The White Rabbit

1.) The Break Up

The smell of freshly baked bread fills the bakery as I switch the open sign to closed even though we've been closed for hours. I just never got around to switching it. It's damn near ten clock and I still have a dozen loaves of bread in the oven that are going to be ready to go in the morning. They have nearly 25 minutes left to go before I can pull them out to cool on a cooling rack. I begin to clean up the mess I made making the loaves and all the other goodies I made tonight in preparation for tomorrow's crowd then head into my little office space in the back to run the numbers for todays earnings . My friend Lyla who has been helping me peaks her head into my office.

"Hey Audj, I'm gonna head out...Kev is waiting for me at the club and I promised I'd be out the door by 10. I cleaned the front and brought the outdoor furniture chairs inside and closed the umbrellas like you said." She yawns.
"Oh ya...thank you! I am so sorry I kept you so late! Get out of here! Tell Kevin I say hi!" I laugh and shew her with my hands.
"You sure? I don't want you being here crazy late again!" She says pitying me slightly dancing her fingers on the doorframe awkwardly
"No...no...go! Have fun! I'm just waiting for those last few loaves to finish then I'm getting out of here too!" I say logging into my computer and yawning aswell.
"Okay, I love you! Talk soon okay!" She says double back in questioning if she really should go or not.
"Get out of here or I'm breaking up with you as my best friend! GO!" I cackle as she runs off tumbling into things on her way out.

I shake my head at her, laughing and quickly go back to the books. After racking up the numbers, it's been a very good day for a Friday. It better have been because I've been here since 4 am prepping everything and then it's 10pm as I'm leaving. This is by far the longest day I've been here in a long time. Usually I have my shirt together and I am in and out of here from 4-6 which I find pretty decent for someone who single handedly opened a bakery in New York. I have hired a few people that definitely take the burden off of me but I just love being hands on with my business. So I'm here...every day doing the damn thing.

I hear the oven alarm chime and I head to the oven and pull out the loaves that are now baked to perfection. I place them on the cooling rack and decide it's time for me to head out.

I dust my hands off and wash them in the sink and grab my belongings and lock up shop.

Thankfully I don't live far from the bakery...right above it actually. Tyler, my boyfriend for the last 3 years planned it all out for me when I opened my bakery. This apartment went vacant shortly after and we just so happened to be moving in together and needed a place to live. He snagged it without me knowing and it's been so nice! I make my way up to the third floor and walk to the end of the hall where our door is. I fiddle around with my set of keys and find our apartment key, unlock it and walk in.

"Today was another great day, Tyler! I am exhausted." I grin stupidly putting emphasis on the word exhausted and take my shoes off.

I set all of my stuff down on the entry table and make my way to our closet and change into something nicer since we are meeting Lyla and Kevin at the club later to celebrate their engagement.

"Do you wanna grab some take out on our way there because I am starving and I haven't eaten since noon! Well not including the rolls I may have stole off the rack and shoveled down my gullet in the middle of a rush" I laugh peaking my head around the closet and try to find Tyler because he's quiet.

I finally see him...he's in a shirt and grey sweats, no where near ready to go out. He's watching some sports team on tv completely ignoring me. He looks lost in his own head and then comes out of it. He pauses the TV and looks up at me with a disappointed sigh.