Scent (Scomiche)

Valentine's Day? More Like Valentine's Dismay.

Weeks fly by of the same old same old and I don’t want to recount it because it is just too boring. So I’ll sum it up.

Scott still doesn’t want to date me.

Bryan and I have been hanging out quite a bit, which I enjoy, but to be honest I think he’s jealous of my relationship with Scott. But I’m not dating either of them so it’s just stupid. He’d be a really good friend if he could just shut up about that.

My work hasn’t offered me a raise and I don’t really like it there anymore so there’s really no incentive to keep it. I might beg for my bank job back.

My dad and I have been keeping in touch a little but nothing remarkable.

Yeah, that’s about it. It’s the same as it was weeks ago.

I think about how maybe I could spice things up a little, maybe purposefully create some drama or something dumb like that, while I drive to Scott’s Scones. It’s already February so the weather can’t make up its mind. To avoid the rain, I practically run into the shop. Scott flashes me a large grin when he sees me.

“Hey, I’m glad you’re here. I want to talk to you.”

My heart does a flip-flop thing that I’m sure that if doctors saw it, they would call me a medical marvel.

“What do you want to eat today?” He stands to the side of the counter, pouring my coffee, and preparing it just how I like it. I smile.

“Surprise me.”

“Hmmmmm…” He hands me a steaming cup of coffee, then scans the pastries he has. “Chocolate scone?”

“Sounds delicious.”

He grabs one for himself too and we sit at my regular table. Middle, back. “So it’s Lindsey’s birthday soon.”

“Oh, how soon?”

“A week.”

I do the math in my head quick. “So February 18th?”

He nods. “And since I’m closing this place down, I’m really getting low on any money I have or have had. So I was wondering if me and you could come up with something really fun but cheap for us to do.”

“Have you asked her what she wants to do?” I ask, picking up the dense chocolate dough and taking a big bite.

“Well, kind of. She hasn’t given me much to work with.”

This scone is delectable. It’s chewy and oozes the taste of dark chocolate. In a weird way, it reminds me of what hot cocoa tastes like. Which really isn’t that weird I guess, since they are both chocolate. I am an idiot. “What has she said?”

“She said she wants you there.” I almost audibly aww because that’s super cute. “And she wants me to make her a cake.”

“I thought she didn’t like sweets much.”

“She likes cake, but not scones or turnovers or danishes or pumpkin bread or a lot of other things I serve.”

I give a weak chuckle. “Sounds about right.”

“But I want to do something special for her, you know? Christian and I would usually throw her a party, but she said she doesn’t want a party this year. So since she wants you there, I thought me and you and her could just go have a good time somewhere. Maybe surprise her.”

“Well,” I think about some of the options in this dull town. “About thirty minutes away there’s this big… fun area for kids. It has slides and jungle gyms and stuff like that. I think it even has a ball pit. It’d be fun for her if she brought a friend.”