Chapter 18
I took the baking tray out of the oven, placed it on the brand-new counter, and plated my Bolo de Fubá before slicing a couple pieces of it. I then put the empty tray in the sink, and grabbed my Polaroid camera before taking a picture of my cake.
It was officially December, which meant it was time for my everyday baking tradition. I liked to make something new each day, up until Christmas, and I usually started with a Brazilian classic, Bolo de Fubá. It was simple and flavorful, and really helped in boosting my spirits.
I pulled out four serving plates, put two pieces of Bolo de Fubá in each of them, kept the rest of it in the refrigerator for Av?, sent him a text over the same, and grabbed a small notebook and pen from the coffee table before heading up to the storeroom.
When I reached it, I knocked on the door, and smiled when Taron opened it a few seconds later.
Him and the others were wearing caps, and they also had masks on to protect themselves from the dust. And let me tell you, that room was dusty as fuck.
Myles had told me that clearing up the storeroom would take at least two days, and once that was done, it would take a little less than a week to sand and prime the chipped walls for the tiling process.
And that was just the beginning; turning the storeroom into a mini library would take longer than him and Taron had anticipated.
Not that I minded…
“Hey, Carina. What’s up?” Taron asked around a smile.
The five of us had ordered takeout and had lunch together an hour ago, and then Myles had left, saying he had something he needed to do.
Him and the others had been on a weeklong vacation since Thanksgiving. Av? and I didn’t celebrate it; it was one of M?e’s favorite times of the year. And so, the two of us had spent the day browsing Netflix and watching absolutely nothing.
And also, hardly speaking to each other unless necessary.
I knew Av? was giving me space – to get over my Myles-high and come to my senses, most probably – but it was starting to get on my nerves. I wanted to be able to talk to him like we always have, but he’s blocked me out so adamantly that I don’t know how to get through to him.
And, because I was just as stubborn as him, I’d decided to give him space so that he could come to his senses and realize that what I felt for Myles wasn’t just a rush or infatuation, but something else entirely.
When I’d seen Myles in person earlier, after days of us interacting through text and video calls, I’d felt a sense of relief that I wasn’t sure was even possible for me to experience. It was intense – what he did to me – like a roaring wave of something indescribable, yet inevitable.
I let go of a breath and began writing in my notebook, and once I was done, I flipped it around for Taron to see.
I baked something for everyone.
Paul and Greg shoved a couple of small boxes into a massive trash bag, and then moved onto a larger one to the right.
“You didn’t have to, Carina,” Taron said. Myles was right; he really did look like a lumberjack with the way he dressed: jeans, a flannel, and brown work boots.
I bake for almost the entire month of December. It’s a tradition of mine.
He chuckled. “Well, lucky us, then. So, what’ve you got for us today?”
Bolo de Fubá. There’s a plate in the kitchen for each of you.
Taron leaned against the doorframe. “Thanks, Carina, I’ll get them in a bit. We have to trash these boxes, but we can take a break after that.”
I grinned and gave him a thumbs up.
Don’t forget to gargle and wash your hands before eating.
He gave me a two-finger salute. “You got it.”
Where’s Myles?
Taron straightened and jerked his head to the side. “In the van. He texted me a few minutes ago to tell me he’s here. And,” he lifted a brow, “if you’re going to ask me what it is that he’s doing in there, then don’t, because I really don’t know.” He shrugged.
I frowned.
Alright, I’ll go get him.
Taron nodded.
I pointed a thumb over my shoulder, and then waved at him before running down the stairs.
“Tell him that he really needs to get his ass inside so that we can finish cleaning this room, will you, Carina?” Taron hollered, just as I reached the living room.
I laughed as I looked at him, and gave him another thumbs up. He in turn gave me a quick wink before closing the storeroom door.
With a smile, I snatched my sweater, gloves, and beanie from the couch, put them on, covered the extra plate of Bolo de Fubá with foil, and grabbed it from the kitchen counter.
I half-assed my way into putting my boots on, and then shivered as I stepped outside the house and jogged down the stairs toward the glaringly out-of-place-looking brown van.
It was snowing like a bitch, so I wiped a hand over the driver’s side window before knocking on it twice.
