Beauty and the Pharaoh

Chapter 17 - [Beauty and the Holiday Celebrations]

Atem didn't join me to read that night, I assumed it was because of the awkward situation I put him in. Or the fact that in the morning, he probably woke up in my bed going like 'what the flip.'

But whatever the case, I didn't read that night anyways, I went straight to bed with burning, red eyes and fell fast asleep pretty quickly.

The next day, I went to work with Atem. Grandma Seetha's shop had these famous Christmas themed sugar cookies that sell fast, so she needed our help to bake a lot.

I personally loved sugar cookies, making them and eating them, so I enjoyed myself though I did spend most of my time making cakes instead. My grandma had the special touch, you see. No one could make and ice the sugar cookies as well and as beautifully as she could. So I worked on the cakes that needed to be made while she made the cookies. Atem helped with packing them in nice boxes and with the simple things. He seemed to like the cookies too, though he wasn't keen on eating more than one at a time.

I had come to learn after all these months that he didn't exactly have a great sweet tooth. He tolerated sweets but never, ever ate too much.

Weird.

Though, I must add, he loved honey. He would eat honey for the rest of his days if I let him.

This went on for the next couple days, we even worked on Christmas Eve. However, I didn't always stay all the time since I was hanging out with my brother whenever he got the chance. But usually, I would come straight back to Grandma Seetha's and help her out. And after making probably over like, five thousand sugar cookies, Grandma Seetha let us go home around noon on Christmas Eve with a batch of fifty of her famous sugar cookies.

As Atem and I walked home, he looked out at the busy streets, "there are more people out than usual."

I nodded, "well, tomorrow is Christmas, everyone's probably trying to get some last minute stuff done."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Probably present shopping and stuff," I said as I stopped walking. We were right outside a candy shop and inside I could see some deliciously awesome looking gingerbread houses that were for sale.

I loved gingerbread anything.

"Hold on a sec," I said to him with a smile, "I'm going to go buy one of those, wait here."

He nodded, not really wanting to go into a store filled with sweet stuff. And I knew this for sure because after the first time he came in here with me, he never followed me in again.

I just assumed it was because of the overwhelming amount of sugar.

It was twenty-five dollars but it was a pretty nice gingerbread house, so I thought it was worth the money and bought it before I could decide that it was a bad idea.

And just as I walked out, I was surprised by a random, pretty girl stopping in front of Atem and kissing him on the cheek.

He jerked his head back quickly, looking at her in confusion as she giggled and walked away with her friends.

Almost instantly, my entire body was filled with jealousy as I watched Atem touch his cheek with his hand.

"What are you doing?" I pretty much hissed.

He turned and looked at me, "she just..."

I shoved the gingerbread house into his arms, "hold this."