ɴᴀɴᴀᴍɪ ᴋᴇɴᴛᴏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇꜱ

Bakery Budding Romance

My job at the bakery never meant to last as long as it has. The scent of freshly baked bread and the early mornings had begun to fill me with a boredom. It was the same routine over and over again, and to be honest I was beginning to wonder if the rest of my life would only be filled with the humming of the ovens and the extra sweet pastries left over from my shifts that I'd take home and devour, whilst the rest of my co-workers and friends spent their evenings on dates and with family. I yearned for a change, something that would disrupt my all too peaceful days and give me something to root for again. 

That's when Kento Nanami began to frequently visit, and I suddenly had the urge to do whatever it took to remain at the bakery for as long as possible. 

At first I only heard about Nanami from one of my closest friends who also worked at the bakery, he often came in during the times when I was serving other customers or restocking the shelves with homemade jams and spreads. My heart would race as he'd open the door and waltz in, always dressed in an impeccable suit with the faint scent of a fresh and musky cologne trailing behind. Everyone loved him at the bakery, Nanami visited everyday at the same time, always ordering the same thing with a monotone voice but a soft look in his brown eyes. I'd yet to greet him, we'd only exchange a subtle smile or nod as he passed on his way in or out. He also often left a generous tip, which we'd all split and add to our pay checks. Thanks to those donations, I'd managed to replace my home with new furniture as well as afford the vet bills for my  calico feline, Felix. 

It was a random Wednesday afternoon that Nanami came in later than usual, and I happen to be at the till. "Good morning, how are you today?" I ask as Nanami strolls in, looking tired and drained. Despite the obvious fatigue, his lips still curve a little as his expression softens. 

"I'm not having the best of days, so I can't say I'm well, but I'm healthy so I can't complain too much." He replies smoothly as I begin preparing his usual order, I'd heard it more than enough times to know the tiniest of details. Nanami watches observantly, his head tilts a little as I work with slightly shaking hands, my cheeks redden at the attention, and I can feel my stomach burst into butterflies. "I see you know my order." He muses. 

I freeze, wondering if it's odd or nosy. "I-I've heard it a lot from when I've been working in the background, I hope that's okay?" I splutter, almost tripping over my feet as he hums and nods. 

"That's absolutely fine, I'm surprised you remember and if anything I admire your memory." He smiles, leaning forwards as I bag up his order. "I'm sorry I forgot to ask, but how are you?" He adds on, looking genuinely guilty. My eyes widen as I plaster on a confident smile, I shrug up a shoulder and rest a hand on my hip. 

"I'm as good as I can be, I'm happy and healthy, like you said, I should be grateful for that." I softly reply, eyes twinkling as Nanami chuckles and opens up his wallet, handing me the perfect amount of money- plus his usually over generous tip. I put the money in the register, looking up at his face once more only to find his smile faltering. My brows knit together as he leans closer to me, eyes narrowing as he stares at my shoulder, but then he blinks and goes back to standing straight. I wipe my shoulder subconsciously, hoping he didn't see flour or sugar there. 

"Repetition isn't always easy, and sometimes it's monotonous, but finding joy in the simplicities of life are always worth the wait." He murmurs, giving me a small nod before taking his bag and turning on his heel, leaving me with the oddly comforting words. The reminder comes at the perfect time, and I can't help but to wonder what made him say it. Nonetheless, from that point I vow to always be ready to talk to this strangely enigmatic man, who's both a gentleman yet distant. 

As the weeks pass I change shifts and roles with others in the bakery so I can spend more time with Nanami. He usually comes in at the same time, some days he looks worn out, others he looks cheerful and even cracks a small joke. We slowly talk bit by bit, asking odd questions here and there, and lingering once our short interactions meet their end. We get to know each other, clinging onto snippets of each others' lives as we open up and converse. Our topics range from the weather to our jobs, to Felix my cat. It's never deep or overly meaningful, but it's enough to know the complexities of our lives. The weeks turn into a matter of months before one morning I'm restocking the shelves when the bell chimes, letting me know someone's come in. I turn, expecting one of the usual morning visitors, but instead it's Nanami. 

My eyes widen with surprise, I almost drop a load of bread until Nanami reaches out and catches it, passing it to me with a kind smile. I blush, laughing it off as I set the bread in its rightful place before dusting my hands on my apron. "Nanami, I wasn't expecting you for another few hours." I tease, checking an imaginary watch. He nods as if in agreement, and for the first time ever I notice a small blush creeping on his sharp cheekbones. 

"Yes, I'm actually in the middle of switching jobs, so I have the day off today whilst arrangements are made." 

"And you came here?" I joke again, arching a brow as he swallows and clears his throat. 

"Well, yes, there's an important thing I've been meaning to do for some time, and I-" His eyes narrow at my hand, where a small plaster resides. "What happened?" He asks, tone harder than usual as he reaches out, fingers brushing my hand sending a jolt of electricity through me. I flinch and he immediately steps back, looking shocked with his own forwardness. 

"Oh! It's nothing, I just burnt myself earlier." 

"You should be more careful," He gently scolds, "your hands are important for your work, and I'd hate to see you in pain because of everyone else's needs." 

My lips part as I nod, feeling overwhelmed by the care and concern in his voice. "I will, thank you Nanami." I find myself smiling up at him, then I remember what he was saying before the interruption. "If you don't mind me asking, what important thing were you doing today?" 

Nanami looks shocked for a second, then he fixes the cuffs of his suit jacket, no doubt a nervous tick he's picked up on. "I've been meaning to ask if you wanted to have dinner with me some time? I wouldn't be offended if you declined, but I'd be delighted all the same if you accepted." He asks, voice still professional yet soft at the same time. Only Nanami could pull that kind of tone off. I'm sure my heart skips a beat as I stare up at him, my mouth opens and closes as I nod. 

"I'd love to." I whisper, then clear my throat and repeat myself. Nanami's shoulders relax a little in relief as I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. "Could we exchange numbers, that way we can plan and make arrangements." I ask. We share numbers and then Nanami leaves when his phone rings- someone named Gojo Satoru needs him. With a swift goodbye he leaves me standing there looking lovestruck. The rest of the day at the bakery goes by in a blur until I help lock up and head home, I pull out my phone to find that Nanami has already texted me, asking if I'm free at the weekend. I of course reply straight away, and just like that we finally reach a deeper level of friendship and something more as we talk and call each other. 

Our date night comes and goes, he takes me to a fancy restaurant and acts like a perfect gentleman the whole time. He even asks if he can kiss me once we're outside, the wine we drank gives me the confidence to nod as he first kisses my knuckles before then leaning in to press a chaste kiss to my lips. It's the perfect night, filled with confessions and a little bit of touching. After that, Nanami comes to visit me more regularly, since his new job allows him more freedom. We go on more dates, exploring the city and having picnics on sunny days, and before I know it months of our relationship pass. It wasn't just the bread that brought us together, but the love kneaded into every moment we shared, creating a bond deeper than Nanami's admiration for baked goods.