Chapter Eleven
David
Three daysafter the trip to the Sanctuary, my heart still felt heavy whenever I thought of what had been the first time I’d prayed in years. I also felt surprisingly light. Sitting in the church with Joel, I’d thought of my mom, her smile, how she always smelled of cake, how loving she’d been, and I knew she would have accepted me for who I am.
Because of my uncle, I was forced to live a lie or risk losing everything my mom had worked so hard for. I hated having to hide such an intrinsic part of myself, hated that I was depriving my aunt of really knowing her only living blood relative, and hated even more missing out on the motherly connection I’d once had with her because I was so afraid she’d somehow find out without me even uttering a word.
I detested my uncle for his role in my life, but it had felt wrong to have those feelings when I was inside a church. As Joel prayed for his parents, I prayed for my mom, my aunt, and also, to an extent, for my uncle, and that one day, we could meet in the middle.
I felt privileged to be there for Joel as he scattered a few ashes into the soil and sea, and I didn't have to think twice about pulling him into my arms when he needed comfort. What I wasn't expecting was the turn of conversation and to be reminded of that last day we had spent together when we were fourteen. Not that the event hadn't played in my mind over and over again since, but discussing it with Joel felt like opening a raw wound for which my heart's first aid kit was ill-equipped to treat.
Joel stating he was single shouldn't affect me whatsoever, so why had I felt such a positive charge running through my bloodstream at his confession? It’s not like I was planning on taking advantage of his relationship status.
On the drive from Sesimbra, an idea played in my head. Asking Joel to help me with the next video for my blog was a question that trickled out of my mouth, so naturally, I hadn’t even realized I’d done it until afterward. But when I thought about it, I knew it was the perfect distraction in the days running up to the memorial service.
A lot of my followers had been asking for simple recipes that didn't require a lot of skill for those who were beginners or less confident in the kitchen. It didn’t take me long to think of something, a suddenly trendy dessert that required only the assembly of ingredients and no baking. All I needed was a willing volunteer to show my followers that there were no tricks involved.
Fortunately, Joel was up for the challenge. He told me his mom taught him how to cook, so he was somewhat comfortable in a kitchen, but this was a recipe he had never tried to make himself.
He’d agreed to come to my apartment today so that we could film. Hopefully, we would be able to get everything done in one afternoon so I could do the necessary editing to transform the hours of shooting into a five-minute video before we left for our road trip.
A knock on the door told me Joel was here, so I put down the ingredients I was preparing and walked out of the kitchen. When I opened the front door, I was met with a grinning Joel wearing an apron that said, “Life is short, lick the spoon!” And I’ll be damned if the thought of Joel doing just that didn't go straight to my dick. This was going to be a very long afternoon if my mind didn't make it out of the gutter and back into the kitchen.
“Olá...nice apron! I don't remember specifying a dress code." I leaned against the door frame and crossed my arms.
Joel looked down, and his face went a delectable shade of pink. "Well, I saw this one at the market yesterday when I helped my great-grandma with her groceries and couldn't resist. I can take it off if it's not appropriate."
"Nope, you bought it. Now you have to wear it." I winked and immediately saw a hint of mischief in Joel’s eyes. "Come on over, I have everything ready to go in the kitchen."
The camera was set up in front of a tall table I used as a fake worktop to give the impression that it was a kitchen island. I explained I would start the video by introducing Joel as the special guest and then I would talk about the recipe and describe the ingredients.
The beginning of the video was always more or less the same as I followed the same routine to introduce the recipe. Once I got cooking, it always felt more natural and less scripted.
"Joel, are you ready to start?" I said, looking from the camera toward Joel.
"Absolutely!" he said with exaggerated excitement, and I struggled not to roll my eyes.
"Okay, so we start by cracking the eggs into the bowl. Then we add the sugar and mix it well until dissolved," I instructed.
While Joel was working on that, I started melting the chocolate with the butter in the microwave using short bursts.
"David, tell me again the name of this recipe?" Joel asked with a playful smile that reached his eyes, making them shine brightly.
"This is a chocolate salami," I replied and looked at Joel to see him raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"And this is a strictly non-meaty salami?"
I looked down and shook my head in disbelief, a slight smile teasing my lips.
"We have covered the ingredients list already. Clearly, it is a non-meaty, chocolate salami. I've also added the ingredients list in the description box below," I said. "Right, so now you add the cocoa powder and mix well. At this stage, it might look as though this runny mixture will never be hard enough to form a salami—"
Joel's snort interrupted me as he was struggling to keep a serious face.
"Sorry," he said, still stirring but shaking his head.
I carried on, trying hard not to kick him under the table. "Now that I have combined the melted chocolate and butter, I will add it slowly to Joel's mix. Please note that if the chocolate is too hot and the eggs aren't well combined with the sugar, you will end up with scrambled eggs," I added.
"Ew, I wouldn't want scrambled eggs in my salami. Remember, guys, keep stirring," Joel said.
