Quandary | Noah Sebastian |

one

"Smells good in here," Noah's velvety voice filters into the kitchen, paired with the soft sound of his footsteps on the linoleum.
I grinned as he came up behind me, wrapping his arms delicately around my waist and giving me a peck on the cheek. "You like pistachio?" I asked him, glancing over my shoulder to look at him briefly, still focusing on the task of filling the piping bag.
"Love it," he confirms, now resting his chin on my shoulder as he observed what I was working on.

I smirked, running my finger along the side of the bowl to gather a blob of the filling before tapping his nose with it. "Hey!" he steps back, chuckling, and wipes his nose.
I snickered as I brought the piping bag over to the macaron shells that I prepared hours earlier.

"Tastes great," he tells me just as I began putting dollops on every other shell. I looked up at him to see him licking his thumb clean and laughed, shaking my head.
"Good, I'm glad. It's a new recipe I thought I'd try for the bakery."
"Well, it certainly has my approval thus far. I think they'll be a hit, as long as not too many people have nut allergies."
I smiled, still working away at the macarons.

Since Noah and I moved to California, I opened a small bakery just outside of central LA, on Sunset Boulevard. There is a ton of foot traffic here, of course, so business was booming and certainly keeping me occupied while Noah tucked himself away in the studio with the boys to work on their next album.

Once finished with the macarons, I joined Noah, who had since sat at the kitchen island, two cookies in hand. He accepts the one I offered to him with a smile, immediately taking a bite. He lets out a satisfied groan, finishing the rest in one bite.

"I take it that you enjoyed it," I chuckled, taking my own bite. I had the same reaction; it was delicious.
"Absolutely," he says, picking up his phone that had chimed and stands up, "I gotta head over to Jolly's. Thanks for the macaron, love." He gives me a kiss on the top of my head as he passes, making his way back to the bedroom.
"Wait!" I sighed, trailing after him. "What about later tonight?"

I watched him pause as he began to pull his shirt over his head; the look on his face told me that he had forgotten about our anniversary dinner. I scoffed, slapping my hands against the sides of my thighs in aggravation before turning on my heel to head back to the kitchen.

I rummaged through the cupboards, hastily closing the doors once I found the container that I needed to store the macarons. "Liv, I'm sorry," Noah enters the kitchen, making his way over to me.
I shoulder him off when he tries to wrap his arms around me, fuming. I grit my teeth and continue packing away the treats. This wasn't the first time in the last few months that he's forgotten dates we had planned, but this one put the icing on the cake.

"I promise I'll be there for dinner. I'll meet you at the restaurant, okay?" he pleads, still reaching for me.
I shook my head and brought the container to the fridge, once again weaseling away from his touch.
He strides across the kitchen and blocks me from leaving when I begin to walk away, cupping my face in his hands. "Liv, come on. I'm sorry," he apologizes, staring into my eyes with remorse. "I'll be there."

I took one look at his espresso eyes, glimmering with regret, and I cracked, sighing. "I'm just frustrated, Noah. Forgetting movie dates is one thing, but our anniversary?"
"I know, I'm an ass," he huffs. "Recording has kinda consumed me. I'll let Jolly know that I can't be long; he'll understand."
"Okay," I mumbled, my mood still dampened.
"7 o'clock at 71Above. I'll be there," he reassures me and presses his lips to mine, lingering until I felt myself melting into his touch. "I love you," he whispers against my lips, giving me another quick kiss before letting go of my face.
I give him a faint smile, "I love you, too."