Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
“What kind of cakes did you make?” I ask Sophia, pulling Xander into a side hug.
As I gaze outside through the glass garden door, I notice that it has started to snow. Thick flakes gracefully descend, covering everything in a pristine white blanket. I’ve always loved it when it snows. It has a way of transforming the world, making everything so incredibly beautiful.
“Chocolate, red velvet, and pumpkin cream pie,” she says, pointing toward the kitchen where the cakes are displayed.
“Ugh.” I let out a sigh, tilting my head back. “I’ll never escape that one, will I?” I ask, exasperated.
Xander leans down and plants a kiss on my temple before letting out a chuckle. “Pumpkin cream pie is the best pie ever invented,” he says, amusement evident in his voice.
I lean away from him, shaking my head. “Nah-uh, it’s the bane of my existence.”
“No birthday of mine without a pumpkin cream pie,” Sophia singsongs.
“No…” I point a finger at her, “… pumpkin pie should not be turned into a damn cream pie. It’s a crime against nature.”
“You little drama queen, it’s not. Your mom sure knew how to bake,” Sophia remarks.
“She sure did.” Xander pulls me into a tight hug.
Fuck, I miss her.
As I step back, I notice Carolina and Josh standing in front of each other. She holds a bouquet of flowers, and he gently tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. The chemistry between them is practically visible, sparks flying in the air. Sophia jumps slightly when I yell a moment later.
“Cake!” I make my way over to the kitchen, where the cakes are on display. “Who wants some? Babe, which one do you want?” I ask Xander, glancing out of the corner of my eye to see Josh and Carolina walking over to us.
“Do you really have to ask?” Xander whispers in my ear, his hands finding their way to my waist.
“I’m not going to kiss you after you’ve eaten that,” I state.
“You’re such a little brat,” he whispers back, leaning closer so I can feel his hard cock pressing against my ass cheek. “We’ll eat, play nice for a bit, and then I’m going to take you upstairs and lick you everywhere until you beg me to kiss your bratty little mouth.”
Fuck. I push my ass back into him, and he groans softly. “Maybe you’ll be the one begging me to kiss you,” I reply with a smirk.
He snickers and kisses my neck. “Cut the cake, love.”
With everyone else served, I face Carolina. “Kitten, what’s your poison?” I ask her.
She shrugs nonchalantly. “Anything’s fine.”
Xander, who is still standing next to me, chimes in, “She likes chocolate. Give her a piece of that one.”
I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering how he would know that.
“You like chocolate?” Josh asks Carolina, and as I turn my attention back to them, I notice her blush.
“Sure, who doesn’t? Which one do you like?” she asks him.
“Chocolate,” he replies with a smile.
I can’t help but let out a huff. “As long as it’s sweet and not healthy, he likes it,” I say while cutting slices of chocolate cake for Carolina, Josh, and myself before handing them their plate.
“They say you are what you eat, and I’m sugary and delicious,” Josh quips, taking a bite of his cake.
I open my mouth to tell him that’s bullshit when Carolina chimes in, “If Clay was a spice, he’d be flour.”
Josh nearly chokes on his cake before he chuckles, and even Xander coughs behind me.
“I’ve heard better comebacks from a bowl of Rice Krispies,” I retort in a blasé tone.
Carolina lets out the tiniest breath of laughter, quickly biting her lips to conceal it. But I’ve already caught a glimpse. “Oh, kitten, look at you, laughing at my jokes, just like the best friends we are.”
“Your ability to ignore facts is astonishing,” she counters, placing her plate on the kitchen counter.
She took maybe one bite of it.
“Oh, come on. I know you give a fuck about me, about us. Why else would you be here?” I accuse, my voice filled with a touch of sincerity.
“I’m here because she…” Carolina points her thumb at Sophia, “… blackmailed me. And giving a fuck doesn’t go with my outfit.”
I roll my eyes so hard it makes Josh let out a laugh. Carolina glares at me.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I roll my eyes out loud? Come on, kitten, I know you can do better. That wasn’t your usual level of prime sarcasm.”
“You think I’m sarcastic? You should hear what I don’t say,” she says.
“Oh my God, those two are hilarious! I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk that much before, and I’ve seen her five days a week for the past three years. I had no idea she had a sense of humor,” someone whispers loudly, catching my attention.
Carolina’s head jerks to the right, and her eyes flick to Sophia’s friend Susanne. “Professor Summer,” she acknowledges with a brief nod, a hint of discomfort visible in her features.
I study Susanne, who is smiling at Carolina, but as I shift my gaze back to her, I notice that she’s turned bright red, her eyes focused on the floor.
She pulls out her smartphone, breaking the awkward silence. “I’m sorry, I have to go, or I’ll be late,” she says, addressing Sophia. “Thank you again for having me and for the present.”
“I can’t wait for our day,” Sophia says, pulling Carolina into a hug. “Thank you for coming.”
“It’s snowing heavily. How are you getting there?” Josh asks as Sophia releases Carolina.
“It’s okay. The subway station isn’t far. Thank you again. Enjoy the rest of your day,” Carolina says, making her way toward the hallway that leads to the door.
“Wait, I’ll walk you,” Josh says, placing his empty plate on the kitchen island before hurrying after her.
“Your brother has a major crush on that girl,” Susanne chuckles to Sophia, who grins in response.
“I know, and I support it one hundred percent.”
Why do I feel sick all of a sudden?
“Come on, love.” Xander’s warm hand rests on my back, gently urging me forward. He grabs one of the champagne bottles from the ice cooler in the kitchen. “I promised to lick you everywhere, and I think I’ll start by licking champagne out of your belly button.”
Carolina’s eyes fix on the pictures adorning the hallway walls as she pulls on her backpack. “You guys have known each other for a long time,” she comments.
