What's Happening To Me?

John had been jealous of Sophia's regulars, but it seemed he hadn't even scratched the surface. 

Moments after John left, one of Sophia's regulars walked through the door while she was in the back, decorating cupcakes for an order that was due the next day. When she heard the bell above the door go off, she moved quickly to the front, anticipating that it was John walking through the doors. 

However, the moment she met the grey eyes of the man in the front of the store, she realized it was one of her regulars, Angelo. 

As usual, he donned a pinstripe suit and his hair was slicked back. He had a great body - so good that Sophia doubted he ate any of the desserts he bought from her every so often. For some reason, he always went for the cinnamon rolls. He had to be in his thirties but that didn't keep him from hitting on Sophia and giving her a good tip whenever he was around.

She had noticed before that he smelled like pine trees, but that day it seemed particularly potent. It was such a fresh and nostalgic scent, she always wondered what cologne he used to achieve that smell. 

"Good afternoon, Angelo," Sophia greeted him, her voice dripping with sweetness. "A cinnamon roll as always?" 

For some reason, Angelo seemed alarmed by her for a moment. He looked around the bakery as if he expected someone else to be there. 

"You know me so well," Angelo responded smoothly. 

He stepped towards the counter and Sophia put a cinnamon roll in a small cardboard container for him. Angelo never ate at the bakery, he always took the food with him. 

When Sophia stepped towards the counter, her eyes met Angelo's. If she wasn't mistaken, a smirk appeared on his face and his gaze on her became more intense. She tried to ignore it as she handed him his food and he handed her the money. 

For some strange reason, when Angelo's hand brushed against Sophia's, a shock of pain struck her to her core. She doubled over, dropping the money before she could do anything with it. 

The smell of pine seemed to get more intense and Sophia found it dizzying. 

The pain was sharp just below her belly button. Unlike the pain she normally had, her body got the chills and her forehead began to sweat. 

"Is something the matter, Soph?" Angelo asked, though his expression made it seem like he wasn't all that worried. 

Luckily, Rosa had seemed to catch onto the situation. She ran forward to take Angelo's money and gave him change from the register which he promptly put in the tip jar. 

At that moment, John came into the bakery with a dark expression on his face and his shoulders heaving. 

The situation felt tense to him and, the moment he stepped into the bakery, the usual sweet scent was polluted by something else. 

"Who the hell are you?" John demanded from the man who was standing at the counter. 

Angelo turned to see who had just walked in, though, at the sight of a large man like Joh, he didn't cower from fear. He looked self-assured. 

"You don't recognize me, Luca?" Angelo asked the other man. "Very interesting." 

Without another word, Angelo grabbed his cinnamon roll and walked out of the bakery. As he left, he watched the scene unfolding over his shoulder. When he walked by the alley leaving the bakery, he tossed the cinnamon roll at any of the homeless rejects living inside. The cinnamon roll was gone in minutes. 

John walked to the back of the store, seeing Sophia doubled over in pain by the kitchen door. 

"Take over. I'll tend to Sophia," John said to Rosa who stood in shock, unsure of how to respond. 

John, though his name seemed to be Luca, grabbed Sophia around the waist and led her to the back room where there was a small bathroom along with a few lockers and a mirror in case whoever was there needed to get ready or store their things. 

There was a bench along the wall and John placed Sophia on it. 

However, her small hand reached out and grabbed him by the shirt. She pulled him down until he was on his knees. 

With her body close to his, he could tell that she was shaking. 

His shirt was balled up in her fists and she leaned her forehead against his neck. 

"W-what is happening to me?" Sophia uttered, having fully broken into a cold sweat.

He had been trying to prove himself all day, but he couldn't hold back any longer. His arms wrapped around her. 

These cramps were different. They were making her brain feel foggy. For some strange reason. When Angelo came close to her, she had the desire to escape and she felt sick to her stomach. That had never happened to her before. 

However, when John was that close to her, she felt safe. It felt like life or death to stay by his side

"What do you need me to do?" John asked gently.

"I don't know," Sophia uttered, her eyes squeezed shut. "Just stay here. Keep holding me. You're helping me feel better." 

Small groans of pain escaped her lips and she pressed them against John's muscular neck. Her nose was pressed firmly against his neck and his spearmint scent made her feel soothed. She had been feeling nauseous but it had calmed down a lot. 

She didn't feel like she was in her right mind and her head felt foggy like she was only going to be able to remember half of what happened. Yet at the same time, it felt so vivid. She could feel every inch of him as her knees squeezed his sides.

His chest pressed against her hands as she grabbed his shirt and she felt his muscular arms go around her. For once in her life, she felt truly cherished by a man. 

However, the moment was fleeting. 

As Sophia calmed down and the pain subsided, she noticed that John was fired up. His heart was pounding in his chest and, if she wasn't mistaken, he was trembling a little bit. 

"Sophia…" he whispered.

His eyes widened as he stared down at her. Rather than a look of love, his gaze felt predatory as if he was a predator about to pounce on a small animal. The grip on her lower back became tighter.

He was mesmerized for a moment and leaned down so his lips could meet her neck.

For Sophia, it was all too familiar to the night before. Perhaps him desperately clinging to her as her scent overloaded his senses wasn't a dream after all. 

Sophia felt scared and communicated as much with her expression and the way she pushed against his chest despite having clung to him only moments before.

It was enough to bring John back to earth. 

"I can't," he said, standing up suddenly. "Please don't follow me." 

He didn't take the front door but rather the emergency exit that went to the alley where they dropped their garbage. 

He crouched outside of the door with his hands on either side of his head. 

Something had certainly happened to her but what the hell was happening to him?