CHAPTER 26 - CAKE
CAKE
CHAPTER twenty-six
The numbness worsened. David tried to feel, but everything slipped off him without sticking. The flight to France was as mundane as a drive to Oxbow, even while sitting in first class with Noah with a movie menu full of food he couldn’t bring himself to eat. He didn’t throw up, thankfully, but that was mostly because Noah watched him like a hawk.
“Honestly, I reckon Paris is just a European New York,” Noah said as they stood outside an obscenely fancy bakery and watched Paris traffic crawl by. Renaults and Peugeots, mostly. David picked out different paint colors as they passed, trying to remember the words in French.
Noah cocked his head. “No comment on that?”
David blinked. “On what?”
“I just said Paris looks like a European New York, and you didn’t say anything.”
Right. He was supposed to be insulted, probably, though he didn’t care about Paris at all. In fact, his experiences in Paris were pretty negative. Everyone was mean to him. People thought Germans were mean, but they were just blunt. Parisians were cruel for no reason.
“Sorry,” David mumbled.
Noah frowned in the corner of his vision. “You need to try therapy, David. Please. I hate seeing you like this.”
David sighed. He turned to his boyfriend and tucked against him until Noah looped his arms around him and swayed them both. No one in Paris cared that they were a gay couple.
“Here comes Caroline,” Noah said, patting his back. “I’m right here if you need me, okay?”
David nodded and pulled away. He forced a smile as he turned to see Caroline heaving herself out of a town car. Her belly was comically huge, the same size and shape of a watermelon. David rushed to the car and offered his hand.
“Merci,” Caroline huffed as she grabbed her bag.
“Let me carry that,” David said, taking it from her.
“I’m barely halfway through,” Caroline grumbled, cupping her belly. “I wasn’t supposed to be this fucking huge.”
David bit his lip to keep from laughing. Caroline rarely cursed. “You look great,” he said. “Are you ready for some cake?”
Caroline gave him a breathy smile, but it faded when she took a good look at him. “David? Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” he said with carefully-rehearsed cheer. “I’m looking forward to this. I hear the buttercream frosting is amazing.”
Caroline paused to catch her breath. “You look like you’ve lost thirty pounds, David. Why are you losing so much weight?”
He tried not to let his excitement show. She’d noticed. Corpselike or not, at least he was thin enough that she noticed.
“I’m okay, Caroline,” he assured her. “The weight regulations are just affecting me a bit more than everyone else.”
She shook her head. “I saw Jacob last night, and he doesn’t look any different.”
“Like I said, it’s affecting me more than most.”
“Hi, Caroline,” Noah said, slipping into the conversation. “You look beautiful.”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “I’m fat, and my ankles are too swollen for my trainers. Stop being American.”
Noah let out a snort. “Noted. So I shouldn’t talk about the weather we’re having, then?”
Caroline smirked. “I would rather you didn’t, no.”
David’s heart turned to mush. Noah always knew exactly what to say. He gave Noah a smile and held Caroline’s arm to help her into the bakery.
“Usually it isn’t this bad,” Caroline explained as they stepped inside. “Last night Pierre would not stop kicking, so I didn’t sleep. And right now, he’s all turned around and pushing on everything.”
David inhaled the scent of fresh pastries, fruit, and sugar. Rows and rows of cakes and cookies sat behind glass, all of them coated in clear sugar glaze, gleaming like edible glass sculptures. He caught the way Noah’s eyes lit up, his sweet tooth on full display.
“Welcome,” a woman said with a thick French accent. She had her hair tied in a neat bun and looked very thin for a baker.
You’re one to judge , he thought.
“Come, I have a place for you to sit in the back,” she said, gesturing behind the counter.
Caroline spoke to her in French as David guided her past racks of chocolate croissants, cookies, and shortbread. Women in aprons mixed dough, tossed flour, and iced cakes at different stations, and David wondered how many desserts they sold in a day to warrant so much staff.
“Noah,” he warned as he saw Noah take a step closer to a rack of freshly baked cut-out cookies.
“Just looking,” Noah said, smiling at him.
The baker had set out three chairs for them at a rather luxurious table tucked near the ovens. The whole place smelled like happiness. David helped Caroline sit in her chair, set her purse over the back of it, and took the seat beside her.
“We have several samples for you to try,” the baker said as Noah took his seat. “First, the strawberry. Next, we will have chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet.”
“And what about the butterscotch?” Caroline asked. “My maman’s favorite.”
“Yes, that too,” the baker said. She passed out plates—fine china, painted with intricate designs. The utensils were gold-plated, too. David inspected his fork, opting not to look as more bakers approached and set down pieces of cake.
“Icing samples are in bowls,” the baker explained. “Once you’ve chosen your two cake and icing flavors, we will bake the cakes this afternoon, and they will be delivered to the venue tomorrow evening for the party.”
“Merci,” Caroline said.
