Prompt by Stefanie (COOPaulsen): (AU) - Darvey are in their 20s/30s and meet at a Christmas Cookies baking class. Donna wanted to go with her boyfriend but they broke up before the class and Marcus wanted to impress a girl with his skills and wanted Harvey to accompany him but then Marcus never shows up and Harvey is by himself (and most likely grumpy). The teacher pairs Donna and Harvey up and fluff ensues. [Think confectionary class in 'All Things Valentine' in a 'Great British Bake Off' setting]
.
BAKED GOODNESS
.
'Tis the season to be jolly.
Or at least that's what the song says.
Christmas isn't really her thing if you'd ask. Donna likes Halloween better. The way she can be dressed in costumes that she makes with her own trusty glue gun, giving her the chance to play characters she didn't get to do onstage. She secretly munches on some of the sweets that she's supposed to give to the little trick or treaters in their neighborhood, stealing a piece for every bunch that she drops into their baskets, and giggling as she sees them walk away while she slowly unwraps the divine sweet treat in her hand.
It's not that she doesn't enjoy the Christmas holiday and its spirit of giving and loving. But the past few years had her working on that merry day, running around and serving tables filled with families who decided to have dinner in their restaurant. She has been busy ever since and just got used to spending it on her own after her shift, sitting on her couch and cocooned under her favorite fleece blanket as a rerun of whatever Christmas movie is flashed on the television screen.
But this year was going to be an exception. It was meant to be different. She finally got a week off from work and will be able to come home, meet up with her childhood friends and spend the days leading up to Christmas with her family. She will help pick their tree and put up decorations all over the house. And on top of that, she will be bringing her boyfriend home for the first time and they will be joining the community Christmas cookie baking class.
Or so she thought.
Because that won't be happening anymore, especially when he dumped her on that same morning they were supposed to be driving to Connecticut. "It's not you. It's me," he said, nothing more and nothing less, then left her standing on the sidewalk of her apartment. What the hell did that even mean?
It bothered her for a minute, sure, but she has decided that she will not let it ruin her Christmas. Not when she is finally able to experience it in full, traditions and all. That's why she is now standing in the middle of the neighborhood bakeshop, ready to take on the baking class she signed up for. She admits she is a bit nervous. She has never tried baking before. And she may be great at everything, but being in the kitchen is a whole different conversation - that is the only exception.
Excitement fills her whole being as other people start to come in. But this feeling slowly turns into something else as she realizes all of them are couples, except her. Jealous? No, not really. Intimidated? Maybe. A little. Of course she can carry herself well, but right now, she feels a little out of place. Everyone has someone to talk to and she is suddenly pushed into one side of the room, all on her own.
Polite nods and smiles are exchanged as they start to settle into their respective areas. She, being alone, ends up in one of the stations in the back row. The others seem to be at ease, like they know exactly what they're gonna do. There are discussions happening left and right on how they can put a twist into what they are baking, some are inspecting the ingredients and baking tools prepared for them, while Donna struggles to put her apron on. Her hands are slightly shaking as she takes a deep breath and whispers, "Okay. How do we do this?"
The loud applause catches her attention again. A short, gray-haired woman is now standing in front of the class, wearing her very own heart-filled apron. It's Mrs. Parker, the neighborhood's favorite baker who happens to live three blocks down from their family house. The older woman greets them enthusiastically, saying that this is the most number of people she has ever had for a class. She gives them a brief run through of what is going to happen. They will be baking chocolate chip cookies, simple and easy for the beginners but can still be spiced up by those who already have experience.
"Now, for those of you that will be doing this for the first time, that's fine. Don't be scared. I'll be guiding you through everything." Mrs. Parker said, taking a quick glance at her direction, giving her a sweet smile. "If you don't have any other questions, we can now begin."
Donna takes the copy of instructions in her hands, scanning through the list of ingredients and the baking steps underneath. 'If I strictly follow all these, I guess I'll survive,' she thinks. She puts on a brave face and starts gathering what she needs. But then a minute later, Mrs. Parker appears by her side.
"Hi, dear! Everything alright here?" She asks in a motherly tone.
The redhead gives a weak smile, "I think?" She replies, causing the other woman to laugh.
"I see your partner has arrived," slightly squeezing her arm. "I'll leave you two to it. Let me know if you need help," she continues, then moving to check on the other stations.
Donna is left confused. Partner? She came here on her own, she knows that for sure. And that probably is the only thing she is sure of right now. So, who is this partner Mrs. Parker is referring to?
