The secret handshake

#4. A secret handshake between two besties, one will never forget the secret handshake of a best friend.

I dip my hand in the cookie jar to get more cookies as I re-watch Pirate of the Caribbean again. I was jumbled to feel only the crumbs of the glass jar. It was empty. I gobbled down the remaining crumbs.

I need to ask Axel where he bought these cookies from. Axel. That stupid bet I made with him, that piece of shit knew I was a sweet tooth. I quickly put on my tight jeans.

I knew what I was going to do. I was going to find the exact same type of Cookie Jar and replace it. He will never know I replaced it. I laughed at my evil idea.

If only I didn't laugh too soon. I had gone to almost every store in this town. I was left with Mr. Gilbert's store, which never had anything. I had been tempted to buy another cookie jar and just rip the label off it and replace it with the one I had in my hand, but it didn't taste the same. I searched the cookie section,

"My mom said that the last pack of eggs you sold for her, all of them got bad," the person who just recently entered the store said.

The voice seems oddly familiar.

"well, she is not taking it back," the voice argued with the store owner. I leaped in to check, and immediately I saw his back. I crouch down to hide. Why is that bastard here of all times? I was doomed if he caught me here.

The evidence speaks for itself. I was holding an empty cookie jar in the cookies section.

While I waited for him to leave the store, I searched online about the cookie. It was produced in Germany and mostly sold there.

So it was hard to get. I looked at the shipping fee to bring it here. I didn't have that kind of money to spare.

"what are you doing on the floor?" He inquired.

His voice made me nervous.

I raised my head slightly.

"emm," I draw circles on the floor with my fingers

"Just feeling the texture."

He smiled mischievously.

"How does it feel?"

"evil," I mumbled. Axel laughed hard.

"where the fuck did you get the cookie from?"

"From my grandmother in Germany."

"shit!" I said bitterly.

"you swore twice" he smiled as if he had won the lottery.

"I find a lifetime with you entertaining." He said before lowering down to me, who was still crouched on the floor, to take the empty cookie jar.

"I will get you another one," he continued smiling as he left the store.

How does he always leave me and act so cool about it? Let's see if you can stand a lifetime with me.

"But mom!!" I whined, climbing down the stairs with her.

"Please don't make me talk, Avery."

"it doesn't make sense why they are coming here when we all know that Cleo's Dad will always make a pass at you."

"he won't do that. Besides, Cleo will be there" it is an open secret that Mr. Logan never flirts with my mom when Cleo is around, and no one wants to tell her.

"so everyone will be there?" I asked.

"yes," I smiled mischievously,

"ok, mom," I climb back up to dress.

The Logan family was already seated at the dinner table with my dad. At the same time, I stayed with my mom in the kitchen, helping. She was touched that I was helping her in the kitchen; I slipped the cockroach into the salad on Logan's plate.

I held his plate in my left hand, and I held my own plate in the other hand. My face was neutral as I placed it in front of him before sitting down next to Cleo. We said grace. I eat my food, waiting for the disaster to occur.

When I heard Logan scream, I smiled.

"what is it?" Vanessa asked.

"Nothing, mom," he recomposed himself. He catches me smiling and gives me a scary gaze.

Cleo lean in on me

"what going on with that asshole?"

"I don't know," with a straight face.

"The meal was lovely, Mrs. Johnson," my mom blushed

"thank you__ Avery joined me I was so happy when she finally decided to help me prepare this meal."

"Mom!!"

"you know, I remember when Cleo and Avery were still small. Look how big they have grown." Vanessa chipped in

"They were the cutest," my dad said, laughing.

"with their tiny hands," Vanessa said. Oh my God. Can they stop?

"you know when they did their secret handshake thing?" my mother mentioned.

Not the secret handshake.

"just the cutest," Cleo's mom gushed.

"you can still the secret handshake, right girls?" My dad said with a big smile on his face. They all looked so happy except for Cleo's dad he just sat there eating his food.

"Yeah," "NooYes"

Axel chuckled at my misery.

"but it won't be a secret handshake if everyone saw it," the parents thought about my words.

"but they have already seen it," Axel said.

"hahaha," I gave him a dead stare.

Cleo stands up while I shift my whole body to face her.

"Why are you still sitting down?" she asked.

" Well, I thought we could just do it while sitting."

"how do we want to do the spin while sitting?" she looked at me like I had asked a dumb question.

There was a spin?

I get up. Slowly walking to the free space in the dining room,

"or did you forget the secret handshake?" Avery beamed

"did you?" Cleo asked. I could see the disappointment on their faces, most especially hers.

"of course not," I denied immediately.

She stretched out her hand. I was scared, my eyes glued to Axel, begging him to save me.

"Can you show me the bathroom, Avery? I think my bladder might burst if I wait any longer for the handshake that you did when you were five."

"Please show him," my mother said. It was like she knew he was saving me.

I took him up the stair. I crashed on my bed, wondering what I would do when I went back there. I took a deep breath. he stood there watching me for a while before he moved toward me

"take my hand" he stretched out his right hand, and I took it. Then, he dragged me to his side. I could feel the intense heat emanating from him.

"First, you clap the hands side to side," he said, demonstrating it, and I simply followed his lead. His hands felt rough with some smooth edges.

"then you clap it again the second time."

"We both flip the hands' opposite sides, allowing our backhands to show." I flipped my hands to the side, our pinkies grazing each other, his large backhand on top of my backhand, and we interlocked, forming a fist-shaped lock.

He unlocked the door by placing his palm on mine.

"then our pinky fingers kiss," he touches my thumb, "then the great spin," he spins me around.

After the spin, his hands were now on my waist.

I was turning red because I was so close to him.

His perfume was enticing, and when he looked down at my lips, I subconsciously licked them.

"thank you" I pulled away. I was missing the feeling of his hands on my waist. He had done the secret handshake with me.

"How did you know?"

"a secret" he placed his middle finger on his lips.

"go," he knobbed his head to the door. I leave him in the room because if I stayed there any longer, I might have done something I know I would have liked but regretted.

"where is Axel, sweetie?" Vanessa asked.

"still taking a piss" I see Cleo standing in the same position I left her.

I did the handshake, and it was exactly how he had shown me.