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I’ll take that as a good sign.
“Look at the lake,” she says, pointing as we sit. I glance back to see the leaves reflected in the water like embers. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yeah,” I whisper, but I’m not looking at the water anymore.
No foliage can ever match Junie’s hair as it hangs loosely over her shoulders, glittering like ruby threads in the evening sun.
I love it when she wears it loose.
The way it contrasts the forest-green coat she’s wearing stalls my breath.
Honestly, the sight makes me a little nervous.
Perish the fucking thought.
I guess that’s natural, though, when I’m risking my entire ass to reach for the future.
I pull the cake out before I can change my mind or do anything else to fuck this up.
“Ready to try it? Or are you too scared?”
She laughs and turns back to me with sparkling eyes. “You know it. What flavor did you pick?”
“Classic chocolate.” I carefully cut her a slice. “I know it’s your favorite.”
“Yeah, but what about you?”
“It’s the most tolerable kind. I’ve gotten better at this,” I tell her, cutting myself a piece that’s half the size of hers.
Ihavegotten better at appreciating sweets. I’m not sure I’ll ever learn to fully enjoy throwing myself into a three-hour sugar coma, though I can definitely eat it now without feeling like I’m shaving ten years off my life.
“You really have.” She accepts a cake fork from the box and looks at her slice before prodding at the dessert. “Nice texture. You didn’t make it too dry.”
“Damn, Sweet Stuff, I didn’t bring you here to grade it.”
“Whydidyou bring me here for a cake picnic, then?” She shoots me a mock glare.
“Just eat. Preferably before I have an aneurism.”
“Okay, bossypants.” She takes a bite and chews slowly. I try not to fixate on her lips, or guessing how many bites it’ll take before she finds her surprise.
In fact, I try not to think about anything at all except for the fact that it’s a beautiful autumn day and I’m here with Junie at the edge of forever.
“It’s good,” she says sincerely, surprise ringing in her voice.
“You could pretend to be less shocked.”
“No, I just—for someone who thinks dessert is pure evil, you’re pretty good at this. What did Lucifer offer you?”
I snort. “Only you, woman. Somehow, that’ll always be enough.”
She smiles at that. A long, slow smile that touches her soul with the same wistful energy as the sunlight dancing on the lake. I almost want to interrupt what I’ve started and kiss her until we forget how to breathe.
But she’s so close now.
Then her fork hits something hard near the end of the cake and she glances up at me with a frown. “Oh no. Don’t tell me you left a frosting cap in the cake?”
I say nothing.
