Quote:
After Spicy and Tender
Sweet Treats (5) : There’s no shortage of holiday themed popup shops and specials at your local places, and after a long day there’s nothing better than a nice treat for yourself. Maybe you decided to try something new, maybe it was a gift, maybe you got one of the coupons in the mail to try the place out–however you wound up with this drink, you’re in for a good time. No matter what your preferences are, the drink is delicious. Hot, cold, sweet, bitter–there’s a version of it for everyone. But, the flavor isn’t what makes the drink so special–it’s how good it makes you feel. There’s no alcohol in it, but drinking it can leave someone feeling tipsy, warm, and in a general good mood. Inhibitions aren’t lowered and there’s no negative repercussions for having the drink; it might make children more hyper, but the drink just has the ability to put someone in a pleasant mood.
“Not going out tonight?”
Calder’s sister had opened the front door from her afternoon shopping adventures to find him settled comfortably on the couch. Lounging. Doing nothing. Achieving nothing. That wasn’t necessarily strange, but it was uncommon enough. Most of his work shifts took place in the afternoon to evening, and if he wasn’t at work, he would at least do something to get him out of the house for an hour or two. A quick jog, or a meetup with friends, or a run to the convenience store to indulge in snacks that certainly weren’t good for him.
What she didn’t know was that he’d been stabbed recently, so any kind of ‘going out’ was off the books. Calder was fine just where he was for the time being.
“Mm, not tonight,” he agreed with a nonchalant shrug, and had no plans on elaborating further.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her- far from it. But Cordellia was just a baby, as far as Calder was concerned (she was definitely a whole twenty-two-year-old adult)… He didn’t want her knowing that he was hurt and involved in- in all this bizarre nonsense. The less she knew, the better. Which really sucked because all he wanted to do was complain about knighthood and whine about his significant injuries and cry and cuddle and and and-
And he wasn’t going to do any of that. He was going to sit. And be cool. And play it off like nothing was wrong.
Cordellia shuffled the bags in her arms around as she strode into the room, depositing what Calder suspected were her holiday surprises to friends and family on the dining room table before glancing back at him- a little judging, a little teasing. “Suits me just fine. I brought you a pick-me-up to take to work with you, but if you don’t need it…” She was holding a drink in her hand, something that looked frosted and dollopped with whipped cream and the type of sprinkles that seemed to glitter.
Calder perked up to stare at her. “Oh, girl. I need it.”
And then they were in a standoff. She expected him to get up- because he usually would have sprung to her side at the first mention of a sweet treat. …But he didn’t want to agitate his stab wounds… He didn’t really want to move at all. The girl was a blessing, because the peculiarity of the situation must not have been lost on her.
The teasing glint eased from Cordellia’s lips, and though she still smiled, the cogs in her mind were clearly spinning.. “Are you alright?” She asked, abandoning the standoff and moving to offer him the drink. “Caught a cold or something? No work, no date… You’re acting lethargic, too..”
“No, no. I’m fine. Probably. Really. I just-” A shrug, and he swiped the cold beverage from her hands before she could pull it back. “Just having a mental health day, I guess.” A quick, quiet sip. Sweetness spilled over his tongue. And though the drink was cool and frosted, something like a pleasant warmth tingled all the way down his throat when he swallowed. “Oh, yes. This helps, though.” Calder’s brow furrowed. “It doesn’t taste familiar? Where did you get it?”
She sat on the couch next to him, kicking off her boots right there, but otherwise still in every single garment she’d worn out, including the heavy coat. “It was from this cute little store on the way out of the shopping mall! I got a warm peppermint drink for me for the way home. It was amazing! I almost didn’t get you anything, but I took a sip and had to go back to pick something for you. You like it? Let me have a taste.”
“What? No! You said you had one already!” Calder yipped, snatching the cup from her grabbing fingers.
“But I didn’t get to try that one! Calder! I was being sweet to bring you anything! Just give me one little sip, c’mooon!”
After a brief scrabble of finger, with Calder trying to avoid her grabbing hands, he eventually relented. Cordelia caught the cup, took an unfairly sizable gulp and laughed. “It is pretty good! But mine was better.” She bounced to her feet and started moving back toward the bedrooms. “Hey, put a movie or something on! I’ll come watch with you. Ooh, I could break out the facemasks too. It feels like that kind of night, doesn’t it? You stay there. I’ll be right back.”
As if he was planning on going anywhere. Calder huffed softly, sipping at his cool drink and pulling the mass of blankets into a pile around himself.
He’d tell her later that he appreciated the sentiment. That it really felt like he’d needed a night off. That it was nice to lounge and watch movies and eat snacks and paint their nails. There were more pressing, difficult things happening in the background that he couldn’t tell her… But those things could wait until later.
[WC: 841]
