"Just-" Alexandria almost blurted out that it looks good on him, but she didn't want to feed into his ego. Too bad, it could've made him take it off, seeing how hated her, and probably would find her attraction towards him disgusting. She scrambled her head and finally picked a logical reason. No one can argue against a health hazard, right?

"It's dirty."

Your mind is dirty, she chastised herself when the words left her mouth. It sounded rude. "Uh, I mean, you cook in that, and out here people bring germ from the outside. Not very FDA friendly, I mean..." she backtracked clumsily. "Forget it. My bad, wear whatever you want."

Her eyes widened when she heard Hélios asked about his part. She quickly looked at him in excitement, but just as quickly avoided eye contact again.

"Don't look at that note, it's messy. I organized it better in my laptop. It's still messy, but better. I hope." Alexandria was actually quite confident that her work was very organized, but she didn't want to ruin anyone's expectation, so she tried to downplay her work first. Hoping that way, no one would be disappointed. She handed over the laptop without looking at him.

"I already marked your parts in there. If you have any question you can ask me. I've gathered some of the materials and created the presentation template, for now you just have to input the first part on the power point. Right up to slide three. As for the rest you can do your research then send it via email to me, I'll compile and proofread it."

Alexandria dug in her bag and pulled out a shiny black box. She clicked it open and produced a business card that she handed over to Hélios.

The words,

Alexandria Ranayuda

Ranayuda Construction

Centred, embossed in black. Raised lettering, the card color was pale nimbus, with watermark.

"Here's my email." She said lightly.

Her expression didn't change when Hélios pointed at the pastry. Pasticciotto, she recognize. She loved it. But especially because it was Carl's treat. If Carl would forgive her, that is, after she caused such trouble. She began to feel bad. She should pay for it, and his meal too, after all. She would've loved to eat with him and showed him that she loved this pastry, no matter how it would end up tasting.

"Mrs. Nonnatelli wouldn't like it if you steal from a customer." She glanced at the food. It's still freshly baked. Carl would be taking his sweet time talking to Fiorenza, considering how chatty he is. She shouldn't let it go cold, it would be disrespectful to the chef...

She blinked in realization. "Hélios. You made this?"

Hélios rolled his eyes. It's dirty. Damn, goody good she was. Having to follow the rules no matter where she went. He wanted to argue back, but refrained from doing so. He didn't want to upset his Nonna further. FDA? Really she had to go there. He wondered if she was the rich type that felt entitled to shit that had nothing to do with them. It was beginning to seem that way, with her reaction over a damn apron. It wasn't like there were in customers in the building to begin with. Fine. He'd comply this one time. "Like I said. Dramatic." He scoffed. Leaning forward he untied the back and pulled it over his head. Folding it up he laid it on the table.

Leaning forward, he placed his elbow on the table, he rested his chin on his hand. The movement made his arm muscles bulged. Lio was the type of fit that didn't need to flex, for one to feel the strength. One could feel it even in a relaxed state. He looked at her for a moment, catching her chocolate brown eyes widen. His brows furrowed. Dramatic. All because he's helping with his part. It was quick and he almost didn't catch it, as she looked away. Her black her slightly covering her face from him. He ignored her comment about her work being messy. Why did she feel the need to lie? Her work was as organized as can be. Things were labeled correctly, nothing out of place. Sliding the laptop closer to him, he scrolled. Taking a mental note of the things he was reading.

Watching silently as she spoke and began pulling out what ended up being a business card, he grabbed it with his free hand. Ranayuda Construction. He felt as though he'd seen that somewhere before, but couldn't pin point it. He tossed it back onto the table. What use was it? He didn't own a laptop. "I don't have a laptop." He admitted, keeping his eyes on the screen of her laptop in front of him.

"Mrs. D'Amico, to you. Nonnatelli is not her name. Just some dumb nickname your old man friend over there made up for her." He corrected. The least she could do was respect his grandmother. "She won't care." As he said that, he reached over the table to grab the second plate he had set down earlier. Carl never got a chance to take a bite either, before the altercation broke out. He slid both the plate and drink over to himself. Grabbing it he took a big bite then sipped on the coffee. The boy could eat. Yet, he never lost his figure.

As he heard his name, he glanced at her. His eyes lingered on her face for a moment. Why did she care if he made it or not. His jaw clenched and he dragged his gaze away. He gave a simple nod in response to her question. He almost felt embarrassed, was it? He finished up the pastry quickly, and began sipping on the drink.

Alexandria watched in shock when Helios took off his apron. Was she too harsh? Did her explaining not work? Perhaps she needed to apologize.

Somewhere in her heart, she also felt triumphant. Her, a boring teacher's pet, made the school troublemaker do things. First when he walked out of class, now he took off his apron. She wanted it. To make him do more things.

