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Chapter 154: The Time When Pieces Fell into Place

Eve left the butter to Ambryan. 

He seemed to know it better than her so she let him do it. She concentrated her focus on the dry ingredients. Just in case, she had messaged Andie about the recipeexcusing how she planned to make them with the twins for the bakery drive and needed to buy ingredients.

Fortunately, her best friend didn't find anything amiss.

Kiri sat on top of the microwave and watched the two work. She rolled to her back, observing them upside down. Eve rummaged through the cabinets in search for a sifter. 

"What are you doing?" Ambryan took his eyes off the butter for a second when he heard pans crashing into one another. His hand continued to stir, making sure not to burn the butter.

Eve quickly set them back inside the cabinet. "I'm looking for the strainer."

"It's at the leftmost top cabinet."

"Leftmost" she mumbled. Her feet had already begun to move. Sure enough, the strainer was in it. "Oh, I found it."

"Good."

Ambryan removed the saucepan from the heat. He kept stirring and set it on the counter. The bottom part had brown bits, his sign that the butter had been heated enough. "Can you pass me the measuring glass?"

"Huh oh. Right. Sure."

He poured the nutty brown butter into the glass while Eve held onto it. The tiny solids were left inside the pan. He wiped his hands with a towel, shifting his full attention towards her, "So what's next?"

"Um, well, we need to let the butter cool before adding the other wet ingredients" Eve recalled. She set the glass aside to avoid knocking it over. "Is the oven turned on? We need it preheated."

"At what temperature?"

"375F (190C)."

"Alright."

Eve quickened her pace. She measured and poured the dry ingredients over the sifter. Any large lump had been left on the strainer. She checked on the butter. It still felt warm to the touch. She decided to wait a few more minutes while she prepared the baking trays.

Parchment paper in hand, she realized it wouldn't stay flat on the tray and looked for cooking oil.

That was when a hunched figure caught her eye.

"Is everything okay?" 

Ambryan had one knee on the floor. His 'permanent' scowl had come backa look Eve considered as his deep concentration face. He often wore it because of the high volume of work he dealt with every day.

"Everything's fine," he responded, not sparing her a glance. The built-in oven had several knobs. One of them he recognized as the temperature controller. The rest seemed just as important but their symbols made little sense.

Eve wasn't convinced. She arched one eyebrow and bent forward, placing her hands on her knees. Her eyes followed his line of sight. "You do know how to work an oven, right?"

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"I do."

"Are you sure?"

"I know the concept. I'm merely trying to apply it and figure out what functions these knobs have," Ambryan defended. He could decipher formulas on a working paper without any guidance. He could do the same with this problem before him.

"Here."

Eve turned a few knobs and a fire simmered at the bottom of the oven. "There we go."

"Did they also teach this at baking class?"

"Maybe you should attend and find out for yourself."

The baking adventure resumed. Eve proposed to leave the scoops of dough in the freezer while they waited for the oven to finish heating up. A knock came from the door and Ambryan left to open it.

When he came back, he found Eve by the sink, washing everything they've used. Her head bobbed from side to side. Her voice floated into the air in a gentle tone, 

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``Hear this song as you sleep,

A tale of a maiden who lays in her feet,

Under the willow at night she danced,

With only the whispers of winds she has``

``Tip toe, there she twirls,

Around the tree where she met the lad

Tip toe, she reached out her hand,

But no one was there in where she stand``

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Her feet shuffled as each line flowed out of her mouth. By the second verse, she paused from washing the plates and moved her arms like a conductora silicone spatula in one hand. She repeated the song, changing pitches as she went. 

She jumped on her toes and let her ankles cross when her feet landed flat.

Letting go of the spatula, she spun on the last line.

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And crashed into Ambryan.

He reached for her hand, guiding her for a second spin. The position had her back bump against his chest. She had right foot on the floor while her left knee remained bent, keeping her legs crossed as well. 

Her entire weight rested on him.

