"Meh!" Cotton Candy Cookie mumbled as she threw another failed love letter into a nearby trash can. That was the fifth letter she had written that day, and the failures were quickly piling up. The sight of all the crumbled papers was starting to bring down her spirits. She motioned for Cotton Candy Bird to fetch another piece of paper, then rolled onto her back and sighed in defeat.
Whipped Cream Cookie was off in his own world, as usual, humming some tune Cotton Candy did not know and dancing along to it. Being distracted, he had not noticed Cotton Candy Cookie's increasing distress until she finally called out to him and broke the silence between them.
"Whipped Cream," Cotton Candy Cookie said glumly, "I'm lost."
"Lost? Why, you're in my house!" Whipped Cream Cookie replied with a joking smile, still dancing.
"I know that! I mean I'm lost about what to write!"
"Oh? You're writing another letter already? Didn't you write one to Cherry Blossom Cookie last week?"
Cotton Candy Cookie sat up and huffed, crossing her arms and pouting. "I did! And she respectfully told me that she wasn't interested in dating right now, but we could still be good friends! So I've decided to write another letter for someone else!"
"Are you upset about Cherry Blossom?"
"No, not really. I'm happy to be close to her, even if it's just as friends. She's a wonderful Cookie," Cotton Candy Cookie said before lying back down and sighing again.
"So, who is this letter for?"
There was a pause. Cotton Candy Cookie shyly played with her fingers and kept quiet. Whipped Cream Cookie stopped dancing to check her face and could see it was red with embarrassment.
"Cotton Candy, who is it?"
More silence. Cotton Candy Cookie turned her head to the open window Cotton Candy Bird had flown out of earlier.
"Where has that bird gone…?" She asked, trying to avoid the subject. She wished Cotton Candy Bird would return already so she could cover her blushing faces with paper.
"Cotton Candy, you don't need to hide anything. Tell me who it is. I won't judge you, honest."
It took a few seconds of Cotton Candy Cookie getting worked up and finally mustering the courage to say the Cookie's name, but her voice rang loud and clear when she did.
"PINK CHOCO COOKIE! IT'S PINK CHOCO COOKIE! OKAY?"
Whipped Cream Cookie stood there for a moment, then gave her a gentle smile.
"Pink Choco is a lovely Cookie. I can see why she has captured your heart."
"She's so cool, Whipped Cream! She's cool and funny and clever and-"
Cotton Candy Cookie's voice cut off as she covered her mouth with her hands and began rolling around, trying to shake off her feelings of embarrassment. As she did, Cotton Candy Bird returned with a new piece of paper, which Cotton Candy Cookie promptly used to cover her face, and then quietly perched itself nearby. Whipped Cream Cookie danced his way to where she lay and pulled the piece of paper away from her face. He patted her head gently as he spoke, which turned her embarrassed frown into a small smile.
"So, you need help with finding the right words to convey your love?"
Cotton Candy Cookie nodded. Whipped Cream Cookie made his way back to the center of the room where he had been dancing earlier and restarted his routine.
"Tell me more about what you like about Pink Choco."
"Oh, where do I even start!" Cotton Candy Cookie sighed in reverie, daydreaming about her newest crush. She rolled back onto her stomach and held her head up with both of her hands, and Whipped Cream Cookie could see the dreaminess in her eyes. Her excitement was evident in the wavering of her speech and the almost involuntary kicking of her legs.
"She's just the best, Whipped Cream. She tries so hard to spread love everywhere she goes. And her Love Virus has infected my heart. Ah!" Cotton Candy Cookie exclaimed before picking up her pen and scribbling something onto her paper. "That's a good sentence! I'll use that."
"We're making progress!" Whipped Cream Cookie smiled and leapt before doing a twirl in the air, which Cotton Candy Cookie applauded after he landed. "And I didn't even need to say anything."
Cotton Candy Cookie giggled, then went back to thinking about what she loved most about Pink Choco Cookie.
