Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora heard a faint noise behind him and he softly opened his eyes, turning his head to see Kairi moving to check on the noodles. He turned his body to face her, the brunet patiently watching the gentle redhead in silence. He had done enough thinking; Now it was time to further enjoy the time he had with Kairi.

 

Kairi approached the plate of noodles and carefully pressed two fingers against the surface of one of them. This one had obviously been near the bottom of the pot from being put on the plate last, but it felt like it had been cooled off immensely. She smiled. Good, now they could finish the lasagna without fear of burning their fingers.

 

"Not hot anymore?" Sora guessed aloud, observing Kairi's movements and expression. Judging how she didn't pull her hand off the pasta right away or show any discomfort, the food was no longer scolding hot.

 

Kairi looked up at Sora and shook her head with a small smile. "They're good to go," she said softly. It surprised her that so many minutes had gone by so quickly. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts and the serenity of the moment that she got lost in it.

 

Sora smiled softly. "That's good," he said, his eyes wandering to the pasta and then to Kairi. He was glad neither of them would get burnt again; at least not by the noodles. Knowing his baking skills though, it was still possible something could go wrong with the cookies.

 

"Would you help me, please?" Kairi asked softly. "I'll stack the noodles if you'd like to spread the sauce." She offered Sora a sweet smile, looking into his kind blue eyes. Gosh, she loved him, and was grateful for his help thus far.

 

Sora nodded softly, a small smile on his lips. "Sure," he said with a small grin. It was the least he could do, since he seemed to be slowing Kairi down more than helping. After all, the conversations they were having along the way, however great they were, did take up a lot of time. He moved to grab a scraper out of a drawer, knowing that was the tool he needed to use for the job.

 

Kairi had placed a pan of the right size next to the plate of noodles earlier, so she took one and carefully laid it out in the bottom of the pan. She then proceeded to do that with two more pieces, being patient and gentle so the noodles didn't break.

 

Sora rejoined Kairi by the pan, the boy standing by the sauce with a scraper in hand. He'd wait for Kairi's instruction, and then he would spread the sauce over the noodles.

 

Kairi finished laying out the third noodle, the first layer fitting perfectly in the pan. "Okay," she said, turning her attention to Sora. "Just scoop up some sauce and spread it over the first layer." It was an easy task, though it did require the knowledge of what amount was best. "I'll tell you when you have enough, okay?"

 

Sora nodded at Kairi's words. "Okay," he said, looking to the sauce next to him. He lifted the pan with is free and and tilted it slightly over the first laying, pouring a bit on and then using the scraper to smooth it out.

 

Kairi watched as Sora did his share of the work and she smiled. As he smoothed it out, she spoke. "Actually, that's perfect, Sora." She looked up at him, proud that he was doing so well, even when he didn't think so in the beginning.

 

Sora finished the work and sat down the pan, putting the scraper in it but the handle leaning against the edge. "Really?" he said in honest surprise. He had never done something like this before, and for Kairi to say something like that was pretty shocking.

 

"Yeah," Kairi said with a small laugh. "You put just the right amount in, just like my mother does." It was surprising to her too, really. She hadn't expected it either.

 

Sora chuckled in wonder. "Wow," he said, a wide smile appearing on his lips. He was glad he wasn't a terrible cook after all; he didn't want to wreck Kairi's meal and at the start of things, he wasn't so sure he could do anything productive for this. But apparently he was better at this than he thought.

 

Kairi smiled, tending to the next layer of noodles. "Hey," she said with a light chuckle, "you might just be a natural in the kitchen." She set one noodle down and glanced up at Sora to see his reaction, a joyful smile on her lips.

 

Sora chuckled softly. "I wouldn't say that just yet," he said with a sheepish grin. "We still haven't done any baking." Somehow, he figured that would be harder than preparing a full meal.

 

Kairi laughed in amusement, turning her attention back to the next noodle. "You may be right," she said. "I'll have to watch you with the cookie dough." She smiled to herself, knowing that was one of the best parts about making cookies.

 

"Aww, man!" Sora groaned playfully. He actually had been looking forward to eating some of that cookie dough, but with Kairi keeping an eye on him, that probably wouldn't have been possible.

 

Kairi giggled, placing the final noodle on the second layer. Only one more layer to go, and it was time to put it in the oven and move on to the cookies. Kairi took her hands away from the pan so Sora could do his work. She looked up at him. "I might let you lick the spoon," she teased lightly.