Dessert So Sweet

Leaving for work is hard enough for Camilla on a Friday morning - especially when she’s expected to be in bright and early to open Bob’s Your Uncle for the day.  It’s only made harder by the fact that she’s agreed to work a few extra hours today to cover for one of her fellow waitresses, who was traveling to Hulbury to be a bridesmaid in her best friend’s wedding.  The thought of twelve hours of nonstop attending to customers before two days of blessed weekend freedom is enough to make Camilla want to crawl back into bed.

Bed, where Gordie currently sleeps, curled up on his side with his hair spread about him.  Camilla lets her eyes take in his blanketed form while she shimmies out of her pajamas and pulls her waitress uniform on.  As much as she wishes she didn’t have to go work an extra-long shift at Bob’s Your Uncle today, nothing makes her wish she could stay home more than the sight of her boyfriend, so peaceful, angelic, even, at rest.  If she could just snuggle up under the blankets with him, and enjoy even an hour more of cuddling up to the man she loved…

But that’s impossible, she knows.  Gordie will be up within the half hour, getting ready for another day as Gym Leader of Circhester.  Camilla knows she’ll have to wait until evening to be able to spend more time with him; allowing a small sigh to escape her, Camilla turns to head out of their shared bedroom and grab a bite to eat before hustling over to open Bob’s.  

“Hey,” Gordie’s deep voice, husky with sleep, murmurs, just as Camilla’s about to shut the door behind her.  “C’mere and give me a kiss before you go.”

A soft smile steals across Camilla’s face, and she moves back to the bed, bending down beside Gordie.  He props himself up on one elbow, giving Camilla a dreamy grin, one of his big hands reaching up to cup Camilla’s cheek.  Camilla leans into his touch, and he pulls her down for a quick kiss.  Except it’s not so quick - Gordie’s lips, so warm and soft, linger on hers, and he pulls away slowly.

“Have a good day at work, Cammy.  Love you,” he murmurs, his head settling back down on his pillow.

“Love you too, Gordie,” she responds, stroking a stray lock of hair back from his forehead.  “Good luck at the Gym today.”

“Hmm,” Gordie sighs in response, already half asleep, and Camilla’s smile grows as she stands once again, feeling just a little more prepared to face the day than before.

 

******

The first half of the day at work passes with relatively little incident.  All the customers are, by and large, kind and happy, and a few regulars (mostly businessmen, who took potential clients out to brunch or lunch often to make an impression) leave Camilla some pretty sizable tips.  If the customers are happy, Camilla’s happy, and she’s more than grateful for the way the day is flying by.  She can’t help but look forward to being reunited with Gordie, back in their little rowhouse, where they can spend a cozy evening together.

And then, to Camilla’s horror, the head chef announces that they would be rolling out their Pechaberry Tart as a special dessert, beginning once lunch closes at 4pm.  The Pechaberry Tart was an annual special - Chef only made it for a limited time, when Pecha berries were fresh and in-season - and attracted an absolute crush of people every year.  It had become a bit of a sensation, somehow, and its popularity meant that the last two hours of her shift were about to become a nightmare.  If it weren’t for the fact that she’d agreed to cover, she wouldn’t have to deal with the rush of anxious customers, all looking for a bite of the much-talked about local delicacy, right before the weekend…

Camilla shakes her head to clear it as she leaves to go on her lunch break.  As bad as her last two hours are about to be, she’s really overall glad to be able to help her coworker.  As if to further buoy her spirits, Chef had set aside her favorite meal for her - not too uncommon, but still an appreciated gesture - and she picks it up off the line, smiling to herself at the little note under the plate that says Thanks for helping cover today.  Sorry about the tarts rolling out before you go.

Carrying her plate, Camilla drifts to the break room, picking at her food as she goes.

“Hey, Rotom,” she says, and her Rotom Phone springs to life, flying out of her pocket and circling around her.

“Hey, Camilla!”  Rotom chirps, its cheerful eyes flashing at her.  “You have two new textzzz!”

“Oh, thanks,” Camilla says, taking a seat at the break room table.  “Who’re they from?”