She turns around, seeing a man clad in a snow-covered coat. He seems to be annoyed as he quickly removes the coat and hangs it on the shop's coat rack. He fixes his clothes, takes a deep breath, then slowly moves towards her side, "This is the cookie baking class, right?"
She nods, words caught in her mouth as she gets lost in the chocolate brown eyes of the handsome stranger in front of her. Damn, he looks fine.
"Great." He nods back at her, then looks around to observe the room. He leans in close to her and asks another question, "Are we required to work in pairs?"
She nods again, mouth opening to say something but then closes it right back. She sees confusion written all over his face, so she tries her best to act normal. "Yeah. Uhm, that seems to be the theme for the night."
He chuckles lightly but hides it behind a cough. She catches it and a shy smile appears on her face. 'You're here to bake, Paulsen. Keep it together,' she reminds herself. And just when she's about to go back to what she was doing earlier, she feels him come closer, erasing the remaining space between them. She stays still, not really knowing what is happening. Her body turns rigid when his arm brushes hers, his breath close to her face, and she swears she felt a spark run through where their skins met. Her eyes were starting to close just when he pulled back, forcing her eyes to open again and act like everything is fine. And that's when she saw the red object in his hand, matching the one she is wearing.
He starts fixing the apron over his cream-colored sweatshirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. "We might need to catch up with the rest of the class," he says, struggling to tie the knot behind his back.
"Here, let me," she motions him to turn around, taking over tying the strings together.
"Thanks," he whispers back. "It's okay, right? For me to pair up with you?" He adds, his head turned to the side, trying to take a look at her from the corner of his eye.
She lightly taps his back, signaling she is done tying his apron. He faces her fully, eyebrows raised as he waits for her answer. But her face remains blank and it seems like a response is not coming anytime soon. So he waits another second, another minute… until he remembered he hasn't introduced himself yet, just walked right up to her and talked. "I'm Harvey Specter," he introduces, holding out a hand to her.
She looks down at his offered hand then back to his face. She smiles, putting her hand on top of his. "I'm Donna."
"Just Donna?" He asks, shaking her hand a little longer than what a normal introduction would need.
She tilts her head to the side, a smirk forming on her face. "You'll see," she says.
Taken aback, he just slowly nods at her answer. He finally turns towards their station, looking over the ingredients she has prepared. He points at the table in front of them and says, "Okay, let's start then."
"I—," she stutters, hands fiddling with the loose thread on her apron. "I actually don't know how to bake," she replies, pausing as she looks at him again. "This is my first time."
"Oh," he says.
"Do you… know how?" She asks, reaching for the paper with instructions and handing it to him.
He takes it from her and quickly scans the content, humming when he reaches the end. "I've tried before, yeah," he replies, nodding as he puts the paper down. He sees her gathering the ingredients and trying to mix them all together in a bowl, starting with the egg that is already in her hands. He quickly grabs her wrist, the bowl wobbling in place. "Wait. Let's preheat the oven first before we start with that."
He lets go of her hand and sets the temperature of the oven, following Mrs. Parker's instructions. She steps back, allowing him to take over the space and the activity. But he pulls her close by the elbow, "C'mon, you do it. I'll help. Let's make your first a good one." He winks and he is sure he saw her cheeks turn red.
And so she did, following the instructions that he reads out loud. He hands her the ingredients one by one, telling her how much of each is needed and what comes next. Mixing, pouring, and a lot more mixing. It was easy and a bit messy, sugar and flour a little all over the place. Thanks to the aprons they are wearing, their clothes are clean and safe. They just wish they could say the same for their faces.
They finally placed the tray in the oven, peaking through the glass once it was closed. Donna just wanted to stay there and watch until the cookies are done. Harvey laughs at her, taking glances at her as he quietly clears out their station. He then taps her shoulder and motions at the stool he pushed close to her. They sit next to each other, waiting for the timer to ding.
He picks up one of the napkins on the table and gives it to her. He signals at her temple, a line of flour is lying close to her eyes. She wipes the spot but misses it, looking at him to confirm if she got it but he just shakes his head. He then grabs the cloth from her hand, standing close to her. His other hand holds her face by the chin, titling it up a bit. He taps the spot, gently blowing the flour away, causing her eyes to close. And they remain like that as his eyes then scan her face, tracing every contour that he saw for the first time but felt like he has known for years.
She opens her eyes and he is closer than what she imagined. Her heart is pounding. Nervous. Scared. A mixture of both. Because how can someone she just met make her feel like she's falling hard yet still landing safely. That taking the unknown road would look good and feel fine because he is there to hold her hand. How on earth can he make her feel this way when they have only known each other for maybe an hour or two, baking together a dozen of cookies?
