Divergent One Shots (Eric & Tris)

Fifty-The Bakery 16.1

((Tris's uniform above—except in black with a hot pink apron and a ruffle around the edges))

Eric

"Are you sure about this?" I ask Ryan as we walk through the Pit early Saturday morning.  I'm hungry and I'm about to turn around and go to the cafeteria for breakfast. 
"Yeah.  This is something you have to try," he insists. 
"I think you're just looking at the girls," I comment. 
"I can't argue there," he mumbles.  "But just trust me.  It's worth it."
"Alright," I grumble. 
He's dragging me to a new bakery that just opened during initiation.  He said they had good coffee before but since our most recent top ranking member joined the staff, he insists that it's the best he's ever had.  He says the food is unbelievably good, too.  I'm not much of a carb for breakfast eater, though.  I prefer my meats.  We step in and there's a massive line. 
"Must be popular," I mumble. 
"But fast," he insists. 
I sigh as we wait.  It does smell incredible here. 
"I don't see the Stiff," I whisper. 
"She should be here any minute.  Scheduled break," he says looking to his watch.  He's been coming here constantly since the end of initiation and pleading with me to join him since then.  I finally caved. 
I look to the door to see her enter.  I feel like time is moving in slow motion. And he's right.  She does look so different.  She's not very Stiff-like anymore.  She's got her hair pulled back into some intricate updo with loose braids.  She's wearing light makeup and she's got on the same cute, short black fitted dress coming to her mid-thigh that the rest of the staff wears with an off-center bow around the neck.  I observe that she's wearing knee-high leather boots as she walks past us and smiles at me.  I feel like the wind just got knocked out of my lungs as I watch her move on past the counter.  She puts a frilly pink apron on and washes her hands before she starts to help behind the counter.  I observe as she makes coffee, boxes up baked goods and pastries, and also preparing fresh food.  I see someone getting avocado toast with fried eggs and bacon.  It appears like they sliced the thick cut bread from a newly baked loaf.  That actually looks really good. 
"What are you getting?" Ryan asks me. 
"I don't know," I admit peering up at the menu.  "What do you usually get?"
"Something different every time," he tells me.  "They have these cream cheese danishes with fresh fruit.  They make the jam here.  There are these puff pastries with tomatoes and cheese that I can only compare them to the best pizza I've ever had.  You can get eggs, sausage, and toast.  They've got grilled vegetables...  Oh, and the meat, produce, and all the cheese they get from some small shop in Amity.  I hear it's the closest you can get to organic in the city."
"Hmm," I hum a reply completely intrigued. 
The line progresses quickly and I'm surprised when we're next and I barely feel like I've examined the menu. I'm overwhelmed looking over the bakery case filled with donuts, bagels, loaves of bread, pastries, and others I'm unsure about. There's an entire other case of just desserts—cakes, cookies, pies... etcetera.  Ryan orders some kind of coffee and I've got no idea what else. 
"What can I get for you, Eric?" Tris asks me smiling.  I see a little pink heart above the I in her name on her name tag.  It's pretty adorable. 
"I honestly have no idea," I admit. 
"Are you a coffee drinker?" she asks. 
"Yeah," I reply. 
"Black or cream and sugar?" she inquires. 
"Cream and sugar," I respond. 
"Strong?" she assumes.  I purse my lips and nod.  "Breakfast?"
"Yeah," I agree. 
"Carnivore?" she asks.  I chuckle and nod. 
"Alright," she says winking at me. 
She steps away and I see her making an assortment of meats up for me—bacon and sausage patties.  "What kind of eggs?  Poached, over easy, sunny side up...?"
"Your choice," I grin. 
She looks back at me and smiles.  "Avocado or tomatoes?"
I tell her the same and she actually laughs and looks back to me shyly.  She comes out with a plate of two slices of that bread I saw earlier smothered in avocado with poached eggs, salt and pepper.  There's an assortment of meats including ham which I hadn't seen before.  She slides my tray down and as Ryan pays for his, I observe her making my coffee.  She pours some cream or frothy milk into my cup—I'm not exactly sure which.  The movement of her hands is entrancing.  She smiles sliding my tray over to me. 
"It was a pleasure, Eric.  Enjoy," she smiles winking at me again and I can't help but watch her walking away to help the next guy.  She smiles and she's friendly but I feel like her interaction with me was different.  I swipe my point card and follow Ryan over to a table.  I examine my meal and it seriously looks incredible.  The coffee is like a work of art.  There's a flower shape made from the pouring of the cream. 
"Awe, you got a flower?" Ryan asks sounding kind of jealous. 
I grin at him.  "So what'd you get?" I ask intrigued. 
"I don't know.  I picked tomatoes.  I think this is the pizza-like pastry but there's meat and other vegetables today.  She called this a cream cheese and raspberry bar and this one is an egg cup," he says almost questioning himself. 
"Yours looks good.  I might have to get that next time," I tell him taking a sip of my coffee.  I'm floored by how incredible it is—definitely the best I've ever had.
"So?" Ryan laughs. 
"Yeah," I nod.  "It's worth it for the coffee alone."
I look back up at the little Stiff and can't help but admire how amazing she is. 
"I'm in love," he admits.  "How about you?"
I sigh shakily.  "Isn't she seeing Four?" I ask. 
"Yeah," he grumbles.  "Lucky guy."
I agree.  If I'd known back then, I might've made a move, too—or at least put myself in the running. 
I try my breakfast and the bread and eggs are incredible.  I realize she gave me a variety of sausage and other meats to choose from.  One is chicken with apples and spices.  Another is turkey—I think—with spinach, cheese, and herbs.  Two are pork but it's incredibly delicious—one spicier than what they serve in the cafeteria, the other better as well.  There's two kinds of bacon but they're a thicker cut than the cafeteria.  I'd say one is a fruitier smoked wood like an apple or cherry and the other is more mesquite maybe... 
"Are you thinking about becoming a regular?" Ryan asks. 
"Yeah," I admit staring at her.  "You've definitely got me hooked."