“They’re both from a zzzertain Mr. Gordie!”  Rotom says in a sing-song voice.  Camilla smiles to herself, taking a bite of her food.  “Let me pull them up for you,” Rotom adds, settling down on the table and loading the messages from her boyfriend.

“Thanks,” Camilla says after swallowing her food, then scrolls through the texts quickly.

Gordie • 10:37 AM • Friday 

Hey, it was so good to get to kiss u good-bye this morning.  Hope ur day at work is going well!

Gordie • 10:40 AM • Friday 

The Gym is so busy today with making sure we’re up to building and battle safety code before the Gym Challenge season starts…can’t wait to get to see u and relax tonight.

 

Camilla smiles to herself and takes another bite of food.

“He’zz zzweet,” Rotom comments, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah, he is,” Camilla agrees, still smiling to herself.  “Can you text him back for me?  Say ‘I can’t wait to see you tonight either.  Bob’s is gonna be really busy for the dinner shift today…the Pechaberry Tart is back.’  Thanks, Rotom.”

Rotom hums in response, too busy making her words appear on screen, then firing the message out into cyberspace to Gordie’s Rotom Phone.

“Zzent!”  Rotom announces.  “Zzorry to hear about the dezzert rush that’zz coming, by the way.”

“Thanks, Rotom,” Camilla says with a small smile.  “It’ll be all right.  We’ve gotten through it before, and we’ll do it again this year.”

“Yeah.  Hey, maybe the new contezzt videozz out of Zzinnoh will help cheer you up?”  Rotom suggests, already flipping its screen to a new video of Fantina.

“You know me so well,” Camilla laughs, and settles in to watch the video and eat her food.

***

Break flies by, as it always does, and it’s not long until Camilla’s right back out on the floor.

“Hey,” Rosemary, her fellow waitress, greets her.  “You’ve got tables ten, eleven, twelve and eighteen, nineteen, and twenty for the next two hours, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Camilla agrees, and heads up to the hostess to check in with her.  Everything’s pretty quiet, and only eighteen and twenty are about to be filled up.  Camilla reminds herself to savor the lull in activity - soon it wouldn’t be anything like this.

Once her two new tables are seated, she hustles over to greet them.  Table eighteen is an old couple on their 40th anniversary date, which is just adorable; she congratulates them profusely, takes their order, and when she goes to set the order on the line, makes sure to ask Chef for an extra little cupcake for them, on the house.

She’s halfway to table twenty when Rosemary stops her.

“Camilla!”  She says, hustling to catch her.  “Listen - I’ll trade you table twenty for table four.”

“Wait, why?”  Camilla asks, surprised.  Table twenty looks pretty benign - it’s just another two businessmen; what interest did Rosemary have in them?

“Because,” Rosemary says with a smile.  “Your boyfriend just got seated at table four.  I figured you’d want to -”

“Yes,” Camilla says, suddenly breathless.  “Yes!  Thank you, Rosemary!”  She gives her fellow waitress a brief hug, which is returned with a quiet laugh, then turns around and rushes to table four.

“Hey, you,” she says, walking up to the table with a smile breaking across her features.  It’s far from the usual way she greets her tables, but Gordie’s alone, so she’s pretty sure she can get away with it this time.

“Hey, Cammy,” Gordie says with a laugh, standing and embracing her.  “Am I, like, allowed to give you a kiss on the job?  Or would that be too unprofessional?  I don’t want to get you in trouble, or anything.”

“Ohh, I wish I could say for certain that the boss - or the other customers - wouldn’t mind,” Camilla sighs, pulling away from Gordie.

“Ah, don’t worry about it, then,” he says amiably, returning to his seat.  “I really just wanted to see you, anyway.”

“Is that why you’re here?”  Camilla asks, still smiling softly.  She’d been missing Gordie all day, and now he was here, with her.  Somehow the mere presence of her boyfriend makes the whole rest of the day seem as if it won’t be so bad, somehow.

