“We are out of milk” Sehun announced sighing into the fridge, and slammed the door with a thud. “I need to buy groceries”

“I think I should pay for the groceries” chanyeol said suddenly.

“What? No” Sehun replied with a huff. “I wasn’t trying to suggest that. I don’t take hand-outs” Sehun said firmly.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “This isn’t a hand-out. I owe you for your services anyway”

Sehun stared at the other for a few seconds before he opened his mouth to answer.

“Chanyeol I’m not charging you for this. I’m not doing this for money. I’m trying to save your life. You living will be enough payment for me” Sehun’s eyes filled, and he had to look away. He started looking for something in the kitchen shelves, not knowing what exactly he was searching. Sehun was losing the plot.

“But you’ve cancelled all your appointments for two weeks. I’m costing you”

“I don’t think of it like that” Sehun mumbled still facing the cupboard fingers trailing along wood.

“That is because you’re a kind person. Now let someone be kind to you, I believe you’re going through a particularly bad time yourself and I haven’t seen anyone come to your aid once. I don’t see anyone trying to help you” he said, watching Sehun.

Chanyeol’s comments took him by surprise.

He knew his family might be odd but they were by his side. Sehun had considered their aloofness towards him as them giving him respectable distance just like his friends who had probably picked side too. 

He returned to thinking about his money woes. Eventually he was going to have to talk to Dohyeon about giving him back the money they had in their joint account.

The message Sehun had received from him that morning was that he had withdrawn all their money.

“So anyway, this might make you feel better. I need your help about something” Chanyeol said, changing the subject, “I need your help in getting a present for Anna”

“Sure” Sehun said, feeling uncomfortable and confused over how his heart sank even further just at the mention of her.

“You see, it’s her birthday—“

“What?!” Sehun snapped out of it. “When is it her birthday?”

“Today. Why are you so angry?”

“And you’re only telling me this now? this is a huge opportunity to win her over. We could have spent days planning this”

“I’d been trying to think of a gift myself, but nothing seems good enough. There’s the usual stuff – jewellery, diamonds, holidays – but we’ve done it all”

“What did you get her last year?”

‘We went to Paris” Chanyeol looked at him and Sehun’s resentment for Anna soared for some reason. 

Quickly pushing the thoughts away he went to his bedroom and picked up the book for inspiration. The next chapter was all about the benefits of learning to cook. He chucked the book across the room, not exactly happy with its solution. In fact, he was unimpressed by any of its solutions to date. Cooking as therapy? Cooking as a way to win Anna over? Unless he cooked her dinner....but how could that work?

“Is there any way you can find out where she will be on her birthday? Speak to her friends? Family? Without making a big deal, of course.” Sehun asked.

Chanyeol appeared at the bedroom door. He always stopped right there, never crossing over the threshold into Sehun’s private space.

“Our birthdays are in the same week, so usually we celebrate them together” Chanyeol said. “Her friends are taking her to the Golden Palace Bistro” 

“How do you know this?”

He looked sheepish “I just know, I happened to hear a message on Theo’s voicemail”

“How could you happen to hear that?”

“Because my best friend is an idiot who never remembers to change the pin code for his voicemail. I’ve been listening to his messages since Monday”

Sehun gasped. “I didn’t know you could do that”

“So you obviously haven’t changed your code”

Sehun made a mental note to do it immediately “It doesn’t matter, you listen to my voicemails anyway” He thought of the message Chanyeol had heard and deleted. It was killing him to know what Dohyeon had said, but he couldn’t ask because in a way he didn’t want to hear the answer so Sehun moved on.

“So what have the messages said?’

“He is worried about Anna cause she is a being a bit distant these days, ever since Sunday when I found out about them, but even more over the past few days. I suppose they have taken a break, or she’s asked for space, to think”

“About you?“ Sehun whispered.

Chanyeol shrugged but there was light glimmering in his brown eyes.

“Yes !” Sehun held his two hands up.
They high-fived and then suddenly Chanyeol pulled him into a hug.

“Thank you” Chanyeol said into his ear, both arms wrapped tight around Sehun’s waist.

His warm breath left goose bumps all over his body

“No problem” Sehun said voice muffled against the others shirt, wanting to stay there. But he forced himself to pull away “Now let’s get busy”

“What are we doing?”

“You may have given her Paris last year but this year, my friend, you are going to bake her a birthday cake.”

                         ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅

The cooking class was mainly made up of couples, of all ages. There was also a group of three girls in their early twenties who seemed to get a case of the giggles as soon as Chanyeol walked in.

The cooking instructor welcomed all to the class and everyone gathered around a main work bench. The more serious couples took notes while Sehun and Chanyeol barely listened, and then it was their turn to start making the cakes. Chanyeol folded his arms and looked at him. He was telling how he was there because he had to be, not because he wanted to be. Ignoring him Sehun took the butter brush and began brushing the pan.

After a few minutes Sehun realised he wasn’t really enjoying himself specially when he was getting frustrated at the flour stuck in uneven patterns to the tray and looked like a claggy mess. He wasn’t particularly a fan of cooking, baking even less so, and instead of Chanyeol experiencing another ‘joy’ of life, It was rather joyless.

“Okay, time for you to do your bit now – make the batter” Sehun said pushing the eggs towards Chanyeol. 

“You have to separate the eggs” Sehun handed the bowl across to him.