After their shared moment of silence, Zara headed to her room to freshen up, still feeling an odd mix of curiosity and confusion about Xavier. She took her time with her morning routine, hoping that by the time she was done, the kitchen would be filled with the aroma of something freshly cooked by him. But as she finally finished and made her way back to the kitchen, she was met with… nothing.
The kitchen was spotless, Xavier was still hunched over his laptop on the couch, and the smell of breakfast was nowhere to be found. Zara frowned, her stomach giving a low, traitorous growl. She hadn't realized just how much she'd been looking forward to eating whatever he cooked—she was even willing to admit, if only to herself, that his skills were pretty impressive.
Her eyes darted back to Xavier, who seemed completely absorbed in whatever he was working on, giving her no reason to believe he had any plans to cook for her. Zara sighed, leaning against the counter, thinking of how she could approach this without embarrassing herself. After all, she *had* downplayed his cooking skills the night before, insisting that there wasn't much difference between his masterpiece and her burned attempt.
"Okay, Zara," she muttered to herself. "Think… you just need to ask. Or, at least, hint."
But the idea of actually admitting she wanted his cooking again was somehow both annoying and… humiliating. Pride was a tough thing to swallow, but hunger was even tougher to ignore.
Taking a deep breath, she strolled over to him, casually leaning on the back of the couch, hoping to sound as nonchalant as possible.
"So, what's on the breakfast menu today?" she asked, with a bit too much forced cheer.
Xavier barely looked up, his eyes still on his laptop screen. "Didn't know I was on kitchen duty," he replied flatly.
She laughed, trying to play it off. "Oh, come on. After all that gourmet showing off last night? I'd think you'd be dying to top it."
He raised an eyebrow, finally glancing at her with a smirk that told her he saw right through her. "Funny, I thought you said there wasn't much difference between our cooking skills."
She winced inwardly, but kept up the act. "I mean… yeah, I said that. But, you know, I was just… keeping you humble."
"Mmhmm," he murmured, the hint of a smile on his face. "Keeping me humble."
She shifted, feeling her cheeks flush. "Fine," she finally admitted. "Maybe I was a bit… unfair."
"'A bit,'" he repeated, amused.
"Alright, *very* unfair," she said, throwing her hands up. "Happy?"
Xavier's smirk turned into a grin. "So, you're saying you want me to cook breakfast?"
Zara sighed, knowing she'd walked right into that one. "Yes, okay? I'm starving. And… you're actually a good cook. There, I said it."
"Apology accepted," he said smoothly, setting his laptop aside. "I suppose I can whip something up."
Zara tried to keep her satisfaction hidden, but she couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face as she watched him walk into the kitchen. Maybe admitting she liked his cooking wasn't the end of the world after all.