Sweet on You

Chapter 17

Lydia was in the midst of making a big batch of buttercream frosting when Xander poked his head into the kitchen. "Someone called to see if you're free a wedding cake tasting on the third of January."

Lydia paused what she was doing, peering at the calendar that hung by the freezer and then nodded her head. "Tell them any time after nine is fine."

Xander nodded his head and she could hear him speaking on the telephone. Lydia smiled to herself. After the whole club incident and revealing he didn't necessarily be on guard duty 24/7 he began helping her around the bakery, manning the front while she worked in the back. Rhia was not available to work as much for the past couple of weeks due to finals at her school so the help from Xander was greatly appreciated. He seemed to enjoy it, speaking to the customers about the menu, constantly bringing up her carrot cake when he was able to. It seemed to Lydia, he much preferred a job interacting with people than always lurking in the background, but she wasn't going to press it, not wanting to overstep her boundaries.

Five minutes later, Xander popped into the kitchen, placing a quick kiss on her temple. Lydia blushed at the action, still not used to the more intimate side of Xander as they have only been so for a couple of days now, not really discussing what it means.

Xander leaned again the metal sink, watching her as she work. A small smile creeped onto his face. "I think I really failed as a bodyguard, huh?"

Lydia looked up from her buttercream and scrunched her eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"

Xander's cheeks went rosy as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, I don't think sleeping with your assignment is apart of the job."

Lydia stilled at his words, unsure how to respond. He didn't seem to mean to come across as sarcastic, but it still did, in a way that made Lydia uncertain. She returned back to her frosting. "You're saying you have never slept with any of the assignments you've been given? Not even my sister?"

Xander barked out a laugh, tilting his head back. "Hell, no. Your sister treated me more like an assistant than a bodyguard. She didn't even know my name until I was assigned to you. I worked for her for two years and she called me Xavier."

Lydia couldn't say she was surprised. Kelly was, she mentally paused, trying to find the word. Difficult. Yes, her sister was difficult and did not possess much of an interest in those around her. Lydia scooped up the frosting and placed it in a large container for later.

After Xander realized Lydia was unsure what to say, he added, "As for sleeping with my previous assignments, no I've never done that before. Before Kelly, I worked for an old low level politician."

Lydia simply nodded her head. She wanted to establish whatever it was between them, but she struggled to work up the courage to do so. The possibility of confrontation or rejection made her anxious, to the point her stomach hurt. She liked Xander, as more than a friend or bodyguard, however, she never had the ability to express herself outright without working herself up into a panic attack. She hated that about herself. Her anxiety had always gotten to the better of her and it was moments like this where it made her frustrated because she felt as though it was always holding her back, holding her prisoner in her own mind.

Lydia felt herself being watched by Xander and she tried her best to maintain a neutral expression, holding in all of her worries. Instead, she looked up to him and smiled, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well, I should get started on the cupcakes for that fundraiser."

Xander nodded his head and left Lydia in the back. When she was alone, she let out a huge sigh.

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When they had gotten home, very few words were exchanged. It was late and Lydia was tired. She not only spent the day working at her bakery, but when she had gotten home, she was on a two hour phone call with Kelly, discussing what happened in various meetings today. Her brain was numb and her feet hurt. She wanted nothing more than a bubble bath and a nice, long sleep.

Unfortunately, it seemed sleep did not want her. After her bubble bath, she kept tossing and turning in her bed, her mind unable to shut off. Most of her thoughts were stressful ones, about the bakery, the enterprise, Kelly, and Xander. Whereas other ones were completely random, stressing over things that happened years ago and for whatever reason, seemed to be incredibly important to Lydia’s brain at two in the morning.

Lydia let out a frustrated groan. She just wanted to sleep.

Xander must have heard her, because not a second later, he knocked on her door and opened it slightly. "Are you all right?"

Lydia leaned across her night stand and pulled the string on her lamp, filling the room with a warm light. She looked to Xander, her eyes hurting from being so sleep deprived. "I can't sleep. I don't know what's wrong with me but I can't for the life of me fucking sleep."

Her eyes widened at her curse. She never swore all that much unless she was really upset. Clearly, the lack of rest was starting to get to the better of her.

Xander arched a brow at her statement, but sauntered into her room nevertheless, holding the book he was likely reading before he knocked on her door. He gestured for Lydia to scoot over so he was closest to the light and when she did, he brought her close to him, her head resting on his chest. Without any indication he was about to do so, Xander turned to the very beginning of the book and began to read out loud.

Lydia didn't know what the story was, as she wasn't much of a reader, but soon, her mind wasn't focusing on the worries that had her unable to sleep. Instead, she was picturing the words Xander read aloud. After a few pages, Lydia started to lose the ability to focus, and then a few pages after that, she was sound asleep.