Sutures and Secrets | Mark Sloan

24 | Frosting and Flirtation

03x21

One evening, Charlie and the other interns gathered in Cristina and Burke's apartment, the space littered with open medical textbooks, flashcards, and half-empty cups of coffee. The pressure of their upcoming exam to become residents was palpable and the air buzzed with nervous energy.

Alex was leaning back against the couch, tossing medical questions at Izzie, who was scribbling diagrams furiously on a notepad. George was pacing back and forth, muttering something under his breath. Charlie was curled up in an armchair, flipping through flashcards and quizzing Meredith, who was struggling to keep her eyes open.

In the middle of all this chaos, Burke kept emerging from the kitchen every few minutes, balancing plates with elegant slices of cake. "Cristina," he called, presenting a plate with a flourish. "Try this. White sponge with vanilla buttercream."

Cristina, hunched over a pile of notes, barely glanced up. "I'm studying for the most important test of my intern career.", she snapped, scribbling furiously. "I don't have time for wedding cake."

Burke was undeterred. "You do realize we have a wedding to plan, right?", he said, setting the cake down in front of her. "Just try it."

Cristina sighed in exasperation, tossing her pen aside. "Fine.", she grumbled, stabbing her fork into the cake and taking a hasty bite, not even pausing to taste it.

The interns exchanged glances, trying not to laugh at Cristina's growing irritation. "How many cakes are there?", Meredith whispered to Charlie, who covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Cristina threw her hands in the air. "This man does not understand the concept of focus!", she complained, gesturing wildly. "We are trying to save our careers here and he's worried about frosting!"

"Maybe cake can actually help us think better?", George said, trying to be helpful.

Cristina shot him a glare that made him shrink back. "Do you want to test that theory?", she threatened. "Because I will throw this cake at you."

Burke reappeared once more. "This is the lemon. Might be a little tart.", he said, holding out the plate.

Cristina groaned, but the others couldn't help but burst out laughing, the tension breaking for a brief moment. Even Cristina couldn't hold back a small smile as she begrudgingly took another bite of cake.

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The next morning at the hospital, the group of exhausted interns made their way down the bustling corridors, still buzzing about the exam looming over them. As they passed a conference room, they paused, noticing the array of cakes spread out across a long table. Every kind of cake imaginable was arranged neatly, each slice labeled with a little card indicating its flavor. Burke was standing nearby, meticulously arranging the cakes.

Cristina let out an annoyed sigh. "You've got to be kidding me.", she muttered, as they all stepped into the room.

Burke looked up from his cake display. "Cristina.", he said. "You need to make a decision by tomorrow." His tone was calm, but it was clear he was not backing down on the matter. Without waiting for a response, he left, leaving Cristina standing there with her arms crossed.

The rest of the interns exchanged amused glances before eagerly grabbing forks and sampling the cakes. "Okay, if he's going to throw a cake buffet at us, I'm not complaining.", Alex said, stuffing a large forkful of chocolate cake into his mouth.

Cristina groaned. "This is ridiculous. I have an exam to pass and he's worried about lemon versus vanilla buttercream. Who even cares?"

Meredith picked at a piece of red velvet and then asked. "Should I bring some cake to Derek? Isn't that what good girlfriends do?" Her tone was half-teasing, half-serious.