May

When they made it inside the apartment, Julie helped May over to the couch, where she lay back on the soft cushions with a sigh of relief.

“It’s good to be home again.”

“You know what else is good?” Julie asked, pulling her phone out of her purse. “A Hawaiian pizza with extra ham and bacon.”

“I’m so glad we have the same taste in Italian cuisine,” May teased.

“I’m not sure that Baker Barn’s deep dish style Hawaiian pizza counts as Italian cuisine by any stretch, but okay,” her friend said.

“Well, I think pizza is pizza.”

“Sure, just like a California roll technically counts as sushi in some people’s minds.”

“Hey, I happen to like California rolls.”

“That’s because you’re a weirdo,” Julie replied as she began dialing the number of their favorite pizza place.

May decided to take a minute to close her eyes as her friend walked off into the other room to order their food. The room instantly became silent, lulling her mind into another wave of sleep. Or, at least it would have, had it not been for the sudden ringing coming from her purse. She reached over and pulled her phone out of the front pocket and answered it without even looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Hello? May, honey?” a familiar voice replied.

Her eyes flew open. “Oh, hi Mom.”

“Thank goodness you’re finally awake! Did Julie come to get you yet?”

“Yeah. We just got home a few minutes ago.”

“How’s your head? Did the doctor give you anything?”

“Just some pain relievers.”

May could hear the anxiety in her mother’s tone. “Be careful about taking any kind of prescription drugs. Make sure you read the labels and look at the side effects first.”

“Don’t worry, I did.”

“Good.”

Then there was a brief but awkward pause. May didn’t know why, but she could sense that something uncomfortable was coming.

“So, honey…”

“Yes?”

She heard her mother taking a deep breath. “I got a call from Angelica today, and we chatted for a bit. She asked how you were, so I told her about the hospital visit. She’s glad you’re not hurt, by the way.”

The last thing May wanted to talk about after a day like this was James' family, but she knew she had to be polite given how close her mother was to James' mom. Even after the breakup, his mother would call her mom about once a week to talk and catch up.

“Thanks. Tell her I said hi.”

“I will, honey. But there’s one more thing you should know.”

“What is that?”

“Before we got off the phone, Angelica mentioned that James is coming home for a visit.”

May froze, and her eyes flew open. “What?!”

“He’ll be flying into town tomorrow night and plans to stay with his parents for a few weeks. Angelica is hoping that we can get the whole gang together again to celebrate.”

May could feel her heart beating loudly in her chest, and her stomach started to churn. It wasn’t as if she was afraid or unwilling to see James, but they had hardly spoken two words to one another since the breakup! Not due to malice, of course, but because there was simply nothing more to talk about. Sure, May would have liked to maintain a friendship with James, but such a task was easier said than done. Just a few months after the breakup, he had left home to travel abroad, giving each party the perfect excuse to forget about the other person. Every once in a while they would exchange texts, but it was always so formal and awkward. And now he was just going to show up out of the blue?

“May? Are you still there?” her mother asked.

She nodded, even though no one was there to see it. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m just, uh, feeling a little worn out still. Can we talk about this tomorrow, perhaps?”

“Sure, honey. Get some rest. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

“Okay. Love you, bye.”

She quickly hung up the phone and threw it back in her purse. Her head swelled from the pain of her injury, while her brain flooded with anxiety. What was she supposed to say to James after all this time? What might he say to her? What if neither of them could manage to say anything at all?!

May shook such fears away as she sat up from the couch. At a time like this, there was only one thing that could help her stay calm, and that was to bake something. Cooking was a skill she had learned at a young age, but baking was a passion she had come to love when she was even younger. May recalled all the warm and easygoing days spent cutting cookies and mixing batter alongside her grandmother. Making cute desserts that could be shared with others was her favorite way to express both her creativity, and to satisfy her sweet tooth craving.

May walked into the kitchen and turned on the oven. Then she went over to the cupboard and pulled out all the ingredients needed for one of her favorite late-night treats: chocolate cupcakes. She decided on a simple recipe that would only take thirty minutes to cook. By then, she would-

“May? What are you doing?” she heard Julie ask as she came back into the room. “You’re supposed to be resting. And besides, the pizza will be here in less than ten minutes.”

“Look, I’m not planning to make anything too fancy, but I need to de-stress,” May replied, pulling out a set of mixing bowls from the cabinet. “Plus, we need dessert.”

“I think you’re the only person I’ve ever met who likes to de-stress with more chores,” her friend laughed.

But Julie was mistaken. Baking was hardly a chore, even when she wasn’t doing it just for fun. The whole process from start to finish was relaxing. And the best part was, when she was done, May could taste the fruits of her hard labor! Which is more than she could say for most other projects in life.

“Aren’t you even going to tell me what’s on the menu tonight?” Julie asked, gazing at the cocoa powder and chocolate chips on the counter.

“Chocolate cupcakes with raspberry frosting,” May replied.

“Uh oh,” her friend sighed. “You only make chocolate cupcakes with raspberry frosting when you’re really on edge. Did something happen in the time it took for me to walk away and order a pizza?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Now, will you grab the frozen raspberries from the freezer already?” she asked.

“As you wish, fair knight and savior of the everyday male damsel.”

“You know, I think I prefer the term gentlemen in peril after all,” May snickered.

“Shall we coin it?” Julie asked as she handed over the bag of frozen fruit.

“No thanks.”

“I think it’ll catch on.”

“I doubt that very much.”

“We’ll see,” her friend shrugged. “Anyway, I’m going downstairs to wait for the delivery guy. Will you be okay by yourself?”

May nodded as she opened the container of heavy whipping cream. Even when she worked alone, oddly enough, May never felt lonely when she was baking.

“Yeah, you go ahead.”