Myles was inside, with his headphones on and his eyes glued to his phone’s screen. I couldn’t make out what he was watching, but it must’ve been quite important, because he didn’t even blink when I knocked on the window again. And again.
I scowled as I pulled the beanie further down my head, and then decided to bang the notebook against the glass. Hard.
God, I was freezing.
Myles jerked and finally looked at me, and when he saw the expression on my face, he quickly unlocked the passenger door from the inside and pushed it open.
I deepened my scowl as I walked around the van and settled inside, and then placed the plate I was holding, on the dashboard, before shutting the car’s door and turning to Myles.
I raised my arms in question, just as he took his headphones off and shoved them in the front compartment. When I narrowed my eyes at him, he set his phone down in the coffee holder and shifted in his seat. I put my tongue to my cheek, and he wiggled his fingers at me.
“Hey,” he all but sang.
What in the ever-infesting fuck?!
He motioned to the plate on the dash. “What’s that?” he asked.
Cake.
He nodded. “Right…” He paused and glanced at it briefly. “Did you make it?”
Obviously.
“Obviously.” He nodded again.
I glared at him. What’s wrong with you? I wrote.
He cleared his throat. “I, uh…” He scratched his jaw. “So, I, umm, I’m kinda, sorta, a little bit, learning Sign?”
My eyes widened at his words. I was shocked, of course, but mostly, I felt…important, I guess.
Why?
He looked confused by my question. “What do you mean, why, Rina?” He gave me a soft smile.
“I’m doing this because I wanna learn your way.
I wanna be able to communicate with you better, understand you better instead of feeling helpless every time we interact face-to-face.
” He swallowed. “I signed up for these twice-a-week online classes, and I’m almost done with the course.
I was just watching the newest session on my phone.
I wasn’t going to tell you anything until after I’d finished.
I even had the whole reveal planned in my head, but now you know, and it isn’t nearly as dramatic as I thought it’d be. ”
I ignored the snort that left me as I laughed while putting my notebook and pen away, and then fisted Myles’s collar before pulling him to me so that I could kiss him.
He was wearing a teal-grey hoodie with the words ‘I CAME. I SAW. I MADE IT AWKWARD’ written in bold letters on its center.
I don’t know where he got it from, or why he was wearing it, but it somehow went so well with him that I didn’t wanna ask him about it.
So, I instead cupped the side of his neck and grazed my teeth over his bottom lip, earning a slow grunt from him in return.
“C’mere,” he whispered against my lips before kissing me again. He then tugged me towards him, and I went without hesitation. His hands splayed over the back of my thighs and squeezed as he leaned back in his seat, and I straddled him before brushing my tongue over his.
“You taste like unrelenting command, Rina,” Myles said, and then touched his nose to mine. “One I can’t help but feel grateful for obeying.” He kissed me again, and I felt the back of his fingers brush against the inside of my right thigh.
I sucked in a breath, then let it go in a rush when he broke the kiss and lifted the hem of my sweater.
“Rina…” He gazed at me with question on his face.
I licked my lips and rose a little in a silent gesture for him to continue.
The smile he gave me was nothing short of roguish, and when he slid a hand behind the waistband of my sweats before finally touching my aching clit, I tipped my head back and moaned – loud and unabashed.
His fingers grazed me ever so slightly, but stopped a second later.
I frowned and looked down at him, only to find him staring back at me in shock.
What’s wrong? I signed.
Myles opened his mouth, and then shut it, and then opened it again. “You…you moaned, Rina,” he said incredulously. “You fucking moaned.”
I blinked, and then realized that the reason why he was so surprised was because he hadn’t exactly heard my voice until that moment.
I hardly did anything like this, to be honest, so I don’t know why I wasn’t shocked with myself. I guess it was because I didn’t really care about my voice, or anything in context to it.
I did, I signed.
Myles huffed out a laugh and shook his head a little. “Do it again,” he requested.
I arched a brow at him, and rocked my hips against his hand – the one that was still in my sweats.
He flashed his teeth at me, and then began running his fingers over the length of my pussy as he said, “Challenge accepted.”