Chocolate

Looks Can Be Deceiving

"So, like, thanks for being cool without me yesterday, I had an amazing night. Me and Manny went to the Olive Garden and saw a movie, it was so great," Maya, Serena's coworker gushed with a strong Spanish accent. Serena struggled to suppress her capricious smile, thinking about the man who came, pun intended, and gave her an astonishing Valentines Night.

"No worries," Serena leaned against the marble countertop, praying the day would speed up. Thankfully it was 12 and the shop closed at 4 on Sundays.

"Noelle!" Maya piped when the bells overtop the door jingled. Serena rose her head, seeing her classmate Noelle enter. She, Noelle and Maya all shared a Financial Literacy class. On her arm was a man. The man. Yes, the man who showed up the antecedent night. The man who she passionately banged on the counter she was touching right at that moment. The man who didn't mention that he had another girl. Enmity surged through Serena's body when she realized this man had another girl just like Serena and had the audacity to bring her back to Serena's work. She figured it was to make a point that their hot night was a one time thing and that she shouldn't think about him or expect anything from him.

"Hey Noelle!" she over-cheerfully greeted her friend. Serena looked the man in the eye. He seemed shocked, like he didn't know Serena worked there. Or maybe it was because his girlfriend knew her.

"You know them sweetie?" he placed a hand on her shoulder. Serena wanted to roll her eyes, but kept a composed smile.

"I have a class with them," she said.

"Class?" his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Next batch of cookies," Polly emerged from the kitchen with a tray full of bagged cookies. After setting them in the glass case, she slunk into the back kitchen again.

"Oh those look good," Noelle averted her attention to the sweets.

"Oh I was thinking of a chocolate cupcake," the man peered up at Serena expectantly.

"Well I've learned that girlfriends like-" she began, irritation evident in her tone.

"Ew what?!" Noelle backed up. The man eyed her with a look saying you've got to be kidding me.

"Well I'm buying for a daughter," the man gestured towards Noelle.

"A daughter?" Serena stared at him with embarrassment on her cheeks, coating her like blush on a pale face. Her mouth fell open, slowly commuting to laughter. Somehow the man failed to mention that his daughter, who he had accidentally forgotten to pick up her cupcake last night due to the other events that took place, was Serena's age. Although Serena failed to mention how old she was anyway. "Of course, I was kidding," she lied, scooping the chocolate cupcake into a white box big enough to fit it in.

She rung them up and before she handed the box over, swiped a pen up from the counter and followed the standard procedure. Of course Maya and Serena never actually filled names out on the box, but Serena was curious about his name.

"And who is buying?" she looked to her classmate and her classmate's father aka her steamy hook up.

"I am. Gabriel," he answered, watching her write his name with perfect penmanship.

"Here you go Gabriel," she slowly eyed him, handing over the box while Noelle was occupied in conversation with Maya.

"And you are?" he grabbed the box, speaking extremely softly.

"Stop by tomorrow night and I'll tell you then," she slyly smiled, beginning to find the older, divorced man thing sexy.