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“My pleasure, Sprite.” Gaaaaahhhh, why does he have to say things like that, while looking the way he does?
I follow behind him as he opens up the doors and lets me into the kitchen. It seems so much different at night somehow. He walks past me, flipping on all the lights in here and around the rest of the house. While he’s doing that, I look at the counter and see how much stuff he bought today. It looks like he bought out the entire baking section at the store. My eyes widen when I realize that everything is pink. It all matches perfectly with everything I have at my apartment. My eyes start to get blurry when I start to go through all of the stuff and realize he did all of this for me. I know deep down to my very marrow, which is fitting, that he did all of this to make me comfortable and happy. I sniffle as I continue to look through everything.
When I pick up an apron, I actually begin to bawl out my eyes. He bought me an apron with fairies on it. The apron is pink with multicolored fairies all over it and, each is holding a different baking utensil. I crush it to my chest and sob loudly.
I hear him enter and rush over to me with concern written all over his handsome face, making me cry harder. “Cadie, honey, what’s wrong?” His voice is so soft and soothing.
I look up at his through watery eyes while holding the apron in a death grip. “You bought me an apron,” I hiccup, “with fairies on it?”
He’s gently rubbing my upper arms. “I saw it and thought of you,” he says simply, causing me to lose my shit even more. “Honey, what’s wrong? I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
I hold it out to him. “You bought me an apron to use at your house,” I blubber. I feel bad. He looks so confused and I can’t even blame him. A normal person would never have a reaction like this.
“Well, yeah.” His brows are furrowed in utter confusion and his eyes are so gentle. “I figured you wouldn’t want to get your clothes all messed up with flour and shit.”
“And you bought me an apron!” I repeat again as I kind of wail, hiccup, and babble at the same time. Good grief, I sure know how to make someone want to run in the opposite direction.
He reaches past me quickly and shoves things on the counter aside. Maybe when I’m not so distraught over a freaking garment, my mind can comprehend how I didn’t flinch at all. He gently reaches down, grabs my hips, picks me up, and places me on top of the counter. We’re sort of at eye level this way. Okay, fine, I still have to look up, but not as much. He puts his hands on either side of my body, effectively caging in my body.
He places his face entirely at eye level with mine. “Cadie, please tell me what I did wrong, Sprite. You crying like this is fucking gutting me.” His voice is raw and rough.
“That’s why I’m crying,” I say while still clutching the apron like a toddler does his blankie. “It’s because you’re so nice.”
His head moves back so quickly you would think I slapped him. He blinks a few times. “You’re crying because I’m nice?”
“Yes.” I nod my head like a crazy person.
He runs his teeth over his lips looking even more confused than before. “Sprite, you’re going to have to explain this one to me a bit. Because honestly, I’m fuckin’ lost here.”
“You bought me an apron, Jake!” I hold it in front of his face. “Because you thought I wouldn’t want to get my clothes messy. And it has fairies on it.”
“You keep saying that. And, you’re my Sprite, it seemed fitting.”
“That’s my point,” I hiccup/huff.
“Still lost here,” he replies seriously.
I run my arm across my face, that is probably all red, blotchy, and gross to dry my eyes. “You went out and got all of this stuff for me. And then on top of it, you buy me the cutest apron I’ve ever seen because it reminded you of me.”
“So, you like the apron then?”
“Obviously.”
“Cadie, nothing about the last few minutes has been obvious.” His lips quirk up a bit.
“I’m clutching it like it’s the last brownie in a room filled with women on their period,” I huff. “I obviously love it.”
“Okay,” he coughs out, though it suspiciously sounds like a laugh. “So why don’t we go back to why you’re cryin’ about it.”
I take a deep breath and lean the back of my head against the cabinet. “Because it’s the sweetest and most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.” I give him a look. “Well, besides my parents,” I amend, “but that doesn’t really count because they’re my parents. But you barely know me and have shown me more kindness in a short time, than I’ve seen in years. I just don’t understand.”
He leans in closer to me, so close that I can feel his breath on my skin, while his huge arms seem to be caging me in even more. And I’m not even sure when it happened but, he’s somehow ended up right between my legs as well. Stupid, traitorous hormones, I know they have something to do with that. “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I like doin’ nice things for you?” His voice is as rough as sandpaper and, God help me, I want to scratch myself all over it. “That maybe it makes me happy to see you happy and smilin’?”
I swallow loudly and whisper, “But why? I just don’t get it. I’m no one to you.”
He somehow gets closer, almost as if we’re two magnets pulled together by an invisible force. “Ever think I want to change that?”
“Like being my friend?” My voice is raspy but I can’t control it. I know I’ve been avoiding men like the plague, but even to someone as lacking in practice with all of this as I am, there doesn’t seem to be anything friendly right now. His eyes are practically devouring me and I have no urge to stop him.
