Chapter 2: 'Cooking' Day

I've fixed some error on the first chapter. Thanks to Confidential Brunette for pointing it out :) (Sorry, forgot to put you the first time around) And others for the kind words.

And here's another little story for you all. Enjoy! I don't know how the market looks like there, I imagined there'd be stands? No?

Auggie knew for a fact that it was Saturday. No alarm on Saturdays until at least 8 am. And he was sure that it was not even 7 am yet. He groaned as his hand flew to his night stand, searching the cursed thing that had disturbed his sleep. Magically, it stopped before he could press the button.

"Aug?"

Auggie turned his face to Annie's side of the bed, only then realizing that he was laying face down. His brow furrowed, why was she up? He mumbled something incoherent.

"Aug?" she called him again, this time with a soft pat on his bare arm.

"Go back to sleep," he said, closing his half-opened eyes again.

"We are going in thirty minutes," she told him, already on her way to his bathroom.

That alerted Auggie more, "Where are we going?" he asked.

"The farm's market only open 'till 10," Annie said before closing the bathroom door.

Auggie was laying still for a moment, then turned to lay on his back, thinking hard. Saturdays were lazy days, brunch at 10, some walk around the neighbourhood and maybe laundry. That saying if she was actually in country and he didn't have any mission on the ground to handle. So, a farm's market was definitely not on their Saturday plan together.

"Oh."

Realization hit him, remembering how she'd been going on and on about learning to cook food, some real food. He okay-ed it, never thinking that she'd actually do it.

The bathroom door opened and he could smell the scent of his shower gel. He was sure there were unknown bottles of her magic products but she often like to use his soap.

"Auggie," she called him in a tone that both commanding and pleading.

He sighed as he got out of bed and walked to where she was standing in front of the bathroom door. "I don't know we are actually going to go."

"You don't know I'm actually going to cook?" she asked, grasping his extended hand. She let him pull her closer and tiptoed to plant a teasing kiss on his lips. "Good morning," she smiled.

"I don't know if it's good to be awake at six on Saturday, but okay," he kissed her again, hands roaming her thin clad t-shirt back.

"I'm making us some coffee then we leave," she grabbed both of his hand and held it together, stopping their exploration when she could before it got too far.

...

"Remind me, why are we here?" Auggie asked, when Annie trusted another piece of carrots to his free hand.

"What? Can't a girl cook to treat her boyfriend?" she asked, picking some tomatoes and pepper.

"Treats are great but you can do it without dragging me along here." Auggie complained. He had only one cup of coffee so far. Correction: a half-cup of coffee. It was certainly not enough to handle the crowded market. He wished he could've something stronger now.

"Auggie," Annie turned to him, "Please, whining doesn't get you weekend treats. We're almost done, okay?"

"What else do you actually need here?" He wondered, the plain tote bag he'd been carrying for her was bulging and started to feel heavy.

"These carrots, red peppers and some spice," Annie rattled on from her shopping list note. Yes, she actually made a list of what she needed to buy. Auggie didn't know that, though he had his suspicion.

He huffed, "Fine."

She smiled, patting his cheek for a moment.

"Men only appreciate these goods when they're served in plates, huh, dear?" An old lady who was picking tomatoes nearby remarked, her tone warm and friendly.

Annie chuckled, "Yeah, well, seems that way, ma'am."

"See that?" She nodded to an open café a few stands away. "My husband prefers to enjoy coffee and read the papers there."

"I'd like to have some coffee beforehand, too," Auggie quipped.

"You had coffee," Annie pointed, handing the vegetables she picked to the older man running the stand.

"Yeah, then you drink half of my coffee when you said you're taking a small sip."

"Well, you dropped mine." Annie said. Technically, she dropped her coffee but he was distracting her. "How much is it?" She directed it to the seller.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he turned his head in the direction where he'd heard the old woman's voice. "What's your husband name? I might decide to join him next time,"

Annie rolled her eyes mentally, retrieving some bills from her wallet.

"Sure, he might as well appreciate some company. Frank Richards, he likes to seat in one of the outdoor tables." She replied.

"Thank you," Annie accepted her purchase and gave a soft tug at Auggie's hand holding the bag.

