sweet surrender | pulisic ✓

seventh

A boy stood by the counter, holding up a note to nobody in particular. Alex rushed up to him, taking the note and flashing him a smile. "Thank you," the boy sang before disappearing with the cupcake in hand.

"You said you'd be here," Alex whined into the phone, which was wedged between her ear and shoulder. Her hands were working on the cash register, trying to open it so she could stuff the money inside.

"I will!" Erik cried on the other end, "but later." Alex creased her eyebrows, but immediately smiled widely as another customer approached. She thanked the customer as Erik continued speaking. "I promise, okay?"

Mumbling an okay, Alex hung up. Despite the fact that the sale almost always garnered a lot of customers, it never was complete without Erik. In addition, her parents never showed up. So she could only count on her brother.

As she put her phone away, the door suddenly opened, revealing three mighty fresh faces.

"Hi, Alex," Christian greeted, beaming brightly at her. Alex's face immediately lit up when she saw him. "Hey, Alex!" The brunette behind Christian waved.

Alex pursed her lips together, trying to recall who he was. If her memory was accurate, then he went by the name Julian Weigl. She gave him a small wave as Christian walked up to her.

"You came," she acknowledged, her voice slightly loud so she could be heard above the din. "Of course," Christian said, the smile still glued on his face.

"I hope you don't mind me bringing Julian and Felix," he gestured to his teammates who were caught up in surveying the displayed treats.

She glanced at them before laughing, "oh it's okay. The more the merrier." Christian nodded slowly as Alex reached behind her to grab something. "Here," she held out a cookie, "for coming earlier than Erik."

Christian hesitated for a moment, before taking the cookie, "he's not here yet?" The young German shook her head, creasing her forehead in disappointment.

"But at least you're here," she gaily pointed out. Christian bit his lip, trying to resist the burning sensation in his cheeks. Before he could reply, a shrill cry caused them both to look up.

Lea stopped in her tracks when she saw Alex with Christian. Her eyes darted from Alex to Christian before speaking, "oh I'm sorry. Didn't know I was interrupting."

With that she simply spun around and disappeared from view. Christian raised an eyebrow in confusion, turning to Alex for clarification.

"That's Lea, the quirky owner," she enlightened, seeing the uncertainty in his eyes. Christian hummed a reply, and Alex clasped her hands together. "So," she began, a warm smile etched across her face, "what do you feel like having today?"

For an odd second, Christian gazed at her. He liked how jovial she was, and to be frank, he was completely infatuated.

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Lea was whistling a tune unrecognizable to Alex who was by the cash register. The bake sale had been a success, and all that was left was for the pair to clean up the place before heading home.

"Good sales today," Alex noted, finishing up with the cash register. Lea looked up from the window she was wiping, flashing her a smile. "By the way," Lea suddenly said, "who was that boy just now?"

Alex slotted the money into the register before emerging from the counter. "Erik's teammate," she walked up to stand beside Lea, "why?"

"I think he likes you," Lea mentioned casually, prompting Alex to raise her eyebrows in shock. When Alex was left speechless, not knowing whether to say how do you know or what the hell, Lea chuckled, "the way he smiled; anyone can tell he's hooked."

Instinctively, Alex found herself playing it down. Her brother's teammate, crushing on her? She thought it impossible. "I didn't realize," she merely shook her head.

Before Lea could reply, Alex continued. "Anyway, I've been wanting to tell you. That guy – Christian – he has this recipe for probably one of the most amazing cupcakes I've ever tasted," she gushed.

Lea narrowed her eyes, eyeing Alex inquisitively. "And?" She probed, tossing the cloth into the bucket. "I was thinking of getting it, to use it here," she shrugged, smirking sheepishly.

"Define getting it," Lea inquired, emphasizing the last two words. Alex rubbed the back of her neck, pondering a reply as Lea popped the bucket into the storeroom.

"Ask him for it after we're close enough friends?" She proposed, more as a question than a statement. Lea frowned, stating the obvious, "that's using him."

But Alex was quick to defend herself. "No it's not. I'll just casually ask for it or something," she said nonchalantly, to which Lea laughed in response. "If you say so," she returned as they exited the bakery.

Alex watched as Lea locked up the door. "Just don't break any hearts while you're at it," Lea flashed her a knowing smile before heading for her car. Alex frowned, trying to make sense of what she was saying.

Eventually she gave up, running after Lea while shouting, "of course not!"

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