Illicit Affairs

Fuzzy Feeling

She added the last of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. The sun was just starting to come up, light beginning to peek into the house from the full-length windows out the back. She couldn't sleep after receiving his text. LJ was still overwhelmed with the shame of trying to kiss him. She sobered up real quick. She wished she wasn't such a lightweight anymore and could have blacked the whole thing out. She stared at her ceiling for hours before getting too frustrated and turning on the Great British Bake Off. Now she had a hankering for scones.

Trina came into the kitchen rubbing her eyes. "Oh, hey Lara Jean."

"Hey. There's coffee in the pot for you." She said mixing the dough.

"God bless you." She said pouring herself a cup. "How was your night last night? We must have been passed out when you came in."

"It was fine." She lied. "Chris always makes things fun."

"Good." She took a sip of her coffee taking in the aroma. "I always liked that girl. She got spunk."

"Me too. The first time we met in elementary school, she yelled at the bullies that were making fun of me not having light up sneakers. The spunk started young."

Trina laughed. "So, when is your appointment with your dad's doctor?"

"10." She replied. "We're going to go over the schedule and home care tips and everything. I got a new notebook just for this meeting." Since she knew she was moving home to help her dad, she scheduled this appointment with Dr. Polly, her father's oncologist. They usually didn't have these kinds of appointments but Dr. Polly could tell from Lara Jean's multiple emails she needed some reassurance.

"Good. She's utterly lovely. You'll like her." She smiled while Lara Jean began shaping the scones. "I cannot thank you enough for all you're doing. Moving here, taking him to appointments, giving up your life. It had to be hard. I don't know if I could be as selfless."

"I didn't have much to give up at this point." She said under her breath.

"You did." She smiled assuredly. "I know you were down, but you, Lara Jean, were never out." She smiled and touched her arm. "I think you're going to find something in this time that shoots you into the freaking stars." LJ didn't believe it herself, but she knew Trina was genuine and wouldn't say anything she didn't believe.

Lara Jean smiled shyly. "Thank you. I just want to take some of the pressure off you. I know you've got to be overwhelmed with all of this going on." She smiled and put the scones in the oven and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"It gets stressful but it's what you do for the people you love right?" she shrugged and started walking back to her bedroom. "Those scones already smell great. I can't wait to have one when they're ready."

Lara Jean texted her dad as she exited her appointment with his oncologist. Dr. Poppy was vibrant and young, probably not more than a few years older than Margo. She was pretty with shiny blonde hair and lavender painted fingernails. Lara Jean admired the degrees that hung on her wall from Duke & Columbia. The doctor laid out what the next 6 weeks would look like as she helped her dad through another round of chemotherapy. Lara Jean took copious notes on what were the best things to eat and how often she needed to make sure he was up and moving. She felt as prepared as she could going into something totally foreign to her.

I really liked your doctor. She gave me a step by step guide to deal with everything. A woman after my own

She looked at the time. She was supposed to meet Peter at a local coffee shop near UVA in 20 minutes. She didn't have enough time to go home and change. She didn't expect the doctor to spend so much time with her. She guesses she was going in her oversized sweater and ripped up jeans.