Violet

[nola_laurielaurence]

New Orleans weather was, frankly, terribly. It was only mid-May and already the temperatures were in the high 80s. It was both intensely humid and unrelentingly sunny, and every tourist who walked by looked like they were in the process of actually melting.

But despite that, Amar was waiting outside for Violet, because it was the polite thing to do, maybe? And also he didn't want to risk the chance of missing her. Not when the semester was over and he had extra time on his hands, and could actually use more friends.

He wasn't actually mad at Diego, though he was committed to the bit for now, but the fact was that he really hadn't cultivated a thriving social life since moving down from Boston. Which was stupid, because Amar was great! People should like him! People who weren't the bones he studied and the grad students who had to do what he said.

He leaned back into the meager shade from Phoenix Effect's awning and crossed his arms. Violet liked books—what did he know about books? It was so hot that he couldn't remember anything. He had read a book before, right?

Comments

[nola_laurielaurence]

"I'm from Boston, and it's cool and drafty a lot of the time," Amar told her. "Except in the summer, when it's a miserable soup pot. But we do have the haunted house thing going on, but not as much as New Orleans." This city was the land of ghosts, it seemed.

[nola_jomarch]

"I grew up in Baltimore, so same, really. If I could just put September through December in Baltimore on a loop, I'd probably be pretty happy."

[nola_laurielaurence]

"Baltimore!" He grinned. "Are we going to have to beef over who gets to claim Edgar Allan Poe? I didn't bring my throwing stars."

[nola_jomarch]

"I grew up in the Poe House and Museum. I will fuck you up over Poe," she replied cheerfully.

[nola_laurielaurence]

"Wait, literally? Is your last name Poe?" Because that would be amazing!

[nola_jomarch]

Violet laughed. "Sadly no, it's Weaver. But I was there...all the time. Including almost every single birthday for like ten years running. My mom is a lit professor who does a seminar on Poe. It's a whole thing."

[nola_laurielaurence]

Amar looked delighted. "I love the idea of a Poe birthday! I know this probably wasn't how it went, but I'm picturing balloons shaped like ravens, punch in little casks of Amontillado, and a heart-shaped cake."

[nola_jomarch]

"Masks for the red death. Cakes that bleed. Mom sends me sherry truffles most years for my birthday, still. They're boozy enough she really couldn't give them to me as a kid."

[nola_laurielaurence]

"Cakes that bleed!" Amar repeated in excitement. He took out his phone to jot himself a note. "I need to remember that for the anthropology department winter potluck—I always bring pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate to look like femurs."

[nola_jomarch]

Vi smiled as she grabbed her own phone out of her bag. "Ooh, chocolate covered pretzels are tasty. I have cake recipes I can email you. Including one for making anatomical human heart cakes which look awesome. I haven't made them before because I don't like fondant, but I've been saving it in case I ever throw an epic Halloween party."

[nola_laurielaurence]

"Yes, a thousand times yes," Amar said. "I might have to take a baking class, but it'll be worth it. Fondant is gross, though."

[nola_jomarch]

Violet shook her head as she handed him her phone so he could put his email address in her contacts. "Don't worry. Most of them are pretty simple. The fanciest I ever get when baking is to do some basic mods to a boxed cake mix that I learned from someone on tumblr, and most of the time it's not even that, just those cookie dough tubes, of which only half gets turn into actual cookies."

[nola_laurielaurence]

"Like real life Nailed It?" he asked, tapping in his email.

[nola_jomarch]

"Not even. My usual level of complexity is substituting butter for oil and adding an extra egg. If the cake wouldn't dry out faster without it, I'd probably skip frosting cakes and just alternate bites of cake and frosting. The more advanced stuff I get help with or is a recipe my mom pulled off when I was a kid and I've never made for myself." She could follow directions, as long as they didn't require more than average eye-hand coordination or any artistic ability whatsoever.

[nola_laurielaurence]

"All I've really done is watch a lot of making shows and try fun stuff with boxed mixes, like poke cake," Amar said. "I aspire to fancy breads and pastry."

[nola_jomarch]

"What...what is poke cake?" Was she about to discover a new kind of deliciousness? This was not what she was expecting!

[nola_laurielaurence]

"Oh, it's really simple! It's usually yellow or white cake, and then you poke holes in it and pour a Jello mixture over the top so it seeps in. It's really moist and the color makes it pretty." He started typing again. "Here, I'll send you the instructions. You can pour in pudding and caramel too, but I've never tried it."

[nola_jomarch]

“Is pineapple jello a thing? I hope it’s a thing, because I feel a piña colada cake idea coming on and it would be perfect in this weather.” Oooh, or strawberry daquiri. Violet was typing notes into her phone as fast as she could. “If I spend all summer inventing poke cakes based on drinks with tiny umbrellas in them, I blame you. And will thank you in my speech for my resultant Nobel Prize.”

[nola_laurielaurence]

"If pineapple Jello isn't a thing, I think it can be invented." It couldn't be too hard, right? Plain gelatin plus some pineapple puree... "And all the thanks I need are some sample slices of your creations."

[nola_jomarch]

“I’m seriously going to the grocery store on the way home. But in the meantime, we should probably get coffee while we’re here, huh?” Since they’d otherwise just been standing in the cafe being nerds.

[nola_laurielaurence]

"Oh, right." He turned and waved awkwardly at the barista, who was staring at them expectantly. "What do you want? I invited you out, so I'll treat."

[nola_jomarch]

“A ginormous iced hazelnut latte, please,” she requested cheerfully. “And thank you.”

[nola_laurielaurence]

Hazelnut for her, and iced vanilla caramel for him, and as soon as the drinks were ready Amar held hers out to her. "Hazelnut in the summer is a rogue choice. I like it!"

[nola_jomarch]

“When it comes to coffee, I’m a hazelnut loyalist. Iced or hot, it’s just so tasty.” She took a long sip through her straw; summer might just be bearable with another hundred of these. 

[nola_laurielaurence]

"It reminds me of fall, which isn't a bad thing." He gestured to a table, suggesting they sit. "Fall is one of the things I miss most about New England."