MELTING: Set him on Fire

"This is the third time. Can you please focus?" His voice was low, but the anger in it was unmistakable.

"Sorry, my manager called. I'll be more careful this time," Fire promised, though irritation bubbled beneath her words. How can he be so rude?

"I don't care," Ice snapped, his tone sharp. "You've already wasted enough ingredients. If you mess this up again, I'll be filing a complaint with the professor." He turned and walked back to his station, muttering under his breath. "How can she not know something this simple?"

I won't mess it up this time. Ice is scary, Fire thought to herself, her resolve hardening. With determination, she began again, mixing the ingredients in the large bowl while humming softly. They say food tastes better when you make it with love, she reminded herself, trying to find comfort in the process.

Meanwhile, Ice stayed away, trying to calm himself. I need to measure the liquid properly. But as he reached for it near her station, something caught his attention.

"Hey!" he called sharply. "You're not supposed to mix that. You need to fold it! You'll ruin the texture!" He couldn't believe he had to explain this to a second-year student.

"Eh?" Fire's face was a portrait of confusion. She had no idea what he meant.

"You're mixing it like pancake batter!" Ice's frustration was palpable. "You're supposed to fold it—bottom to top, not stir it."

Despite his explanation, Fire still looked completely lost, and now fear flickered in her eyes.

What does he mean? she thought, her face full of worry. I'm in trouble now…

With an exasperated sigh, Ice stepped forward and gently took the mixing bowl and whisk from her hands. He set the whisk down and grabbed a rubber spatula instead, starting to fold the mixture with deliberate care. His movements were so much gentler than his tone.

"Got it. I'll just do that," Fire said quickly, trying to take the bowl back from him, but was met with a glare so cold it sent a shiver down her spine.

"No," Ice said, his voice steady but sharp. "You've already messed it up. You need to redo it."

He turned and walked back to his station, clearly not pleased. Fire could feel the heat of his anger even from a distance, and the tension in the air was almost unbearable.

A few moments later, Ice's voice cut through the silence, rising in frustration.

"Mix it in one direction! Why do I have to explain this again?" His patience was wearing thin, his voice growing louder with each mistake she made.

"I'm sorry! I'll do it again!" Fire stammered, desperate to get it right. She only wanted to succeed, but each attempt seemed to fall short.

Mommy, help me! she silently prayed, hoping this would end soon. She had no idea how much longer Ice would tolerate her mistakes, but it was clear his patience was nearing its breaking point.

"I filed a complaint about you being in this year's level. They said you had some subjects accredited, but how can you be this clueless?" Ice's words dripped with condescension as he looked down at her, his eyes sharp as he observed every move she made.

Inside her head, Fire protested, That was years ago! I've already forgotten most of it! But I could relearn this... if he could just be a little gentler. She wanted to cry but fought to hold back the tears.

Trying to calm herself, she could feel Ice's eyes on her every move. Is this the sixth time? Or maybe the seventh? She had lost count of how many times she had messed up.

The rising tension in the air reminded him why they were here in the first place. Right. He had told her they needed to practice because he wanted to make the perfect cake. It was his excuse for not trusting Fire's abilities, and now, it seemed he was convinced he was right.

I should've known something like this would happen, Ice thought, frustration creeping in. The signs had been there earlier—at the supermarket.

They'd planned to gather the ingredients separately to save time, but the plan had backfired. Ice remembered how Fire had been so cheerful when they met up at the cashier, just like they'd agreed. They were about to line up when something made Ice pause.

There's no way you can go wrong buying these simple ingredients... right?

He hesitated for a moment, then checked her cart. At the top was the butter. "This is salted butter. It should be unsalted," he remarked, his tone flat.

Fire blinked at the butter, confusion flickering across her face as Ice pointed at the label.

Something's off, Fire thought. She wasn't entirely sure, but she knew something wasn't right. "I'll change it, wait for me," she said quickly, grabbing the butter and running toward the dairy section.

What's wrong with this one? she wondered. But as she checked the list, she saw it: unsalted butter. She hadn't realized that detail mattered.

I can't keep him waiting, she thought, panic rising. Maybe he'll hate it? I don't want to make things worse.

She moved as quickly as she could, her heart racing. But as she approached, she noticed Ice hadn't moved from where she'd left him. He should've gone to the line to save time, but instead, his expression said everything.

I shouldn't be doing this... My instincts are telling me this is bad.

Trying to mask her nervousness, Fire forced a smile. "I got the butter," she said, hoping her charm could smooth things over. Come on, smile, work your magic.

But Ice wasn't fooled. "Did you actually read all the ingredients?" His question came out cold, as if the answer was obvious.

And from that moment on, Fire was subjected to a sermon, one she wouldn't forget.

"Cake flour was listed. This is bread flour. Do you know how to convert that?"

"We needed powdered sugar, not table sugar. Worst of all, this is brown sugar. Are you trying to make brownies?"

"We needed vanilla beans. You got vanilla syrup... for drinks."

"And the eggs? The size is all wrong. This won't be enough."

Fire stood there, staring at the floor, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. His voice wasn't loud, but that made it worse. It was the kind of scolding that felt like a slow burn, each word sinking deeper.

She had hoped she might have been spared because they were in a public place, but not this time. There was nowhere to hide from his frustration.