Chapter 15

Cooking with friends was supposed to be a team-building exercise, but with this group, it was more of a survival exercise.

I took charge as head chef because, quite frankly, I didn't trust anyone else to do it properly. Will's tragic cooking history was well-documented, and while Gabi was decent, she preferred to let me take the reins. Macklin, on the other hand, claimed he helped his mom cook all the time, so I assigned him to the important vegetable and chicken duty. Will and Gabi were put on the safest tasks; boiling the pasta and handling cleanup.

"Are you sure you can boil water without setting off the fire alarm?" I asked Will skeptically.

Will rolled his eyes. "Okay, first of all, the fire alarm thing was one time, and second, I am a fully capable adult."

Gabi snorted. "Barely."

Will gasped dramatically. "The betrayal"

Macklin, standing beside me as he prepped the chicken, leaned in slightly and whispered, "I feel like we should just have an ambulance on standby."

I bit back a laugh. "Agreed."

Will, who had been paying absolutely zero attention to the water level in the pot, suddenly shrieked as it nearly boiled over.

"Dude, you had one job" Macklin said, shaking his head, laughing.

I turned back to making the homemade pasta, rolling out the dough carefully. Macklin dusted the countertop with flour and leaned over slightly, watching me work.

"You're good at this," he commented.

"I take my pasta-making very seriously."

He chuckled. "Clearly. So what, are you secretly an Italian grandmother in disguise?"

I flicked a tiny bit of flour in his direction. "Maybe."

Macklin grinned and then, before I could react, he blew a cloud of flour directly into my hair.

I froze, blinking as a literal fog of flour surrounded me. Macklin stood there, looking completely unbothered, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh, you did not just do that," I said slowly.

"It was an accident," he said, voice laced with fake innocence.

I narrowed my eyes. "Oh, an accident? Well, let me accidentally do this—"

I grabbed a handful of flour and smacked it against his hoodie.

Macklin laughed, shaking his head as flour poofed into the air around him. "Wow. Mature."

I grinned. "Just returning the favor."

That was all the invitation he needed. Before I could escape, he grabbed a bit of dough and smeared it on my cheek.

"Macklin!" I shrieked, laughing as I reached for a handful of flour to retaliate.

"Hey, hey, truce!" he said, holding up his hands.

I paused, suspicious. "You're calling a truce?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I don't wanna mess up your very serious pasta-making process."

I eyed him warily. "You swear?"

"Scout's honor," he said, placing a hand over his chest.

I wasn't sure I trusted him, but before I could think too hard about it, he reached out and brushed some flour off my cheek, his fingers lingering just a second too long.

My breath hitched slightly. His smirk became softer, his touch light.

"See? Truce," he murmured.

I swallowed. "Right. Truce."

"Unless you want to keep this going?" he teased.

I rolled my eyes, pushing his chest lightly. "Just cut the chicken, Celebrini."

He laughed, stepping back to return to his task. But the warmth in my cheeks lingered.

——

Meanwhile, Will & Gabi...

While Macklin and I had our entire moment, Will and Gabi were engaged in their own battle, this one against the boiling pasta water.

"Why is it foaming?" Will asked, poking at it with a spoon.

"Did you put too much water?" Gabi asked.

"I don't know, I just poured some in—"

The water bubbled over, hissing as it hit the stovetop.

Will yelped and jumped back. "IT'S ALIVE!"

Gabi burst out laughing. "Will, oh my God!"

I turned just in time to see Will dramatically fan the pot with a dish towel like that would somehow help.

Macklin sighed, shaking his head. "I swear we need to put this man in cooking lessons."

I snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that."

Gabi, still laughing, grabbed a wooden spoon and stirred the pasta to keep it from overflowing. "See? Crisis averted."

Will huffed. "This is a hostile cooking environment."

Gabi hugged Will from behind before saying, "it's okay, you're trying your best."

Will's brain short-circuited.

"I—I am," he stammered, turning slightly pink.

Gabi just smirked, going back to stirring the pasta.

——

Despite the utter chaos, dinner turned out amazing. The Alfredo sauce was creamy, the pasta was perfectly cooked (despite Will's earlier mishap), and Macklin's chicken was actually seasoned to perfection.

Will took one bite and groaned dramatically. "Lex, I will literally pay you to cook for me every day."

I laughed. "I'll consider it."

Gabi nudged him. "Or you could just learn how to cook."

Will gasped. "Betrayal."

Macklin smirked. "You walked into that one."

As we ate, the topic of movie night came up.

"I cannot wait to watch Mufasa," Will said, eyes lighting up.

Macklin smirked at me. "You excited, Lex? Or are you too cool for it?"

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "I'm definitely excited. I mean, we all grew up on The Lion King."

Gabi clapped her hands together. "Okay, so full cozy mode. Blankets, snacks, and no distractions."

Macklin and Will both nodded like it was a serious mission.

I smiled, feeling a warmth settle in my chest. Between the chaos of cooking, the playful moments, and the excitement over something as simple as a movie night, this night was shaping up to be one of my favorites.

——

The living room was wrapped in a warm glow from the TV, the only other source of light coming from the dimmed kitchen. A pile of blankets and pillows was spread across the floor and couch, making the perfect setup for a cozy night in. The smell of buttery popcorn lingered in the air, mixing with the faint scent of vanilla from Gabi's candles.

We were about thirty minutes into Mufasa, completely engrossed in the story, when I caught movement from the corner of my eye.

I turned slightly, just in time to see Macklin do the most cliché move ever.

The yawn and stretch.

I held back my laugh as his arm oh-so-casually draped over my shoulder, his fingers resting lightly on my upper arm.

I turned my head and raised a brow. "Seriously?" I whispered.

He looked down at me, playing innocent. "What?"

I rolled my eyes. "The yawn move? That's, like, peak cheesy high school movie material."

Macklin smirked. "Yeah? And did it work?"

I opened my mouth to protest, to tease him for being so predictable, but before I could say anything, I realized... I didn't actually mind it.

The warmth of his arm around me, the steady rise and fall of his chest, the way he didn't pull me in too tight; just enough to let me decide if I wanted to lean into him or not.

And I did.

I sighed softly, giving in to the comfort of it all. "Maybe."

Macklin's smirk widened slightly, but he didn't say anything. Instead, his fingers brushed lightly against my arm which sent a shiver down my spine.

Over time, I found myself naturally sinking further into him. His body was so warm, and the way his arm tightened slightly around me made me feel... safe.

At some point, I ended up resting my head against his chest, his heartbeat a steady rhythm beneath my ear. He didn't move or make a big deal out of it, just held me there, his fingers occasionally tracing soft patterns along my arm absentmindedly.

I was sure he could feel the heat in my cheeks, but I didn't care anymore.

All of his moves were so cliche... but I was definitely falling for it.

-=+=-

FOLd LEX FOLDGetting closer and closer to romance 🤭🤭🤭 just some innocent flirting here and there

I'm trying to publish as many chapters I can a day but I literally have essays to do that I keep pushing off because I'm obsessed with writing this.. I hope you guys are liking it as well 🤭

Btw! More will and Gabi content, trussssss I'm focusing on Macklin and Lex rn but we'll get more context of how their relationship is going soon 🧚🏻‍♀️