Welcome to Wickedly Sweet, where each bite is sinfully delicious.
Noa Baudet has always longed to open her own specialist cupcake shop. So, when an opportunity arises at her favourite bakery in her hometown, Noa ditches her tailored suits for a flo...
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With Noa's train running fifteen minutes later than announced, I twisted the bezel on my watch, and anxiously glanced down the empty track before taking a step back from the platform. For such a busy station, it was surprising to see so few trains running on a Saturday evening.
I paced up and down and wiped the corners of my mouth between my thumb and index finger. Acid reflux lodged behind my sternum and my gut felt heavy. What if she wasn't coming?
It was ridiculous to harbour these feelings of doubt when everything was going so well lately, but when alone, I reverted back to that little boy who waited for his stepfather to come home and tell him he had a new sister. Instead, that little boy got lost in a sea of black.
The only man he knew as a father until then couldn't look him in the eyes. He heard a baby crying but he never got to see her. And his mother... his mother wouldn't be coming home to tuck him in at night.
The train stopped and the crowd swarmed the platform. I could almost see that little boy standing in front of me, jostled by mourners in their long, black coats. They couldn't see him. He's so small. But I was starting to see him everywhere lately.
"You didn't have to wait for me." Noa slipped her arms around my waist and pushed up onto her toes to press a soft, lingering kiss at the edge of my mouth. "I told you I'd get a taxi to your place."
My jaw relaxed and it became easier to breathe. "Nonsense. I wanted to pick you up."
"Are you okay?" Her eyebrows drew together and I hated that for even a second I was thinking of anything else but her visit. Worse, that she'd caught on to my shift in mood so quickly.
"I am now you're here." I grabbed her bag, slinging it over my shoulder, and pulled her into my side so the impatient travellers didn't knock into her. The urge to protect her was almost overwhelming. "What do you want to do first? Dinner? There's a lovely Italian place just across the road."
She smiled and snuggled her head against my chest. "I really want to see where you live."
I was hoping for that answer. "Food in?"
"Food in."
After making our way through the platform gates and across King's Cross station, I guided Noa to the row of black cabs waiting outside. The underground would be packed this late in the day, and I just wanted us back at mine as quickly as possible.
A strange sensation weighed on my chest. Like something was about to happen. Something out of my control.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I chose to ignore it, helping Noa into our cab and placed her bag into the boot. I peered through the gap over the parcel shelf, at the side of Noa's face, her mouth slightly parted while she took in the bustling street opposite us.
She's here now. Stop worrying.
The phone in my pocket vibrated again and I took a deep breath before sliding in beside Noa.
