Page 39 of Tasty Tentacles

“Be more specific.”

“Dark chocolate. On the sweet side in the pastry shell, and it was wonderfully airy. My tentacles loved the texture.”

“Thanks! And on top?”

“The crunchy top was a lot of fun, with sharp pangs of taste as it broke up, and some dusty bitter chocolate too. Full of surprises.”

“That’s the cocoa powder. And the filling?”

“It was the best part. After one taste, I couldn’t keep them out. God, I was a mess by the time I finished the first one. I felt like a sloppy kid with a melting ice cream cone. The texture was sublime. It melted into the smoothest, chocolaty, um, heaven.”

He’s looking very pleased at this, so I guess he hit his goal.

“The little white chocolate leaf was cute too, but frankly, I don’t think it needs it. It was distracting.”

“I think so too,” Bertie says, smiling, but the smile looks forced. Something’s wrong. “We’ll probably omit it when we go into production, but thanks for the input.”

I swear, he looks like he’s about to cry. What caused that? His eclair was a total success.

“My pleasure!” I offer. “My tentacles and I are happy to help any time.” But this makes me wonder if I can promise that, with my plan for the new year…if I decide to go through with it.

“Oh, Orion!” he says suddenly, grabbing my arm, crestfallen. “I don’t know if I can do this!”

“Bertie!” Hideo says sharply, looking up from his sauce. “Careful.”

“What?” I say, not following this turn in the least.

“Your tentacles! I figured it out last night—what your appointments with Hideo mean. Are you really going to do it?”

Hideo bustles over and extracts Bertie from my arm, saying, “We talked about this.”

“I know,” Bertie says, “but I just can’t…”

Then Bertie wipes his eyes and hugs his arms tight around his chest, saying, “I’m sorry, Orion. That wasn’t fair of me. It’s your life and your decision, and I don’t want to be yet another person forcing my opinions on you.”

I’m shocked. Not so much by them talking about me, but more at Bertie’s response. He’s completely tied in knots.

“I’m sorry, Bertie,” I say, not knowing where to start. “I should have told you I was considering it.”

“No,” he says. “Like Hideo says, it’s your decision, but damn it, I want you to take everything into consideration, not just the haters.”

I start to see it. I’ve faced a lot of hate over the years, but there’s also been a lot of love. My family, certainly, and Jake, of course. And now Bertie and Hideo. I like them a lot, and there’s definitely lust threatening to take over soon, so maybe love is somewhere on the horizon.

Looking at Bertie, standing there all wretched and scared, I see it. It’s all been for me. The celebration, the caviar, meeting their friends, the amazing chocolate dessert…all of it was for me. Surely, these are stronger voices, more important voices, than all the haters combined.

“You know, I think you’re right,” I say, as it becomes clear. “I haven’t been taking everything into consideration. I haven’t discussed this at all with you, and you are my best friend, after all.”

“Yes,” he says, hope kindling in his eyes. “That’s right, and your best friend has some strong opinions about this.”

“And your desserts?” I say, delighted at knowing the real motivation behind his chocolate extravaganza. He designed it specially for me. “I haven’t really considered what a great loss I’d be facing.”

“Yes!” he says more forcefully. “What would my pastries be like after you, um, well, after?”

“You’re right. They wouldn’t be the same. And your kisses? I need to consider them now, now that we’re kissing, and, um…”

“Orion! Of course I’ll want to kiss you, whatever you choose, but I have to say it. Your tentacles are a miracle. They’re just so you. You can’t, you simply can’t let the haters force you into this. Please, please think about it. Think about what you really want.”

“I promise, I am considering it, nearly every second of every day. You and Hideo are giving me a lot to think about.”