Sweet Reunion

By A. C. Meyer

Fate meets nostalgia

In Sweet Nostalgia, fate meets nostalgia. Jade never forgot her ex-boyfriend, who broke up with her over his career. But the recipe of a great love always works. What happens when the two of them meet again? Alex is overwhelmed, and the stress of being a legal director at a major bank has taken its toll. When he decides to rethink his own life, his sister's engagement invitation seems like a good chance to go back to his hometown in the look of a more peaceful routine. It also looks like the perfect occasion for a reunion...

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. C. Meyer
• Release date: Dec 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781071580097

Book preview

Nostalgia

Sweet reunion

A.C. Meyer

1

Jade

It's perfect, Jade! I hear Safira, my younger sister and best friend, say behind me when she sees me putting the wedding cake topper on the top of the wedding cake.

I stop by her side, wiping my hands on the dishtowel that was on the counter, and evaluate my work with a smile on my face: a wonderful five-story cake, with sponge cake dough, and white chocolate truffle filling, covered with American paste, crafted with lacy details. A beautiful ivory satin ribbon, the exact color of the cover and finished off with a millimeter-shaped bow, wraps around the cakes number one, three, and five. I need to agree with her, it's perfect.

I can't believe it's done. I think this was one of the most time-consuming," I say and smile, as she puts her arm around my waist and hugs me, still watching the wonderful cake.

I stopped by just to say hi. I'm going to class. Can I grab a sweet treat from there? She blinks her eyes, as blue as the stone that bears her name, and waves her long wavy blond hair towards the tray where fifteen hundred wedding sweet treats are arranged.

I knew you had an interest, I say, laughing. Sure, take it. Are you going out with Paulo today? I ask, referring to the boy she has seeing for some time.

"He'll pick me up at college. We will probably have dinner. I'm on it mom, I let you know," she says and winks as she leaves the kitchen with some wedding sweet treats in hand.

I smile at the joke, but I feel proud of the good girl my sister is. She, our father, and I are very close. Dad was the large person responsible for this union, and for us having such... exotic names. He owns a small jewelry store in town and, when we were born, he said that we were the most precious thing he had, along with our mother, who left when I was ten, and Safira, six.

Thinking of my mother brings a sad smile to my face. It was because of her that I discovered my skills in the kitchen. From a very young age, I helped her cook, and when she left, after many unskillful attempts made by my father - to be gentle and not to say that his food was horrible - I took on the responsibility of cooking for the three of us, with the help from her old recipe book. As I grew up, I started creating my own recipes, and, at the age of eighteen, I discovered that my real passion was wedding cakes. There is nothing more wonderful than making, from simple ingredients like flour, milk, and eggs, true masterpieces that will be part of one of the most special days for a couple.

I pick up the dirty items from the counter, and take them to the large sink, gently smiling as I start washing the dishes. Thinking about the happiness of couples, who daily look for Sonho da Jade (Jade’s dream), my cake shop, reminds me that it was love that made me open that business and decide to work with brides. More specifically the love for a four-year older man, with a killer smile and a look that makes me shiver to this day, just to recall it. I met Alex at a party that I didn't want to go to, almost at four in the morning, when I was about to go home. He wasn't my type at all. I have always preferred blonds, with a smooth face - without a beard - and a calm temper. Alex had very dark hair like mine, clipper cut, goatee, and unmatched intensity. We spent the rest of the night dancing and holding each other as if we were made for each other. Words between us at that moment were not necessary.

We were opposites. My shyness contrasted with his friendliness. He was seductive, while I was romantic. He loved sports, listened to rock, and was addicted to outdoor activities, while I believed that climbing the five steps that led to the entrance to my building was enough exercise, loved Backstreet Boys, and used to hit the books, especially the recipe ones. I saw in Alex a kind of firefly, which shone and enchanted everyone around him, unlike me, who was the caterpillar that had not yet become a butterfly. Despite our differences, strangely, we perfectly fit together in a way that I had never seen... or rather, I had witnessed only once, many, many years ago, while my mother was alive. Alex and I were so in tune, and the chemistry that brought us together was explosive. I have never been kissed with such passion and surrendering as when we were together. He brought out the best in me and made me believe that I could achieve anything I wanted, simply because he was beside me.

During the few months that we were together, I created countless recipes for sweets and cakes, developed techniques, and studied hard, the best way, to work with the ingredients for confectionery. He was my lab rat and tasted most of my experiments, always giving an impartial opinion and encouraging me to continue and improve myself. Until fate decided that we needed to part ways. Alex moved to Brasilia for work, and I stayed and rolled up my sleeves to build Sonho da Jade.

It has not been easy. Although the relationship was what many would consider a youth romance, due to the short time we spent together, the breakup hurt a lot. I loved Alex with all my heart, and I know that he loved me the same way. I missed not only him, the man who completed me and made me feel so special, but the moments we spent together. The fun and happy moments that I remembered with such affection. And even though I suffered from his departure and missed him every day, I chose to keep moving forward and making that love the main ingredient in the cakes I offer to my brides.

Some people relate nostalgia to loneliness. I believe that this very special word, which in some languages does not even have a literal translation, is the result of the love we feel for someone special in our life. For me, the longing has nothing