"Thank you," she said when Helios put the apron on the table. Alexandria took it and folded it neatly, placing it on an empty chair.

A strange feeling dwelled in Alexandria's chest when he called her dramatic for the second time. She wasn't even doing anything, just speaking timidly. Some other people would have made some sort of remark, a quip, that would bring them closer together. Maybe even a physical touch, like punching that big arm in jest. Yet all Alexandria did was ramble awkwardly, and Helios called her dramatic.

She was never described as that before, nor did she expect anyone would think her as such. She could not even remember the last time she ever cried in front of anyone. Or raise her voice, just like she just did with Helios earlier. If anything, people had described her as 'cool', which she liked--yet sometimes their eyes were saying that she was too cold.

A part of her fought against it. It was an attack to the self-image she had developed. Yet another part of her that had always wished to be free from the walls in her mind rejoiced. Someone thought she was dramatic. And it was Helios--someone she looked up to for always bringing drama wherever he went.

"Oh." Alexandria was embarrassed. Maybe Fiorenza was actually one of those rich grandmothers who don't want their grandson to spoilt, and wouldn't give him things he hadn't earned. After all, Helios was working at her business just like a normal employee. She didn't expect that.

"Your grandma raised you well," she said in admiration. "You do need a laptop for school though. At least for this project. Maybe you can lend one from me? I can talk with your grandma to let you have it just for this project, if you want. Do you prefer MacOs or Windows?"

She made a mental note in her head to buy Helios a laptop.

Alexandria watched in disbelief when Helios just took her plate and Carl's and wolfed it down. The first food Carl ever bought for her. His favorite food from his favorite cafe. Alexandria had disappointed him again, even if Carl hadn't known it.

"I wanted that!" she hissed, quickly glancing over to Fiorenza if she heard that and saw that they're clashing again. She was too far, busy talking with Carl. It's safe.

Anger pitted in Alexandria's stomach. There was an unfamiliar surge of adrenaline rushing over her.

You're dramatic.

Helios' words rang on her head, and she felt a courage she didn't have before. Alexandria glared at him. "Carl used his precious money to buy those. Why don't you learn to respect other people, Helios?"

Alexandria was sitting straight as usual, and her tone was cold. Yet her heart raced and heat filled her cheeks quickly. It surprised her. She didn't know she was this angry about this, and her body reaction felt genuine. She didn't know her body could actually react to her emotions like this.

Deciding to ignore her thank you, he stared at the screen of the laptop. He hadn't done it for her. In his mind he did it for his Nonna. No more arguing from him. Well, sort of. It wouldn't be as harsh. Hopefully.

Hélios' jaw clenched, as his mind wandered to his childhood. If one could call it that. "She didn't raise me." He corrected, he refrained from snapping at her. He had to be civil, he knew Fiorenza was watching out of the corner of her eye. He could almost laugh at her next comment. With what money would buy a laptop with? They were barely scrapping by. On the verge of shutting down. "No." It was stern, as he kept his gaze in front of him. He ignored her other questions. Jesus, how many expensive electronics did she own to be able to give options among brands?

Opening up a new tab, he began his research. His long fingers gliding across the keyboard, as he typed away in the search bar. Clicking on a link, he paused to read it. Taking a sip of the coffee, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Like a small child would. He rubbed the stubble on his jaw, as he read the article. "Aftó den échei kanéna nóima." (This doesn't make any sense. |In Greek) He grumbled, slightly under his breath. Reading another passage, he scribbled down some notes on his spare paper.

"Relax Fytó, don't go getting your panties in a twist. There's more than enough in the back." (Fytó, means Nerd in Greek) His tone was firm, but not harsh. As he was distracted with the work at hand.

The pencil in his hand snapped in half. He turned towards Alexandria. His glare menacing, as he raked his amber eyes over her features. Why was she getting so heated over this? It meant that much to her? It was just some damn pastries. He noticed the tint in her cheeks, but it wasn't a blush. He could tell that much. It took all his power to not snap at her.

"Gamóto gia chári." (Fuck sake| Greek) Shoving his chair back, it scrapped against the floor loudly. His long strides taking him to the kitchen. He made sure to snatch his dirty apron off the chair. Reaching the kitchen, he tossed the apron onto the stairs that lead up to their living quarters. Grabbing two plates, and a pair of tongs, he placed four pieces of Pasticciotto, onto one plate. On the other plate he placed two pieces of Sfogliatella. Walking back to the table with the two plates in hand, he placed her plate in front of her. Although, it clattered loudly with the harsh landing, but nothing fell off the plate. Then he placed his own plate at his spot. Sitting back down, he took a bit of the pastry. "Are you done complaining now?" He snapped, his voice quiet. "Can we get this shit done now?"

