Page 128 of Why Cheese?
Roq sighs in utter exhaustion. “No. Please open your pamphlet to page six. Cheese requires…”
Leaning back, I rest on the table and watch Roq in his element. While the others found joy and freedom in their new endeavors, he stuck with his first love. But he also realized that, more than creating, it’s teaching others that sings to his heart. After winning a few prestigious ribbons, we could charge quite a bit to teach all of those homesteader and cottagecore types how to do it themselves.
Has any of this been easy? Hell no.
That first year, I’d get at best a few hours with them before I’d pass out. And, despite their assurances all was well, I could tell they were still fighting. But—by and by—things got better. I shuffled around the hours and hired someone to work from noon to five. Erin is an absolute lifesaver.
Most importantly, we got to live. Cam can spend his nights reveling in printed debauchery. Brie paints the most electric sunsets. Cheddy regularly challenges others to all kinds of dangerous stunts. And Roq…Roq’s able to let go of the guilt and smile.
On occasion.
He’d lose his mystique if he did it all the time.
As for me…
My phone alarm goes off. I twist it around in surprise to find it’s already midnight. Roq’s the first to catch on. “All right, everyone. We’ll pick this up tomorrow with the curd. Please read sections three through five in your packets so we don’t waste any time.”
His students deposit their aprons on the table, thank Roq, and climb up to the ground floor. For a beat, Roq rubs the back of his neck. He pauses and watches me standing there. A lopsided, almost drunken smile twists about his lips. “Thank god it’s closing time,” he says.
I walk to him, planting my palms on his chest. My fingers dig into the straps of the apron and I pull myself onto my toes. “Don’t act like you aren’t loving this,” I tease him.
“Mm, ignorant fools who stumble through every simple step I give them.” Roq grumbles.
“Exactly.” I playfully pull off his hat and drop it on my head.
Roq drapes his hands on the top of my ass. He keeps peering down at me even as we glide back and forth. “I don’t know if I can claim to love teaching fools,” he says sternly, then a chuckle wafts about his face. Bending over, he collapses his forehead to mine and whispers, “But I do love you.”
We kiss by the glowing vat of warm milk. Roq, the always serious one, runs his hands up my back. I lick around his lip. His palms flatten and his biceps tighten like he’s about to throw me onto that table right now.
“Violette? Is it midnight?” Brie calls down.
I break off the kiss to lean back and shout, “Yes, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” Roq reaches for my zipper when the clomp of feet and a shift in music breaks up above. He tosses his head back with a sigh. “I suppose you need to check on them.”
“Who knows what trouble they could get into.”
“I have some ideas,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll clean up down here and join you.”
Giddy, I can’t stop giggling as I back up for the stairs. My eyes don’t leave him until I have no choice. The second my head pops up through the floor, arms pull me out.
I’m swaying on my feet and halfway in a twirl before I realize Cheddy’s brought me dancing. “How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Delightful,” he exclaims, then spins me into his arms for a side dip. “Why?”
From the corner of my eye, I catch the man who ate the black cheese. He’s hanging between the helping shoulders of his two bros, his face a sickly green. Staring into Cheddy’s always dewy visage I shrug. “No reason.”
Brie waves to his two students as they pack up their things and walk to the door. “We’ll work on the streams tomorrow night.” After they slip away, he takes in Cheddy and me. A coy smile flits about his lips and he stuffs his paintbrush behind his ear.
“Read chapters ten through fifteen.” Cam leaps off of his throne to land on the ground below. “Or don’t. I’ll read them to you anyway.Cariña.” He lunges past Cheddy and steals me away mid-step. “How I’ve missed your sweet touch. It’s been agony being without you.”
“You saw me two hours ago.”
“Two years you mean. And seeing is nothing without touching, holding—” Cam pins his hips to mine, making his intentions obvious and throbbing. “Peeling off all of our clothes and crying into the night.” He bends me clear over until my fingers trace the floor. Staring deep into my eyes, Cam aims his lips right at my not-so-modest neckline.
“Sorry, I forgot my…” A man stops dead in the threshold and eyes up the woman about to be devoured by her cheese vampire. “I’ll get it later.” He dashes away, his face bright red.
“I should probably lock the door,” I say.