David forced himself to look up. “Yes, thank you. I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”
He kept his gaze on the ovens, keenly aware of the slices of cake and bowls of icing being laid out on the table in front of him. He used to love cake. Especially icing. He used to look forward to getting frosted donuts with Noah at Westie.
Now, the thought of eating so much sugar gave him a headache before it even touched his tongue. David had to consciously think about keeping the nausea down as Noah wordlessly fixed him a plate.
“I’m so excited for this,” Caroline said, bouncing in her seat—more youthful than David had seen her since this all began. “Cake is my favorite thing.”
David smiled at her even as the bile rose in his throat. “Then let’s taste it.”
******
They chose strawberry with buttercream frosting and chocolate with chocolate frosting. Caroline ended up eating four slices of cake on her own and talking more to Noah than she ever had. She showed him a bunch of pictures of her outfit for the party, and Noah gave her advice on ways to style it.
Everything went better than David could have imagined, even though he felt sick again. The sugar in his stomach made his head hurt, but he kept smiling as Caroline walked them around the streets of Paris and showed them little cafes, shops, and bars. People sat with coffee, drinks, and cigarettes in the spring sunshine, unhurried. David had forgotten what normalcy looked like—everyone in America was always rushing.
“Is it okay to meet some friends?” Caroline asked as she typed something on her phone. “There is a cafe in one of the hotels up the street; my friends live nearby. They will be at the party, so maybe you want to meet them?”
David looked at Noah, who nodded his approval. They had nothing else to do today since Caroline had all of the party preparation done by professionals.
“That sounds fun,” David said.
So they walked up the street to a luxurious hotel. The doorman knew Caroline and let them in after a quick exchange in French, and then she headed to the bathroom.
“How’s your stomach?” Noah asked, gently nudging him with his hip.
David shrugged. “It’s fine.”
“That means it hurts.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” David said with a dismissive flick of his fingers. His throat hurt, but his stomach didn’t. His stomach felt too full, and the sugar was sending his blood sugar skyrocketing. He was going to be sick the rest of the day if he didn’t throw up, and Noah wasn’t going to let him.
Caroline returned, and within a few minutes, a pair of beautiful people entered the hotel who had to be Caroline’s friends. The woman was a stunning brunette—tall and too beautiful not to be a model. She carried herself like one, too. The man beside her also looked like a model. He was perfectly groomed, had a fashion sense that rivaled Noah’s, and strode through the lobby with the kind of confidence only a male model could get away with.
Caroline greeted them both in French, trading cheek kisses with each of them before she turned to David and Noah. “This is David and his boyfriend, Noah Caparelli.”
As usual, they gave David a quick glance and full-on stared at Noah. Noah greeted them with a cheerful smile that would have sent David to his knees if it had been directed at him. David noted that both of Caroline’s friends’ eyes sparked to life, beaming back.
“I’m Justin,” the man said in a surprisingly American accent. He had a slight gap between his front teeth that made David think of—
“Oh my god, are you the guy from the healthy toothpaste commercial?” Noah asked.
Justin laughed. “Yeah, that’s me. Hopefully that commercial isn’t my claim to fame forever, but it pays the bills. I’m trying to break into high fashion.”
“Difficult business,” Noah mused.
“Noah works for Lucy Perlson,” David said. “He spent the winter in Milan working with her and ran a fashion show.”
Both Justin and the woman beside him went wide-eyed.
“Was it the Wolffhart show?” the woman asked in an accent David couldn’t place. It sounded Mediterranean. Maybe Italian or Portuguese.
Noah rubbed the back of his neck—probably the first time David had ever seen him act sheepish. “It was.”
“Wow, that was a fantastic show!” the woman said. “I’m Maria; I’m signed with Marconey.”
“I’m with Hillman,” Justin added with a wink.
Noah put his arm around David’s shoulders. “I’ll have to grab your info later. For now, how about we get something to nibble on?”
David leaned into his boyfriend, happy to stay silent as the rest of the group talked about fashion. If he focused on not throwing up, sometimes he could get the nausea to go away. It helped when he could look over and see Noah smiling and laughing.
Noah deserved this life—sipping on coffee while talking fashion with models who saw him for the talent he was. Of course, David also thought Noah belonged in a race car, but he never seemed quite as happy there. Not this kind of happy, anyway.
“I can’t wait for the party,” Maria said. “I know it will be so beautiful, Caroline. Thank you for the invite.”
“Of course. I can’t imagine celebrating without you. You have to meet the friends from America who are coming—and do not talk to my cousin. He will be trying to fuck every woman on the guest list.”
David held back a laugh at the thought of Jacob thinking he could land a woman like Maria. He had the confidence, at least.
“Anyone up for an Aperol Spritz?” Justin asked. “Aside from you, Care Bear.”
David kept his face schooled. Care Bear? He’d never used pet names for Caroline, let alone one so weirdly American.
“I’ll take one,” Maria said, patting Justin’s arm.
Justin locked eyes with Noah, and David saw the charge behind it. Justin wanted him, plain as day. His little flick of his gaze down to Noah’s lips confirmed it. “Anything for you, Noah?”
