Rising Love

The Meeting

"Hi" 

"Who are you?"

"Lauren.... uh, nice to meet you. I'm one of the bakers here, and I just noticed that you had forgotten your pain d'epi. You seem to get it every so often, and... yeah."

"Oh." Camila said softly. "You're right, I was actually planning on getting some today. The epi baguettes have always been my favorites. They're really good. 

"Are-are you in a hurry to go somewhere?"

"No. I was actually just on my way to my apartment, but let me go in the back and get a baguette. They're great for sandwiches."

Lauren backed into the bakery and held the door open for Camila. "You know, the epi's really are unappreciated - not many people really give it a chance or know how good it is. I'll give you two loaves on the house."

"That's really nice of you, Lauren, you don't have to do that." 

"I know I don't have to - but I want to." Lauren said as she and Camila walked past a stunned Rosa and through the kitchen door. 

Zayn was still at the decorating table, adding sugar work to the cake as decorations and airbrushing some fondant decorations to look like mermaids and coral reefs. At the doors swinging open, he spoke to Lauren without looking up from his work. 

"Lauren, are the miches and epis ready to go into the oven, get off you caffeine addicted ass and put them in." Zayn said, in a friendly but rushed way.

"Give me a second, Zee." Lauren replied before turning back to Camila and saying with a smile, the edges of her mouth climbing up with a grin. 

"Here it is!" Lauren announced happily. "Here's where it's all done over here at Sammy's."

"It's really nice." Camila said, scanning the kitchen in front of her. At the  sound of the new voice, Zayn finally peeks out behind his cake, buzzed hair bleached blonde. 

"Who are you?"

"Zee, this is..?" Lauren paused, pretending that she had no idea of what Camila's name was. 

"Camila. Camila Cabello." The Cuban girl stated. 

"Camila, this is my co-baker, Zayn Malik. Zayn, meet Camila."

"Hi." the two of them said at once. 

"Camila is one of the few people that buys our epis, so I was just going to bake some fresh for her." 

"Fine by me, as long as you bake them Miche loaves as well, so they're almost out of them at the front and they're in high demand."

"Sure. Camila, want to watch?"

The girl nodded, and Lauren led her to the tray where the epis were resting. Lauren pulled a small blade from her apron pocket called a lame. With the lame, Lauren quickly scored her epi and miche loaves, making a slash in the dough that helped define the crust. Once that was done, Lauren picked up the heavy trays with ease and slid them into the oven. Baking so much for so long develops the arm muscles, and if Lauren didn't notice, Camila certainly did. In the bicep and tricep area, both Lauren and Zayn were well equipped. 

"There,"Lauren said contentedly, once all the loaves were in the industrial ovens. "All done, they should be out soon."

Camila remained silent - at the moment, she was focused not on the bread that was in the oven, but the arms that were doing the deed itself. 

"Camila?"

"uh-what? What was your question?"

"Oh nothing. I just said that the bread should be ready soon."