Thirty Eight (2/2)

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A/N: Ahh! I'm so sorry I missed last week's update. I kind of have no excuse but just that I had been spending time outside lately and hadn't been writing very much. This too I pretty much wrote in a day (today) despite having an extremely long skeleton :( I just got too caught up with the fluffy details and adding a bit of spice whenever Leroy shows up UGH. As much as I want to move on with the juicy parts of the competition I can't resist the STUPID FLIRT. 

Enjoy the flirty shit. Next week is more plot. But I have this AU I want to write about Vampire!Vanilla and Werewolf!Leroy U G H it's been in my mind for a while and I really want to write it but I also feel like the plot is SLOW so it's gonna be too distracting and I REALLY CAN'T DECIDE. 

Anyway, I'll be sending out the giveaway copies for Baked Love when they arrive next week. Hehe. A huge thank you, again, to everyone who participated and shared the sweetest comments ;v; 


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[Vanilla]



Coddle.

A word dangerously close to its disastrous cousin cuddle and rivalled the strange sweetness and warmth the latter seemed to produce on the tongue; words that typically remained in the lonely unused corners of my mental dictionary. Alas, here I was with the little one in my arms, sneaking a hasty nuzzle of comfort before placing him back in his carrier only to be caught in the act by a certain idiot seated within arm's reach—musing privately as he stared.

To think Leo had reduced my worth to a coddle-r, indulge-r, kitten spoil-er and for this to be witnessed in entirety by a fellow, albeit large-sized, cat in the wild.

I'd altogether froze and pretended not to notice, checking on Leo in his carrier and pulling out a pair of complimentary headphones to hide the state of my ears. Fumbling around with the screen of the in-flight entertainment system, I pretended to busy myself with a movie but was really just staring at a still weather report that had our flight route mapped out.

After sending a mandatory safety text to Uncle Al and Aunt Julie, I snapped a photo of Leo in his carrier and sent that to Chip and Miki—who'd developed an interest in cats quite recently and was ecstatic the moment he'd seen a poorly-taken photo of Leo on my private Twitter account. Soon after, the sign to fasten our seatbelts lit up.

I chanced a glimpse of my neighbor. He, too, appeared occupied with something on his phone. Chicken on the other hand, was starting intently in my direction. I looked away. He and his owner were equally illegal, having mastered the art of a criminal gaze. I decided to busy myself with the weather report and a folder that contained an outline of our schedule in Italy for the next couple of days. First Florence, then a private olive farm in Portofino, Genoa for a masterclass, and then back in Florence to shoot the main challenge.

The initial take-off and intense shuddering of the plane had, no doubt, poor Leo in quite the mewling frenzy until the tremors came to a standstill and the plane stabilized in the sky. The neighboring pet however, appeared seemingly unfazed the entire time; as though this wasn't quite enough to warrant any form of concern. The most he did was sniff at the floor twice.

After all, he did go through that fire in Leroy's apartment building. And perhaps much more.

The cabin crew proceeded to hand out light refreshments that included a platter of premium fruits and cheese. A glass of wine or champagne, too, had been offered as an option but I stuck to tea—running through the drafted script and making annotations where necessary. Off to the side, I'd catch an occasional glimpse of my neighbor tossing blueberries in the air for his furry companion's entertainment before going back to something in his lap. A book.

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