Kneading Friendships

Mark was engrossed in the bustling atmosphere of Tony's kitchen. The rich aroma of freshly baked pizza enveloped him, creating a warm, inviting ambiance that made his stomach rumble. The kitchen was alive with energy, the sounds of sizzling ingredients punctuating the air.

Beside Tony, Mark was captivated by the art of kneading dough. The rhythm of his hands pushing, folding, and stretching the dough had a mesmerizing effect on him. He focused intently on the process, feeling the texture transform under his touch. The challenge was surprisingly satisfying, allowing him to forget everything around him, even the new woman entering the room.

Just as Tony was about to showcase his pizza-making skills, a voice broke through the clamor of the kitchen. "Tony, are you done with the delivery? There are already customers lining up at the front door!"

A woman stepped in, her dark brown hair cascading over her shoulders and accentuating her round silhouette. With sparkling brown eyes, a mole above her lip, and a forest-green dress that highlighted her curves, she wore a white apron, sea-green earrings, and a blood-orange flower tucked into her hair.

"Just a minute, Maria! I was about to give our new friend Mark a taste of the magic!" Tony replied, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

As Tony guided Mark through each step, he felt like he was learning a sacred craft. The warmth of the dough beneath his palms was oddly comforting, and he found himself entranced by the way it yielded to his strength. He was so focused on the kneading that he barely noticed Maria's cautious glance.

Maria eyed Mark with skepticism; she only recognized Diane, which made her wary. After all, they had recently dealt with Clyde, the previous staff member who had nearly poisoned their food. "Who is he, Diane? I don't think I've seen him around town."

"Oh, that's Mark. He helped me during the delivery," Diane interjected. Before she could elaborate, Tony chimed in, a teasing tone in his voice.

"Boy, you're doing it too hard! You have to be gentle with it. Think of it like you're caressing a woman." He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Are you sure you're not a virgin?"

Mark, taken aback, felt offended at the comment. "Come on, man! It would be an insult to be this handsome and still be a virgin, you know! I just can't control my strength!" He thought to himself, Damn, hopefully this body I transmigrated into isn't a virgin, or else that would be double the embarrassment.

Tony just laughed at his reaction. Mark continued kneading, though he was embarrassed.

Diane and Maria watched the scene, sharing a laugh that lightened some of Maria's wariness of Mark.

"Here we go again, men doing their thing," Diane remarked, a smile on her face as she watched them in their own world.

Maria sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Yeah, and we're still a bit late opening now. Tony is wasting time."

Diane felt a twinge of guilt. "Sorry, it's my fault for delivering this early. We didn't mean to hold you up."

Maria waved it off. "No worries. The customers can wait."

As Mark and Tony worked closely, sharing a laugh over a particularly challenging dough stretch, Maria turned to Diane, her curiosity piqued. "Since you were the one who brought Mark, is he your boyfriend? How come we didn't know about it?"

Diane felt a rush of panic. "No, he's not my boyfriend. He's just a friend of Frank who is staying at my house as he's new in this town; he's from another state."

Maria's expression shifted to sadness as she heard this. Frank had been a good friend to them, someone they had grown close to.

"Condolences, Diane. I didn't imagine that your cousin Frank would be gone. We were still talking to him when he bought pizza last week."

Diane's expression darkened slightly. "Yeah, we didn't think he'd be lying in a coffin either."

"Hope you guys are doing okay. We'll be here if you need help," Maria offered.

Diane smiled, appreciating the support. "No worries; we've already got everything covered. Thank you."

Changing the topic, Maria said, "I thought he might be your boyfriend. You know, you've been single for a while, and you mentioned that he was staying at your house, so I thought you two were close."

Diane felt a rush of panic; she had only met Mark today after she caught him trespassing in her backyard. Desperate to cover up the truth, she concocted a story. "Oh, um, Frank introduced us a while back. He thought we'd get along."

Maria raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Really? How come Frank didn't tell us he had a friend from the other state?"

Diane, thinking quickly, responded, "Well, they just became friends recently after Frank had a short vacation in that state. He introduced Mark to me, hoping we could connect since he thought I'd been single for too long."

Knowing she was digging herself into a trap, she added, "But I only think of him as a friend, so our relationship is just that. And that's why he's staying at my house; he didn't know anyone here."

Maria smirked, the teasing glint returning to her eyes. "Oh, really? So, you're telling me he's just a friend? I mean, he's tall, has a muscular build, and a handsome face. You could totally snag him while there's still no competition. Especially since he's staying at your house, it means you've got a big chance of getting him in the bag!"

Diane felt herself blush at Maria's compliments. "I—uh, well, I guess he's attractive. But I don't think of him like that; he's just like a friend to me."

Maria leaned in, grinning conspiratorially. "You should totally go for it! Just be confident! What if you lose him to some other girl? He seems to like pizza—how about making him a special pizza? I can teach you how to do it; that's the only way I made Tony look at me."

Diane glanced at Mark, who was kneading the dough seriously as Tony guided him.

Seeing Diane smile while looking at Mark, Maria smirked and said, "I thought you didn't have feelings for Mark. Why are you looking at him like that?"

Diane quickly looked away, embarrassed. "What? I don't look at him like that! I'm just happy that Mark is having, you know…"

"Tsk, trying to deceive a married woman. I know that kind of look," Maria laughed, delighting in Diane's flustered reaction.

"Whatever. I'm just happy that Mark is having fun," Diane stammered, trying to dismiss the implication.

"Sure, sure. Just remember, men can be a bit dense when it comes to romance. This type of man usually doesn't understand subtle hints, so you have to do all the work before he notices you," Maria joked, leaning against the counter.

Diane laughed. "You must have had it hard before Tony made a move on you."

Meanwhile, Mark was fully immersed in kneading the dough under Tony's guidance, blissfully unaware of the conversation unfolding behind him.

Maria continued, "You have no idea how hard it was. It took me ages to get Tony to realize I was flirting with him, and I had to make a move or else this idiot might not know it. I know it looks a bit desperate, but with these types of men, you have to be aggressive."

Diane chuckled, imagining the scenario. "Men do seem to miss the obvious sometimes."

As she and Maria gossiped about how Maria struggled when she and Tony were a couple before marriage, Diane thought, I only met Mark today, so how can I have feelings for him?

Meanwhile, Mark was fully immersed in kneading the dough under Tony's guidance, blissfully unaware of the conversation unfolding behind him. He concentrated on rolling the dough just as Tony demonstrated, lost in the rhythm of the moment. Surrounded by the scents of fresh ingredients and the laughter of new friends, he realized just how challenging it was to make a pizza—and maybe, just maybe, how rewarding it could be to forge new connections in this strange world.