LIKE BUTTER IN THE HEAT

Chapter 4: Gingerbread Cake

“I'm new to Paris,” Molly states with a sliver of expectation striking through her eyes. The young man, Corey, had left a good impression on her, and the glimmer of excitement she caught in his eyes, one he'd carefully masked, had her intrigued.

“Welcome to Paris, Molly,” Corey said, his gaze astute yet mild. In its grasp was a sense of comfort and ease that lingered on her.

Regaining her composure, Molly responds while shuffling through the remains of her dignity that hadn’t managed to slip away. “Thank you, Corey.”

They each paused with their gazes lingering on each other; Molly simply watched Corey in curiosity, her eyes picking through him in search of the possible red flag of a generic adult male, and Corey’s was merely out of interest. Ethnicity and race aside, Corey found Molly incredibly impeccable, as did her bright yet slightly hazy intelligent gaze which seemed to hide a million statements under its wraps. Molly was a new mystery, and he knew that this split second where their eyesight collided was a process of thorough scrutiny, one he strangely found amusing.

Intruding with a cough, Corey immediately broke the passivity between them with a question.

“Would you love to dine with us?” He asked, his hands gesturing at Les Fous de l'Ile behind him. The warm scent of fresh pastry and a complexly woven scent that made Molly remember an Italian dish of Veal she had back in America, wafted through the thin opening lines of the door.

With Corey’s invitation, Molly walked towards the entrance. Immediately she crossed the threshold into the diner, her face was buffeted by the sweet vanilla-like smell of whipped cream woven intricately with the warm scent of freshly baked croissant, and a faint whiff of ginger which she tailed to a caramel cake with a cream-colored frosting laced with chocolate sprinkles hidden behind a showglass. The gingerbread cake made Molly’s eyes sparkle, and Corey who stood beside her noticed the glimmer in her eye which in turn forced a bright smile lining his lips. Molly’s attention was only on the baked food, every other dish felt nonexistent at this moment.

“I made that personally. I wouldn’t mind gifting you a slice as a ‘welcome to Paris’ gift.” Corey who stood to the side spoke, his eyes resting on Molly awaiting her response.

Before answering, Molly drew her eyes away from the gingerbread cake protected by a thin layer of glass to the dinner.

Reigning in her eagerness, Molly turned to Corey offering him an answer.

“I would love that.”

“Give me a minute then, madame,” Corey said with a slight bow before hurrying over to retrieve a slice of gingerbread cake.

Molly used the chance to find herself a perfect table by the window where she could lean into it while taking in the view of the natives of those islands, enjoying the mundane things that bore an immense abstract value. Her gaze peering through the glass, everything was a reflection on a massive screen; the shuttling scooters that hissed with invisible fumes dragging from behind, a new band of street performers who made perfectly synchronized contemporary dance to beats that were blocked out by the glass; and further from the band was an old couple strolling along the road with their arms locked together as they would occasionally stop to smell the flowers that bundled up in some areas. Molly was so lost in the muted activities through the screen that she was unaware of Corey who stood beside her with a soft smile, his eyes shifting between the view beyond the glass and the girl casually leaning against the glass whose thoughts had already sunk into the natural mural before her.

Suddenly startled by a vague presence beside her, Molly shivered and stiffly rotated her head to the giggling Corey standing with a served piece of cake in hand.

“That wasn’t creepy at all…” Molly grumbled at how Corey had taken solace beside her silently.

“You seemed to have found your world. I didn’t want to cut you away from that.” Corey stated honestly while shaking his head in disapproval. “That state of calmness where you appreciate the simple beauty around, is a priceless experience.”

Molly’s frown relaxed a bit, but before she could make any statement, Corey made a request.

“Hope I’m being intrusive, but may I join you?” Corey asked while taking a pause, having his eyes make a three-sixty-degree survey of the near-empty diner, his action conveying his subtle words and intentions.

Molly had no reason to refuse, even though she couldn't make out Corey's true motive, she merely accepted it as a kind offer a gentleman was showing a complete visitor. This turned out to be Corey's intention. He simply found Molly interesting and wanted to help her have a smooth time during her stay; he completely lacked any form of ulterior motives.

“Please make yourself comfortable.” Molly nodded at the seat opposite hers, a kind smile stapled to her lips.

Her eyes immediately shuttled over to the gingerbread cake Corey had laid in front of her. She wasn't excited to eat the cake due to its amazing taste, especially not after having eaten dozens already. What made her excited was the opportunity to compare notes with what he had spent most of her time with back in America, to what the French have.

Not standing on ceremony, she dug her fork into and severed a piece which she stuffed into her mouth. Her jaws danced while she chewed, and her eyes closed in delight as she savored the taste.

Corey took into account Molly's actions and didn't make any move to distract her. He simply sat and watched her revel in the imploding wonder filling her mouth.

“The ginger…” Molly suddenly said, her eyelids peeling apart to show her fervent eyes staring brightly at Corey. “You process yours differently, right?”

Corey's eyes flickered in surprise and approval. Not many people would notice the uniqueness of ginger. Most would just devour the taste as a whole, unlike Molly who sectionalized the taste and managed to decipher the uniqueness of the ginger.

Corey nodded, affirming Molly's question.

*I use fresh ginger, not processed ones or extracts.” He added, then continued. “My ginger is first shredded, which I boil in a pressure pot with low heat and half a cup of water depending on the amount of ginger.”

Molly was attentive, her eyes brimming with curiosity as she listened to Corey.

He continued.

“The essence of the pressure is to compress the ginger and forcefully draw out its essence. The heat is low so as not to get it burnt, and the water is to act as support for the ginger. I leave the heat for an hour, after which I pour out the first extract. The ginger is then meshed this time and boiled again.”

As Corey spoke, his eyes never left Molly for a second. He took in every single expression she made: her frowns, ponders, excitement, and sometimes dissatisfaction. She seemed to have immersed herself in his words as she carefully took mental notes.

“Have you tried making use of ginger syrups?” Molly suddenly asked.

Taken aback, Corey nodded which immediately had Molly pondering a few things.

“So,” Corey suddenly cuts Molly off her train of thought, causing her to smile apologetically at Corey. He simply smiled it off and went on speaking. “so, what brings you to Paris? I can barely find a sister in this part of the world.”