Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author's Note - This is a one-shot that I started writing a while back, and just got around to finishing. I have another one-shot that I've got to fix the ending on, and hopefully these will tide you over until I finally get to work on the longer pieces I've promised you...

"Okay, everyone get with your partners, please," our home economics teacher, Miss Ellis tells us. I sigh but pick up my stuff and move to my station. Theodore – "Teddy" as he tells everyone to call him – slumps down on his stool. I am almost mesmerized as he pushes his too-long hair out of his face. His too-small tie-dye shirt stretched over his chest, causing me to…NO! I stop the thought in their tracks and clear my throat.

"Do you have the recipe?" I ask him. He nods, pulling out a wrinkled, stained piece of paper from his bag. I smooth out the paper and read the heading. Chocolate Chip Cookies. An easy recipe, but I’m not good at cooking, so I think it’s a good choice. I proceed to read off the ingredients as Teddy finds them in the cabinets and the mini fridge by our working station.

"Remember, if you don’t finish your recipe today, you have all weekend to work on it outside of school!" Miss Ellis reminds us. Teddy says nothing, nor do I. We work on the cookies and the dough is finished as class does. I tell Teddy that I have study hall next and that I can watch the cookies in the oven. He nods, trusting in my abilities, and leaves. I put the cookies in the oven and sit on the stool in the empty classroom – Miss Ellis trusts us enough to leave us alone in the classroom, especially since she has to teach a computer class at the other end of the school.

I take out my math book and start by working out the problems that are assigned for homework. This takes up all of my concentration, and I nearly miss the smell of something burning in the oven. I forgot to set the timer, didn’t I? I put on oven mitts and open the oven. Two pans of cookies – all that we made – are black. I pull them out and turn off the oven, staring at the burnt cookies. The bell rings a minute later, and Teddy walks in, probably to make sure I didn’t mess up. He sees the burnt cookies.

"You burnt them," he states.

"Well, I’ll just cook up another batch this we­-" I begin.

"No you don’t! I don't trust you alone with the cookies. Why don't you come over to my house and we'll both cook them. I can drive, you know," he tells me, as though he is the only one in the world who has that ability. I nod and it's settled.

It's 10:30 am on a Saturday and I am in a strange kitchen, trying to find the flour. Teddy has gone to the store to pick up chocolate chips and left me alone to maneuver my way around the strange empty house. I pause for a moment and take a deep breath. I catch a sniff of Teddy's scent, something like cinnamon. I like the way it lingers even after he's gone.

"Now where's the stupid flour?" I grumble.

"Cabinet below the counter," Teddy says from behind me. I turn around, but immediately regret doing so. His hair is wet from the rain, and raindrops are trailing down his face. As he discards his jacket, I manage to turn away from the barely-concealed muscular chest and find the flour where Teddy had said it was going to be. All the ingredients have been gathered and we can begin. Teddy mixes the wet ingredients, and tells me to measure the flour. Then we mix everything together, and get the cookies into the oven. Teddy sets the timer and now we wait.

He is looking at me, and he steps closer. He reaches to my cheek and rubs his thumb across it. My heart is beating so fast that I can't think, and I wonder why he's doing this, why he would bother. I'm not worth someone like him.

"You had some flour on your face," he explains. Of course, I think sadly. Yet he doesn't remove his hand. He slides it further along my cheek and into my hair. I am staring into his dark brown eyes so deeply that I barely feel his other hand on my hip. He's leaning closer to me, a little closer…I close my eyes and…BZZT! The timer buzzes at us.

He quickly removes himself from me and takes a pot holder from the counter to pull the cookie sheets out of the oven. He puts the last batch in and sets the timer again.

"Since we're done, I should probably bring you home," Teddy says, and I don't have any choice except to agree with him.

The next school day, Monday, we have to present our final project to Miss Ellis for a project grade. Teddy shows up with a plastic container that he put the cookies in. He's wearing another too-tight shirt and I have to look away in order to keep breathing.

"I hope we do good," he says, sitting down. Miss Ellis starts at the other end of the room, tasting a bit of each project as she goes along. Teddy and I are the last group to be graded. She looks at the container of cookies that Teddy holds out to her. Without taking one, she asks to see the recipe. Teddy pulls it out of his pocket, unfolds it and shows it to her.

"Chocolate Chip Cookies? This recipe is too simple for juniors in high school! I 'm sorry, but I'm going to have to fail you," she says. I stare. I must be having a nightmare.

"Fail?" I say when I can finally speak. She nods, walking away. The bell rings, and I come to my sense.

