10. Cupcakes

                                    

                                          
Leo
My blood type is O negative. Meaning it's the universal donor.
Having this blood type surely comes in handy many times in the army when someone needs an emergency blood transfusion.
And I try to donate as much as I'm allowed.
There's a branch in Miami Medical where one can donate blood. And that's where I'm currently waiting in the lobby for the elevator.
I enter the cab and smile when I see a pretty familiar face. I bypass a few other passengers and stand beside her.
She's wearing those damn cute blue scrubs that are molded to her petite figure.
There's a box in her hand that doesn't look medical. She leans a bit into me and says in a low voice. "Are you following me?"
I look down at her hazel eyes. They're full of mischief. "Are you following me?" I counter.
"I work here." She deadpans, shifting the box in her hands.
"And I'm a patient here," I say, while trying hard not to laugh. It's been three times so far that we meet unplanned. I'm not big on signs and what not, but maybe this one could be.
The elevator stops, and two people get off. When we ascend again, she opens the box and extends it in front of me.
"Would you like a cupcake?" There are indeed cupcakes. They look pretty gooey. So I grab one. I don't eat healthy when I'm home. It's my time to eat real food and not MRE—Meals Ready to Eat. Which mostly contains a lot of nutrition to keep us full for a long period of time. We do occasionally get something sweet, like skittles or pound cake, but I don't really consider those real desserts.
"You made them?" I lift it in front of my eyes and inspect the layer of icing on top. My Nonna has made enough cupcakes and muffins to know what makes them good.
"Si. It's my recipe." She closes the lid and tilts her head up to peer into my eyes. "Well, someone else invented it before me, probably, but I came up with it myself. So it's my recipe." She shrugs.
I like her way of thinking.
I peel the paper away and dig my teeth into it, taking a big bite. I haven't eaten a cupcake in so long, I can't remember when the last one I consumed was. And this tastes amazing. It's not dry at all and there's a hint of a spice that I think is cinnamon that gives it a kick.
"What's your verdict?" She asks, eyeing me carefully.
I swallow the bite and take another one, nodding. After swallowing the second bite, I say the truth. "Really good. Is it your birthday?" With my free hand, I motion to her box of cupcakes.
"No," she shakes her head and scoots closer to my side when a group of what looks like doctors enter the elevator. She nods to them, then continues speaking to me. "Every once in a while I feel gracious and bring some for the break room."
That's nice of her. I take another bite and look at her, noticing her rolled-up sleeves. There are a few tattoos on display and I quickly scan them—a few words and numbers, a flower I can't name, a little butterfly and a few more.
"And you were feeling gracious today?" I nudge her shoulder with mine. More like with my upper arm with our height difference.
She chuckles. "You could say that." The metal doors open, and she takes a step forward but looks sideways at me. "That's my floor." She gives me a small wave. "I guess I'll be seeing you around." She has a small smile tugging up her lips, insinuating how often we've met with no prior forethought.