Mia’s Valentine’s Day

Shoot, shoot, shoot! I’m running late! Mia pulled her go-to dress over her head, fluffing it to make sure it hadn’t caught on the shorts she wore underneath. Eyeing her shoe options, her gaze fell on one of the few pairs of heels she owned. She paused, then shuddered at the thought of wearing them, opting instead for her black combat boots.
“Ok! Now I just gotta make some pancakes, then I’m on my way! Easy peasy,” Mia said to herself with maybe a bit too much confidence.

In the kitchen, she gathered all the bowls and ingredients she would need, then pulled up the recipe she planned to follow. Even though it was a dish she made regularly, she could never quite remember the right measurements. The one time she tried making them without the recipe, she didn’t add enough flour, and when she went to flip the thin pancakes, they all fell apart. The taste wasn’t off as much as the texture, so she still ate them… just out of a bowl. And so she’d learned to always use a recipe, no matter how many times she’d made it before.
She began mixing the ingredients into the bowl, quickly flicking her wrist to blend it all together. As the batter thinned out and her focus wavered, Mia misjudged how hard she needed to stir, flicking some of the batter onto her face.
“Uh. Oops.” She swiped it off, figuring she may as well give it a taste test.
“Mmmm!!” Mia smiled. Delicious, as usual.

With the batter done and the griddle hot, she began pouring the pancakes and flipping them. This time, she only lost one pancake to her flipping mishaps.
“Shoot!” Mia checked the time and realized she needed to leave in five minutes to make it to Kara and Kai’s on time. Rushing around the kitchen, Mia unplugged the griddle, tossed the mixing bowl and utensils into the sink, quickly packed the pancakes into a Tupperware container, added bananas and whipped cream, flipped off the lights, and bolted out the door.

As the cold air hit her outside the apartment building, Mia tucked her hands into her pockets to shield them from the chill.
Wait a minute. She felt around for her keys, then realized she hadn’t locked the door. Shoot! She set her bag down in the lobby and ran back upstairs to grab her keys, which were hanging on the key hook inside the front door—where they always were. With the keys now in hand and the door locked, Mia hustled back downstairs and opened the door to exit the building.
Ope, can’t forget that. She grabbed her food bag and was finally on her way. Luckily, even after forgetting her keys, Mia would only be a few minutes late if she speed-walked, which she was already doing to avoid being out in the cold more than she had to.

Finally! She pushed open the door and announced,
“Hey, guys! Sorry I’m late—actually, I think I’m on time? I brought chocolate banana pancakes! Wait... did I bring the bananas? I brought the bananas. Okay, okay, we’re all set! Oh my goodness, what is that smell? It’s heavenly!” Mia made her way to the kitchen and leaned over the cinnamon rolls, taking in a deep whiff.
“Kara, did you make these?”
“Actually, that was me,” Kai raised his hand sheepishly.
Mia looked up at him, trying to hide her surprise. “I’m impressed, baker boy! These look awesome.” Kai blushed and turned around to fiddle with the heart lights. I knew he liked watching The Great Bake Off, I didn’t realize he could actually bake though! Guess it makes sense with how detail-oriented he is.

Kara came into the kitchen and gave Mia a hug before they started getting the dishes out.
“Everything looks so good!” Mia grabbed a cinnamon roll to add to her plate, breaking off a small piece to try in the process. Wait, is this magic? How can cinnamon rolls taste like happiness in pastry form? They taste even better than they smell! And what’s that subtle flavor? I don’t think I’ve tasted that in a cinnamon roll before... I can’t tell what it is. She continued to ponder as she added her pancakes to her plate and acquired her parfait before sitting down in the living room.

“Oh! Wait one second, I’ll be right back.” Kara quickly got up and disappeared from the room, leaving Mia and Kai awkwardly waiting. After a minute, she returned with something and placed it on the table, quickly whipping the cover off.

“Woahhhh!” Kai and Mia exclaimed in unison. Mia’s eyes lit up as she took in the gorgeous flower bouquet in front of them—pastel pink tulips paired with stunning white jasmine flowers.
“I actually have something for us too,” Kai brushed a loose piece of hair from his face and reached under the couch, pulling out a gold star-shaped box. What could Kai have gotten? I didn’t realize we were supposed to bring surprises! Kai opened the box to reveal chocolate-covered strawberries and cherries. “I know Kara likes chocolate-covered strawberries, but I figured since I usually see you drink cherry lattes, maybe you’d want chocolate-covered cherries? If not, it’s no biggie... I just thought—”
Mia cut Kai off by giving him a hug. She fought off the happy tears in her eyes, moved by his thoughtfulness. Wiping the big smile off her face to play it cool, Mia averted her eyes and admitted,
“It’s perfect, baker boy.”
“Uh, yeah, no problem. Let’s eat!” he stuttered as he turned on My Adorable Cosplayer and began digging into the pancakes.

Mia slumped down on the couch after finishing her food. “Yummmmm,” she exclaimed as she patted her belly to the amusement of Kara and Kai. Once they were all done eating, Kai grabbed everyone’s plates and took them to the kitchen. Mia nudged Kara to pause the show so he didn’t miss anything. Looking between the brother and sister, she couldn’t help but smile. It was always a good time with them.

Turning to Kara, Mia said, “Thank you again for inviting me to Virtuidol Media. You broke me out of my comfort zone, pun intended, and I’m so glad you did. And thanks for inviting me over today, you guys. Best Valentine’s Day yet. With the BEST food,” Mia patted her stomach again, grinning.
She sunk back into the couch again, completely content.