Alexandria nodded subtly in approval to what Helios had said. Of course, it was impossible such a sweet woman could have raised a guy like this. Even if it was a bit late, there was hope for Helios' future if he stayed with Fiorenza from now on. She noticed how Helios listened to her and helped his grandmother out, something she didn't expect. Turned out they had something in common, because that would mean one of Helios' parents was probably a parasitic bum, too. In any case, it couldn't have been the one Fiorenza raised.

Helios said no, and Alexandria was even more impressed. In her culture someone should say no at least once out of politeness. Then Alexandria simply had to bring it straight away the next time. He didn't say which one he preferred- but he seemed to know how to operate a Mac. Alexandria herself preferred Mac, but she knew most people are more familiar with Windows and sometimes struggle with other operating system, hence her question. She noted down in her head to buy a Macbook for him later.

~

The way Helios wiped his mouth sloppily with his hand and didn't clean his hand afterward disturbed Alexandria. It was one of her biggest pet peeve. People could be so... uncivilized. She had the urge to wipe his hand for him and give him a napkin but she held herself back.

The way he spoke in other language, however, tickled at her heart. He seemed very much worldly, and she envied him for that. Perhaps she could take a course for another language... squeeze it somewhere in her schedule.

And when she saw him actually doing his work, respecting his grandmother's wishes. She was truly impressed when he scribbled down some notes! It seemed that Helios was more of a hard and thorough worker beyond her expectation, and loved his family. She discovered a newfound respect for him.

~

The anger died down quickly, replaced with guilt. Alexandria was dumbfounded, and quite frankly, scared by herself. She lost control too many times today, when she had never lost control before. Helios was dangerous. Just being near him was enough to bring out the sides she hadn't known of herself.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked out, horrified, while he was placing the plates down. "I-I'll pay for these."

"Yes. Let's get this done."

She stood up and lifted her chair, placing it next to him quietly. She looked over to what he had been working at, and scanned it quickly. She could see what's on the screen, yet she couldn't concentrate and analyze it properly. For some reason she couldn't seem to calm down, unlike her usual self. She took a deep breath, hoping the heat in her cheeks would cool and the blood would rush back to her brain.

The male was like a complete different person around his grandmother. Well, mostly. He could remember a time he had snapped and let his true colors show in front of his Nonna. The look of horror in her sweet eyes. It pained him to think about it. Once he'd finished with the man that dared disrespect his grandmother, he stopped to look at Fiorenza. She looked deadly afraid of him. That shit stung. It felt as if he'd been shot and he regretted his actions quickly. He vowed to never let lose himself like that. Well, at least not in front of her anymore.

Periodically, he would take a bite of his snack or drink his coffee as he researched. Jotting down notes here and there. He glanced over at her. "Fiorenza wont let you do that." He responded, sounding distracted with his work at hand. It was true. Fiorenza would allow her to eat every pastry in the bakery before she ever paid for anything. He ignored her apology.

Clearing his throat, he slid his piece of paper closer for her to take a look at. In just a matter of minutes he'd filled the page and gathered his resources. "These..." He trailed off, as he circled three bullet points. "Should go under this section." He pointed at her notes on a certain section.

Finally glancing up at her from the paper, his brows furrowed. His eyes taking in the tint on her cheeks. "Why are you blushing?" He watched her. Confused. Now that he noticed she seemed distracted. Like she wasn't able to focus on the work at hand.

(Eh short)

There's another person named Fiorenza who has authority here, she noted to herself. She didn't reply- she would simply leave a huge tip later. Her eyes panned to the menu. Thankfully she was a frequent customer of bakeries and knew the name of everything here. She would tip with the price for all of the food and drink brought to the table, tripled.

"Yes, you're right. That's perfect," she said when he pointed the work. She could grasp that he was doing a good job even if she couldn't really think at the moment. For his mere cooperation, she would have said anything he did was good, regardless. Plus the fact that she was ashamed that her snapping at him earlier made him grab some plates for her.

"Why are you blushing?"

As if the question wasn't mortifying enough for her, her stomach grumbled. Loudly. Alexandria winced, once again turning her head away from him. She really should've heeded her grandfather's exact advice this morning to take care of her health.

"I forgot to eat lunch, doing this project," she said, embarrassed, hoping the explanation sufficed for the redness in her cheek as well. She couldn't explain that anyway. She quickly took one Pasticciotto, minding that there were still two more for her to eat with Carl later.

She picked up the small pastry with both hands, feeling the warmth and weight of it in her palms. The crust was slightly crisp to the touch, but yielded easily with a gentle bite. As she took her first taste, a wave of flavors and textures flooded her senses.

