As the day at the track wound down, Ferdinand and Elara returned home, exhausted yet content after their exhilarating day. The hum of the BMW's engine faded into the quiet night as they pulled into the parking lot of Ferdinand's apartment complex. Elara, still buzzing from the thrill of the day, looked over at her brother, whose eyes were heavy with fatigue.
"Thanks for today, El," Ferdinand mumbled as he unlocked the door and stepped inside, his body yearning for sleep. The events of the day had taken their toll, and the moment his shoes were off, he headed straight for his bedroom.
Elara smiled as she watched him disappear down the hallway. "You deserve it," she whispered to herself, the fondness for her brother filling her heart. As she sat down on the living room couch, the silence of the apartment started to settle in, but her mind was still racing, full of energy and mischief.
After a few minutes of scrolling through her phone, Elara suddenly had an idea. She glanced at the kitchen, her eyes narrowing in playful contemplation. 50 messages from random girls… it wasn't something she could let slide easily. She laughed softly to herself and stood up, a mischievous plan already forming.
Ferdinand was already fast asleep, his mind drifting far from the chaos of the weekend. But Elara, feeling a surge of inspiration, made her way to the kitchen and began pulling out ingredients—flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and, of course, chocolate chips. If there was one thing she knew would get her message across, it was cookies. And not just any cookies, but 50 dozen batches to match every random message he had received.
"This is going to be epic," she whispered to herself, tying her hair back as she prepared to embark on a baking marathon. The kitchen soon came alive with the smell of freshly baked cookies, and Elara worked through the night, determined to finish her lighthearted 'apology' for her brother. Each tray that came out of the oven made her smile more, imagining the look on Ferdinand's face when he saw them all.
The next morning, Ferdinand woke up to the soft sound of the oven timer beeping in the distance. He groggily opened his eyes, momentarily confused, before he heard the familiar voice of Elara calling from the kitchen.
"Rise and shine, big brother!" she called cheerfully. "I've got a surprise for you!"
Rubbing his eyes, Ferdinand reluctantly pulled himself out of bed. He had barely slept, still feeling the fatigue from the track day, but there was a certain curiosity about what Elara could possibly be up to this early. He trudged into the kitchen and was immediately greeted by the sight of trays upon trays of cookies—chocolate chip, oatmeal, sugar cookies—you name it.
Elara stood proudly in the middle of the kitchen, flour dusting her hands and apron as she flashed him a wide grin. "Ta-da! Fifty dozen cookies. One for every girl that messaged you yesterday!" She laughed, holding up a cookie for him to inspect.
Ferdinand blinked, still half-asleep, as he took in the scene. "You… baked fifty dozen cookies?"
"Yep!" Elara said, practically bouncing with energy. "Consider it my apology for all the chaos I caused with those messages. And, well, I thought it was a fun way to say sorry. You can't be mad at me if you're too busy eating cookies, right?"
Ferdinand chuckled, shaking his head as he picked up a warm cookie from one of the trays. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"
Elara shrugged, her grin never faltering. "Maybe, but you love me for it."
He bit into the cookie, savoring the sweet, buttery taste. "Alright, fine. You're forgiven… partially," he teased. "But seriously, El, you didn't have to go through all this trouble."
She waved him off. "It wasn't trouble! Besides, I had fun. It's not every day I get to bake like this."
Ferdinand leaned against the counter, his smile softening as he glanced at his sister. "Well, thank you. But you know you're taking most of these cookies with you when you leave, right?"
Elara laughed. "Oh, I am not, all of you to remembermy trip."
Her mention of leaving hit Ferdinand, and he raised an eyebrow. "Wait, when are you leaving?"
Elara's playful expression grew more serious for a moment. "Tomorrow afternoon, around 2 PM. I've got some stuff to take care of back on campus, and classes are picking up."
Ferdinand nodded, a twinge of sadness creeping in despite his usual nonchalant demeanor. "I see. Well, I'll be heading to my own classes in the morning, but I should be back by lunchtime. We'll grab something together, okay?"
Elara's eyes brightened at the suggestion. "That sounds perfect."
Ferdinand let out a small sigh, trying to hide his reluctance about her departure. "Alright, well… we better not eat all these cookies before lunch tomorrow. Speaking of which, what's for breakfast?"
Elara smirked, pulling out a fresh batch of the cookies she had baked. "Well, I'd say pancakes, but since I made 50 dozen cookies, how about we just eat some of these for now?"
After sharing a few cookies and laughing about the absurdity of the situation, the morning began to slip away. Elara, always the chatterbox, kept the conversation lively as Ferdinand got ready for his classes. They talked about everything—her classes, his projects, the usual family gossip. But every now and then, there was a pause, a brief moment where Ferdinand felt that familiar guilt creeping back in—the secret about Daisy.
He wanted to tell Elara about her, but something held him back. Maybe it was because Daisy was still such a new part of his life, something he hadn't fully processed yet. Or maybe it was because he wasn't sure how Elara would react. Either way, every time he opened his mouth to say something, he stopped himself.
Eventually, it was time for him to head out. He grabbed his backpack and helmet, ready to hop on his bicycle and make his way to campus.
"Alright, I'm off," he called out from the door. "Don't burn the place down while I'm gone, okay?"
Elara, who was in the living room scrolling through her phone, waved him off with a laugh. "I'll try not to! See you at lunch!"
Ferdinand smiled as he headed out the door, the sound of Elara's laughter still lingering in his mind. He pedaled his bike through the familiar streets, the cool morning air refreshing him as he made his way to the university.
But even as he tried to focus on the day ahead, his thoughts kept drifting back to Daisy. The memory of their last text exchange played in his mind, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was up to. Maybe he'd text her during one of his breaks, or maybe he'd wait until later when he could give her his full attention. Either way, she was on his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that, for the first time in a long time, there was someone he actually wanted to make time for.
As he locked his bike outside the university and headed to his first class, Ferdinand couldn't help but smile. Between Daisy, Elara, and the whirlwind weekend he'd just had, life was feeling a little more… full.
And for Ferdinand, that was something worth holding onto.
Back at the apartment, Elara busied herself with cleaning up the aftermath of her baking spree. She carefully boxed up the dozens of cookies she had baked, already planning to take them with her when she left. She glanced at her phone, the clock ticking closer to the time when her surprise visit would come to an end. But for now, she was content.
Tomorrow would be another day, and she would savor every moment she had left before heading back to university. And, maybe, she'd finally pry the rest of her brother's secrets out of him before she left.
But for now, she just smiled, content with the knowledge that she had done something sweet for Ferdinand—literally and figuratively.