Chapter 20
Violeta wakes up earlier than any other day on Friday. She has barely slept, first talking on the phone in a low voice with Olga, then exchanging several messages with her after they hung up, and finally, just thinking about her and also about the damn contest.
She gets up with an idea in her head. Yesterday her mother talked about that notebook she gave her where she wrote down recipes, and Violeta knows it's still on the shelf with her old books because she never got around to taking it with her. She searches anxiously among the titles until she finally finds it and sketches a victorious smile. She sits on the bed while observing her mother's round and neat handwriting in each of the recipes. There are two that are exclusive for making king cakes, but Violeta doesn't want to copy them because she wants something that adds her personal touch and, while she gets dressed, she keeps turning the matter over in her mind.
They have breakfast together and when they finish, they go to pick up Olga. Yesterday they agreed that the three of them would go to the bakery together. It's a different day for them and they're excited, Olga and Violeta because they're going to spend all day in the kitchen doing tests, and Maite because deep down, she's very excited that both are participating in the contest.
When Olga leaves her house, the two exchange an electrifying look that paralyzes their bodies. Both have to contain the urge to greet each other with a kiss and settle for a brush of hands when Olga places herself next to Violeta to start the march towards the bakery.
"Well," says Maite when they're already in the kitchen. "Have you thought about what you're going to do?"
"I'm going to make a traditional recipe," says Olga, "I'll be happy if it turns out good."
"No matter how traditional it is, none of us make it the same, I'm sure it will be delicious. And you, daughter, will you also make it traditional?" Maite asks with interest.
Yesterday Olga took advantage of a moment when the two dedicated themselves to go for a coffee alone and asked her to support Violeta a little. She tried to be very subtle in her comment, avoiding mentioning that it affected her daughter a lot that she didn't trust her, but Maite not only guessed that, but also realized that the trust between Olga and Violeta was much greater than she suspected.
"Traditional, yes, but I'm going to add an extra ingredient."
"Oh, really?" Maite smiles pleased by her dedication. "And what is it?"
"You'll guess when you try it, that is if I don't burn it, of course," she says with a touch of sarcasm.
Maite approaches her smiling and, drawing her in with a hug, kisses her cheek.
"I know you're not going to burn it, and I'm sure it will be delicious too. I'll leave you, because thanks to you two, I'll have to attend to the people," she reproaches them with a wink.
"What ingredient is that?"
Olga approaches Violeta as soon as Maite leaves them alone, grabs her by the waist and pulls her towards her until their hips collide and their lips crash in a soft and tender kiss.
"I'm not telling you, you'll copy," Violeta answers, hanging from her neck.
Olga laughs and squeezes her more tightly between her lips, burying her face in the hollow of her neck to soak up her scent.
"I really want to make love to you," she whispers, causing spasms in Violeta's body.
"Don't say that now," she asks with her voice strangled by the agitation she feels, "you're distracting me."
"But it's true, I'd put you on top of one of these tables and eat you whole."
Olga bites her neck, Violeta's vision blurs and so does her mind.
"You're a bitch, you're doing it so my king cake doesn't turn out well," she jokes, clinging to her like a lifesaver.
They both look towards the door when they hear footsteps and separate sighing to check with relief, that it's a false alarm and whoever passed by there, didn't want to enter the kitchen.
"Get away from me," Violeta points at her with a threatening finger, although her pulse is so overflowing that she barely knows what she has to do.
Olga winks at her and blows a kiss in the air as she walks backwards towards what will be her table. Located just over a meter away from Violeta.
"Okay, let's focus," says Olga before drinking some water.
"Yes, please," Violeta thanks with a smile, although she can't help but dedicate several glances to her.
Then she takes out her mother's notebook and places it on the table open to the page of the recipe she has chosen and which now has a couple of notes that she herself has added.
"What's that?" asks Olga with curiosity, while preparing what she needs.
"The recipe notebook my mother gave me."
Olga narrows her eyes amused.
"That's cheating," she says and points at her.
"Actually, it's not. If she gave it to me, it means the recipes are mine now, plus, I've modified it."
Violeta spreads flour on the table and, when she turns around, Olga is already by her side.
"Come on, tell me what it is, you know I'm not going to copy, besides, I'm going to see you."
Olga gives her a very soft caress on the ribs that causes her to shiver and tense up. Violeta realizes that she's not going to stop, and also that there's no point in hiding it from her, she's right about something, as soon as she takes out the ingredient; she'll see it.
