Chapter 13: Cookies

Sofia Pov

It’s well past midnight.

Mia’s snoring softly beside me, tangled in my blanket. Kiera’s curled up at the edge, her phone buzzing with useless notifications.

I’m wide awake.

I stare at the ceiling. Lucien’s voice replays in my head—sharp, dismissive, cold.

“You’re not worth my time.”

Tch. Not worth his time. As if he wasn’t the one trying to get into my mouth.

I glance at Mia, then Kiera. Quietly, I slip out from under the blanket, tiptoe across the room, and ease Mia’s phone from her hand. She doesn’t stir.

I slip into the bathroom and lock the door. Swallow hard. My fingers twitch.

I shouldn’t be doing this.

This is so stupid.

What the hell am I doing?

But I can’t stop. I can’t just let it go.

He looked at me like I was nothing. Like I didn’t exist. Like I wasn’t even worth the breath it took to insult me.

I hate how much it got to me.

The screen lights up. I type in Mia’s passcode without thinking.

I hesitate. My thumb hovers over the search bar.

I should walk away. Delete the browser. Crawl back under my blanket and forget this ever happened.

But instead—

G****e: How to seduce older men

The results load instantly.

“10 Tips to Drive Him Wild”

“Dress Like a Woman, Not a Girl”

What? What does that even mean?

“Older Men Love a Challenge.”

My stomach flips. What does “challenge” even mean?

I scroll anyway.

A girl in red lipstick pouts at the camera like she’s about to bite it. Another one’s wearing heels she probably can’t even walk in. The headlines blur together—“Older men are protective of good girls” and “Be submissive and fragile.”

What!

That makes sense.

He hates it when I act out of control.

Act soft. Fragile.

To Professor Grumpypants.

Mia’s phone nearly slips from my hand as a knock rattles the door.

“Hey.” Kiera’s voice is low and sleepy. “Sophie, you in there?”

My breath catches.

Shit.

I fumble to unlock the phone—it must’ve locked again. My heart pounds like it’s trying to escape my chest. The search results are still on-screen: red lips, seductive poses, tips on how to seduce older men.

“Yeah!” My voice cracks. I scramble—back, back, home screen, anything—

The doorknob jiggles.

“Sophia? You okay?”

Too late.

I yank the door open in a panic.

Kiera blinks at me, eyebrows lifting. Her eyes drop to the phone in my hand.

“Ohhhh,” she says slowly, lips curving into a grin. “You watching p**n?”

My jaw drops. “What? No—I—what?!”

“I do that too,” Kiera shrugs, dead serious. “It’s like, calming.”

“I wasn’t—” I cut myself off. The words aren’t working. My face is probably fifteen shades of red. I’m still gripping Mia’s phone like it’s evidence in a crime scene.

Kiera cocks her head. “You sneak out of bed with Mia’s phone just to watch bad stuff?” she teases, stepping forward. Before I can move, she plucks it right out of my hand.

“Kiera…” I mutter, completely defeated.

She snorts. “You totally deleted the browser history. Knew it.”

Then she tugs my arm. “Come on, horny college girl. Back to bed.”

“I’m not love-struck—” I start, but she’s already dragging me into the room.

She shoves me into the blanket heap between her and Mia and flops down beside me.

“I got scared when I woke up and didn’t see you,” she whispers with a giggle. “Then I heard you groaning in here and thought—yikes.”

I bury my burning face in the pillow. “I hate you.”

Kiera snickers. “You wish.”

*

*

*

“Grandma, Grandma, wake up.” I lightly shake her arm as she snores gently.

I’d been tossing and turning all night, trying to think of a way to convince Professor Lucien.

Maybe I should just let it go.

But if I’m going to win him over, I need more than a googled ideas and some shaky acting skills.

What’s better than something soft?

Warm?

Grandma’s secret-recipe cookies.

I slip out of bed again, tiptoe down the hall to her room.

She’s fast asleep—mouth slightly open, glasses still on, the TV humming some old romance movie she’s probably seen a dozen times.

“Grandma,” I whisper, nudging her gently.

She jolts awake, eyes wide behind her glasses.

“What? What happened? Are you okay?”

“Kind of.” I give her my best sweet-granddaughter look, the one she can never resist.

“Can we bake something? Just… for fun?”

She narrows her eyes suspiciously.

“It’s barely four a.m.”

I wince, feeling a little guilty for waking her. “It’s five.”

She sighs, rubbing her temple, but I catch the softness sneaking into her face.

“What’s this really about?”

“Nothing,” I lie.

“Nothing?”

I shrug. “Cookies make me feel less... bitter. I want to help someone else feel less bitter too.”

She clicks her tongue but swings her legs off the bed.

“You’re crushing on a boy.”

“No, I’m not.”

Fifteen minutes later, the kitchen glows under soft yellow light, and we’re elbow-deep in sugar, flour, and Grandma’s weathered recipe cards. She hums while mixing, and I lick the spoon like I always do.

But this time, it’s not for me.

Lucien.

Cold, brooding Lucien who thinks I’m just another brat.

I’ll show up with a smile, a plate of warm cookies, and a new plan.

He won’t see it coming.

The scent of chocolate and vanilla fills the air by morning—soft, rich, and warm like a hug. Grandma's barely pulled the last tray out of the oven when footsteps echo down the hallway.

Mia and Kiera stumble into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Grandma,” they drone in unison, still half-asleep.

“Morning, children,” Grandma says, unfazed, wiping her hands on her apron.

Mia stops mid-yawn, eyes widening. “Wait. Is that… oh my God, are those cookies?”

Kiera lunges forward, snatches one off the tray. “It’s been ages since we had Grandma cookies—”

I slap her hand before it hits her mouth. She yelps.

“Back off!” I snap, clutching the tray like it’s sacred treasure. “Not for you. Your batch is still in the oven.”

Mia squints. “Then who—wait. No. You didn’t.”

I say nothing. Just start carefully arranging the best-looking cookies in one of Grandma’s fancy ribboned boxes. Like I’m prepping a care package for a very dangerous man.

“Who are those for?” Kiera demands, already suspicious.

“Professor Lucien,” I mutter.

Both girls freeze. I chuckle. I sound crazy.

“You’re bribing him with cookies?” Kiera hisses. “You’re actually trying to seduce Professor Grumpy pants with cookies?”

“It’s not seduction,” I say, wrapping the ribbon. "Just want to get back my phone."

“Oh, babe,” Mia sighs, dragging out a chair. “It absolutely is.”