-- [earlier that day] --

“Let’s try this recipe today, Umbra,” Addai took an old notebook from a nearby drawer.

Umbra turned to her shadow form and swiftly swayed to the side, getting comfortable over a tablecloth Addai forgot to take it out of the cat’s eyesight. Next to her, Addai portioned the flour, caster sugar, and light brown sugar in two big bowls. He beat the butter until smooth, added the sugars and beat the mixture once again, but with a whisk. Now, it was almost white, and Addai needed to add wheat little by little – while still beating the dough with the whisk.

Feeling his arm about to fall and the dough to reach the perfect look, Addai portioned it into other small bowls. Each had a different ingredient. Cocoa, coffee, vanilla… the base dough was now starting to get new colors and flavors.

What was inside his mind was a mystery even for himself. Waters he still didn’t want to dive into, but he wanted to dip his feet in it at least for a little while. As he whisked the new flavored doughs, his ears turned slightly pink when he pondered a bit more about the water’s analogy. He was so lost in it he didn’t notice there was too much dough for him to eat.

… Should I…? Addai pondered a bit, his ears turning more reddish as well as his neck.

The water from before showed someone’s smile. He shivered, but not because of that person’s smile, but his cat’s obnoxious face, staring at him.

“W-Why are you looking at me with such an ugly face?” Addai frowned, looking at Umbra.

Umbra, with her cartoonishly looking eyes and thin eyebrows, grinned at her owner.

Addai blinked, not believing what his eyes had just witnessed. Even the blush on his ears and neck faded but soon came back when his mind slipped away and started building the scenes of that person’s bright smile. He stopped, letting those images surround him. His ears were hot and his hands cold. It was funny to feel. Comfortable and annoying.

… I swore to not… His mind trailed off, but he continued to bake the biscuits. All the dough. Wasting nothing.

When he least expected, Addai was holding a paper bag. It was small, but all the cookies he wanted to share were inside. All he needed was to gather enough courage to text the person who’d receive the biscuits. One, two, three minutes. Ten, twelve, thirteen minutes… It took an absurd amount of time to finally send a message– well, many messages.

[ᴀᴅᴅᴀɪ – 4 ᴘ.ᴍ.] ʜᴇʏ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ?  

[ᴀᴅᴅᴀɪ – 4 ᴘ.ᴍ.] ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ.  

[ᴀᴅᴅᴀɪ – 4 ᴘ.ᴍ.] ɪᴛ’ꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴜᴄʜ.  

[ᴀᴅᴅᴀɪ – 4 ᴘ.ᴍ.] ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʀᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ. ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ.

But no immediate reply – well, he expected that, but he had some hope deep inside. However, there were no replies later. Not even ten minutes, or twenty, or even after an hour. The biscuits, once warm, were now cold. Addai took the package and knitted his brows.

This is the last time I will do something nice. Addai muttered to himself, but he knew it was a lie. “Umbra,” he called, and the cat raised her head, “track him. We’ll deliver this shit today and I don’t care if he’s busy.” Addai rubbed his peachy cheeks, trying to dust off the annoying warmth on them. The cat jumped on Addai’s feet and rubbed her fuzzy tail on his legs, almost like waiting for him to say something. “Ah…” Addai sighed, “okay… ite eum invenient,” he said.

Umbra meowed happily and turned into a shadow matter, swaying in the air as if she got something – a track – and started following it. Addai bit his right thumb and a drop of his blood fell on the floor. Around him, the same shadows that Umbra turned into, swayed. He took a step forward and followed Umbra’s trail, hiding in the shadows as well.

Streets, subway and… Umbra was heading to Addai’s workplace…? What was Mine doing at the University of Magic if he had dismissed his classes?

What is he doing here? Addai pondered, still following Umbra in the shadows.

He didn’t even pay attention to the surroundings. It didn’t interest him anyway.

When Umbra finally stopped, Addai also stopped. Mine was right there in front of him, not too far but not close. But he wasn’t alone. Someone was talking to Mine and Mine was happily talking to that person. Addai had never seen him at such ease and laid-back posture. Of course, he already saw him smiling, but sometimes it felt like he only smiled because he had to, and other times Mine was nervously trying to hide his grim expression. It felt like a sin to spoil that smile with his presence.

Addai felt a needle stitch his chest as he thought, I’m nothing more than a nuisance for him.

His presence would surely turn that smile into frowning and bitter words. He didn’t want to be a nuisance for the meeting with that red-haired guy, nor be an awkward random encounter that spoiled their quality time.

Addai’s feet moved on their own in the opposite direction. Walking away from Mine and the other person, Addai raised his hand to throw the biscuits away by burning them but when his hands felt oddly… empty?

“What?” Addai frowned. Where was the paper bag??

He turned again, and the red-haired guy wasn’t there anymore – at least that – but he didn’t expect to see Umbra holding the paper bag! She was heading to where Mine was and not in her shadow form!!

Panic crept onto Addai’s skin, and he felt his arms all itchy, but he didn’t have time for this. Shouting at Umbra was useless, so he needed to run! Stumbling on the tree sapling beside him, he got to grab Umbra. The moment Addai touched Umbra, she almost made him into pieces with her claws and swiftly escaped her owner’s arms.

“Meow,” Umbra meowed.

“... Umbra?!” Mine gasped.

Oh shit, Addai blushed. I'll have to take her in the shadows and be discreet.

But the spell failed, and so did his intentions.