What Baking Can Do

Okay, We'll Do It Your Way

I managed to wake up before her this time. Usually Jessie is the early riser. With the heaviness of our uncertainty off my chest, I had finally gotten a good night's rest. It was either that or the jetlag from my California trip.

Jess and I were finally at a place where we both felt the same. We both wanted a relationship together, a "more-than-friends" relationship... but there was still a little worry in my head. Not the normal anxiety from a new relationship— the worry revolved around Jessie and her career, this musical.

Footsteps into the kitchen interrupted my thoughts. I turned around to see a sleepy Jessie headed for the coffee pot.

"Good morning," she said softly as she padded over to the table.

"Morning," I smiled. Seeing her always warmed my heart.

"Is everything okay?" Jessie asked, looking over at me. "You look concerned with something."

"I, uhm. No?" I replied. "It's nothing."

Jessie raised her eyebrows. "Sara."

"It's just me overthinking again, you know me."

"Well, you wanna talk it out? It's not good to bury things inside."

"Yeah, I know. I just— yeah, you're right."

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair, feeling the stress set in. "Just...you know, previews will be starting, and then opening night.."

"Do you ever let yourself not think about the show for a minute?" Jessie laughed into her mug as she took another sip of coffee.

"No, it's just, I'm thinking about us." I blurted.

Jessie put her mug down. "Oh."

I sat down beside her at the table. "I'm happy we're on the same page, I really am. What I'm worried about is the extra burden this would be for you."

"Burden? Hun, you are no burden. To anyone," Jessie replied.

"I didn't mean that, I –"

"No, Sara. Listen to me. I'm not new to having a relationship during a show—"

"You're new to this though," I cut in. "Us. Me. Not a man."

"Uh, we both are? Unless there's something I am unaware of with you, Miss Mystery over here."

I rolled my eyes half-playfully, half-seriously. She always knew how to brighten the mood. My mood.

"But seriously, Sara," she began again, looking at me with emphasis. "We'll figure this out. It's different, yes. We can't attend events together or even really be seen together in public as more than friends. It's going to be difficult, yeah, especially if you keep looking at me with those eyes." Jessie smiled with a sparkle in her eye that soothed my anxiety for a moment.

I reached for her hands across the table. We looked into each other's eyes, our grip tightening and our thumbs softly grazing the other's wrists.

"Thank you," I said softly.

It was silent for what felt like several minutes when in reality it hadn't even been one. Finally, I took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Jessie, I, I want to—"

No, Sara, ew. Stop being so nervous.

I tried again. "Jessie, will you be my girlfriend?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, Sara, we..."