Let Them Eat Cake

Red Velvet - 1

"Lemonhead? Lemonade? Rachel?" 

"Oh! Yeah, yeah. I'd love to go to the concert. I have some orders to do, so do you mind waiting where you're supposed to be - where the general public sits?" 

Smirking, Kelly sashayed to the table nearest the counter. Her sleek black hair was put up into a ponytail, showing off her seamless complexion and rich hazel eyes. She wore a scarlet infinity scarf, which swallowed her neck whole. A gray sweater hugged her sides, showing off Kelly's curves. Ragged jeans fitted her legs, but were partially covered by black boots. Kelly always looked like she walked off of a photo shoot, and she seemed to know it. 

"Has Walker come in lately? I heard he's been busy with the new employees," Kelly announced to the empty bakery. 

"He's called in for some cupcakes. In fact, I need to make a couple for him. Do you wanna help me?" 

Nodding, Kelly walked past the counter once more and grabbed an apron from the rack.It was black with the logo of my bakery on it, just like mine. The logo was a cupcake wrapper, but with a skull and a candle instead of cake. I had a tattoo of it on my right shoulder, as did my ex.

Removing myself from my train of thought, I showed Kelly the recipe. It was for red velvet cupcakes with our signature black butter cream. We headed into the back kitchen, propping the door open in case a customer came in. I began to prep the work space, cleaning up flour residue and pushing old tins into the dishwasher. My partner-in-crime was searching for some chocolate chips as I stepped into the pantry. Clutching the egg carton, I saw Kelly reach in the other fridge for milk and cream. I shuffled to the other side of the kitchen for a mixer. Once everything was set out, we began to make the cupcakes. 

The smell of the batter wafted throughout the shop. It was heavenly, like the chocolate river from my favorite book.  Memories of Quinn flooded into my mind. Red velvet cupcakes were Quinn's favorite treat. Straining tears back, I put the pan into the oven. Quinn loved the frosting too. She was the one who thought we should make it black. Quinn was the one who really helped me start the bakery. Kelly, noticing my expression, took the cream away from me. She started fixing frosting, as I grabbed the chocolate mold. White chocolate skulls would adorn each cupcake, as per tradition. I needed to pull myself back into reality, so I melted the bars and poured them into each mold. It would take about half an hour to finish the order. Kelly set the timer, working at cleaning the area as I checked the front shop. 

Deadly Desserts was empty. It usually was at this time, it being only eleven in the morning. Most people didn't have cupcakes for lunch, but the guys at Walker's shop had a sweet tooth. They were a gold mine. Heather always craved chocolate too, so I had a steady stream of business in the neighborhood. The middle school nearby had me cater often too, so I had some good profit. I didn't care, as long as I could buy new baking supplies and pay off culinary school. Kelly was enrolled at Southern Oregon University, so she was working at a coffee shop two days a week. Most of my friends had sarcastic attitudes and college degrees, which made our conversations a blast. We were an odd bunch, to say the least. 

"Lemonade, the cupcakes are done. I'm putting them in the fridge and then I'll meet you in the front. Make sure to see if your Vespa is still parked. I walked; may I catch a ride?" 

"Sure. I think it's outside. I checked an hour ago, so I have hope. Make sure you shut the fridge this time!" 

A sigh came from the back, completing my smile. I could hear Kelly's converse squeak against the tile flooring, most likely making another gray mark. Traffic outside was chaos; so many people for such a small parking lot. The restaurant a couple shops down was quite popular, but many people somehow managed to miss my bakery.

The outside had a British feel - a red telephone booth was on the side of the building, bolted to the ground. You could only call two numbers from that phone - 911 and my shop's. A large sign on the side of it said, "Sweet Tooth Telephone", in a cursive font . The building itself was an ash gray color that fit the scene perfectly. Oak trees in hues of sunset orange and canary yellow dotted the pathway up to the door. A small chalk-board outside listed our daily specialty cupcake, with today's being the Mellow Yellow Cupcake. 

I had put in outdoor seating, the color of night. A mural was painted by the seating, depicting a thunderstorm that rained sprinkles. Melanie, Kelly's sister, had painted that before she moved to New York. Kelly often sat in front of it when she came over, pondering about how her sister was. Melanie rarely answered calls from Kelly, and the same went with most communication methods. As I was done musing over the atmosphere, Kelly ran in. 

"So Lemonhead, everything's finished. Let's wrap it up, yeah? I'm sure Walker and his pals are watering at the mouth for a bite of your famous cupcakes!" 

"Whatever Kelly. Let's go frost. Go take the skulls out of the mold while I put the butter cream into piping bags." 

My feet dragged as I lethargically entered the kitchen again. Kelly did as instructed, and I went ahead and prepared the icing. Rhythmically, we worked on the frosting and decorations. 

"Here, have a bite," Kelly grinned, finished cupcake in hand.

In a split second, she launched the cupcake across the room and onto my chin.

"Yum...red velvet!"