7 Minutes Until the Rest of Our Lives

Chapter 6: Parties

"Where do you want the alcohol, Peter?" One of his soccer buddies asked.

"Just put it on that long table by the couch, Mark. Let people know that if they are bringing alcohol, that's where they put it." He said, while messing with the streamers we bought. Peter was on decorations, I was on food, Mark was on drinks, and a few other soccer players were setting up the games. It was good to have the extra people so it wouldn't take long before we were finished. We went with simple decorations and party snacks. We pretty much just went all out on the drinks. Except we forgot one thing.

"Peter?" I tapped his shoulder. He turned towards me and flashed a smile.

"What's up?" He seemed so happy. I knew this news was going to mess with him.

"We forgot the cake." I said, softly. Peter's smile began to fade, but was quickly put back in place.

"We have time, I'll just bake something." Peter said, checking his watch.

"Are you sure? You haven't baked in a while." I said, not trying to sound rude.

"It'll be okay, Anna. It isn't that hard," He chuckled. "Alright everyone. Pablo, can you finish putting up the decorations? I have to go bake a cake with Anna's help," He said, winking at me. "Reed, I need you to finish setting up the snack table. Can you handle doing the games by yourself, Joe?" Peter asked a black-haired kid, about as tall as him.

"Yeah I can." Joe confirmed.

"Okay everyone, let's do this and stay out of the kitchen while we're cooking." Everyone either gave a thumbs up or sent a wink in Peter's direction, but I didn't care for it. Boys will be boys. I followed Peter into the kitchen and it was surprisingly quiet in there. Like it was its own little world. Peter pulled out two aprons and put on one. Of course it said, Kiss The Chef. I put my apron on and started gathering the things we would need for the cake. That was, until I saw Peter staring at me.

"What?" I asked him as I put down everything I collected. He said nothing, just moved closer to me and put his arms behind my head. I half-expected him to pull me into a hug. I missed the warmth and I didn't mind hugging him just to get it back. Except, that's not what happened. He untied my apron and pulled it off.

"What are you doing?" I asked him as he set it in the drawer where he got it before.

"I changed my mind. I want to cook for you. Well, not for you, but I want you to watch me cook, you know?" He explained. I just giggled. He's kind of cute when he's explaining things.

"Alright. So bake, Chef." I said, sitting on one of the counters. My feet swung as I watched him work his so-called "magic." He looked so at peace when he baked. Every moment was smooth. It looked like he belonged with a whisk in his hand. He didn't rush, didn't get mad when something went wrong, he kept calm and collected.

"You know, I've never let someone watch me bake before." He said to me, glancing in my direction. I was a little surprised when I heard that.

"Really? But you let me when we were younger." I said to him, He jerked his head.

"You're the only person I've done this with. Ever." He said, pointedly.

"Why?" I asked him. He thought about his answer for a minute.

"I'm not exactly sure. I just felt that baking is something special. An art. And you should share it with special people in your life. And you're the person that's special to me." He said, looking away. I felt my face get hot at those words.

"What about Marcy and Ezra?" I asked him, looking for a specific answer. Except I didn't know what that answer was. He gave a small smile.

"Yes, they are very close to me. But not as close as you are. They don't know half the things you do. You're my best friend. And a very special person." He said. That wasn't exactly the unknown answer I was looking for, but it felt like enough. I smiled back at him and he got back to work. After a few minutes, he put the mix in the oven.