Page 38 of Along Came Summer

“We need to retain as much oxygen as possible so that the sponge cake will be light and fluffy. If you overmix it, you'll lose the air bubbles, and it will deflate, becoming dense and heavy. The same goes for mousse - we need a light and airy texture.” I explain, stealing a glance up at his face while he focuses on the mix. His large, warm hand dwarfs my smaller one that sits on top of his. I'm not sure if it's the gin or something else entirely, but my belly fills with butterflies and won't seem to settle down.

I'm becoming dumber and drunker with every sip of gin I consume because it’s becoming easier to forget that he's still hung up on some other girl. Though looking at him now, you wouldn’t think that he’s the same guy that was sitting in my bakery a couple of hours ago wallowing over a girl who he claims was just a casual fling.

“You really find this relaxing?” Levi questions, turning his gaze to me. I swiftly veer my gaze to the bowl and remove my hand from his when he confidently folds the rest of the flour into the mix. “I’m even more stressed than I was before that I’m going to muck it up.”

With a grin, I walk toward the stove and pick up the spoon to stir the melted chocolate I'm preparing for the mousse. “I do,” I intone, giving the warm, rich chocolate a stir. “And, of course, there are days that are stressful, as it is with any craft, but I try not to let the fails discourage me; instead, I see each one as a victory because it means I still have something to learn, I get to improve, so the next time, I can nail it,” I state with a shrug. “I imagine it's the same for you when you're creating art, right? I can create a beautiful cake, and to others, it’s this incredible creation, but all I see are these annoying little flaws.”

Levi laughs as he raises his glass of gin to his lips, sipping it before licking off the remnants. “Oh my God, yes, I know exactly what you mean. It's so aggravating when everyone's praising something you created, and all you can see and think about is the mistakes you’ve made and how badly you want to start over so you can fix them.”

“Totally!” I exclaim with a chuckle as I pick up the case of twenty-four eggs and walk over to him.“I don’t think I have ever looked at one of my cakes or desserts and thought, damn, that is freaking perfect.”

“Neither have I, and that’s depressing as fuck, but then I think to myself, life isn’t perfect, so why should my paintings be? And maybe there's beauty in the imperfections.”

Setting the eggs down, I pick up my glass of gin and gingerly take a sip, watching him over the rim of my glass, and he does the same. The alcohol warms and ever so slightly burns as it glides down my throat.

“As artists, we're inherently wired to be self-critical, but here’s a wacky idea, what if we flipped the script and celebrated our flaws? Life is a crazy, unpredictable ride, bursting with beauty and sadness but also filled with an abundance of enchantment. So, I say let's embrace the imperfections and enjoy the magic!”

“Agreed,” Levi coincides with a laugh and holds his glass up in a toast. “I will drink to that.”

“Hell, so will I!” I cheerfully chirp as I raise my glass, “To us embracing the beauty of imperfections!” We clink our glasses, and down our drinks like there's no tomorrow. My head swims as the alcohol surges through my bloodstream, and I let out a bubbly giggle as I place the empty glass on the counter. “Alrighty, McBroody, stop slacking and get baking,” Levi snickers and takes the whisk from my hand.

“Did you just call meMcBroody? You did that earlier too, what is that?”

“Yes,” I snigger, taking an egg from the tray. “That’s the nickname my best friend Ness and I gave you because you were being all mopey and broody over your breakup.”

“It wasn’t a breakup.” He insists, pointing the whisk at me.

I grin, cracking the egg and separating the yolk. “Oh no? Why were you brooding then?”

“I wasn't brooding,” Levi grumbles. “I was just processing... which, okay, I guess looks kind of like brooding. But I…” I can't help but grin at his weak defence, and he catches on, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands up in the air. “Alright, alright, perhaps I wasbroodinga bit, but I am entitled to after everything that happened between us.”

“You definitely are, and your emotions are justified. But sulking over the past and what could have been has never done anyone any good, right? That's why I'm going to share my secret method with you, which has never failed to pull me right out of the dumps,” I declare to Levi with a grin and a playful raise of my eyebrows.

His brows furrow, and he pins me with a wary look. “What?”

“Alexa, play ‘Blinding Lights’.” Levi throws his head back and bursts out into a hearty laugh.

“No,” Levi shakes his head when the music starts to play, and I begin dancing.

“Alexa, crank the volume!” The volume goes up as I reach for Levi’s hand; taking it into mine, I pull him to the middle of the kitchen and dance around him.

“Summer, no, I don’t dance!” Levi chuckles, and I shake my head.

“Nonsense!” I exclaim merrily, “Everyone can dance. It’s basically the first trait God instilled in all of us. Come on, stop being a wet blanket just close your eyes and boogie off those gloomies.” Singing along to the lyrics, I dance and twirl around him while he watches me, smiling and shaking his head. It takes Levi a moment, but he eventually lets go of all of his reservations and starts dancing.

And we don’t stop until our legs turned to jelly and our stomachs hurt from laughing so much.

This handsome stranger I just met lit up my night with a core memory that I’ll cherish for a long time to come, and I hoped that I helped him forget that he was hurting, even if it was for a short time.

“Wow, look at that.” Levi smiles, leaning down to eye level to inspect the mini chocolate mousse cake. Leaning against the counter, I look at the cake and smile while licking the white chocolate off the spoon I’m holding. “We created that.”

I bend down so that my face is at the same level as his, and I admire our masterpiece with a warm smile. “We did, and that right there is a shining example that beauty can blossom from even the saddest of moments.”

Levi’s penetrating gaze turns to look at me, his eyes catching mine and holding onto them with intent. Despite my drunken state, my breath still catches in my throat, and my body responds by sending warmth up my spine that spreads through my entire body, especially when his gaze drops to my lips.

My heart is pounding. I can feel its beat in my chest, thumping in my ears, a wild and untameable rhythm that seems to get ahead of itself. Levi is so close, his eyes intense and unblinking, and I hold my breath, waiting for him to close the gap between us and kiss me.

Those deep brown eyes flit up to mine again, “Can we eat it?” he asks, the corner of his lip turning up slightly.