Remmington Milne

 When Rydel began to think about something she could become a bit obsessive, overthinking and making things seem worse for herself. When this happened after not hearing from Remmington she busied herself with baking. She’d littlerally spent hours making small tartes of all flavors. But as she worked at the bakery she found things a bit easier; then she noticed the face she missed more than she probably should and everything changed. “A forced date? I would have to look at my oh so busy schedule so you are just going to have to wait a moment.” She said coming off a bit stiff as an act, going as far as opening her phone and opening the blank calendar. “Hm. Looks like you are lucky this time, sir.” She said turning her head. “Just what exactly do you have planned for this date?” Even as Rydel tried to act displeased she couldn’t hold back the reddening cheeks and the smallest cracking smile across her face.

         --- Remmington was trying to keep a steady smile but there were a flurry of butterflies coursing through him as he saw her standing there. He tapped the basket on the counter “I figured we could go on a picnic, I brought something to drink and some snacks” he took a step closer to her “Come on, Rydel, let me make it up to you, I get so lost in my work that I forget about the rest of the world sometimes” he winced realizing that made it sound like he had forgotten about her, which he hadn’t not at all, he just got so caught up in his work that he sometimes forgot that the world continued to go on while he was busy.

 A blush was all that Rydel could really make out of the comment. She swished her hips back and forth, letting the powdery pink skirt float around. She had to admit, the color wasn’t hideous on her. Not that the next day she wasn’t going to go right back to red. “Well, hurry up and drink your drinks! I want to have some fun. We can out dance everyone here.” She said hopping next to him as they went to drink. Rydel knew she was a lightweight and seeing her drunk was usually a show all on it’s own but this was a party and that was the fun of it all. She eagerly ordered their mix of drinks and slide one in front of him.

        --- Remmington couldn’t help smiling at Rydel bouncing around, she was horribly adorable right now, he had to turn away from her so he could get a straight enough face to take two tequila shots in a row and start drinking his beer to wash it down. “You, miss, are horribly adorable” he poked her on the nose before planting a kiss on her lips. Every moment he spent with her he was more and more happy with her, she brought so much light to the room and he was so drawn to it, he just wanted to know everything about her, be in every part of her life, he was infatuated with her already.

Rydel instantly cheered up when she spotted Remmington and that was saying something compared to how much she was already having fun. “Well, aren’t you adorable. You look amazing too! And look! I even got to wear a tiny bit of red! That the people can see…” She said covering it with a laugh as she knew Remmington had no idea what she was talking about. “You have to try this food though, it’s really good.” She said leaning closer to him. She really was still so excited that they were at the party together. “So I think you mentioned that I might be able to convince you to dance a few days ago? Do I have to get a few drinks in you first or not?”

             --- “As much as you say red is your color you’re really working the pink” Remmington popped a grape into his mouth, he wasn’t all that hungry, probably because he was a bit nervous, he instinctively put his arm around her waist, he really wanted her to know how happy he was to be there with her. “Dancing, hmm, yeah, that’s going to require at least one beer and probably a shot of tequila” he chuckled “come with me” he let his hand easily slip into hers and interlock their fingers together before he pulled her along to the bar to get a drink for them.

 Rydel strode proudly down to the cove, sure she managed to slip into the pink shade while having a slight accent of red on the color of her jacket but it was the red underneath that was making her feel more comfortable. Something about the color had been a weird stress reliever. With a smile on her face though she didn’t even start at the bar, she started with food; even if it was just basic things laid out to grab. Shoving a strawberry in her face and rolling her eyes back she smiled. “These are amazing! You have to try one!” 

           --- Remmington was way too obsessed about what he was supposed to wear to this party, he settled for a pink plaid shirt, blue jeans, and brown loafers. Parties weren’t exactly his go to thing on a Friday night, but it would be all worth it when he got to dance with Rydel, last he remembered he was a surprisingly good dancer. Entering the bar the first thing he did was scan the perimeter for her familiar blonde hair, as soon as he spotted her at the food table a grin spread across his face “that looks almost as good as you” he smirked before giving her a peck on the cheek, something about being with a lot of people was giving him a strange rush of confidence.