"Done," he whispers, looking straight to her eyes and still holding her face.
She blinks then fixes her gaze at him, bringing her mind back into their reality— two strangers stuck together in a baking class on Christmas eve. "Do you always do this?" A question that could mean a lot of things.
He is startled by it. "What?" He replies, his hands dropping back to his sides.
She nods towards the oven. "Baking," she clarifies, wiping her hands down her jeans, trying her best to remove her earlier thoughts.
"Oh," he pauses, then takes a step back, sitting on his chair again. "No. But my brother does," he rolls his eyes. He shakes his head as he looks at her again. "He forced me to come here. Said that he needed to impress a girl so he is going to take this class," he explains, gesturing to the rest of the room. He sighs, then continues, "But bailed out on me last minute. Guess he didn't need this anymore."
Her eyebrows furrow, asking another question. "If you didn't want to be here, why did you push through with the class?"
He shrugs, "I was already here when he called. I thought I might as well just give it a try and make my trip worth it."
"And how was it?" She teases, knowing he enjoyed the experience as much as she did. If their shared giggles were any indication. He was not laughing at her, he was laughing with her. And the sound of it sent butterflies to her stomach. It was something she could definitely get used to.
He grins, remembering the chaos that ensued because of her slight clumsiness. The egg shell that fell into the bowl (which of course they took out), the flour ending up everywhere else except where it's supposed to be. Surely it was something else. She is something else. He replies, "Definitely better than expected."
He stares at her as he says those words and continues to do so until the timer rings, causing them to jump out of their seats and bump into each other. They laugh and apologize at the same time. The fun never ends it seems.
He reaches for the oven mits and takes out the tray of cookies. A big smile appears on his face as he sees them — crisp and golden brown, bits of chocolate chip peaking out. He looks at her, eyebrows wiggling as he places the tray down and lets it cool for a while.
He takes a piece and offers it to her. But she shakes her head, pushing his hand back to him. "Can you try it first?" She asks, anxious with the result of what she did.
He nods, taking a generous bite of the cookie. His face remains blank, just looking at her as he chews on it. Then his eyes closed and it was more than enough to send her panicking.
"Oh no!" She exclaims, one hand touching her forehead. "It was that bad?" She asks him, then starts pacing by their station, mumbling things to herself. "I knew it. I wasn't made for the kitchen."
He hums, causing her head to snap towards his direction. His eyes suddenly open and widen, panic settling in that he might have sent the wrong idea. He shakes his head and takes another piece from the tray, offering it to her. "It's actually really good, Donna. You should try it too."
"Really?" She asks, slowly taking the cookie from his hand. She eyes the cookie she is holding. 'Well it kinda looks good,' she thinks. She looks at him and he nods back, encouraging her to give it a try. She bites a small piece and… "Oh my god! This is amazing!" She screams, getting the attention of the other people in the room. But it doesn't bother her, didn't mind. She throws her arms around his shoulders, hugging him and whispering, "Thank you, Harvey."
He is shocked but quickly gets back in the moment. He chuckles, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulls her closer. "You're welcome," he whispers back, "But it's all you."
She pulls back, "What? I probably would have put the wrong thing in it if you didn't help me." Her hands gesture around them as she explains before they land back on his chest, his hands remaining on her waist. "I couldn't have done any of this without you," she pauses, "We did it."
They laugh, until it dies down. And all that's left is silence and them standing in each other's embrace, eyes locked on each other. This Christmas surely has a way of turning things around, plans taking on a detour only to be taken into the place where someone is supposed to be. Like here, in the bakeshop back in her hometown. A holiday meant to reacquaint with old roots has brought in a surprise of meeting someone new.
"Oh dear, these are lovely!" An elderly woman's voice breaks their moment. It was Mrs. Parker, holding a piece of cookie in her hand. "You two have done a great job!"
They look at her, nodding and saying thanks at the same time. Their synchronicity makes them giggle once again. She feels his hand squeeze her waist before letting go and it's only then that she realized how natural it felt to have him near. He leans in, his cheek brushing against hers while her hands remain on his chest, slightly gripping his top. He pulls back and looks at her again, a grin on his face. He holds a new cookie in between them, "Another one?"
He says it in his earnest voice, his eyes twinkling as he asks the question. It is a simple one but it feels sweeter than any other she has ever heard. Not as daunting as it should have been. Just a calm invitation, something she would be willing to accept.
She smiles, "Don't mind if I do."