sweet surrender | pulisic ✓

twenty first

Greta furrowed her eyebrows at her daughter, who was furiously shaking her head at her. "There's no point, Mom," Alex retorted, "we still won't have anything solid to keep us going."

She turned away from Greta, returning to the her paperwork. Honestly, she didn't want to discuss it anymore. There was nothing left to talk about, anyway. The bakery was, after all, a lost cause already.

"But love, I want to help you," Greta tried, for probably the umpteenth time that day. While Alex tended to the bakery, Greta had decided to spend the morning with her daughter, idling around the shop.

The last thing she had expected was for Alex to tell her that it was going to be their final few weeks in that bakery. Since they had been unable to pay their rent for two months already due to the drop in sales, they were left with no choice but to leave.

They no longer had a selling point to rely on, and nothing concrete was coming up in their books. With Alex getting busy preparing to return to college, Lea was on practically her own. So they were really in dire straits.

Greta, having had a change of heart, had offered to help the bakery by paying off the rents. But both Lea and Alex refused it. "Even if you do pay it off," Alex stated nonchalantly, "it's not as if sales will increase after that."

"I could pay it off while you think of something," Greta responded. In return, Alex sighed. She knew her mom was only trying to help, but she knew it was pointless. She was tired of searching and it didn't help that she couldn't stop thinking about Christian all the time.

"Its okay, mom," Alex eventually said, flashing her a small smile, "really."

It hurt her to see Alex that way, but Greta knew it was ultimately her daughter's own decision. She only wished that she had supported her love for baking long before this.

Greta let out a resigned sigh, "fine then," she said, gathering her belongings from the tabletop. "If you ever change your mind, just let me know," she continued as she pushed herself off the stool. She gently planted a kiss on her daughter's cheek before heading for the door.

Alex kept a smile on her face as she watched her mum go. Greta had an important lunch to attend to, and unfortunately couldn't have it with Alex. But she didn't mind, in fact she was looking forward to some alone time at the bakery.

As soon as Greta disappeared from view, Alex returned to her chores. But merely a minute later, she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening again. Thinking it was Greta, she opened her mouth to greet her. Only, it was not Greta who was standing by the door.

⦁⦁⦁

The pair sat quietly on the stools at the bakery, facing the empty street on a bleak Monday afternoon. Alex had been beyond surprised to see Christian standing there, and even more so when he said that they needed to talk.

So they ended up at the lone table in the bakery, meant for the customers of course. Christian was the first to break the silence, as he fished out a piece of paper from his packet. He took her hands, catching her completely off guard, and placed it in her open palms.

"Use it, Alex," he said, looking straight into her eyes. For a moment Alex froze, not being able to tear her gaze away from his eyes. She was captivated once again. Boy have I missed those eyes.

But she caught herself eventually, and hastily shook her head. "Chris I can't; and I won't," she began, gingerly placing the paper back into his hands. "I was a total jerk for making use of the guy I have this major crush on."

Hearing her words, Christian couldn't help but chuckle. This took Alex by surprise, and yet she couldn't resist the half smile that crept up to her lips as she watched him. "You know, people make mistakes," Christian said, flashing her a smile.

A genuine smile. A smile that spelt actual happiness.

"And people forgive, too," he continued. "Look, I know why you did what you did. And I'm done wallowing in self pity."

He reached a hand out, intertwining his fingers around hers. Alex glanced at their hands, feeling her heart swell with joy. But Alex almost refused to believe it. She knew she didn't deserve this. "But –"

She was interrupted by Christian placing both his hands on her cheeks, gently squeezing her face. "I forgive you, Durm, and that's that," he smiled, making Alex's heart flutter. Slowly but surely, a smile began to grow on her own lips.

"Really?" She asked sheepishly. He responded instantly with a nod. "Really," he echoed, before leaning closer to her. With their lips inches apart, he –

"Christian Mate Pulisic!" Felix screamed as he barged into the bakery, frowning. But the frown faded as soon as he laid his eyes on the pair. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Not again.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRIS ON EXTENDING HIS CONTRACT!!!!!!!! and scoring the girl too 😏