"This is your fault!" I say, turning to Teddy, who slings his backpack over his shoulder and then looks at me, "you were supposed to pick a recipe. Of course you pick the easiest one you could find!" I feel my hands ball into fists and heat rise to my face. Ted opens his brown eyes wide in an attempt to look innocent.

"Just…just because you fail everything doesn't mean you have to drag me down with you!" I exclaim, and my words echo through the now-empty classroom. His eyes are focused on the floor now, and I feel just a little bit guilty.

"I'm sorry…" he says, sighing and shifting his weight.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," I say quietly, and turn to leave.

"I said I was sorry," he says louder. I spin around to face him again.

"I don't fucking care if you apologized! That won't change a damn thing!" As soon as I say this, I clap a hand over my mouth. I've never used a curse word before now. I blink, and tears stream down my cheeks. Things can't get any worse, I think to myself, turning away and wiping my eyes.

"You need to live a little," he says quietly, taking me into his arms. I tense at his touch, and he backs away.

"Fuck, I'm not going to hurt you," he says, shaking his head, "whatever, I gotta get to class," he turns to me, "and I'll see you after class," he says, and leaves. I go to study hall. When the final bell rings, I take my time with my locker and things, hoping he'll give up and leave without me. I can always walk home. When I leave, though, he's waiting by the bench for me.

"I'm not going with you," I say, and begin walking away.

"Yeah, you are," he says, "I talked to Miss Ellis and she said that if we try a harder recipe, she'll bring our grade up."

"But I can't cook."

"No big. I've got the perfect recipe. Let's go," he replies, and reluctantly I follow him. The ride to his house is a tense one for me, but he is completely relaxed, even when his hand accidentally brushes against mine at one point. I feel like an obedient dog as I follow him into the house.

"So, I thought that we could do this," he shows me the recipe book, and there's a picture of a delicious looking chocolate cake. I can feel myself salivating at the picture.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like it. So let's get started," he says, and begins pulling out all the necessary ingredients. I help when I'm needed, and before long the cake is in the oven. While we're waiting, Teddy turns on the radio to a classic rock station. The choice of music surprises me. I'd expect him to prefer something louder with screaming and bass.

"Shall we dance?" he asks, extending a hand towards me. I shake my head and back up a few steps.

"Aw, come on. No one's gonna watch you," he steps towards me and I back up again, bumping into the wall. He uses this to his advantage, trapping me between him and the counter. He puts his hands on the counter on either side of me.

"You need to lose some of that tension, loosen up a little. You're so tense," he says. I look up at him and he's smiling that sexy smile at me, and instinctively, I feel myself smiling back.

"That's better," he says, his voice husky as he leans in towards me. My eyes flutter closed as I feel his breath on my lips. The kiss is gone before I even realize that it's there.

He steps away from me and I wonder why he kissed me and whether or not he's planning on doing it again, and the oven timer rings again. He takes the cake out of the oven and sets it on the counter. I watch him mix the frosting as the cake cools. Then, he's frosting the cake, using gentle hands as he maneuvers the knife. And I'm left wondering if those hands would be gentle roaming all over my body. He slices off a piece of the cake 'to test' and takes a forkful.

"Would you like the first bite?" he asks. I nod, and he feeds it to me. I close my eyes, letting the chocolate seep into my taste buds, moaning slightly at the deliciousness of it. Yes, this is how a fat kid enjoys food, I think to myself. When it’s over, I open my eyes. Teddy is standing there with his mouth open, staring at me.

"That must be some cake," he comments and he's looking at me with those eyes again. But this time he's not so gentle. I'm being pushed against the counter and his mouth is on mine, his tongue demanding entrance. I part my lips and let his tongue explore my mouth, liking the feeling it gives me. I'm feeling bold, so I suck a little on his tongue, and he groans, pressing closer to me. After a minute or so he steps back and looks at me. And I know I've got to have the stupidest smile on my face. This doesn't seem to bother Teddy, though.

"Much better," he says, giving me that sexy grin again. I'm still finding it hard to believe that I've just had my first kiss – and that it's come from the one person I actually want to kiss me.

"I think I'm starting to like chocolate," Teddy tells me, and the corners of his mouth quirk up before he bends down to kiss me again. I think chocolate is an aphrodisiac, I tell myself, but I don’t care what it is. As long as this moment lasts forever.

The End

Author's Note – Yeah, I know that the narrator is never given a name (or a gender, for that matter). I started off not meaning to, but then I realized that it still kind of worked, so I kept it like that. Teddy is based off of the guy that used to go to my high school, but he moved away. I don't know if he could actually cook or anything…but who cares, right? It's just a story. Oh, and this is a ONE-SHOT. No more coming after this.