“Yeah.  I, uh, really missed you when I woke up for good,” Gordie mumbles, blushing a little.  “And I know I have all weekend with you soon, but…y’know, you’re working extra, and I just, um…” he trails off and glances away, obviously embarrassed, and Camilla laughs a little, setting one hand on his shoulder.

“It’s all right, Gordie, I understand,” she tells him.  “I’ve been missing you all day, myself.”

“You have?”  He asks, turning back to Camilla with a soft smile lighting up his handsome features.  

“Yeah,” Camilla admits, squeezing his shoulder gently, then pulling her hand away.  “I’m really surprised to see you, actually.  I know you said you had a busy day at the Gym.”

“Yeah, it’s been crazy.  But we’re waiting for an electrical contractor to come and check the wiring to verify it’s all up to code, so I’ve got maybe an hour for lunch until I need to be back,” Gordie responds.  

“I’m glad you were able to get away, then,” Camilla beams.  “Hey, the kitchen is slow right now, but it still could take a minute for your order to be made.  So do you want me to give you a minute to look at the menu, or…?”

“Nah, I’ll just go with the Seafood Paella again,” Gordie shrugs.  Camilla’s eyes sparkle - she’d introduced him to her favorite dish early on when they had first been dating, and it’d quickly become one of his favorites, too.  “And maybe some Kalosian bread on the side, please.”

“Got it,” Camilla says, jotting down the order for Chef.  “Let me go put that in for you.”  She starts to head to the line, but one of Gordie’s hands reaches out, touching her forearm lightly.

“Hey, Cammy,” Gordie says.  “Is there any chance you’ll be able to come back and hang out a little?  I, uh, I know you’re on the job and all, but, y’know, things look like they’re maybe a little slow…”

“As long as everyone’s okay with it, I’m sure I can hang out,” she answers, her eyes scanning her tables - and everyone else’s - quickly.  No one else has come in, so the only other table she has is eighteen.  She’ll check on them quickly after she puts in Gordie’s order, and then she should be good to spend a little while visiting with the love of her life.

 

***

 

Everyone - Rosemary, Chef, the hostess, and the other waitresses - agrees that there’s no reason Camilla can’t spend some time with Gordie, so she flits back over to her only other full table, intent on making sure they’ll be set for a little while.  Mercifully, table eighteen is easy to keep appeased - the cute older couple want only a refill on their water and a glass of red wine from a vintage just outside of Wedgehurst; otherwise, they’re very content to spend time with each other, holding hands and laughing and blowing kisses to one another.

“Your food should be out in about twenty minutes,” Camilla says, uncorking the wine bottle and setting two empty wine glasses out in front of them.

“Oh, don’t worry - you can let it take as long as it wants,” the husband says, taking the bottle to pour it himself.  “We’re enjoying ourselves just being together.”

Camilla smiles; if that wasn’t cute, she didn’t know what was.  A quick scan of the area reveals that none of her other tables are filled, so she gets a pitcher of water and brings it over to Gordie’s table.  

“Hey, I forgot to ask,” she says, pouring him a glass, then pouring herself one, too, as she slides into the seat opposite to him.  “Did you want anything besides just water to drink?”

“Nah.  That would mean that you’d have to get up and leave me again, and I don’t want that,” Gordie says, reaching across the table to hold her hand.  Camilla blushes, her fingers folding around Gordie’s.  “Especially because it sounds like you’re going to have to do a lot of running around, what with the Pechaberry Tart being out later today.”

Camilla sighs, propping her free elbow on the table.

“Yeah.  I’m already dreading it, to be honest,” she admits.

“I bet you are,” Gordie sympathizes, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze.  “Though, honestly, Cammy, I’m sorry for saying this, but I honestly kind of wish that I could come back when it’s out.  It’s just so good.”

“Don’t you dare add to the amount of people that are going to swarm this place,” Camilla groans teasingly.

“But it’s good, Cammy.”

“I know it is,” she finally admits.  “It’s so good.  It’s just the biggest pain in my neck.  Like, ever.”

“I could massage your neck when you’re home, if you’d like,” Gordie says with a dazzling smile.  “See if I could make it feel any better.”