 She just smiled back like she always did. “That’s what I’ve been told.” She said with a short laugh as he kissed her once again. He was such a kindhearted man even when he was nervous or worried about messing something up. Rydel wasn’t exactly used to that but she couldn’t complain now. “You’re asking me a very hard question, Remmington. I wear red every day. I am Red.” She said biting her lip and shaking her head. “But… I guess for the sake of the party I can wear pink… maybe I’ll wear my red soled shoes just to keep my color on. After all.. I don’t need you to get all jealous on me. Even though I bet you’re just as cute then too.” 

          --- “If you want to wear Red i’m so okay with that, i’m sure you’ll look stunning in anything you wear, just be prepared for me to be stuck to you like glue, you may even be able to convince me to dance” he smiled brightly down at the small girl, tucking stray hair behind her ear, he felt like he could just stare at her for hours, she was breath taking and he could hardly believe that she liked him, and that she’d always had a crush on him. “I should show you how to plant some flowers, get down and dirty” he cringed at himself “that’s not what I mean” he felt his face get hot.

 Rydel couldn’t focus on the cookies anymore. She turned to Remmington and shook her head. “No, don’t say that. Look, we all have something about ourselves that is a bit broken… trust me. I’ve had things happen that I’m not ready to talk about… to anyone that make me seem like a shattered doll. But that doesn’t make you any less desirable.” She looked up at him, still trying to get used to the difference of height. She offered him a small smile and nodded. “It’s never too much for me to handle. And I’d really love to go to that party with you.” She felt bad for not telling him what happened in London, but like she said, unless she wanted to break down in front of him, she just wasn’t ready. “Come on…” She began holding up the cookie he made with a smile. “Show me a smile.” 

          --- Remmington felt a weight lift off of his shoulders and he couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face as he looked at her holding up the cookie, it was so cheesy and he loved every second of it. “You’re adorable” he chuckled before placing his lips against hers once again, he wanted to show her how happy she’d made him in such a short amount of time, and he didn’t want it to end anytime soon. “So, does that mean we have to wear pink or red? i’m not trying to assume anything, but i’m not sure I want any guys to give you too much attention, I’m not a very jealous person, but who knows” he teased lightly.

Rydel’s reality was utterly silent but inside she was screaming. Parts of it was all the excitement she had from just being kissed by such a wonderful person but the other part of her was worried that something had changed. He was a bit quiet now and seemed out of it. She silently went to decorating, not really having the best creative outlet as she focused just on him making the cookies (yet, still perfect) very bland. But as he spoke she lowered her cookie and sighed. “Oh… Remmington I’m so sorry to hear that. Well, it’s okay. I understand if it was too much… I mean I really enjoyed it. I’m probably going to sound creepy but I’ve always had a small crush on you. Any time I’ve ever seen you around I just have been too nervous to do anything…” 

        --- “No, no, I really wanted to do that, I just got this wave of guilt and I just wanted to be honest with you, I’m sorry, i’m honestly just a big mess, you don’t want to get involved in all of this” he tried to laugh, play it off like a self deprecating joke, but he was serious, he didn’t think that he was worthy of anyone, everything he touched just broke and he didn’t want to do that to her. Remmington took a deep breath before taking her hand in his “I really like you Rydel, I’m just a bit broken, and I understand if it’s a bit much” he sighed once again “but if there’s a small chance it’s not, i’d love to take you to the valentine’s day party”.

Rydel was far from calm. She was a complete mess inside as she tried to figure out just how she ended up in such a perfect position as she had. After all this just so happened to be the boy she only ever saw working through a window all those times before. But this was much better than that. “Tricks?” She asked almost forgetting that is where the whole thing started. “Oh! Right. Um… sure.” Her head was not on cookies at the moment so when she turned back to the baked goods she was more of a jumbled mess.”Well, sometimes if we don’t like the way just the icing looks then there are always thngs to put on it to make it look better, like cute little sprinkles or even just chopped up candy bars…” Literally all Rydel could think about now was kissing Remmington; he really expected her to focus after all that?

         --- Remmington trying to focus on the cookies was an impossible task, his mind was racing and he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to act, he just wanted to spill his guts to this girl, it was an odd sensation to already feel so comfortable with her. He silently decorated a cookie before abruptly stopping and turning towards her “i’m sorry i’m acting weird” he sighed before speaking again. “My girlfriend died when I was eighteen, I kind of haven’t done this sort of thing since” he shifted his feet, feeling nervous how she would react, but he liked her and he just wanted to be honest with her.

