Seaglass Promises in the Midnight Sky

Sugar Sugar

"Have you ever even had Red Velvet cake?" Lorraine asked, looking from the box on the coffee table to her boyfriend who had just set it down in front of her.

"I don't see how that's relevant."

"You want us to spend hours baking and decorating a cake that you might not even like?"

"Yes."

She got up from the couch, grabbing the box, "Okay, fine."

"When did you even get this?" She asked, entering the kitchen.

Conrad shrugged, "My mom made me go shopping with her for the Fourth of July party."

"We need three eggs, half a cup of vegetable oil, and one and one-fourth a cup of water." She instructed leaning against the counter and reading the directions on the box as Conrad set about finding the stuff.

Lorraine opened the box as he placed everything on the counter.

"Scissors?" She requested, holding up the bag of mix. Conrad took the bag and moved to open it like a bag of chips, "Are you sure-"

Surprisingly, he managed it, pouring the mix into a large bowl he had procured. Then he turned to her and grinned, "That's why they call me Daddy Zucko."

"That doesn't even make sense!" She argued, though she was laughing all the same.

She started cracking eggs as Conrad measured out the water when another thought occurred to her.

"You never told me what my contact name is."

Conrad moves to her side and pours the water into the bowl, "It was Sandy."

"Was?" Lorraine asked, rummaging through the drawers for a fork.

"Wait, is mine still Daddy Zucko?"

"No." She tried to say it as neutrally as possible but she wasn't sure she succeeded when she turned to face him, fork in hand.

"Fuck, I forgot to preheat the oven." Lorraine rushed across the kitchen to the oven and began pressing buttons. When she turned back Conrad was smiling at her.

"What is it?"

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours?" Conrad chuckled, it took her a minute to realize why- just what she had said- and then a smile broke out across her face.

"Oh come on Michaels!" Conrad chastised jokingly.

"I didn't mean it like that!" She protested, but she knew by the look on his face he wasn't dropping it so soon.

"I mean, if you insist." His hand went to his jeans.

"Stop it! Conrad the children!"

"Exactly!" He countered, laughing.

"No!"

He surrendered, resuming his work with the vegetable oil, "Okay, okay. You really want to know?"

"Yes?" She said, worried about what the boy might have put instead of her name.

"You don't sound so sure." He pointed out, pouring the liquid into the bowl and holding out his hand for the fork.

She gave it over, "Because you're an asshole, so it's probably something rude."

"Is mine?" Conrad asked though he didn't seem remotely upset at the prospect.

She jumped onto the counter, "No, because I'm nice."

"Oh yeah, so nice."

"Fuck off, you don't know me."

"So it wasn't Shrek at one point?" The look he gave her told her he already knew she had.

"You have unrealistic expectations for me."

"It's okay, I made your's donkey for a day." He admitted, otherwise consumed with the daunting task of mixing the ingredients.

"What?!"

"He's funny. Besides they had the real romance." Conrad defended, Lorraine just shook her head.

"What is it now?" She asked, moving on to what was actually important.

Conrad looked at her with something indescribable in his eyes but otherwise completely relaxed, "It's just your name with a star next to it."

Her heart did jumping jacks, "Fuck you."

"What?"

"You can't do that, it's not fair." She pouted, taking the bowl and fork from him just to have something to distract her now that he was looking all concerned and caring. Honestly, does the boy have no respect for others' feelings? 

"Do what?" He asked.

"Be Conrad Fisher, the most charming idiot of all time."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" There was mirth in his voice now, but she refused to look at him, mixing these ingredients was just very difficult okay?

"No."

She was sure he was smiling. The oven beeped, notifying them that it was ready, "So, what's mine?"

"Loser."

"I think you got one of the letters wrong." He said, moving to stand in front of her.

"Nope." He took the bowl from her and set it on the counter next to them.

His hand came to rest on my neck, "Are you sure?"

She hummed her affirmation, tilting her head up to meet his approach.