Auggie nodded his thank to the older woman as he lifted his hand and opened the bag in front of Annie who swiftly arrange the latest veggies to be put inside. Patting his hand to let him know she's done, Annie threw one last smile to the woman. Something in her eyes caught Annie's attention. She was opening her mouth to say something, but Auggie was already on the move, pulling her elbow automatically. She just nodded her head, knowing what the woman was going to ask.

"So, you'd like to try one of those delicious smelling breads and some fresh milk?" Annie offered as she put them both in the right direction toward where she parked her car. She saw the small breakfast spot, offering fresh breads and milk, when they were coming.

"Do they have coffee?" Auggie asked.

Annie squinted her eyes to read the menu on a small blackboard. "I think so. We can grab one of the outside tables."

"Sure,"

"It's a round table," Annie said as she put his hand on the back of a chair.

He felt for the table and put down the bag before sitting down. Annie looked around, seeing if they had waitress or she had to make her order inside the stand. Two women walking out of the inside stand, carrying their order, answered her question.

"Seems like they don't have waitress. What you'd like to have? There are all sort of breads, milk, coffee, chocolate, yoghurt…"

"Just coffee, please," Auggie said simply. "Strong."

"Alright," Annie did another look around, to make sure nothing look suspicious. "I'll be right back."

…

"Annie," Auggie called, walking to his kitchen area where she'd spent more than one hour cooking. Well, she told him she was going to cook. In reality, she'd been cursing now and then. The frustration was coming off in waves from her body.

"Why does it taste all wrong, Aug?" she asked desperately.

"Hey," he found the side of her stomach and worked his hand up to her shoulder, turning her slowly towards him. "It's okay. We can order something."

Annie looked up to his face, feeling the frustration left her body slowly. "I've followed the recipe down to the minutes and…"

"Sshh," he pulled her to his embrace. "You don't have to cook for me."

"It's not you, Augs," she said quietly.

He furrowed, confused. "I thought you are cooking dinner for me?"

"Well, yeah, I was," Annie pulled out from his arm, leaving her hands around him. "But, uh, your mother's coming to town and…"

Auggie's furrow deepened, not seeing the connection between his mother visiting town in a few weeks to her frustration. "Yeah?" he prodded gently.

"I assumed you'd invite her for dinner or something. And I want to cook the dinner," Annie explained. It was a solid reason when she browsed for some meal recipes last week but it sounded lame now.

Auggie smiled, apparently finding it to be funny.

"It's not funny."

"Okay, it's not," he stopped the smile. "But I thought we'd just go out and eat somewhere."

"But it'd be nicer if we have it here."

"Nicer?" He really didn't understand what she was getting at. Annie had met her parents already, earlier in their relationship. But why did she spent her energy to worry about cooking dinner now? She had never brought out the subject before.

"Yeah. I mean, mothers, they… they all expect their son's fiancée to be able to cook..." her voice was getting small and unsure. She wasn't prepared to admit it to him. Not yet. But they'd practically live together for months now. And they both know they were serious at it. And that's the reason she felt insecure about her inability to cook that then his mother might consider her not suited for her son. It was a scary possibility she was unwilling to risk.

"Oh. They do?" he asked, dumbstruck. Her mother liked Annie. Hell, she kept asking about her more than about himself on phone calls. She really didn't have reasons to worry.

"Of course, they do. What's your mother going to think if she knows I can't cook, Aug? That I can't feed you healthy food properly?"

"I didn't know you to be the conservative kind of girl here," Auggie teased.

"Believe me, I didn't know it, either," she mumbled, wiping strands of hair from her forehead.

He pulled her back toward him, kissing her forehead. "You don't have to stress yourself, Annie. My mother likes you, very much. And you know that. And I can feed myself pretty well."

"B…"

"But," he emphasized, "if it's going to make you feel better, you can cook. There are some weeks to go, you can practice every night if you want to."

She gave his cheek a peck, unable to resist herself. The way he easily calmed her nerves was amazing. And she loved him more for that. "One of these days, I'm going to burn your kitchen," she said with a small smile.

"It's okay, so long as I don't have to eat the burnt food."

Annie slapped his ribs, jerking him in surprise. "Throwing away food is bad habit."

"Or we can always call Catering by Danielle."

That earned him a jab of her toe on his leg.

"You think you're so funny."

Thanks for the read, follow, favourite, review and all. I appreciate them.

And I hope you do enjoy it :)