Blog

“Tae?  What are you doing?” Jungkook asked as he entered the kitchen later that afternoon.

“Making Christmas cookies.”

“What?” Jungkook’s eyebrows assaulted the ceiling as he glanced at the counter.  It was covered in flour. 

Tae was using a rolling pin to smooth out a buttery dough.  Jungkook watched as his friend picked up a tree cookie cutter and pressed it into the soft dough.

“What kind of cookies are those?”

“Butter.”

“With wheat flour?” Jungkook peered down at the dough before reaching out to pinch a bit off and stuff it into his mouth.

“Hey!” Tae rebuked him.  “Don’t steal my dough!”

“I just wanted to try a bite,” Jungkook responded defensively.  He grinned suddenly.  “But now I want more.  That tastes delicious!”

But as he bent towards the counter once more, he suddenly found a rolling pin in his face.  Tae was brandishing it like a sword. 

“Back off, Jungkookie!  These cookies are for…a friend.”

Something in his voice alerted Jungkook.  His eyes flew to meet Tae’s.  “A…friend, eh?”  He bent towards Tae in a conspiratorial fashion.  “And would this…friend…just so happen to be a girl?”

Tae swallowed.  His eyes fell to the counter, and he carefully removed the tree cutout from its neighboring dough and placed it carefully on a cookie sheet.  “One with fabulous, aquamarine eyes,” he breathed.

Jungkook’s own eyes grew round.  “Tae?  Are you in love?”

“What?!”  His friend straightened suddenly.  “No!  I just…I saw her on Christmas.  I was…feeling lonely that day.”  He glanced up at Jungkook.  “Missing home.  You know?”

Jungkook nodded sympathetically.

“And she was standing in front of me in line.  Ordering hot chocolate.  Then she asked the barista for a Christmas cookie.  I could hear the disappointment in her voice when none was available.  In fact, not one of the treats she wanted was available.  She looked so dejected to be leaving the coffee shop without something sweet to eat.  But I knew it was more than that….  She was missing home.  Probably missing someone too.  Just like I was.”

Jungkook frowned. “So you’re making her Christmas cookies?  But…how are you going to get them to her?”

“I know where she lives.”

Jungkook glanced sharply at his friend.  “How?”

“I followed her home on Christmas.”

“Tae, that’s kind of stalkerish, isn’t it?” Jungkook teased his old friend.

Tae tossed an annoyed glance in his direction.  “It is not.  I just wanted to find out where she’s staying, so I could surprise her.”

“With Christmas cookies?” Jungkook peered down at the dough and debated stealing another bite.

“Among other things,” Tae murmured.

Jungkook’s eyes flew up to his friend’s face again.  “Tae?  What did you do?”

Tae shrugged.  “Just left her a couple of gifts.”

Jungkook’s lips quirked.  Then his gaze fell to the dough again.  “Hey, if I help you cut the cookies out, can I have a couple?”

Tae laughed suddenly.  “Sure, Jungkookie.  I made a double batch of dough.  I figured all six of you would catch a whiff of them baking and descend upon the kitchen like a swarm of locusts.”

Jungkook barked with laughter.  “True.  Too true,” he murmured.

Right before he stuck another fingerful of dough into his mouth.  Immediately after which, he had to endure being spanked by Tae’s rolling pin.