Camilla practically melts on the spot.

“I’d love that,” she agrees; her neck and shoulders will be a little sore after a couple hours of Pechaberry Tart rush, after all.

Though Camilla has to leave Gordie’s table now and then for little things, like tending to table eighteen, bringing Gordie his food, and taking the order of a new group at table ten, she’s still able to spend much of the next hour with him, chatting about everything from his day at the Gym to the latest contest video from Fantina.  It’s good to talk to Gordie - it’s incredibly soothing during the workday, actually - and, to no surprise, the time flies by.

“Well, I guess I’d better get heading back to the Gym,” Gordie says reluctantly.  “I’d kiss you, Cammy, but…”

“Just save an extra one for me for when I get home,” Camilla says with a small smile, standing to gather up his dishes.

“That I can do,” he agrees.  “Hey, before I leave, do you mind if I pay my compliments to Chef?  He did a great job, as always, but he deserves to hear it straight from the customers sometime, you know?”

“Yeah, go for it,” Camila nods, gesturing towards the back of the house.  “He always appreciates when you pop in.  Just beware he might be a little stressed because of the Tart thing.”

“Sure, sure,” he nods.  “I’ll see you later, Cammy.  Love you.”  He looks very much like he wants to hug her, but he holds back; the restaurant is filling up, and Camilla appreciates that he’s conscientious not to overstep.

“Love you, too,” she replies, giving him a little wave as he drifts towards the kitchen.

A minute later, she’s following him with dishes in hand, which she drops in the sink for the dish boy to handle.  Gordie’s chatting it up with Chef, and both men are clearly enjoying themselves.  Camilla smiles at the sight; it’s good to see how well-liked her boyfriend is, and how well he can get along with people.

A moment later, she’s back out on the floor, and she manages to remember to grab Rosemary to thank her for swapping tables so she could spend some time with Gordie.

“I really appreciate it, Rosemary,” Camilla says.  “Thank you again.”

“I’m glad it worked out,” Rosemary smiles.  “You two are so cute to watch, you know.  The way you talk to each other, and look at each other?  I could see you guys turning into that cute old couple you had at table eighteen, someday.”

Camilla blushes, and mentally logs that away to tell Gordie later.

“Oh, gosh, thanks,” is all she’s able to actually get out before the first customer shows up, asking the hostess when the Pechaberry Tarts were going to be available.

“Not for two hours,” the hostess sighs.  “If you want to form a line, you’ll have to wait outside, so our lunch customers can still get in here.”

“Okay,” the customer agrees, moving outside to perch by the door.

Both Camilla and Rosemary deflate, sharing a look.

It had begun.

*******

By the time Camilla staggers home, she’s outright exhausted.  Two hours of the Pechaberry Tart rush had been bad enough; she feels terrible for everyone else at work who had to stay until closing to deal with it.

But, as exhausted as she is, she’s also a little proud of herself, because she’d managed to convince Chef to set a tart aside for her before she’d left.  She’d seen the way Gordie’s eyes had sparkled just a little when he’d told her he thought it was good, and she knows him well enough to know that means he’d 100% eat it if she brought some home.

“You home, Cammy?”  Gordie’s voice calls from the kitchen.  Something smells absolutely amazing - was he making curry?

“Yeah, I’m home!”  Camilla calls, kicking off her shoes and heading into the kitchen.  For a moment, she considers giving Gordie the tart right then - but he’s busy sliding some Cheri Berries into the curry, and she realizes she might be able to slip the tart into the refrigerator before he even notices.  Then, she could surprise him once it’s dessert time - and how much sweeter will the surprise be, then?  “You making some of your famous curry?”  Camilla asks, pulling open the refrigerator door.  She slips the tart in, barely sparing it a glance she’s moving so fast, and instead grabs a small bottle of lemonade from the top shelf.  Not only is the lemonade a good excuse for why she was going straight for the refrigerator, but her throat is parched from all the talking and hustling she’d had to do over the last couple hours.

“Yup!  Just a little bit of spice tonight,” Gordie agrees, giving the pot a stir.   “Did you eat at work?”

