𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

Love recipe | Bilbo

The kettle was hissing on the fire, which meant the water was just right for tea. Bilbo proceeded to pour the water into his cup, followed by the tea leaves. He sat with a smile on his armchair, stirring the contents of the cup while he decided to think about the food that he was going to prepare for the weekend for his guests. Above all, he should receive them as they deserved. He let out a sigh full of relaxation from his lips, feeling comforted by the lit fireplace.

He was thinking about different dishes for a while, but none of them convinced him, and he was running out of ideas.

"This afternoon I will go to the library to get a recipe book, I always cook the same things," he said as he sipped his tea, looking out the window and watching how the leaves of the trees were falling slowly.

The hours went by and, after the little snack, Bilbo got ready and bundled up to go out and head to the city, since he lived in a small secluded town in some fields. It was cold outside and small drops of rain fell silently on the ground and grass. Bilbo opened his umbrella and waited for the bus to arrive to go to the city.

Once the bus reached the city, Bilbo went straight to the nearest library and entered, leaving the umbrella to rest at the entrance so as not to soak everything. He began to enter the large library before him, going through the various shelves, but he only saw novels, children's tales, study books and poetry books; there were no recipe books. He decided to go up the stairs that led to the upper floor, where there were people reading and studying in silence.

Bilbo decided with his bare feet to make as little noise as possible, carefully peering down the aisles where there were more bookshelves and going to one of them, searching through the books. He arrived at the cooking section and found a shelf where he finally could see recipe books, seeing that next to it there was a woman sitting, leaning on a table and studying, but he didn't say anything to her. Bilbo decided to pick up a few books and sit at the same table to read and see which one recipe he likes the most.

*****

Y/N was studying for an exam that she had in a week. She had to study the names of various diseases that some foods produced, their symptoms, and the consequences. Of course, it was very boring. The woman saw that doubtful little man approaching the shelf looking for books and, after a while, she saw that he was carrying a column of books in his arms, sitting next to her at some distance. She continued studying without paying much attention, but she could see that the little man was getting nervous. Apparently, he couldn't find what he seemed to be looking for.

She noticed the book he was reading at the time, seeing that it was a recipe book, and didn't hesitate to give him a hand.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked in a whisper. Bilbo instantly looked at her and smiled nervously.

"I'm looking for a recipe for some guests that I will receive at my house this weekend, but I can't find any recipe that catches my attention..." explained Bilbo in frustration.

"I know how to cook many things, I study gastronomy, you just catch me now studying something that bores me a lot," said Y/N, looking at him closely. Bilbo looked at her for a few seconds and looked away to refocus his attention on the book.

"Is there a book that you recommend me?" he asked at the end, closing the book he was holding in his hands.

Y/N got up and went to the bookshelf to find a book that she had previously searched for.

"This is not bad, it has good dishes for special meals," she said, handing him the book. Bilbo took it looking at her and decided to open it, seeing that the recipes were indeed interesting.

"Anyway, if you want I can help you make the food if you don't like any of the dishes you see there," Y/N added.

Bilbo looked at her and smiled unconsciously.

"Oh no, don't bother, you don't have to, I'll handle it," he replied.

"Okay," she said, sitting in her place to continue studying.

Bilbo thought a bit about the woman's words and, somewhat nervous, decided to look at her.

"Okay, come on Saturday and we can start making some different dishes," he commented.

Y/N took her eyes off her studies and looked at him with a smile.

"Deal done," she said smiling, bringing an unconscious smile to Bilbo.

*****

The week went by and it was already Saturday. Bilbo was neatly grooming himself, carefully combing his hair and putting on his clothes, until he heard the doorbell ring.

"I'm going," he said nervously, going to the door and opening it, looking at the same woman in the library, only much prettier than the other day.

"Come in, come in," Bilbo said, giving way with a smile and closing the door when Y/N entered. They both went straight to the kitchen.

"Well, where do we start?" she asked expectantly.

Bilbo was looking through the kitchen cabinets and drawers to get all the ingredients.

"Now let's cook something that we can serve to some friends," said Bilbo smiling, looking at her for a few seconds and looking away from her, nervous. Y/N smiled and, after looking at the ingredients that were resting on the counter, something came to her mind.

"What if, using all this, we manage to make a new and delicious dishes? The ingredients go well together and it is something new," she said, gathering some ingredients.

Bilbo looked at her expectantly.

"Surprise me and cook what you have in mind," Bilbo said, putting all of his trust in the woman. Y/N nodded and then, after thinking a bit, she started preparing everything.

The first thing she prepared was a warm pumpkin cream with croutons to warm up, perfect for that cold autumn day, followed by a lamb stew with its vegetables, cayenne and potatoes, another dish with rice, mushrooms and chestnuts, among other ingredients and, for dessert, a raspberry and blackberry cake.

"Bilbo, I am missing a few blackberries, have you seen them anywhere?" asked Y/N looking between the jars, the casserole and the plates. Bilbo then, after waiting a bit while, looked at her with a smile, showed his hand after hiding it behind his back and showed her the missing blackberries.

"Here," Bilbo said, smiling.

"Why have you kept them?" Y/N asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"I wanted to set them aside so I could give you... This," he said, handing her a deep pink flower.

Y/N was surprised to see the flower that Bilbo offered to her and she blushed.

"I thank you for all these dishes, it would not have occurred to me before," he said smiling as he continued handing her the flower.

Y/N in the end took the little plant.

"You asked for my help, I offered it to you," she said with a smile. "I hope your guests are satisfied."

Bilbo stared at everything carefully.

"There is a lot of food, so if you feel like it, you could stay and eat with us too."

Y/N smiled and nodded.

"I would love to," she said with a blushed smile.

And, having waited the necessary time, Bilbo's guests arrived home being welcomed by Bilbo and his new companion. He did not hesitate to introduce her to everyone and, after having finished the meal, Bilbo thanked the woman again for having rescued him from his trouble, thus beginning a beautiful relationship.