“We sure have,” I say.
She reaches up and lightly touches a picture where Xander, Clay, and I are around five years old. Sophia, who must have been about eight at the time, stands behind us, her arms wrapped tightly around us, almost crushing us in her embrace.
Her gaze then shifts to a graduation picture I took of Clay and Xander, with Clay’s mother standing between them, wearing a wide grin and the yellow headscarf she loved so much. It was a difficult day for her, right after one of her chemotherapy treatments.
Carolina continues to scan the other pictures on the wall, her gaze flicking toward the jackets and shoes hanging on the rack near the entryway. “Do you guys live here too?”
Does she think this is Sophia’s place?
“Too?” I furrow my brows. “This is our side of the house. Sophia’s place is next door. We just have a bigger kitchen for gatherings like this. Didn’t she tell you?”
She shakes her head. “You don’t have to walk me. I’ll be fine.”
As she opens the door to leave, I quickly grab my jacket and beanie, managing to reach the door before it shuts behind her.
I almost slip and stumble down the porch steps while she’s already a few steps down the street, so I hurry to catch up with her. “You’re pretty fast for someone with such short legs,” I say.
“Or maybe you’re just clumsy,” she points out, and I chuckle.
She’s not wrong.
“Do you like snow?” I ask, watching how she holds her bare hands out, trying to catch some snowflakes that instantly melt upon contact.
“I do. I like the cold. It’s calming,” she says.
A thick layer of snow is already on the ground, causing our footsteps to make that familiar crunching sound as we walk along the sidewalk. The falling snowflakes are big, and I stand still, looking up and sticking out my tongue to catch some of them. The cold sensation on my tongue makes me laugh.
When I glance back down at her, I notice her giving me a curious look. “What? Never eaten snowflakes before? You have to try it, it’s awesome!”
She looks down at the ground, fiddling with the straps of her backpack, and my smile falters.
Please tell me she’s not thinking I’m a complete idiot.
But then, she smiles to herself, lifts her head, and closes her eyes. She opens her mouth and sticks out her tongue.
I watch, fascinated, as snowflakes land on her face, adorning her nose, eyelashes, and tongue.
God, she’s beautiful.
She laughs now too, and my heart skips a beat. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard her laugh out loud. When her golden eyes meet mine again, there’s a mischievous glimmer dancing within them.
I could get lost in those eyes.
But before I can say anything, she quickly bends down and scoops up a handful of snow, throwing it at me. It lands right in the middle of my chest.
“Oh, you did not,” I accuse, feigning a glare. Then I lean down to grab some snow myself, but she puts her hands up in a surrendering motion.
“No, I’m sorry! I surrender!” she pleads, her laughter filling the air.
“Pity, I don’t care,” I say, laughing too, as I pull my arm back, ready to retaliate with my own snowball.
She quickly turns, starting to run away from me. But in her haste, she slips on the snow and lands on her ass. I immediately lower my arm, rushing to her side. “Fuck, are you okay?”
“Ouch.” She winces, but then her laughter bubbles up again. “I’m fine, but I hope nobody saw that.”
“Oh, I sure did. I think I’m not the only clumsy one here,” I tease with a grin, tugging at the back of her jacket to discreetly place the snow still in my hand.
She squeals and quickly scrambles back to her feet. “You sneaky bastard.” She laughs, shivering. “It’s running down my back.”
“That was the point,” I shrug.
She turns around, patting her ass to get rid of the snow on her jeans. With each pat, her butt wiggles, and I find it difficult to tear my gaze away. I silently hope that my jacket is long enough to conceal my boner.
Fuck, how I wish I could be the one patting that fine ass.
When she’s done, she looks up at me, and I notice an adorable redness on her nose and cheeks. Even the tip of her ear is tinged with red, peeking out from behind her hair that she’s pushed back.
“Wait,” I say, taking off my beanie and placing it on her head.
My hands linger there for a moment as I gaze down at her, noticing the snowflakes resting on her lashes and the faint smile on her lips.
At this moment, a snowflake lands on her nose, and I instinctively brush away the droplets with my thumb.
Her breath catches, and for a brief moment, I contemplate kissing her.
Is it too soon? I want to kiss her so fucking bad. Her eyes flicker from my eyes to my lips then back to my eyes again. But just as I’m thinking, Fuck it, she takes a step back.
“I need to go so I can make it in time,” she says, breaking the tension.
“Sure, let’s go,” I say, quickly dismissing my disappointment. The walk to the subway station is short, and as we stand there, waiting for the sub, I notice her shivering. “Are you cold?”
“My jacket is crap. I need a new one.” She shrugs, rubbing her hands together.
I step in front of her, placing my hands over hers and rubbing them gently. Then, I bring them to my face and blow warm air onto her hands. She looks up at me with wide eyes.
“Geez, Carolina, your hands are freezing,” I say.
They feel like ice cubes. I take her wrists, one in each of my hands, and tuck her hands into the sleeves of my jacket and sweater. Inside the warmth of the layers, she holds onto my wrists, and a shiver runs down my spine, not just from the coldness of her hands but from her touch.
“Better?” I ask, my thumb gently stroking the inside of her arm.
“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice barely audible.
We stand there in the cold, holding onto each other, looking into each other’s eyes, and I know I will do everything to make this smart, funny, and beautiful girl mine.
Is it possible to fall this quickly?
Too soon, the subway arrives, and she slides her arms out of my jacket. She moves to pull the beanie from her head, but I stop her. “Please, keep it.”
“But you’ll be cold,” she protests.
“I’ll manage. It’s more important that you stay warm,” I insist.
I catch a glimmer in her eyes, but she simply nods. “Thank you again,” she says before stepping into the subway.
I watch it depart, and I already miss her.
I am so fucked.