“No, we were way too slammed,” Camilla sighs, cracking the seal on the bottle and taking a swig.  It feels wonderful and refreshing.  

“I bet,” Gordie says sympathetically.  He sets down his wooden spoon and moves to her, pulling her into a kiss which soon melts into an embrace.  Camilla snuggles into his shoulder, relaxing into her boyfriend’s stronger body.  His big arms around her feel so soothing - it’s everything she’s been wanting all day.  “Hey, Cammy,” Gordie coos, one hand coming up to smooth her hair down.  He holds her to his shoulder for a moment, rocking slightly with her.  “Why don’t you go sit down and put your feet up?  I bet they’re sore.  Dinner will be ready soon, and I think I promised you I’d massage your shoulders if you wanted…”

“You did,” Cammy says, smiling into Gordie’s shoulder.  “You’re sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”

“Nothing,” Gordie confirms, one hand cupping Camilla’s cheek and drawing her into another kiss.  This one is deeper than the first, and his warm lips linger on hers.  Only reluctantly does he draw away, smiling at her gently.  “Go rest.  I’ll be over in a minute.”

Camilla doesn’t need to be told twice; she drifts over to the couch in the living room and stretches out, taking another swig of lemonade before kicking her feet up on the couch, too.  She’s surprisingly tired, and finds herself drowsing a little as she lays back - but, she figures, she deserves to rest her eyes just a little.  It wasn’t often she worked so many hours in a row, especially during such a busy time.

A gentle touch on her shoulder wakes her up from her half-slumber.

“Hey, got you a bowl of curry, if you want it,” Gordie hums, holding out a steaming hot bowl with a little potholder underneath it.  

Camilla sits up, rubbing her eyes quickly to clear them of the post-sleep bleariness, and smiles up at Gordie.

“You’re so sweet,” she murmurs, taking the bowl from him.

“You’re the sweet one, here,” Gordie smiles, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead.  “I’ll be right back with some food for myself.”

“Kay,” Camilla smiles, taking a spoonful of curry and blowing on it to cool it down.  Eventually, she’s able to take a bite; it’s spiced perfectly, the flavors rich and aromatic and surprisingly complex.

“How’d it come out?”  Gordie asks, returning to the couch and settling down beside her.  

“It’s perfect, as always,” Camilla says, leaning her head on Gordie’s shoulder.  “You’re the best curry chef I know.  And that’s saying something, considering where I work.”

Gordie chuckles at this.

“It’s all the cooking I had to do for my little siblings, growing up,” he says modestly, and when Camilla steals a look up at his face, she finds he’s actually blushing a little.  

They make gentle conversation with one another as they eat, and soon, Gordie takes both of their empty bowls, setting them in the sink.

“Come here, Cammy,” he says, returning back against the couch.  He leans back against the armrest and gestures to his chest.  “I owe you that massage.”

“You’re so good to me,” Camilla sighs, leaning her smaller frame against her boyfriend so that her back rests against his front.  His hands, so big and strong, come to her shoulders, and he begins kneading her muscles gently.  “You must have carried a lot of heavy trays tonight, huh?”  He asks.

“Yeah, I did.  In fact, there were definitely some contenders for heaviest tray of all time,” Camilla sighs, feeling her body begin to relax.  In fact, the more Gordie massages her shoulders, working up to her neck, then back down again, the more and more she begins to relax.  Her eyes again begin to drift closed; she’s just so comfortable, and she feels so safe here with Gordie…

Before she falls asleep completely, she wakes up with a jolt.

“Were you sleeping?”  Gordie asks playfully, nuzzling his nose into her hair.  Camilla laughs.

“Almost,” she admits.  “What can I say?  You’re just so good with your hands.”

“Hmm.  I like the sound of that,” Gordie says flirtatiously.  Camilla laughs again and blushes, turning in his arms so that she’s facing him.

“I thought you might,” she murmurs, pressing a deep kiss to his soft lips.  She kisses him with all the passion and love she feels in the moment, allowing herself to open her mouth to him; he explores her mouth for a moment, but before the kiss grows too hungry, they both pull back for air.  “Before things get - any more heated,” Camilla says, blushing at her own words.  “I have a little something for you.”