 Rydel had just started to pout, forcing her lip out and making her eyes large as they looked up at him. Only that is all she got before she realized he was leaning forward and then, suddenly their lips were pressing together and she was sent into a quick shock. She wasn’t expecting it which caused only a second of tension but she quickly melted against him as she realized the intention of the embrace were soft. “I…” She stumbled to even react as he cheeks were burning red. “T-That is a very good… way to win.” She said quietly and went to kiss him back, this time not as nervous. 

          --- In this moment Remmington felt oddly calm and put together, his cheeks weren’t on fire when he gently pulled away, he moved his hand to her face, rubbing her cheek with her thumb “I told you I hate losing” he chuckled and leaned into her as she kissed him once again. They stayed like that for a few moments before he reluctantly let go of her, a sudden wave of sadness washed over him and he tried not to let it show on his face, he cleared his throat before walking back to the cookies “so can you show me more tricks?” he asked softly.

It seemed not just Rydel found herself cursed with blushing cheeks as she saw how red Remington’s got. Rydel let out a loud squeal as his arms went around her waist and she was forced to withstand the icing being wiped across her cheek. “No!” She said wiggling around in his arms. “You aren’t playing fair, you have long arms.” Rydel shimmed her arm free and turned so she was facing him. “And besides you will never win against me. Remember, I’m the decorator.” Then she got a bit of yellow and ran it across his other cheek. “Just give up now, or I will have to use my puppy eyes to get you to give up.”

        --- When Remmington had wanted to come here he didn’t expect to be having so much fun, he laughed as she wiped more icing on him and he put both on his hands around her and pulled her away from the counter so she could no longer use the icing against him “there’s no way i’m giving in, I may not be good at decorating cookies but i’m stubborn, and I hate losing” he hadn’t moved his arms from around her, and he couldn’t help but notice how amazing she looked, even with icing smeared on her face she looked flawless, enough to take his breath away. And in that moment he let his mind go blank, be in this moment and gently press his lips against her’s praying he wasn’t reading this situation wrong.

This all came so easy for Rydel. She really could probably just do the movements in her sleep and not be a line out of place. She worked on a cookie shaped like a heart, swirling white and red to create a marbling effect and then piping a simple little ‘UR CUTE’ on it.  She looked at the technique Remmington used and began to laugh slightly but only in a playful way. “I’m very happy to see him too. You really aren’t doing so bad for your first time, you know? Here I made you this one.” She said holding out her own decorated cookie, hoping it wasn’t too cheesy. “You know, I bet if I tried to make up a garden the way you do I wouldn’t be half as good. you must have some magic powers that makes everything grow prettier than normal.” She said going for another cookie but before she did that she did something a bit more fun. Rydel dipped her finger in one of the bowls, turning around quickly and wiping some of the iceing across his cheek and giggling. “See, I could just decorate you instead.”

          --- Remmington chuckled at the cookie she had decorated and blushed slightly, it had been a long time since a girl had made him so effortlessly smile. He hadn’t been expecting her to smear icing across his face but he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his mouth “oh, now you’ve done it!” he said grabbing some icing and spreading it across her cheek as well, holding her waist so she couldn’t escape the icing that would be there. He chuckled at her, not really even realizing how close their bodies had become, he was just happy, something he loved feeling once again.

“Maybe it will be, Remmington but as log as you are having fun does making a mess really matter?” Rydel was all about living in the moment she wasn’t organized and so making messes came as a natural thing to her. She giggled looking down at the forever dirty creased palms, they were worn but also held something welcoming about them. “That will do.” Rydel took his hand and led him to the decorating counter that was completely stocked with any icing and color, decorations and small tools to make the cookies and cakes look beautiful. “It starts here, take that apron, then a cookie and basically you just get to work. I can show you a few things that make it easy, like this slandted spatula here. You put a base layer down…mostly this is white but chose any color.” She then demonstrated herself as she started to easily decorate a cookie cut out like a flower. “Then it’s just about pickig colors and being creative.” 

