It was a day like any other. And like
most days, there were routines. Alex, one of the most popular 16-year-old boys,
had a routine in which he played football every evening after school. He loved football
practice not only because of the sport, but because of the fact that he had his
own personal cheerleaders; his classmates Stacy and Grace.
The two girls both had crushes on Alex
and sought to win his affections by cheering him on at every game. But Stacy
liked to bake and used her hobby to an advantage. She would frequently bake Alex his favourite dessert, moist
chocolate cake. Having learned this, Grace gets jealous and began to do the
same. With confectionary as a new competition ground for the two girls, their
rivalry became bitterer than dark chocolate.
The girls baked their prized chocolate
cake almost every day to see who would triumph over the other and win Alex’s
heart. Sadly, although Grace’s cake was delicious, it could not compare the Stacy’s
homemade magic. Alex absolutely loved it! It became a routine for him to eat
Stacy’s chocolate cake every day. Their time together grew fonder, and their
days together at school felt longer. Alex noticed that his heart skipped a beat
every time he saw Stacy.
Alex eventually confesses his feelings to
Stacy, which made her delighted, seeing as all her hard work had paid off.
Grace was heartbroken and immediately moved to a different school, as the
heartache was too much to bear. Alex and Stacy became one of the hottest items
in school. Too often people would talk about how cute they looked together,
especially when on their dates at the pier where they would feed each other
chocolate cake while watching the sun set over the horizon.
Time passed and finals were coming around the corner, and Stacy’s
mother urged her to concentrate on her studies. So Alex’s chocolate cake fix
became less and less frequent till finally it stopped altogether, and had to be
put on hold till the exams were over. At first, things seemed fine, but Alex
started feeling bothered. Eventually his heart did not react the same way it
first did whenever he saw Stacy. But the thoughts that spun about his head
incessantly were about the chocolate cake she used to make for him.
And that was when Alex realised that he was not in love in Stacy
all along, but her moist chocolate cake! And when her daily offerings of
chocolate cake dwindled, so did Alex’s feelings for her. Not that Stacy really
noticed. She just thought his mind was as busy with the impending exams as hers
was. And even though they still saw each other every day, Alex just did not
feel like he used to when they were first together. But once the exams were
over, Stacy surprised Alex with a slice of chocolate cake to celebrate! He
found his heart pounding once again, enjoying the cake his taste buds missed so
much.
Back at home on the weekend, lying on his bed, Alex stared at the
ceiling wondering what to do about how he was feeling. He looked to the side
and spotted Stacy’s jacket on his study chair. She must have left it by
accident the last time she came over. Her scent lingered in his room and Alex
had sleepless nights because of it. The perfume she wore every day reminded him
of the chocolate cake he so desperately craved for and thus made his heart beat
profusely, and his stomach incredibly hungry. His desire for chocolate cake was
insatiable.
Whenever Alex passed by the pier or saw the sunset, the first thing
that entered his mind would be Stacy’s amazing chocolate cake. He reflected on
this long and hard until he finally realised that he may not actually love
Stacy, but as long as he wanted to be able to taste that incredible chocolate
cake of hers, he could never bring himself to break up with her… FOR THE REST
OF HIS LIFE.
And so, the routine carried on.
THE END