Gordie’s eyebrows raise in surprise.

“Really?”  He asks.  “Because I have a little something for you, too.”

Camilla can feel her eyes widen and her mouth drop open a little.

“You do?”  She asks, taken aback.  “I - that’s really sweet of you, Gordie.  I guess we were both just on the same page tonight, huh?”

“I guess so,” Gordie laughs.  “Here - you go get your thing, and I’ll go get mine, and we’ll trade, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Camilla agrees, standing up.  “No peeking,” she says in a sing song voice as she heads to the refrigerator.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Gordie laughs.  

Except he’s following her to the refrigerator, too.

“Um, is your gift in here, too?”  Camilla asks, swinging the door open.  She grabs the nondescript box with the Pechaberry Tart inside and pulls it out, holding it behind herself, still hoping to build up to the surprise somehow - though Gordie’s already probably guessed what, exactly, her gift is.

“Yeah - it’s, um, it’s this box that’s mine,” Gordie flounders, pulling out an identical looking box to Camilla’s.  He holds it out to her and pops the top, revealing what’s inside.  “I got you a Pechaberry Tart.  I saw the way you looked when you agreed that they are really good, and I just…” Gordie trails off as Camilla holds her box out to him, opening it to reveal a nearly identical looking tart inside.

“I got you the same thing,” Camilla says, locking eyes with Gordie.

Soon, the two of them dissolve into laughter.

“I can’t believe we had the same idea,” Gordie laughs, putting his tart down on the counter.  Camilla does the same, moving into Gordie’s embrace.

“I know!  I thought my idea was so original,” Camilla laughs in return.

“Oh, believe me, I did, too,” Gordie says.

“How did you do it?  Get one, I mean?  I was serving you the whole time!”

Gordie puffs up a little at this.

“I’m pretty pleased you didn’t catch on, actually.  I asked Chef for one when I was in the kitchen, after I’d given him my compliments and all.  Snuck out with it while you were busy with your other tables,” he beams.

“You little Impidimp,” Camilla laughs, pinching his cheek.  “I didn’t have to go to such lengths to get one, though I did think Chef was going to kill me when I asked him to make another one so I could bring it home.  He was so busy, already, I felt pretty bad,” she admits.

“He must have been wondering what was going on, if both of us wanted one,” Gordie snickers.

“Oh, Arceus,” Camilla realizes.  “I’m going to have to explain to him - otherwise he’s going to think that I just wanted a whole one to myself -”

“There’s nothing wrong with it if you do, you know,” Gordie says, growing serious.  “You’ve spent so much of your life giving things up for other people.  One whole Pechaberry Tart to yourself isn’t too much to ask, you know.”

Camilla smiles, leaning into her boyfriend more and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“I know,” she admits.  “It will be kind of nice to enjoy a whole one to myself over the next few days, actually.”

“Days?”  Gordie asks, teasing.  “I was kinda planning to just eat all of mine tonight.”

“You were not!”  Camilla laughs.  “They’re huge!”

“You’re right, I wasn’t,” Gordie laughs, dipping Camilla backwards, one arm around her waist.  He presses a kiss to her lips as he goes, then stands her back up, smiling from ear to ear.  “Thank you so much for thinking of me, Cammy.  Even if we got each other the same thing, I love the gesture.  And I love you.”

Camilla’s sure she’s blushing furiously, but she pulls Gordie in by his lapels, kissing him once again.

“I love you too,” she says as she pulls back, smiling dreamily at her boyfriend.  “What can I say? This is just a sign that we’re even more on the same page than I thought.  Now, let’s go grab a piece of two of these, then cuddle and enjoy some dessert together, shall we?”

Gordie’s smile is every bit as dreamy as he kisses Camilla once again.

“Sounds like a plan,” he says, and Camilla feels so indescribably at home with him in that moment that she knows for certain she’s found exactly where she’s supposed to be.

Gordie is her person, her love, her rock, her home.