bowls of filling all ready. I need to get finished with today's orders before I can help you.”
“Sure thing,” he says, walking to the hand sink to get cleaned up. “I've got all day with you. Use me however you want.”
~**~
For the next few hours, we work in silent coordination. Cody knows what needs to get done, so I don't have to give him a lot of direction. He pipes lines of pastry while I fill the finished ones. He dips them in chocolate while I pack them up.
We’ve always been a cohesive team. It’s just another slap in the face after he choose his ex and her issues over staying with me. I never asked what she needed from him, and I still don’t want to know. It was obviously important if he put her needs above mine. Whatever.
After packing the boxed sticks to take to the Preston's party, I start working on the cake itself. The cake will be built from seventy-five cream sticks stacked up in tiers like a wedding cake with pink and black fondant separating each layer.
Cody doesn’t even try to help me with the cake. He knows I like to work alone on these things so he focuses on getting me cooled sticks for the stacking process and rolling out the fondant in the right sizes for each layer. When I’m on my third tier, I feel an itch in my nose. Not the kind of itch I can sate with a casual brush across my shoulder. No, this is deep in my sinuses, and I know what’s coming next.
Holding my breath, I seal my lips together and take a few steps back, trying hold it in a few seconds longer. I turn and bolt toward the hallway, not wanting to contaminate anything in the room. Unfortunately, Cody emerges from the cooling room, carrying a huge tray of freshly filled chocolate cream sticks. As I barrel past him, I catch the edge of the tray with my shoulder, flinging it out of his grasp. He probably could've saved it if he knew I was coming, but with my sudden appearance, he didn't recover from the shock fast enough. At least twenty-five perfect cream sticks fall, hitting the ground in a gooey pile.
“Fuck…choo.” I sneeze into my hand, not once, but five times in a row. Thankfully, I'm able to slip off my chocolately gloves before embarrassing myself by smearing snot and chocolate all over my face.
Then I remember that I've already embarrassed myself by ruining all the cream sticks Cody has been slaving over for the past half hour. I slowly turn around to inspect the fallout.
“Oh my god, Cody. I am so sorry. That's completely my fault.”
He stares at me, a little dumbfounded, for a full three seconds before he busts out laughing. “Damn, I didn't know you could move that fast. Looked like you had a bee up your ass or something.”
I wipe my nose again. “No, just a tickle.”
Looking at the mess at his feet, I groan, feeling awful. “Shit, Cody. That entire batch is gone. I'm so, so sorry.”
Cody shakes his head and gives me a half smile. “It's okay, Becs. Accidents happen.” He drops into a squat in front of the mess. “Just means I'll have to be here a little bit later tonight to make up for those.”
His eyes hold mine, not allowing my gaze to wander from his for even a second. I've always been drawn to Cody. Since the moment I met him, I wanted him. I followed him around like a puppy—watching his every move, straining to hear every word out of his mouth, desperate to know him better. When he finally asked me out, I was in heaven. We were only together for a few months, but they were the best of my life.
Cody made me feel pretty and smart and funny—all things I don't normally consider myself. My heavy bangs and short bob give me more of a Velma look than Daphne. And my thick glasses don’t help the geeky appearance, though I’ve never exactly had the GPA to back it up.
But when Cody and I made love, I felt like the most important person in his world. He could worship my body like it was made of fine china. Fragile and precious. Worth taking his time with. Worth loving.
Then
“Sure thing,” he says, walking to the hand sink to get cleaned up. “I've got all day with you. Use me however you want.”
~**~
For the next few hours, we work in silent coordination. Cody knows what needs to get done, so I don't have to give him a lot of direction. He pipes lines of pastry while I fill the finished ones. He dips them in chocolate while I pack them up.
We’ve always been a cohesive team. It’s just another slap in the face after he choose his ex and her issues over staying with me. I never asked what she needed from him, and I still don’t want to know. It was obviously important if he put her needs above mine. Whatever.
After packing the boxed sticks to take to the Preston's party, I start working on the cake itself. The cake will be built from seventy-five cream sticks stacked up in tiers like a wedding cake with pink and black fondant separating each layer.
Cody doesn’t even try to help me with the cake. He knows I like to work alone on these things so he focuses on getting me cooled sticks for the stacking process and rolling out the fondant in the right sizes for each layer. When I’m on my third tier, I feel an itch in my nose. Not the kind of itch I can sate with a casual brush across my shoulder. No, this is deep in my sinuses, and I know what’s coming next.
Holding my breath, I seal my lips together and take a few steps back, trying hold it in a few seconds longer. I turn and bolt toward the hallway, not wanting to contaminate anything in the room. Unfortunately, Cody emerges from the cooling room, carrying a huge tray of freshly filled chocolate cream sticks. As I barrel past him, I catch the edge of the tray with my shoulder, flinging it out of his grasp. He probably could've saved it if he knew I was coming, but with my sudden appearance, he didn't recover from the shock fast enough. At least twenty-five perfect cream sticks fall, hitting the ground in a gooey pile.
“Fuck…choo.” I sneeze into my hand, not once, but five times in a row. Thankfully, I'm able to slip off my chocolately gloves before embarrassing myself by smearing snot and chocolate all over my face.
Then I remember that I've already embarrassed myself by ruining all the cream sticks Cody has been slaving over for the past half hour. I slowly turn around to inspect the fallout.
“Oh my god, Cody. I am so sorry. That's completely my fault.”
He stares at me, a little dumbfounded, for a full three seconds before he busts out laughing. “Damn, I didn't know you could move that fast. Looked like you had a bee up your ass or something.”
I wipe my nose again. “No, just a tickle.”
Looking at the mess at his feet, I groan, feeling awful. “Shit, Cody. That entire batch is gone. I'm so, so sorry.”
Cody shakes his head and gives me a half smile. “It's okay, Becs. Accidents happen.” He drops into a squat in front of the mess. “Just means I'll have to be here a little bit later tonight to make up for those.”
His eyes hold mine, not allowing my gaze to wander from his for even a second. I've always been drawn to Cody. Since the moment I met him, I wanted him. I followed him around like a puppy—watching his every move, straining to hear every word out of his mouth, desperate to know him better. When he finally asked me out, I was in heaven. We were only together for a few months, but they were the best of my life.
Cody made me feel pretty and smart and funny—all things I don't normally consider myself. My heavy bangs and short bob give me more of a Velma look than Daphne. And my thick glasses don’t help the geeky appearance, though I’ve never exactly had the GPA to back it up.
But when Cody and I made love, I felt like the most important person in his world. He could worship my body like it was made of fine china. Fragile and precious. Worth taking his time with. Worth loving.
Then
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