"Ugh, morning.", Lessin opened her eyes to a beautiful bright morning, "Forgive me Lord, but FUCK!",
December 13th, St. Lucy's day. Since their church was named after her, that day called for a big celebration. The church would finance everything, but the congregation was supposed to volunteer with chores. Some would prepare the feast; some would handle the music. It was a well-known holiday for every person who resided in Lakewood Street. Even more popular than Thanksgiving.
Lessin loved the festivities. That wasn't the reason why she cussed as soon as she opened her beautiful eyes. She was bummed because after all her efforts to avoid Zabron, her childhood friend, teenage boyfriend, and currently undecided status, there was no doubt that she was going to see him that day.
Her family and his were more than family friends. Their moms were technically sisters. Since Zabron's family lived just across the street, Lessin had found another path, a shortcut whenever she headed to the main road. Those two had a rough story, and for 2 years, after something unfortunate happened, they'd never said a word to each other. Matter of fact, Zabron had even stopped attending the youth activities of the church because seeing her was a mental torture. Too bad, their moms didn't even notice that their kids were now worse than strangers.
Lessin walked behind her mother as they walked through the church gates. So much was happening everywhere. There were tents and catering tables being set up. Smoke from the backyard barbeque filled everybody's noses. It was going to be a great day.
From a short distance, Lessin's mom spotted her bestfriend, aka, Zabron's mom. She went to her and Lessin had no choice but to follow.
"Oh, my Lord, look at you!", Zabron's mother exclaimed after seeing Lessin in that beautiful floral dress, "You look absolutely stunning.",
"Thank you.", Lessin smiled shyly.
"Is the cake here?", asked Lessin's mother.
"Oh yes. But we forgot to inform Zabron's bakery that we'd also need 10 boxes of cupcakes.",
"Oh no.",
"No, it's alright. The cupcakes are ready. He's just at home finishing to ice them all.",
"By himself?",
"Yeah. The rest of the staff had other orders to attend to.",
"You think he'll finish soon? The party will begin in one hour and a half.",
Lessin crossed her fingers and started to say a silent prayer. You'd think because they're standing on church's ground that the Lord would answer her. Unlucky day.
"Lessin, sweetie. Do you think you can go to our house and give Zabron a hand?", Zabron's mother suggested.
"What a great idea! And these two haven't seen each other for a year. Catching up will speed up the process.", her mother added.
So, from what point on Earth could she say no to them?
As far as she can remember, going to Zabron's house was her favorite thing in the world. But now, she'd happily sleep in the graveyard than that. She stood at the door, staring at the door lock. Of course, she knew the code to unlock it, but her fingers were numb.
Tick-tock.
Click. Doors unlocked.
She entered the lion's den. It smelled like vanilla and cocoa. She had to follow the scent which eventually led her to the kitchen. Where he currently was.
It felt like forever since she last saw him. Zabron was wearing his denim shorts and an apron over his white vest. He had a stack of already-iced cupcakes on his right, and a naked batch on his left. Lessin swallowed a nervous gulp.
Did he work out? Does baking make one that stiff? Is it me or _
"We don't have all day.", Zabron interrupted her wild thoughts, "Get an apron and get into it.",
"Sure.",
Lessin washed her hands, wore an apron and stood on the other side of the table. She took a minute to learn his icing technique which was actually pretty easy. In no time, she had iced 5 cupcakes already.
But that silence was so loud. There was no music, and both of them never wanted to say something first. What could they ask each other? How have they been? The answer was pretty obvious; Bad.
So, quiet. Quiet is good.
Zabron was a good-looking young man, and that scar on his forehead made him seem more manly. How he got it was a story he once looked forward to telling his kids under the headline 'How I saved your mom's life'. You see, back when they were 14, on their way back home, a drunk driver was about to cause a funeral. He'd driven speedily towards Lessin who was too shocked in the middle of the road. It was Zabron who pushed her out of the road, causing him to be hit by the car instead.
When she landed, she lost consciousness. She woke up two days later with an arm cast, at the hospital. She remembered what happened and the first word that came out of her mouth was his name. Her parents had to calm her down and assure her that Zabron was alive, but she was still unconvinced. They had no choice but to take her to his room.
Zabron's family was there, and now with them in the room it was crowded. Zabron was in bed, conscious but with a lot more body damage than her. She didn't cry right there. What she did was climb into his bed and lay next to him. She then dug her face into his neck and started sobbing emotionally. Zabron had to hold her with his good arm and console her, telling her that he didn't feel any kind of pain, but that only made her cry even more because she knew it was a lie. It was a very touchy moment for everyone in the room. I wonder if those two forgot about that.
If those cupcakes could speak, I'm sure they'd have told them to cut it out and break the ice. An invisible string was pulling them towards each other, and they were fighting the force with all their might. It was draining her, and she felt her body weakening. She was hurt by his silence. But she wasn't the only one. Whatever happened was haunting them both, and that battle wasn't a victorious one.
Lessin took off the apron and slammed it on the table. She then exited the house in a flash.
Zabron exhaled heavily. He too had something huge stuck in his chest. Love. What a curse.
***