The Tea Shop [mxm]

I: Have a Sweet Day!

The air outside was chilly against his rosy cheeks, and he reached up to pull his scarf even closer. The snow had only recently begun to fall, and he was unprepared for the weather. The cold usually came in later months. He had just been walking the short distance between his office and the coffee shop just down the street - that had inconveniently closed for some ungodly reason. When he left, it had barely been cold, but the weather had undoubtedly changed quickly. Unprepared as he was, he was seeking a quick refuge from the harsh winds tugging at his coat.

He found himself in luck when he passed a bakery, sinfully delicious smells emitting from the door. With stiff fingers he reached for the door knob. The door complained with a loud creak when he opened, that too clearly unhappy about the cold. Inside, it was warm, and his face burned from the sudden heat. He was barely halfway through the door before the scent of newly baked pastries hit him with renewed force. Not only that, he was greeted with smiles. All of a sudden his day brightened. Who knew just a little warmth and friendliness could make such a change.

As he sat down in one of the plush sofas, he sighed. His lunch break was almost over already, and he had a big meeting to prepare for just after. His stress levels were at an all time high. Not even the soothing atmosphere of the café helped with that. His hand reached for his pocket without thinking, and he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Only a few seconds later someone cleared their throat behind him. He turned, and his eyes met a strikingly blue pair. His eyebrows raised as he took in the appearance of the younger man; hair standing in all directions, flour covering his forehead and neck. It looked as though he had just come out of the back section of the store. Perhaps he had just finished a batch of cookies.

"You can't smoke in here," he spoke in a soft voice. The man at the table looked down at his hands and furrowed his brow. He hadn't noticed he'd taken his cigarettes out.

"Of course," he answered. "I'm sorry." The other wiped his dusty hands on his apron, before taking up a small notepad from the pocket.

"May I take your order?" he asked and smiled. His cheeks almost turned hollow, the dimples were so deep.

"Actually, I've never been here before. What would you recommend?" His eyes were fixed on the young man's smile. It seemed genuine, and it had been long since he'd seen one of those. In his line of business they weren't common.

"Well, I'm slightly bias, since I'm the baker, but I would say that everything we serve is utterly delicious. But I do believe that the red velvet cupcakes should be done any second now. Perhaps one of those? And Abby makes the best coffee. Black. Does that sound good?" A cupcake. For lunch? He looked at his watch and saw that he didn't have much time anyways.

"Sounds perfect," He answered and managed to smile back. The baker's phone beeped in his pocket, and his whole face lit up again.

"That would be the cupcakes, I'll be right back." With that, he left, and once again the man at the table checked his watch. Time was running out, and he really had to go back to the office. A sigh of frustration left his lips. Overworked as he was, he thoroughly enjoyed every single minute not spent confined in that horrible room in the building not far away. The office. The office where he had worked since he had just graduated, which was not too many years ago, and seemed fairly tired of. He longed for a vacation somewhere warm, but knew this was not a possibility in the near future, as his boss had just decided to loan him to another company. There he was to straighten their financial situation out, before returning. Even though it did interfere with his holiday plans, he did look forward to the change in atmosphere.
He was, only shortly later, brought out of his gloomy mood when the other man came back.

"One red velvet cupcake, and an extra strong cup of coffee. You look like you need it," he said with a smile. "No offense," was quickly added as his eyes widened. "And also, I put it in a takeout bag as you seemed rather stressed. Just make sure you pay before leaving; I have to run back and check on the oven. Have a sweet day!" With that he left, and whatever sunshine seemed to have brightened the other man's mood was gone.

Yet another sigh later, he was out the door and trudging through the thick layer of snow back to work. He would just have to eat his lunch in the office, as so many times before.

When he opened the bag, the cupcake was still warm. He couldn't help but smile as he bit into it.

A/N: This is just the introduction, which explains the length of the chapter. You can expect longer updates in the future. Now, I've never done this before; this is new territory to me. Publishing stories, and letting people read them, I mean.
I have been writing a lot, but this truly is nerve wracking. I don't actually expect anyone to read this (especially not this ilttle note), but maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.
Either way, I probably won't update very often, as I'm very busy with school work. Perhaps if anyone actually reads it I will, but as of right now it's for my own pleasure.
Well, if anyone is reading this, I hope you enjayed it!