Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OC
The sun burned down on the sidewalks. Walking felt like a chore and everyone drew long breaths of warm air.
Town no longer held a sense of fun and distraction only further enforcing the need for air conditioning. Stores didn't mind and used the time to push products on customers in their heat crazed haze.
Most of the teens headed to the ocean or lakes, desperate for some reprieve. The older generation settled for fans and air-conditioning while they went about their daily chores and responsibilities. I almost wished for the days of spending the entire day driving out with a group of friends, heading out to find the nearest source of water, but that wasn't on the docket anymore.
My friends were locked down to jobs during the summer and I had resigned myself to staying inside. I wouldn't even think of moving more than a foot away from my fan.
I groaned as I heard the loud buzzing of my phone across the room. So much for not moving.
With some reluctance, I picked up my phone. Alice always chose the moments I least wanted to move to call.
"Hey Alice."
"So since you're doing nothing right now, how about coming over, sampling some cakes?" she suggested, and I could tell she was smiling that cheeky grin of hers.
"Isn't that Bella's job?"
"She says they all taste the same, which is absolutely no help, so you have to come and don't say you're busy because I know you're doing nothing." She really wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"Okay, okay, I'll come, I'll come." I said, smiling.
I heard the slight squeal before her voice came through the phone. "Great! I'm outside."
My eyebrows shot up.
"What? Outside? Outside of my house?"
I walked over to the window in the kitchen which peaked out into the drive way. Yup, and there she was, her hand shooting up to wave at me. I gave her a smile, shaking my head.
"Yup, so come on and hurry up."
I clicked the phone off, grabbing my bag and turning off various fans as I went through my living room.
Only a few minutes later, I locked up the house and plunged into Alice's car.
"Oh thank god for AC," I said, twiddling with the units. Stepping out of the house had been like dumping lava onto my skin, my black tank top and shorts doing little to stop the rays of sun.
Alice was dressed very differently, sporting a high necked long sleeve sweater, a scarf, driving gloves, and sunglasses. It didn't seem very practical in the heat.
"I've been indoors all day and we have AC," she drew, noticing my staring.
I nodded, looking out at the town as we passed. "If only everyone were so lucky, I'm practically a puddle as soon as I step outside."
She laughed, the sound tinkling in the small space. "Well if you ever want to borrow some cool air, I always have something for you to do."
"I appreciate it."
On the way, Alice described each type of cake, the chocolate with buttercream, the vanilla with chocolate, the strawberry, the velvet, more than I could keep track of.
"I don't know how you're putting this all together in two months."
"How we're putting this together," she corrected.
I shook my head, "You're doing the majority, and I don't know how you have the energy, two minutes on the phone with the florist or caterer makes me tired for a whole week."
She shrugged, smiling. "There's something thrilling about weddings, the gowns, the people, wonderfully romantic."
"Do you think you'll get married one day?"
Her mouth quirked, a fond moment glazing over her eyes. "Yes, definitely."
Sometimes, more and more often, there were little moments, seconds really where Alice didn't seem 18. A strange fog took over her features and she morphed into someone older, stood a little straighter, eyes a little sharper. The shift was an unconscious one, like she'd forget herself, just for a moment before snapping herself out of it talking about this or that.
I shook it off, looking forward to the Cullen house as we pulled in.
It still seemed strange being so comfortable walking into the Cullen's house. A few weeks ago, I had walked around stiff as a statue.
The drapes in the house were drawn, darkening the inside from the harsh light. I was grateful, the darkness cooled the air even more.
We settled in the kitchen, Alice going around the counter to the fridge as I sat on a stool.
The plate clattered onto the counter and Alice grinned down at me as she pulled plate after plate out.
Five plates total, six slices on each plate, 35 different cakes in total.
"And Bella tried all of these?"
Alice tilted her head from side to side, smoothly sliding a fork across the counter.
"More or less."
"So less?"
"She tried a few, said she didn't like my process and said I could pick whichever one I wanted, which is a problem for obvious reasons." I quirked an eyebrow and she back peddled. "Reasons being, my palate! Yes, my palate, I had some hot coffee the other day, just about burned my tongue to shreds, could hardly eat anything, let's just start the tasting why don't we."
