Page 45 of Never Not Friends

Lucille helps us put the blindfolds on. They’re soft but molded and firm enough that there’s no cheating. “Now, don’t get started yet. I just have to run to the back and grab my clipboard. I don’t know where I put it. One sec.”

“Sounds good,” Vinny replies.

With everything dark, my other senses sharpen in a way I don’t appreciate.

I hear Lucille’s footsteps as she walks away.

I smell Vinny’s familiar cologne—sweet but spicy.

Feel the warmth of his knee.

Hear him shift beside me. Closer. And I panic.

“Okay,” I say abruptly. “Ground rules.”

“Oh, we need rules for cake testing?” There’s humor in his voice.

“Um…yes…I think so.”

“Alright, let’s hear them.”

“No weaponizing frosting.”

There’s a pause. “I wasn’t going to weaponize frosting.”

“Are you sure, because it sounded like you hesitated. Like you had to think about your answer.”

“I was thinking about what counted as weaponizing frosting.”

“Vinny,” I warn, turning my head toward his voice. “This isn’t one of those smash-the-cake-in-the-other-person’s-face moments.”

“Ah, I see what you mean now.” He lets out a quiet laugh, and I hate how easy it is to picture his expression even when I can’t see him. “Anything else?”

“Try to aim properly. I’ve seen you play darts, and if this is anything like that, then I’m in trouble.”

He shifts again, and I can practically feel the grin in his voice. “I’m not going to throw pieces of cake at your face like a dartboard.”

This makes me laugh. “That’s what I’m trying to prevent.”

“Okay, any other rules before we get started?”

I can’t say, ‘Try not to touch me, or be so cute that I fall in love with you even more,’ so instead, I opt for, “I guess that’s all of them.”

“Let’s get this thing started, then.”

“Lucille said to wait.”

“Open.”

I freeze. “Why did you say it like that?”

“How was I supposed to say it?”

“Less ominous. It sounds like you’re about to feed me something questionable.”

“Since when did vanilla become questionable?”

“You don’t know which one is vanilla.”