"What the 'ell is that?" Lightman, looking every bit as baffled as his words, asked.
Foster looked up from her desk and eyed Cal, standing in her doorway. His finger was pointed to the red square which was covered with perfectly laid stripes of white icing. Foster couldn't help but let out a slight giggle. She caught Cal's eye and smiled.
"Red velvet cake, want some? I baked it this morning, was going to share, but you know, got a little too greedy," shrugged Foster.
"You know, it's a miracle you're not on one of those bogus Subway commercials, going bonkers over their waistline." Lightman paused thoughtfully before carrying on. "I take it back. Your figure is really startin' to sag." Uh oh, thought Lightman, as he saw the expression on Foster's face. Her fingers seemed to instinctively curl closer to the cake...probably ready to hurl at Lightman's face.
"Anyway," said Lightman, as he cleared his throat. "I have a case for you when you have the chance." He wiggled his hands in the air. "Paranormal event."
"And why are we taking it?"
"Because, it seems interesting."
Lightman stared her down, noticing the slight quirk in brow, registering mild surprise, of all things. A frown flashed across Lightman's lips and he proceeded to backtrack to his office. Right when the door was about to close, Foster quipped up.
"Cal! Come here." Lightman doubled back and dropped one shoulder, as if displaying a 'what now, woman' attitude pose. After a moment of a silent eye war, he walked up to her desk and placed both palms on the edge. His back was straight and he leaned forward, studying Foster's face with a slightly tilted head.
He leaned in closer, eyes narrowing in mock anger. "What?" he breathed out, letting his teeth bare at her in a playful manner, but for a second.
Foster smirked and magically produced a fork from her desk. The woman must have had every damned utensil stored up in her office. She expertly cut a corner of the cake and held the offering in front of Cal's lips. "Be my guinea pig."
Lightman looked at her, lips pursed, adamantly about to refuse, but the child-like earnest that Foster expressed was intoxicating. He relented and opened his mouth. When Foster placed the fork in his mouth, he bit down; this made Foster have to use some muscle to yank the fork out of his mouth, producing a 'ting' sound with metal on teeth.
His eyes never left hers; it was a strangely playful, yet intimate moment. Lightman chewed slowly and swallowed, and Foster followed the path of the cake. As she watched his Adam's apple bob, she licked her lips.
The silent tension was broken with Foster's voice, "What'd you think?"
Lightman made a mock expression of disgust, fully extending his tongue and scrunching up his face. What a comedic look for the man. He cleared his throat and swallowed a few times, as if washing the taste from his mouth.
He proceeded to walk back towards the door, "In all honesty, it was horrendous." His step faltered and he walked forward again towards Foster. In but a moment, his hand slowly worked its way to cup Foster's face. There was a slight tension in her jaw, but she relaxed when Lightman's thumb stroked her cheek.
The drilling gaze of his hazel eyes struck her and her pulse heightened. Lightman felt the change and a look of happiness crossed his face. "But it's nowhere near as sweet as the person who baked it," said Lightman. He winked and walked out of Foster's office, leaving her dumbstruck.
Lightman headed down the hall thin -
- king about his actions, as his sleep deprived brain awoke from the pleasant dream. His eyes slowly adjusted to the meager rays of sunlight poking through the windows. The blankets were long gone kicked to the floor and his hands went up to rub his eyes. Eyes still chained to sleep. Lightman let out a long-drawn out groan and hoisted his oddly aching body into a sitting position. After a few moments, he clapped his hands together. "Damnit, if Foster bakes a cake today, it's a dream come true." He dead-panned his gaze into a mirror and dragged his body into the shower.
Author's Note: Hello, first off, I want to apologize for not updating Past Glance or Mail in a LONG time. I haven't forgotten about them and I will continue them. This is a promise. I'm so happy from reading all the reviews and I will not leave you hanging. It's been one hectic semester and I just haven't really had the time to sit down and write. This short little story was written a long time ago, but I wanted to give you something with my "author's note." So I hope you enjoy this little ditty while I write out the other two.
I'm also looking for some beta readers, so if you're interested, send me an e-mail at r3nzer[at]gmail[dot]com
Thank you!! Good luck on finals (if you have any)!!