He could feel her laugh in his chest as she shook her head and pried open the box. "Then I guess you're in for a surprise," she said as her eyes darted from one little cake to the next before settling on a specific one. "How's a red velvet one?"
"Sounds good."
He watched her delicately pull it out of the container and unwrap it. Then she pinched the cake in two and handed a piece to him. Her fingers were warm against his palm and the shadow of them burned his hand after she pulled away.
But he wasn't about to eat the cupcake. He was too busy watching her indulge, her eyes closing as the delight of the cupcake shone on her face.
He grabbed his and tossed it back in one quick bite. "Good, but not as good as your Lemon Delight."
"You're just saying that because I had one for you yesterday."
"It was still as good as I remembered it," he admitted.
"When was the last time you had my Lemon Delight?"
Busted. It was going to be weird to admit that he still remembered it after all these years. He could still taste it even before he saw her again yesterday. Her Lemon Delight was bright and tart and tasted like home if it was possible for something to taste like that.
He could just tell her he was trying to be nice and was just making small talk. Or he could tell her the truth.
"My house, about ten years ago, probably over some math book. I try to block that part out."
She had a look on her face that he couldn't read and he was worried that his confession sounded creepy and freaked her out. But Samantha simply turned back to the container and started searching around for something.
"Remember senior year when we all went to that bonfire on Lake Superior?"
"That was a fun party," he said. "Although the lake was always so cold. Definitely not like here."
"Definitely not like here." She pulled out a small cupcake with a little piece of graham cracker on top. "Everyone made s'mores that night, and I always think of that whenever I see one of these. A s'mores cupcake. Wanna try it next?"
He nodded and watched as she split it in two and the piece of graham cracker fell into her lap.
"Oh, crap."
She held out his half of the cupcake, which he quickly took as she grabbed the cracker from her lap. His mouth watered a bit and it had nothing to do with the cupcake he was about to eat.
Samantha stuffed the little cracker in her mouth and then sucked the icing off of her finger. He could watch her do that all night. But instead, she popped the cupcake in her mouth, and he did the same to distract himself from thoughts he shouldn't be thinking.
But there was something that stuck with him.
"Hey, I have a question for you," he said. "Do you still never swear?"
"What?" she asked.
"Just now." He gestured towards her dress and then quickly pulled his hand back. "The whole 'Oh crap' thing."
"I actually swear all the time. Burned myself on a cupcake tray last week and had a whole string of them."
She held up her arm and there was a faint line where it looked like a burn had once been.
"Ouch."
"Job hazard," she said with a playful shrug.
Fletcher laughed. "I got 14 stitches on my forehead in March. Puck hit my visor thankfully, but the edge of my helmet cut my skin."
He pushed his hair up to show off the scar and watched as she reached for him, her fingers tracing the line across his forehead. Then she looked at him and he realized he was staring. She quickly pulled her hand away as if she had suddenly touched something too hot. Perhaps she had.
"Uh, so." She looked out over the water. "Oh, swearing."