I hardly caught five words from her rambling but chalked it up to Alice being Alice. She pushed the first plate in front of me and pulled out a notebook and pen.
Digging into the first one, Alice asked me to describe the texture, the creamy level mixed with the consistency and flavor, if there was a smooth finish or something that left a heavy taste on the tongue. Alice scooped the rest of the cake onto a platter, saying I could only have one bite of each or else I'd get full too fast.
After each cake, she'd hand me a slice of dry bread and a small glass of water to cleanse my palate. Life couldn't get much better than trying 35 different cakes for an entire afternoon.
Alice made the process a bit more clinical and wrote every description.
"So, which are your top five?"
"The last three red velvet and the chocolate with vanilla frosting and the strawberry with vanilla, oh and the vanilla with cream cheese."
"That's six."
"Those six were just really good."
"If you had to narrow it down to two?"
"Well then why did you ask me for the top six?"
"Just in case your top two were really unfortunate," she said, all with a smile.
"The red velvet was really great but," I pushed the piece around the plate, scraping the frosting off the top, "I don't think a wedding would do well with a dark red cake with white fondant, it'd be like cutting into a barrel of blood, the colors would just clash."
Alice laughed taking away the plate of red velvet cakes and putting the other three options in front of me.
"I think we should go with the vanilla with cream cheese layers, it would have the nicest appeal when cut into and it had a good consistency and flavor, plus I'm a sucker for cream cheese."
"Are you?" the voice surprised me. I turned and saw Carlisle looking down at me with a fond smile.
After spending almost all afternoon with just Alice, I assumed he'd be at work.
I nodded, "Cream cheese frosting with just about any type of food would convince me to eat it." He moved further into the kitchen. "Do you want some cake? We have lots left over, if you're hungry that is," I offered.
He shook his head, declining.
Alice pipped up, "I'm gonna go order that cake before the bakery closes, maybe try and convince them that eight tiers isn't too much to ask for with only a month to spare."
She bounced out of the room.
Carlisle leaned against the counter, "You've been with Alice a lot lately."
"Wedding planning takes a lot of time."
"How long have you been in this kitchen?"
I shrugged, "A few hours maybe."
He smiled and shook his head, "Come on let's get some fresh air."
"But Alice-"
"She'll be fine, probably on the phone with the baker for more than an hour."
I nodded and slid off the stool, letting him lead the way to the balcony.
The sun was low in the sky, the intense heat from earlier mellowed down to a low light that shifted in waves across the hard planks of wood. Most of the area remained shrouded in shade and we settled against the railing.
"Did you work today?"
"I have a shift later tonight."
"You should be sleeping then, don't want to be tired on the job."
"I won't be, don't worry."
I looked over the balcony and starred out into the line of trees, breathing in the fresh air. It was nice to be outside. Well, outside when it wasn't nearly a hundred degrees.
"Are you going to the hospital this Saturday?" he asked.
"I am, you?"
"Of course, can't miss the kids cutting out paper leaves."
I smiled and shifted a bit closer, I could feel the cold radiating off him. It reminded me of fresh snow, the feeling of jumping into the yard on a cold morning, the red cheeks and gloved hands. Snow in the middle of summer, something impossible indeed.
Looking over, I watched his mouth tilt up in a smile as he looked over at me, his eyes flickering to mine. I looked down and watched his hands move, so precise, so measured.
A ray of sun flitted over his palm, just for a moment.
My eyebrows knitted together. A trick of the light, it had to be but I swear that just for a second, a single second, he shinned.
He saw my wide eyes, saw the confusion worm its way into my expression and he didn't say anything, just looked out at the setting sun. I moved a little closer and so did he. He let his hand drop closer to mine, the cool skin brushing against my own.
My palm closed over his, my fingers running in circles. A trick of the light, that's all it had been.
Hey everybody! A lot has happened, I went to Europe, my dog died. I re-read this fic and found that I should really proof-read my writing but it just takes so much time that I don't have. I'll try to be better, really, I'll try. Sorry this is so late.
