Sugar Rush || Completed

{ 23 } rice krispie treats

"Hey! Watch it! I consider myself quite sweet!"

"Bonnie Palomer, stubborn, uptight, hates carnivals, shall I continue?" He finishes with the marshmallow pan and moves on to the cereal box. Instead of spreading out the cereal evenly, he dumps it in patches and just puts the pan in the oven.

"Very funny. How about you Mr. Annoying and Conceited!" He finishes putting the settings on the oven and turns back around to face me.

He puts his hands up and starts waving them around. "Hi, I'm Bonnie," he mocks in a high pitched voice that's supposed to be me, "And no one can have any fun unless I'm right!"

I shriek in disbelief, but I'm still smiling, and start yelling, "Not true, not true!" I grab a small handful of Rice Krispie cereal and chuck it at him.

"Look who's the one being childish now?" he grabs a handful of cereal and chucks it back at me. I duck down and the cereal barely misses my head.

"Oh, it's on!" I grab two fistfuls of the cereal and start chucking it at him. We're both running around the kitchen, throwing and dodging attacks of cereal pellets. Luis is laughing and I'm shrieking the few times he actually gets me.

"You have such bad aim!" I yell just as I get a faceful of cereal. He laughs his deep laugh as he points at me trying to gather my bearings before I throw more cereal at him.

"Then what was that?" he asks, smirking and giggling.

"You just got lucky!"

"Luck? Nope. Skills."

"If it was skills then do it again!"

"Is that a challenge?" he raises his hand aiming again for my face.

I duck behind the counter so he can't see me and stick my hand up. "Truce! Truce! I call a truce!"

"I am the victorious warrior of the cereal war. All shall bow before me!" Luis says in a haughty voice as I stand back up to face him.

"You're such a loser."

He turns back around to open the oven and pull out the baking pan of Rice Krispie treats. The sweet aroma fills up the kitchen and I can't wait to have a piece. I feel like I've started to drool.

"Then losers don't share their magnificent Rice Krispie treats," Luis says as he grabs a cake server from the drawer next to him.

"Don't even say that! I have cereal in my hair and you're gonna let me leave with no Rice Krispie treats?"

"Honestly, that sounds like a great option," he suggests as he waves the cake server around. He raises his eyebrows and grins like he's weighing his options.

"But I know you won't." Luis doesn't answer and digs the cake server into the pan.

"We're not going to bother with plates because that's not how we do it here. You grab as big as a piece as you can fit on the server and you transfer it to your hands. We have to do it as quickly has possible after it's done cooking. It's gonna be hot but that doesn't matter because it's still going to be sticky and all the marshmallow is going to stretch. That's honestly what makes this a comfort food." He finishes with his piece and hands me the cake server.

"You've got this down to a science," I cut myself a smaller piece than his and transfer it to my hands. He was right about it being hot but it wasn't too uncomfortable. I break off small pieces and let the marshmallow strand hang from my mouth as I chew on the piece.

Luis laughs at my method of eating the sticky treat. "It's years of tradition, cariño."

I finish chewing the piece in my mouth before asking, "Again, why do you call me cariño?"

"Because I think you're sweet."

"You just said I was more stubborn than sweet?" I comment, popping another piece in my mouth.

"Ah, I didn't mean it like that. You know that."

"Mhhmm, please tell me more."

"I admit I did see you as competition and I didn't like that-"

I interrupt him, "I'm still your competition so what changed?"

He ignores my interruption and continues, "But, you're still kind and determined and I like that. You're also very pretty."

"Flirting like a schoolboy," I say, taking another bite, "Okay, sure." I don't have any other comment on his confession. I just wish he'd say something dumb so I can make fun of him for it. I can't bring myself to say any more on his comments.

Luis chuckles and starts fidgeting with his Rice Krispie treat, breaking and putting back together pieces of it. He looks up and grins at me. "Well, it's true." He watches me chew for a while and I grow self conscious.

"What?"

"You have marshmallow on the side of your mouth." He leans over the counter and lays his thumb on the corner of my mouth. We're looking into each other's eyes. I'm acutely aware of the fact that I'm biting my lip and I hate myself for it.

"You're too much sometimes. This is worse than your attempt for the chocolate lava cake," I say, trying to avoid his eyes.

"Yet, I still got cake in the end, yeah?"

"But, what do you want this time?"

"For you to admit you actually like me," he whispers, mirth in his voice, and our faces still too close.

"Sure," I say, rolling my eyes and grinning. He grins back and cocks his head.

"Sure, as in an affirmative sure?"

I shake my head, "Sure, as in an as if sure."

"Baby steps, then." He bites his lip and looks as if he wants to say something more and never have I felt more nervous for something to come out of his mouth. I close my eyes and try to slow my heartbeat.

I feel him get closer when the buzzing in my back pocket warns me 3 seconds before the sound comes.

"I'm bringin' sexy back (yeah), Them other boys don't know how to act (yeah)-"

We both jump away from each other and leave lots of space between the us and the counter on each side.

"That's Jasmin, she set that ringtone years ago as hers so I know it's her calling, and ugh why is it so loud-" I'm fumbling to get the phone out of my pocket and to silence the ringer. Luis is standing up straight now, rubbing the back of his neck, red filling up his already tan face.

"Jasmin has great song taste, tell her that." He's laughing again, any hint of tension or awkwardness past.

"Yeah, will do. I'm just gonna grab this and go," I help myself to another piece of Rice Krispie. "I guess I'll see you around. You always have a knack of visiting whenever you want to anyway."

"You never actually act upon kicking me out when I visit. I count that as a-"

"Yeah, yeah small victory," I mock as I walk towards the exit.

"Bonnie? Wait," Luis calls out as I rest my hand on the door handle.

I stop to let him know that I'm listening.

"I think I have your number. Can I text you later?"

I don't know if I want him to or not. There was something special about our encounters like this. And it wouldn't be the same through a screen. I wanted to give him a reason to come to the bakery and talk. Texting might ruin that. But, I don't have the heart to say no. Instead, i say, "Have a good night, Luis."

He crosses his arms and smiles. "You too, cariño."

I walk out the door, through the nearly empty now Sugar Rush and out the main exit.

For me to admit I actually like him? Too late.

° ° °

author's note: why do i feel like i should have the Ⓡ symbol every time i write rice krispie