Noah’s fingers twitched on David’s thigh under the table. “Thanks, mate, but I’m good. I’m almost half a year sober.”
David’s hackles rose on instinct. He dared Justin to say a word about Noah’s sobriety.
“You can get the mocktail version with me,” Caroline said with a sharp look to Justin. “Thank you for asking, Justin.”
Justin put his hands up in mock surrender. “Well, excuse me, ma’am.”
“I’m good with my coffee,” Noah said, lifting his cup. “Thanks, though. You want anything, babe?”
David couldn’t read anything in Noah’s eyes to suggest his mood. Did he know this guy was trying to sleep with him? Did he notice that Maria wanted to sleep with him, too?
“My water is fine,” David said curtly. “Thank you.”
“Suit yourselves,” Justin said before motioning for the waiter. When she arrived, she looked around the table like they were annoying her by being paying customers.
Perfect French tumbled out of Justin’s mouth as he ordered, and David tried not to notice the way Noah watched him speak.
“Damn, I need to get back to my Italian classes,” Noah said.
“Or you could try German,” David teased lightly. “Then again, I think I’ve forgotten how to speak it, so I might need to learn, too.”
He folded his hand over Noah’s under the table, feeling along the gold rings on his fingers before lacing them with his own. Noah turned his palm to take his hand, and the fashion people launched into a discussion on yet another fashion show.
Their drinks arrived shortly after, and David’s stomach turned at the sight of the red, sugary spritzes. The grapefruit garnishes smelled like citrus cleaner and plugged up his nose. Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom , his brain begged.
Justin clinked glasses with Maria and Caroline, and Noah had the three of them pose for a photo together. Justin held Noah’s gaze a little too long after he gave his thumbs-up.
David couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed his seat back and set his napkin on the table.
“David?” Noah asked, turning in his seat.
“I’m good; just need some fresh air,” David said.
“The air in Paris isn’t fresh,” Caroline joked, then went back to looking at photos of Maria’s new kitten.
“I’ll go with you,” Noah said, setting his napkin on the table.
“I’m not a girl,” David said, pushing his chair back in. “I’ll be back in five minutes. You can time me. Please, keep talking about the show.”
Noah frowned, but David didn’t give him time to respond before he was weaving through the tables toward the hotel lobby—the opposite direction of the bathrooms, as Noah had undoubtedly noticed.
Noah said time and time again that he only wanted to be with him, but David didn’t hold a candle to the type of people Noah was meeting with his new interest in fashion. Justin had a body that belonged in an anatomy museum as an example of male perfection. He was confident and funny and the complete opposite of David, who would rather be watching an onboard on his couch at home.
David thanked the doorman as he exited the hotel and inhaled the scent of trash cans, the Seine, and flower vendors. Paris in a nutshell.
David looked down the street toward the source of the flower smell to see a stall overflowing with roses, tulips, and other flowers he didn’t know the names of.
Maybe he wasn’t the hot boyfriend Noah deserved, but he could be a thoughtful one. David headed toward it, feeling for his wallet in his pocket. He stepped up to the stall, and the young woman running it gave him a smile.
“Some roses, please,” David said. “Red.”
“Sure,” she said. Her accent was definitely French, but sounded different than the Parisian dialect. “Anything else?”
A little sign listed the different colors of roses and their meanings. Red was love, of course, but the other colors had meanings ranging from gratitude to devotion.
“Another bunch of the yellow and red ones,” he said, nodding toward a giant bouquet of yellow roses with red tips. Apparently, they symbolized transition. Yellow roses meant friendship, so David felt it was a perfect expression for Caroline. Hopefully he didn’t fuck it up.
The woman bundled the two small bouquets in paper, and David handed over euros without thinking about it. He didn’t care what the roses cost—money didn’t really matter since he’d secured a multi-million-dollar contract with Oxbow.
“Merci,” he said in bad French as he took his flowers and change.
He didn’t dare smell them, too afraid it would make his stomach more upset. He pocketed his wallet and headed back for the hotel, but paused when a familiar shape moved in the corner of his vision.
He turned back toward the flower stall. Across the street, people walked by in a constant flow, except for one person. His father leaned against the wall of the building behind him, watching him intently.
David waited for the torrent of fear—the paralysis, the panic—but none of it came. The same way happiness and excitement didn’t breach the surface, neither did his fear. Klaus was just another middle-aged man in Paris.
He blinked to make sure his mind wasn’t tricking him, but it was really Klaus standing there. He watched David with his arms folded across his chest, his icy eyes locked on him, and his lip curled in disgust.
David wondered if Klaus was happy that he’d lost his championship. He was probably telling anyone who would listen that it was proof that David couldn’t drive without him.
Klaus looked pointedly at each of the bouquets in David’s hands, then shook his head and walked away, disappearing into the current of tourists and locals, there and gone. David watched for a moment longer, then headed back to the hotel without a second thought.