"She's always got a positive attitude, and she's a really helpful Cookie. When she winks at me, I feel like I might faint!"
"Her eyes are as enchanting as a starry sky on a calm night," Whipped Cream Cookie suggested while attempting another twirl on the ground this time. Cotton Candy Cookie applauded him again as he struck a pose at the end of the twirl.
"That sounds so pretty, Whipped Cream! Ah, but… I don't know if she'd like it. She likes things that are full of action more than things that are delicate and beautiful."
"Love is delicate and beautiful, but it can be full of action too! Don't you agree?" Whipped Cream Cookie asked, reaching out a hand to Cotton Candy Cookie. She sat in thought while Whipped Cream Cookie continued his idea.
"Love is fulfilling, gentle, and warm. It is about wanting to share yourself with another person and learn about them so you can care for them in ways no one else can. That, in my opinion, is beautiful. But love is also about braving all of life's challenges together, no matter how rough. That's a sort of action-packed adventure, right?"
Cotton Candy Cookie grinned. "That's so poetic! That's perfect! Thank you, Whipped Cream!"
"I try my best for you, Cotton Candy," Whipped Cream said with a bow. Cotton Candy Cookie giggled and gave him another round of applause mixed with some cheers. She scribbled as much of Whipped Cream Cookie's idea as she could onto the paper, then put down her pen and sighed again.
"I really hope she likes this letter. She's such an amazing Cookie. I don't know her as well as Cherry Blossom, so I'm worried that if she doesn't want to go out with me, she'll feel too awkward about it to at least become better friends, and if that happens…"
Whipped Cream Cookie frowned. Cotton Candy Cookie had begun to frown again, her gaze dropping to the floor and her shoulders slouching. Whipped Cream Cookie could not bear to see her so downcast. He knew there was only one solution to her despair, and so he strolled up to her and got down on one knee while offering a hand to her.
"May I have this dance?"
The question made Cotton Candy Cookie's face erupt into a flustered mess. She knew he did not mean anything flirtatious by it, but the sound of his sweet, gentle voice saying it in such a caring tone would be enough to make any Cookie blush furiously. She froze for a few seconds, trying to process the situation (which was causing her much embarrassment, but in a good way), then gulped before taking Whipped Cream Cookie's hand. Whipped Cream Cookie stood up and, with a joyful laugh, pulled Cotton Candy Cookie closer.
"Ballet is my forte, but I know how to ballroom dance too. Let's relax and forget about all this for a while. Follow my lead. Do you know how to ballroom dance?"
Cotton Candy Cookie nodded as best as she could, trying to hide the fact she was shaking from nervousness. Whipped Cream Cookie ran a hand through her hair gently and slowly to help her calm down, then began dancing. Cotton Candy Cookie followed as best as she could. There were, naturally, some missteps that led to Cotton Candy Cookie stepping on one of Whipped Cream Cookie's feet (her nervousness was making it hard to focus), but each time, Whipped Cream Cookie assured her that he forgave her, and they continued dancing. After a few minutes, Cotton Candy Cookie had become so wrapped up in the moment, so lost in the delicate tune Whipped Cream Cookie was humming to keep rhythm, that her nervousness subsided, and she began to lay her head on Whipped Cream Cookie's chest and closed her eyes. Whipped Cream Cookie looked down at her with a gentle smile and rubbed her back slowly, whispering, "Don't fall asleep on me yet, Cotton Candy." Cotton Candy Cookie giggled and nuzzled him in return to let him know she had not drifted off to the world of dreams just yet.
The two of them stayed like that for a little while longer, Cotton Candy Cookie enjoying the rhythm of the humming and their dancing and Whipped Cream Cookie cherishing the peaceful, comfortable look on Cotton Candy Cookie's face. Whipped Cream Cookie knew Cotton Candy Cookie's love for him was not the same kind of love she felt for Pink Choco Cookie or Cherry Blossom Cookie, but he would not have traded the love they shared, a precious, caring kind of love, for anything in the world.