Out of My Heart and My Mind

Pulse Pound

    It took a few minutes for the two to clear their heads from the awkward conversation, but it didn't linger for too long. They managed to get back on the whoopie pie recipie without much struggle. Xavier put the cream cheese in the fridge while T.J finished up the batter. Once that was done, they poured a few big dollops onto a baking sheet and put it in the oven.

    T.J went into his sketchbook while Xavier stepped into his room. He couldn't help going back to what he said earlier, he called the boy cute! Well, he did mean it, though. He wanted to see that smile since T.J met Sam, and he succeeded. However, it didn't feel like that was enough.

    He wanted that smile to stay longer. If possible, maybe even forever. It felt like T.J was hiding his true self away, putting on a mask and forgetting he had it on after years of constant use. Now that mask is starting to crack, revealing the truth. The only question is how long will it take to find that truth?

    The whoopies were done soon enough, although there was a small mishap. With the amount of batter put on the baking sheet, they came out larger than they should've. The result was two red cookies each taking up around half of the pan's space. T.J felt discouraged by it until Xavier came up with a solution.

    They first put the giant whoopie pie together, using up a fair amount of the cream cheese made. The next step involved a big knife, which made T.J step back a little. After a bit of effort, there were now four medium slices of whoopie pie. The two decided to split one of them and give the other two to Jason and Sam.

    When T.J took a bite, it was impossible for him not to smile. He could taste a hint of vanilla in the cream cheese, which was a huge plus for him. It brought him back to those days in high school with the other culinary arts students. The excitement when they got to cook, the hectic rush to get it done on time, and the exhaustion from the cleanup. It was a nostalgic feeling, one he couldn't resist.

    Xavier beamed at seeing the boy smile again. His heart skipped again, though it felt much more apparent than before. He couldn't focus on how good the whoopie pie turned out, but solely on T.J. He just couldn't help it, as his mind was fixated on him. It felt weird, but he had a pretty good idea of what it was.

Even so, part of him felt unsure.

~~*~~

T.J POV

    Making the whoopie pies was actually kind of fun. I didn't think it would be, but it turned out better than I expected. When Xavier flicked the cream cheese on me, I couldn't help but laugh. I guess it was because it wasn't something like a school assignment. If I were in my old class and that happened, I don't know if I'd be able to laugh it off.

    Then he called me cute, which kind of made me freeze up. It just felt so unexpected, and he didn't look like he meant to say it out loud either. He did have a point about smiling more, though. The problem is I don't really have much to smile for. Maybe for him, and maybe when remembering the better parts of my life, but nothing other than that.

    Now I got the leftover whoopie pie slices in my hand for Jason and Sam to try. I'm a little nervous, but not that much since I tried one with Xavier. I always had this innate apprehension when it came to presenting stuff— and with people in general. For the most part I can handle it, but other times it completely takes over. When we made it to the diner, I instinctively hid the wrapped plate behind my back. Unfortunately, Sam seemed to notice it.

"Hey, what's that?", she asked with a smirk.

"What?"

"Behind your back~.", she teased, "It looked like something good."

"What? No...I-i mean—", I stuttered before Xavier decided to butt in.

"We made whoopie pies!", he said excitedly, "Well, technically one giant pie, but we cut it into pieces."

I sighed, "Why must you make this look easy for me?"

"Because I was born this way.", he said amusedly.

"Lucky you...", I mutter while revealing the plate and staring at it.

"So what kind are they?", Sam asked.

"Red velvet, with some cream cheese."

"With a hint of vanilla.", Xavier added with a bit of pride.

"Vanilla what?!", Jason appeared out of the ether, ears straight up and looking like he should be in Wonderland.

"Talking about these whoopie pies.", I said while getting over my nerves.

"You actually made them?"

"Well, Xavier helped me out with the cream cheese."

"Oh, please. You're the one that brought it up!"

"Says the guy who seemed pretty excited about making them.", I shot back with a smirk.

"I haven't had them in years! How can I not be?"

"Are you sure you two aren't a couple?", Sam asked suddenly, making us both freeze and glance away from each other.

"Y-yeah.", I stuttered, "We're just friends who happen to be snarky with each other."

"That kind of sums up my time in college.", Jason chuckled, "So, can we try the pies?"

    I decided to just get it over with and let them try the pies. They actually liked them, which made me feel kind of good. I tried passing some credit onto Xavier, but he thrust me into the spotlight. I felt a small sense of pride, but pushed it back. I didn't want to feel it for too long.

~~*~~

Xavier POV

    Again with the couple thing! I mean, I never thought about it, but it may be possible. The glances, the awkward moments, the way I feel whenever I see T.J smile. There's no way it's true, is there? Am I really falling in love?

If I am, is T.J feeling the same way?