          --- Remmington listened to her intently and watched her as she decorated her cookie, it was swift and beautiful and he was amazed at her talent. He quickly put on the apron and grabbed a circular cookie, taking a spatula and smearing some white icing on it, he stared at it, knowing it was already turning out to be a giant mess. Remmington looked up at her and smiled “i’m the actual worst at this” he chuckled before turning back to his cookie and using sprinkles to make a smiley face “look” he held up the cookie to her “he’s happy to see you” he said in a goofy voice, immediately regretting how weird and awkward he sounded.

“Maybe if you are a gardener but to step foot in our kitchen you are going to have the hands of a baker, clean and ready to make something delicious.” She said with a smile, honestly the dirty look only added to an odd attraction to him. She just couldn’t help feeling that he was so charming in an awkward and adorable way. When they arrived Rydel pulled him to the back where the kitchen was and where Rydel spent most of her time creating her little works of edible art. “Well, you can wash your hands over there but this is where the magic happens. And it even looks like they have made a bunch of cookies all ready to be decorated.” 

             --- “Oh, this looks like a disaster waiting to happen” Remmington was a bit terrified of the undecorated cookies, which was a pathetic thing to admit to anyone, terrified of cookies? stop. So he walked over to the sink to get his hands washed, he used so much soap and scrubbed very hard, there was still some darkness in his creases but it was a good as it was going to get at this point “I swear this is clean” he chuckled nervously, standing a bit back from all of the cookies around him “so uh, what now?”.

“Oh please, it’s nothing and I really want to make something special for you. Plus… it’s really fun. I can even let you try decorating.” Rydel said pulling an easy smile to her face and looking at his hands which were so close she really could just feel the warmth of his skin. “But first we are going to have to do something about these dirty hands, sir.” She said pulling his had up and chuckling.”I mean… you don’t have to but I think you might be able to get a bit of different creativity out of you.” 

        --- “Oh, you mean the permanently dirty hands aren’t aesthetically pleasing?” he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips “these are definitely not the hands that decorators have do they? i’ll wash up, don’t worry” he pushed her gently, trying to come off as being funny, but he knew he was probably missing the mark a tad. They arrived at the bakery rather quickly and before she could open the door Remmington grabbed it for her, pulling it open with a smile on his face.

“Well, I guess that is okay, at least the island isn’t the worst place to live after all. So far it’s beauty alone is enough to make me happy.” She said with a wide smile. Remmington seemed like the type that needed adventure and didn’t even know it. This is when she mentally challenged herself to make sure she included him in a few of her future adventures. He was such a sweet person and complimented her so well that she swore the color on her cheeks would eventually stain there. “Oh… I don’t know about that, Remmington. I’ve seen you work magic on that garden.” When he finally offered his hand to her she took it, sliding from her chair and moving closer to him. “Sure, I’ll do you one better. I can even bring you to the back and decorate something really special just for you.” 

         --- “You’re way too sweet, you don’t have to decorate something for me, whatever you have on hand i’m sure would be delightful” Remmington was taken back by the girl, she was gorgeous, hard working, and thoughtful, he honestly hadn’t felt the need to be around someone as much as Rydel in years, it had been so long since he felt comfortable around someone like her, and he was excited, but also nervous. They walked side by side, hands brushing close to each others, he wanted to grab her hand but something was holding him back, probably his own worry.

“Really?” Rydel always had a huge sense of adventure so staying in one place for long didn’t quite appeal to her too much.  “Have you ever thought about a vacation? There is so much things to see out there, even London is a very exciting place to visit.” She asked him very curious as to how he hadn’t ever left before. “Well, now is your chance. And I can’t really tell you what my favorite is, it changes every day, but that could make it all the more exciting for you! You can come by all the time and try something different. I know a few of the girls that work thee that would be very excited to see you come inside.” She really knew everyone was smitten with him; which wasn’t hard to wonder why but in the end it was her who really wanted to talk to him more. 

         --- “I’m kind of a homebody” he admitted quietly, he was always embarrassed when he talked about this part of himself, worried he would just come off as boring. “I have a crazy idea, why don’t we go over there now, you can show me how it’s done, I can make plants thrive but there is no way I could bake something as beautiful as you could” he stood up abruptly, holding out his hand for her, hoping she wouldn’t think he was crazy, or strange, he just didn’t want this time with her to come to an end.