Playing With Fire || d.h

99. Sweet Nothings

A week's gone by, and thanks to Dodie's obsessiveness, our wedding plan is well on its way. We have a date in May picked out, along with reservations to a venue at a butterfly garden, which includes a DJ and catering from a gourmet restaurant. Today, she's arranged a meeting with a bakery I never thought I'd be able to afford, for Dan and I to taste test wedding cakes.

"You think this is fancy enough?" Dan stands in front of a full length mirror, straightening his tie. He's dressed in dress pants, a button up shirt, and a dark grey tie. I come up behind him, studying his reflection.

"Yes," I reply finally. "You look handsome as fuck."

He chuckles, turning to face me. "And you look beautiful," he says, kissing me on the forehead, and I smile. I'm dressed in a purple lacy dress, my hair pulled into a curly ponytail and light makeup. I have a pea coat on top of my dress, thanks to the cool winter air. I feel incredibly basic, but Dodie insisted I dress this way, as it seemed like it fit the dress code of the bakery Dan and I are going to. I still look cute, so I guess it's okay.

"Ready to go?" I ask Dan, grabbing my purse and throwing my phone and apartment key into it.

"Yup," He replies quickly, an excited grin forcing itself on his face, and I can't help but laugh. He rolls his eyes, before adding, "Sorry, but I'm gonna be a little excited about getting to taste-test gourmet fucking cakes."

"I thought I was dating a twenty seven year old, not a twelve year old," I retort, but he only rolls his eyes a second time, making me laugh.

"Shut up, and let's get going," he says. "The last thing we need is to be late."

We walk out of the apartment, saying goodbye to Dodie and Phil, and walking down the street. Dan gets a cab, and tells the driver the address for us. The drive is only a few minutes, even in London traffic. We stop outside of this grand, white tower of a building, which looks much too fancy for me to even be allowed to look at. Dan and I exchange looks, before walking into the building.

The smell of cakes and candy wafts through the air, my mouth immediately starting to water even though I had just eaten lunch around an hour ago. The ground and counters are made completely of marble, the footsteps of my heels clinking around the echoing room. We walk up to the counter, where a cashier dressed in a pastel pink tea-length dress stands. Her bright ginger hair is pinned back in dramatic victory rolls, and her lips painted a matte red. She looks like a 1940s movie star, and I'm immediately in love with this place.

"Hello!" She greets us cheerily. "How may I help you?"

"Um, we have a cake tasting reservation under Howell?" Dan replies, more as a question than a statement. The cashier's smile only widens.

"Oh, of course! If you follow me, I can lead you to the tasting room."

Dan and I exchange looks, before following the girl. She leads us to this room set up as a sort of dining room, complete with a high table that seats ten people. There's another door opposite of us that reads 'kitchen,' and the walls are decorated with vintage candy jars. The girl disappears, before coming back with two large trays. Dan and I both gasp with excitement when we see what sits on the trays, which is dozens of tiny little cake squares, each around the size of a brownie, with a piece of paper labeling what kind of cake it is. This instantly reminds me of the cheesecake samples back in Los Angeles, except ten times better.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to the samples, and you can come back to the front desk once you think you've made a decision, or if you have any questions." The cashier claps her hands together enthusiastically, and sashays out of the room. Dan and I look at each other excitedly, before sitting at the table.