Ambryan had wrapped his arm around her waist to prevent her from falling over. Their intertwined hands hovered in the air. His lips nearly caressed her the tip of her ear. "You should tell me if you want to spin around. I would be there to catch you."

"How generous," Eve said, surprised that she still knew how to breathe. Her eyes looked at anywhere but him. Beads of sweat dripped down the back of her neck. She could hear her heart thumping inside her chest.

Could he hear it too?

Kiri pouted as she missed out on the fun. 

Not one to give up, she hopped off the microwave, skipped on Eve's stomach and landed on the counter. That one bump caused Eve's foot to slip. Her lost balance shocked both her and Ambryan. He lost his grip around her waist while her back slipped off his chest. 

He let her hand go and caught her with his other arm. 

But it was too late.

They crashed onto the floor.

"Ugh," Ambryan grunted, his eyes closed. The cold tiles pressed against his back. His arms held onto a slim waist while another pair of legs entwined with his. 

Eve had frozen into a statue. Her hands settled on either side of his head. Her arms stretched fully, they kept her upper body weight off Ambryan. She ceased to breathe, afraid that he'd wake up. 

Maybe she should get up.

Yeah, maybe that was the best idea.

Her body wiggled under Ambryan's grip.

He opened his eyes.

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"Oh, mydid you hit your head? I'll get you some ice." Eve didn't hold back and yanked away from his embrace. Her brain began to race, absorbing what just happened. 1) They fell over, 2) Ambryan had his eyes closed, and 3) He may or may not have a concussion.

How could she be so stupidif she hadn't moved and if he hadn't opened his eyes, who knew what could have happened. How could she stay still when her companion could be having a medical emergency?

She grabbed a hand towel and filled it with a handful of ice.

Ambryan sat up, his legs bent over the floor. He touched the back of his head and found a tender spot. The pain was tolerable. He couldn't even feel it unless he deliberately added pressure. 

Eve glided on her knees once she gained momentum from her run. She sat on his right and placed the ice pack on his head. "Does that feel better?"

Gazing at her, Ambryan stayed silent. He could almost feel her breath against his cheek. It was a rare chance to have her up close. He seized his opportunity and studied her face. Other than the red hair What other features did that kid have?

How could he have not recognized her right away?

"Oh, my gdid you lose your sense of speech?" Eve wailed, fully panicking. Her skin trembled from the serious look in his eyes. "Are you in shock? Do I need to call the hospital? Or maybe I can call WenWEN!"

Ambryan pulled her back as she tried to get up. "I'm fine."

"Oh, good. You're responding." Eve breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't even know how to explain what happened if Avery asked. No doubt that the madam would find it a good thing despite her son's concussion.

"And you're really loud." Ambryan frowned.

"Well, there goes my concern for you." Eve snorted. Still, she lowered her voice and leaned back. "It's clear that you're safe from any mental condition."

"Am I?" Ambryan scowled at the sight. She seemed to be avoiding himsomething he didn't want to happen. She carried what little memory he had from that town. They had been separated for nearly two decades. He wouldn't want to lose her again. 

Not even 7 months from now.

"Yes, yes." Eve nodded. She took his hand and set it on the ice pack. Her fingers had turned numb from long exposure to the cold. "It's a basic diagnosis by yours truly."

The switch further convinced Ambryan of her evasion.

He tugged her wrist, pulling her into him. 

"Ah!"

The hand towel fell on the floor. Its ice cubes sprawled over the tiles. Kiri paused from licking her paw. Her purple eyes snapped towards the two hoomans. Unable to see, she tilted her head sideways.

"Meow?"

Eve felt rough lips on hers. In those few seconds, time passed in slow motion, in normal time and in rapid speed. She wouldn't have thought that this phenomenon could be possible before. Her heart struggled to keep up as it moved erratically inside her chest.

Ambryan pulled away, red lipstick coating his lips.

His violet eyes had darkened.

"What about now?"