How To Bake A Proper Pie

Chapter Six

"I said I'm sorry, I didn't know you'd think I'm dead!" Said Will in an apologetic tone. He was about to sit down, but got interrupted by Karl "well, you should have known I would worry about you!" Will simply sat down and rolled his eyes because he had already apologized several times and was not prepared to do so again. "Where were you anyway, I was super worried about you, I really was" Will just smiled and nodded. The thought of somebody being worried about where he was made his face turn into an expression he didn't have very often. "Hello, where were you??" Karl inquired, waving his hand in front of Will's face to attract his attention. "I was preoccupied with..." Will paused for a moment, pondering a suitable phrase, "things." Karl looked more than annoyed with this answer. He imitated what Will said and then he stood up and went away, giving Will an irritated glare on the way.

Will shrugged and turned to face the sun, which was swiftly disappearing behind the buildings. As he looked outside, he noticed exhausted people coming home to their families. He watched as tiny kids said their final goodbyes to their friends, hurrying home. He noticed that at the end of the day, everyone had somebody they could go to, that they felt happy with. But he did not. He realized that he had no family he could come to for love after a long day, that he was not a kid anymore, and how alone and unhappy with himself he was. And even though the view into the street was nice, Will didn't feel anything like that.

Karl reappeared after a bit. Will was still gazing out the window, the sunset rays resting on his face, unconcerned with the coming of the blond. Will heard a chair creak on the floor and felt it stop right next to him. Karl sat down on it carefully, laying an apple pie in front of Will, smiling brightly, and declaring, "I bet you missed this!" Will rolled his eyes, not wanting to admit Karl was indeed right. He took a few bites and then declared, "yeah, I did. It's probably the only thing I missed about this place." Karl moved away from Will, looking offended, "okay, rude." And then they both laughed because it felt like the right thing to do.

Will missed the pie shop a lot, not only because of the food. He missed the atmosphere there was and the way he felt when he last visited. He of course missed Karl a lot too. How could you not miss a person like Karl? He missed the photos on the walls and the little flaws in the floor and the stories they told. This environment made him feel comfortable and welcome, and he missed it.

Karl tried to persuade Will to have another pie after he finished the first, but Will was convinced he was full. They gently rose to their feet and began cleaning the shop. Karl did the majority of the work since he wouldn't let Will do anything. After everything was done Karl made Will promise he was going to come by more often and Will gladly did. Karl offered Will a ride home since there was no sight of the sun, but Will insisted on walking.

Will was approaching his apartment building, slowly taking the keys to it out of his pocket. He went through numerous doors before entering his apartment. He slowly walked to his bedroom and with a loud thud landed on his bed. He thought about today. He didn't think about his failures or issues as he did on previous days; instead, he thought about Karl and his shop. About the faces, Karl made while talking about his past few weeks. And then it hit him, he found someone who made him happy, a place he knew he could go to where he would feel loved and welcomed.