Maze

43

As promised to my very first client whose mouth could no longer accommodate his cumulating saliva, Edward was completely seduced by the salt bread I was slowly unwrapping for him. His fingers lurched, itching to seize hold of the bread, but he peered at me, anticipating my signal.

And albeit Myla continuously digging its paws onto his legs, it failed to achieve even a speck of his attention.

He's really thrilled about my bread.

I inwardly laughed at how animated he was, coming from someone with such a rough exterior and a countenance that rarely budged an inch. Honestly, he looked like a dog who was impatiently waiting for its owner to give the green light on munching its dinner away.

"H-Here you go, I hope you like it," I murmured as I passed the bread towards him. If his intense gaze was tangible, it would have decimated all the pastries into oblivion, and we would be left with nothing.

And with no time to waste, Edward gingerly received-I was surprised he did not grab it-the bread from my hand. However, he wasted no time studying it; he shoved-yes, he plunged the entirety of the pastry into the confines of his starving mouth, making my heart skip a beat.

It looks so tiny the moment he devours it.

His cheeks bloated up-obviously as he swallowed the whole thing-while he masticated the pastry. He closed his eye as wrinkles in his forehead formed, searching for the flavors that might or might not hit his taste buds. Meanwhile, my tingling fingers fumbled on the fabric of my clothes as my ribs were pressed together; he was chewing it longer than usual.

Was it up to his expectations? Was it good? Was it something he would come to buy? Only he had the answers, and I had no choice but to wait for him to finish. As he finally swallowed the entire meal, he licked the corner of his lips and took all the crumbs, making sure nothing was left.

"Delicious," Edward reported and the waves of relief crashing against me allowed me to release a ridiculous amount of air. I tore up into a cheeky grin as he went on, "This is so rich. It's salty and crispy on the outside, yes, but sweet and buttery at the same time. It's the perfect combination of flavors. I've never had bread like this before... I could eat this for the whole week."

"T-Thank you!" My heart was racing a thousand miles at his compliments, but I definitely believed he could survive weeks, let alone a month with only devouring these rolls. He should have varied his food, but not that he cared much though.

But... he's gushing so much right now and he doesn't have to hold back anymore. He's expressing more of himself; his old self.

On the other side, Lynn and Aly's eyes had been glinting, their curiosity had them scrutinizing us like eagles from their respective laptops. Without the need to inquire and now that Edward had tried the pastries, I passed some of them to the girls, and almost immediately, they were lost in their own paradise, melting like butter.

"As always, your pastries are the best! I would have paid for this!" Aly exclaimed between her muffles and I chuckled. My parents and I would give you lots for free...

"You said you brought more?" Edward murmured, and my guts somersaulted beyond belief when he budged towards me. "You don't mind... if I can have seconds, right, Rena?"

Well, Edward... I would not have packed and brought so many of these rolls if not for your bottomless stomach.

***

"T-that's why it's called tertiary structure... Is it more c-clear now?"

I finished, performing a series of gesticulations to the protein structure flashing on the screen. Hopefully, my stammerings-impossible to mitigate even as I tried my best-would not get in the way of my explanations. This was Edward I was trying to teach and not Aly, I have to make sure he absorbed all the information.