"Alright," she turns towards her and suddenly puts a hand full of flour on her face, "this is for being annoying."
Olga opens her mouth surprised and smiles as she cleans herself and the powder falls in front of her.
"You're dirty," she says blowing the flour from her lips.
Violeta finds the way she wrinkles her nose very funny, and after giving her a kiss, she takes a cloth and finishes cleaning her with great care. Olga takes advantage and puts her hands back on her waist.
"Well, are you going to tell me the ingredient or not?"
Violeta keeps passing the cloth over Olga's cheek carefully, focused on not leaving any trace of flour on her face.
"Raisins."
"Raisins?" Olga repeats, furrowing her left eyebrow.
"Yes. My mother added them to an apple pie, I'm going to add them to the king cake, only instead of putting them whole which I find a bit disgusting, I'm going to dry them in the oven, then I'll crush them and add them to the dough sprinkled."
When she finishes speaking, Olga is looking at her fixedly, concentrated and surprised.
"I love raisins," she whispers.
"Really?" Violeta's voice trembles when she asks, Olga seems irresistible to her when she looks at her like that.
"Then you'll be the first to try it."
Violeta reaches the corner of her lips with the cloth and lets it fall to follow the line with her fingers before pulling her lower lip down and bringing hers closer, fitting in such a perfect way, that they both give themselves to that kiss as if everything had disappeared around them, so in tune and in need of continuing, that they don't hear Maite's footsteps when she approaches the kitchen and are only aware of her presence when the door suddenly opens and catches them completely off guard.
Violeta and Olga separate with such confusion, that they can't even raise their eyes. Maite has remained nailed to the spot and Violeta is the first to react and looks at her with her lips swollen from the kiss. Olga, however, is paralyzed, no matter how hard she tries she can't move. It's not just the embarrassment of feeling caught at work kissing a co-worker like a teenager with overflowing hormones, it's that she feels she has failed Maite, not only because the employee she's kissing is none other than her daughter, it's because Maite has become her best friend and she hasn't been able to be sincere about something so important like this. She feels her heart in her mouth and a suffocating heat that makes her feel as if she were inside one of the ovens.
"Mom..." Violeta's voice sounds as docile as pleading, she doesn't feel as uncomfortable as Olga, but very confused and doesn't know what to say to her.
She looks at Olga for help, but immediately realizes that Olga is out of the game.
"I came to see if you needed anything, but I better come back later," says Maite still impacted by the scene.
Violeta, who is looking at her, doesn't have the feeling that her mother is angry, but Olga, who remains downcast and still as a statue, feels a knot of anxiety burst inside her body to the point that her chest shakes in a spasm and the air escapes from her lungs leaving her with her mouth open.
"Oh my God," she says with a thread of voice as soon as Maite closes the door.
"Olga, calm down," Violeta worries seeing her so affected, "she's not angry, okay? I think she just got surprised."
"Of course she's surprised, I've betrayed her," there's a watery shine in Olga's eyes that makes Violeta very nervous.
"Don't talk nonsense, you haven't betrayed anyone, neither have I. We talked about it and decided to hide it to see how it went, remember?" Olga raises her gaze and fixes it on Violeta's pleading eyes. "We'll talk to her later, we'll explain what happened and my mother will understand, don't worry, please."
Violeta hugs her, but Olga is very tense, the mere idea of Maite catching them again doesn't let her relax. They try to continue with the elaboration of the king cakes, but Olga has her mind elsewhere, she doesn't concentrate and nothing works out for her, so, finally, she takes off her apron and approaches Violeta.
"I'm going home, I need to clear my head or it will explode here inside," she says and gives her a kiss on the forehead.
"But, Olga..." Violeta looks at her with a mixture of distress and fear.
"I'm fine," she smiles sadly at her, "but we've made a mistake, Violeta, I realize that now. Not telling your mother was a blunder and I have the feeling that I've betrayed her trust."
Violeta doesn't know what to say to her, Olga is so overwhelmed at that moment, that there are no words that comfort her.
"Alright. Can I go to your house later?" Violeta doesn't dare to look at her when she asks, terrified of receiving a negative answer.
Olga's hands suddenly appear on each side of her cheeks and she looks at her sketching a soft smile.
"Of course you can," she says before giving her a goodbye kiss and leaving through the back door.