Like a moron, Neal realized that the recipe said to add the flour mixture gradually into the wet sugary eggs mess and then use the vanilla. He had obviously done things out of order but that wouldn't be bad, would it? Fuck, this cake was going to taste like someone's left sock left in the rain and then locked in a dark closet for six months but onward ho! "Do you think anything is possible to forgive, then?" he wanted to know, just curious about Alex's thoughts on it. "You say you still love your father after all he did but I can't say I feel the same thing. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive him for what he did."
But Neal had forgiven Hook, sort of. Maybe. On the way there. It was very similar to what Rumpelstiltskin had done - both had abandoned a very young Baelfire when he needed guidance and love, because of their selfish tendencies, which would only boil his blood if he thought about it too much. Both had apologized and both felt regret, but sometimes it was difficult to really move on the way he knew he should, by setting a good example and doing his small part to finally end the feud between Hook and Rumpelstiltskin.
"It's normal to be nervous about change." This was said as he mixed everything together, out of order or not. "But you'll be great. You'll meet lots of new people and learn a lot too."