#oeuvre.

[ ”I’m all up for spicing things up, but isn’t this a bit much?” ]

            ”Shush!” She swatted at his hand the moment that he spoke, a frown etched onto delicate features, before turning away to return her attention back to what she was doing. They had been slaving away in Joe’s kitchen for, what felt like, an eternity and it seemed as if they would never make any real progress. Maybe it was the fact that they still didn’t know one another well and hadn’t had the chance to develop a sense of comfort between them. Who knew, really? In any case, to Melanie, this was the perfect way to change their circumstances; it all but shoved them into a new setting, a new sense of adventure, and she was happy to go along for the ride, no matter where it took them.

            The words echoed in her mind, almost as if the male next to her were a broken record, of sorts, and she snorted, her hands working diligently to properly prepare the items in front of her.

                                           ”I’m all for spicing things up, but isn’t this a bit much?”

            ”You’re speaking nonsense,” Melanie mumbled under breath, all while adding more ingredients that would be sure to add even more intensity to their creation than there already was. All the while, she bounced childishly on her toes, making mental note to grab the nearest carton of milk for them to inhale once the fire set in. Of course, he was quick to argue with her, declaring that there was a such thing as a limit, somewhere out there; but, being the stubborn mule she was, she refused to believe that there was a such thing as something edible being too spicy to eat. Either she was right or her stomach was made of steel; whichever reason it was, she was going to make this unbearably hot.

                                    Or, rather, unbearable for him.

            ”What—Yixing?” She couldn’t help but wonder if the male tended to stumble over his words often, or if it was something that only seemed to occur whenever they were in one another’s presence. If that were the case, then the next month together was going to be an interesting one for her, not to mention hilarious. In a way, he was adorable, himself, with the way he attempted to save his own face, and it brought the slightest, shy smile to her own lips, one that she hurried to cover with a hand hiding within the safety of a large sleeve.

            ”I’m adorable? Really?” she asked with a tilt of her head, dainty steps carrying her over to where the other stood before she tipped her head back so that she could see his face without obstruction. There was a giggle laced within her voice, the overall softness of the tone and volume in which she spoke highlighted by the show of amusement that she didn’t bother to hide from him, and her free hand lifted. The sleeve covering it dropped and bunched together around her wrist, showing one lone finger that stood up before wagging from side to side as the light in her eyes grew even more noticeable than it probably already was.

            That was all it took. Days of gloom seemed to disappear the moment Simon spoke to her. For several seconds, she seemed to forget that her mood had lessened to something so much less than what she was accustomed to showing to the world around her. Her smile had all but vanished from pale features. Perhaps it was stress? That, she wasn’t so certain of. Even in the face of extreme stress, Melanie had always managed to keep a positive expression upon her face but, as of late, she felt heavy—she felt as if, suddenly, everything around her had become too much.

            ”Simon,” she whispered while setting down the pen she’d been writing with. They hadn’t known one another for very long, but she couldn’t deny the comfort that she’d seemed to feel whenever she managed to be in his presence. With oversized sleeves flapping about, the tiny girl bounced over to the male and practically tackled him onto her bed. In retrospect, it was a rather funny scene—someone her size attempting such a thing—and, maybe, that was what aided the smile slowly forming on her lips, coaxing it to life and brightening sullen features.

                        ”I like when you smile.”