Page 24

CALEB

Fuuuck.

If I grip the wheel any tighter, it might crack. I shift in my seat, praying she didn’t notice the apparent bugle pressing against my jeans from what I read. Never thought I’d say that about a book, but here we are.

I sneak a glance at her out of the corner of my eye and she’s biting the inside of her cheek, still reading that goddamn book.

That’s not helping.

I suck in a breath, forcing my hands to relax on the wheel and shortly after we pull into the parking lot of Sweet Cakes, an all-white building with a massive, swirling splash of purple icing coming out of a piping bag right above the door.

How fitting.

I head over to the passenger door, pulling it open for Amelia, who’s busy digging for something in her purse. What the hell is in there? I’m afraid she’ll pull out a rabbit at this rate.

“AHH you guys are here! Perfect timing. The baker is ready for us,” Tia squeals.

“Hope you guys are hungry,” Amir says.

We step inside, and I’m hit with the sight of a long table filled with cakes in every flavor you could think of. Chocolate, mint, red velvet, coffee, raspberry, marble and if I keep naming them, I’ll start drooling on the spot.

“Hi everyone, my name’s Henry and I’ll be guiding you gorgeous people through today’s cake test.” He gives us a warm smile, sliding his gaze over to the soon to be married couple. Tia leans over, pressing a small kiss to Amir’s cheek.

“And of course, you two will be tasting first,” Henry adds, gesturing towards the fun sized sample cakes in front of them. “This first one is the Bourbon Butter cake, it consists of bourbon whiskey, and brown sugar, my personal favorite… it feels like having an orgasm in your mouth!”

Amelia bursts out laughing beside me, a loud startled sound that makes Henry smirk in satisfaction and says, “You’ll get to experience it, don't worry!”

She tries covering it up with a awkward cough, but fails miserably. “Can’t wait.”

“Nice one,” I murmur low.

“What? He can’t just say things like that and not expect a reaction,” she whispers back, pressing her lips together in the cutest attempt to stifle more laughs.

Henry hands my sister and Amir a small sample cake.

“Mmmm.” Tia hums as she takes a bite.

Amir follows suit, taking a forkful of the cake, pausing to chew it thoughtfully. He nods at Tia, raising an eyebrow. “This one is actually good, not too sweet.”

“Told you.” Henry grins wide. “An orgasm.”

Tia and Amir laugh with Henry as they bond over the bourbon sample.

Amelia walks past me, a little cough escaping her as she heads straight to the chocolate near the end of the table, no surprise there. She’s always loved chocolate, but there’s one flavor she’s been fixated on since we were teenagers. Nougat Cocoa.

Amelia had an exam tomorrow, and she’d been stressing out over it all month, so I wanted to surprise her with something special.

The chocolate she loved was sold out at all the local markets here, but after a quick search, I found it in a city over.

I begged my mom to come with me because I needed an adult in the car, having only a learner’s permit.

The drive was a little far, but my mom didn’t mind.

She knew I really wanted to surprise Amelia.

My father on the other hand had way more to say but I didn’t care.

If it were up to him, I’d never have friends during football season.

When we got there, I found a whole row filled with her favorite Nougat Cocoa.

Jackpot. As I walked toward the checkout counter, books and accessories on a few shelves caught my attention.

I remembered Amelia just finished a book on her Kindle that she’d been gushing about a few weeks ago, so I grabbed a copy because I know she liked to have the physical copies of all her favorite books.

I also got some…sticky tab things? A pink bookmark.

Oh, and I couldn’t forget the highlighters.

The next day, I spotted Amelia by her locker. Her long curls flowed down to her waist. She looked so beautiful. I probably looked like a fool with how wide I was smiling as I walked over to her, holding the basket.

“Hey.”

She shuts her locker and turned to face me. “Hey!”

Her gaze shifted down, and then she tilted her head, curious.

“I know you’ve been stressed with your exam…” I said, my cheeks warming up, which only ever happened with her. “I got you a little Good Luck basket.”

“Is that Nougat Cocoa?” She squealed jogging in place all cute. “I’ve been trying to find these bars all week! I can’t believe you found them.” She picked up a bar, slowly peeling back the wrapper and taking a small bite, humming. “I’ll never get sick of these. Ever.”

“Keep digging,” I chuckled as she wrapped the candy back up. I reached out to take it from her so she can use both of her hands.

She dug further into the basket, gasping when she picked up the book. “The Love Between Us, oh my god.”

“I know how much you love adding those different colored tab things in your book, and I know you just finished it on your ? —”

My words were cut off as she quickly put the basket near our feet, slammed into my chest, hugging me tight. My arms wasted no time wrapping around her, pulling her closer, our breaths moving in sync.

She squeezed me again, and all I heard was a sniffle. My eyes widened, and reluctantly, I pulled back and cupped her face. Her eyes shimmered with tears.

“What’s wrong?” I stammered.“Is that the right book?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you crying?” I smiled, relieved, and swiped my thumb near the corners of her eyes.

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world, to have a best friend like you.”

Best friend. If that’s all I’ll ever be…I’ll have to accept that title because there’s no way I can go through life without her.

“Oh my, this is so good,” she mumbles, her words half-muffled as she stuffs her face with the chocolate cake, one hand under her fork. “I think this is the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted in my life. You’re so going to agree.”

I can’t resist. I step in beside her as our shoulders brush and I feel a jolt of electricity. “Better than Nougat Cocoa?”

She gasps, peeking over her shoulder to double check that Henry is still busy with my sister and Amir. “Oops I take that back. Nothing is better than Nougat Cocoa,” she leans closer, whispering with a hushed giggle. Chocolate smears on her chin, but she doesn’t notice. “I stand on that.”

That giggle always hits me harder than it should.

“You’re trying not to make a mess, but you’re doing the complete opposite.” My eyes flicker down. “Come here.” I gently lift her chin as she steps in and the gentle brush of my skin against hers sends a rush of heat through me.

Our gazes meet and there’s a beat of silence before I hover my thumb near her mouth, then gently wipe the chocolate away, slow and deliberate.

I bring my thumb to my lips, tasting the sweetness as my eyes never leave hers. “You’re right.” I slowly lick my lips, savoring the sweetness. “It is good.”