The outside of the pasticciotto was slightly crispy and crumbly, giving way to a soft, cake-like interior. The custard filling was creamy and sweet, with hints of vanilla and lemon zest. It was the perfect balance of textures and flavors, with the sweetness of the custard perfectly complementing the savory pastry crust.

She savored each bite, relishing in the warmth and comfort of the pastry. The flavors and textures danced across her taste buds, bringing a smile to her face. She closed her eyes, fully immersing herself in the moment and enjoying the simple pleasure of a delicious pastry.

As she finished the last bite, she leaned back in her chair and let out a contented sigh.

She looked back to Helios, her eyes glazed with love- for the pasticciotto. But she might have fallen in love with him too for making such a delicious food.

"You are a superb pastry chef."

(( no prob cx ))

His finger tips paused for a moment, when he heard her stomach growl. The click clack of the keyboard silent, he turned towards her. His eyes lowered towards her belly. He gave a simple nod in response to her explanation. Although, it made no sense as to why she would be blushing. He let it pass this time around.

Just as he was about to return to his work at hand, he paused as he watched her take a bite of the pastry. Her reaction was unexpected. She seemed to enjoy the pastry very much. He couldn't drag his gaze away. Something about her reaction, made him satisfied. That he created something from his hands, that made her reaction like so.

Still not having dragged his eyes away, his adams apple bobbed for a moment as he watched her. He finally casted his gaze downwards and nodded his head. He wasn't really one to say thank you when complimented. With that he took a bite from his own pastry, wiping his hands on a napkin.

Glancing back at the counter, he spotted Fiorenza and Carl still chatting away. The two could talk for hours. He turned back towards the laptop in front of him. He sighed, as much as he wanted to be done with this. There wasn't merely enough work that had been finished. He wanted to finish all his research first before moving on to plugging it all into the power point.

Quickly sneaking a glance at Alexandria, he pushed his plate towards her. He finished one of his pastries but the last one was still left. "Eat. I'll finish this up." The girl was small from the looks of it. He wasn't sure she would eat all that. From his experience, girls ate small proportions compared to him. Always taking a small bite of something and then saying they are full.

He opened a few more tabs to search things up. Pausing he glanced over, expression serious. "Wheres your phone?" He asked, not bothering to explaining him or why he would want to know where her phone is.

As Alexandria watched Helios nod his head in response to her compliment, she couldn't help but find his reaction cute. She smiled to herself, more honest since she found the food delicious. It took her by surprise when Helios wiped his hand on the napkin. Did he notice her not liking the way he wiped his mouth with his hand earlier? Or did he do it in purpose to mess with her? Helios was really sharp, she noticed, and she had to be careful.

When Helios pushed the plate towards her, however, the notion vanished from her mind. She beamed and ate it, savoring every small polite bite, completely forgetting the world around her.

"These are the best pastry I've ever had in my life," she said after she's done, delicately dapping her mouth with a napkin and wiping her hand with another.

She couldn't help but admire what seemed to be Helios' passion and dedication towards baking. For how much rumors swirled around him at school, none ever said anything about baking, this charming bakery, or his lovely grandmother. As she looked at him, suddenly he felt real with genuine talent and a kind side, not just a character to fantasize about in her mind.

"Wait, let me wash my hands first," she replied to his question and went to the bathroom. She returned quickly. Her usually poised gait seemed to float a little lighter after her trip. She sat back down and took the phone out from her bag, wondering why he needed to know.

"Here it is," she said, holding up her phone defenselessly. "Why do you need it?"

Hélios snorted at her compliment. This was the second time now and he wasn't sure what she was trying to do. Without taking his eyes off the computer, "Are you trying to get on my good side or something?" He questioned, the slightest bit of humor in his tone.

Grabbing her phone from her, he went to the contacts. Putting his phone number in he passed her phone back to her. "So we can set up a time to work on the project." He brushed his hair back, as it was falling into his eyes. "We'll only work on it here." He motioned to the bakery itself. Over his dead body would he be seen in public actually doing school work. He liked his reputation where it was at. "If we keep at it together, we can finish it in a few days."

No one, and he meant no one knew of this side of him. The bakery wasn't very popular, especially not with the high schoolers he went to school with. Most of them rather huddle at a burger joint and not some bakery in these parts of the city. It was a side of him he liked to keep private. Well, now Alexandria knew. Speaking of which, he thought of something. Turning towards her, he grabbed her wrist. Not tight, but enough to get her attention. His amber eyes on her, "You keep this to yourself, or you'll regret it. Got it?" His tone was firm, he needed to make sure she knew how serious he was about this. Just because she knew of this "soft side" of him changed nothing between them. This was purely an accident.