." I didn't know why I was apologizing, it just seemed convenient. Amelia shook her head, looking at a picture of her mother with a sad smile.

"It's so she can always be watching over me, Papa doesn't really like to but that's why I kept it so high." I nodded, not wanting to push it, when she was ready, she'd tell me. "I see where you get your beauty from." Although it was a compliment, I meant every word. Amelia chuckled faintly, forcing a smile on her face.

"Thanks."

"So, after the baking powder, what next?" I changed the subject, not liking how solemn she'd become. Coming back to herself, she grinned, nodding her head.

With her peering eyes, I tried to crack the egg precisely but a stubborn eggshell still found its way into the mixture, much to her amusement. With the right measurement, the batter seemed fairly right in no time. My arms flexed as I tried tuning them into one position. Hmm, this wasn't so hard after all.

"Don't overmix it!"

Amelia called out with a giggle, pulling my arms to stop it from how fast it was going. I liked how warm her palms felt on my elbow. "So this is okay?" "Uh-huh." Putting it into the baking sheet -- which I just learnt the name of, I shoved it into the oven and set a timer.

"Yay! You did it." Amelia patted her little hands excitedly.

"You're not too bad of a teacher." I hummed, folding my arms. Her eyebrows knitted as if trying to decipher what I'd said. "Hey!" I smirked, raising my hands. "It's a compliment, sweetheart." Amelia puffed her cheeks before folding her arms. "It's a two-sided one."

"Alright, you're a pretty good teacher. A cute one too."

"Everest!" The words came out muffled as she has covering her face with her palms. Perhaps adorable was a more befitting word. I couldn't help the chuckle that slipped out from watching how flustered she was. "I'm serious." I continue to laugh as she wiggles away from my sight.

"Do you want anything to drink?"

"Anything you have is fine." She nodded.

"I don't have any alcohol if that's what you fancy, would lemon juice do?" Amelia questioned, rocking the ball on her leg. "Lemon's fine." I wouldn't mind a beer but if she didn't have then I guess I'd take whatever she gave.

"You said you were in the army...can I ask how that was? And uh, why you joined?"

She was cautious, and I understood why. It was a pretty deep question if I really decided to go into details but not today. "Well," I began, taking the glass cup from her with thanks. The lemonade was sour but has a slight sweetness to it, was that pineapple? "To be honest, the idea of serving my country makes me feel fulfilled. I always looked up to my grandfather, he led his squad to victory, not minding his missing limb as the consequence." I saw her adjust in her seat, interest bubbling in her pupils.

"So, I guess I can say I was inspired." I shrug, chugging more of the lemonade. "And, how was it, you ask?" A humourless chuckle left my lips, the best word to describe it was bittersweet. I met some good friends and lost some too.

"To be honest? I got more mature. I had this thinking that my friends would always be with me, but damn did the army humble my optimism." Some said everything happened for a reason, maybe it did. Perhaps that 'something' would tell me why it took some of the people I thought would survive when the sword was drawn.

"It was a bit of an eye-opener. Thrilling yet horrific." When I saw how glossy her eyeballs had gotten, I stopped. With a deep sigh, I ran my hand through my face. "I'm sorry." She shook her head, inching closer to me. "Don't be sorry, I'm not crying because of you," Amelia muttered, trying to sniffle her tears back in.

"I shouldn't have asked that."

"No, it's okay. I guess you were curious."

"I'm glad your friend Gabe is awake now." Her hand dropped on mine gently, thumb caressing me in a comforting way. Amelia's words made me smile. "I am too."

"Everest?" She called out, her voice seeming unsure.

"Can I ask why you came so late? You could have just come by later on, but...it seemed like you were rushing here." Amelia's gentle voice did something to my heart, it made me deliberately want to match her energy, and speak with as much carefulness as she did. Carefully, I began to trace patterns on the back of her palm.

"I didn't want to leave it until then...I wanted to at least try and see you clear things up. Plus, I missed you." I added with a sly smirk, earning a shy squirm from her. "Everest..." She whined, trying to cover her face but I was holding her other hand. It was soft, and smooth too.

"I mean it." She puffed out her cheeks. "I did miss seeing you."

I chuckled at her confession. Baby steps, Everest. It was hard not to pull her into a hug. "Sweetheart?" Amelia looked towards me with a charming smile. "Hm?"

Baby steps, Everest.

"I just want to make my intentions clear." I began, much to my conscience's dismay. He kept nudging me to hold my tongue but I was too far gone. Her lips pouted slightly, awaiting my words.

"I have feelings for you,"

And right on cue, the oven alerted us that the batter had swollen into a fluffy rainbow cake with a ding.