• HUMAN AU •
Sophie was wiping down a flour-strewn counter when a figure entered the café's front door. A bell rang, signifying to the sparse number of employees that they had a customer. As a matter of fact, today she was the only one working the cash register.
She smiled at the familiar face. Keefe was handsome in anything, but his dark tee contrasting against his blond hair was very attractive. Not that she noticed.
Eyes pinned on her, he smirked, approaching the cash register.
"What can I get for you?" Sophie said, keeping her face neutral.
"A pretty blonde girl."
"Sorry, we're all out."
Keefe grinned, focusing in on her honey-brown eyes. "Are you sure? It looks like you have one left."
Blushing, Sophie set her washcloth down and leaned across the counter. She pecked his lips. This wasn't protocol, of course. Kissing wasn't meant in a bakery, especially when her face was smudged in sugar and flour.
She couldn't help herself, though.
He'd come to visit her, and no one was around to see them kissing. Even the soft lyrics of a love song were drifting from the ceiling speakers. Romantic words bounced off walls, tables and booths, before finally penetrating Sophie's ears.
They made her smile.
"How long do you have to work?" Keefe asked, his thumb stroking her jawline.
"Six hours." Sophie slumped, thinking of how long she could possibly stay awake. Six more hours meant leaving after sunset.
"Foster," he scolded, fingers stiffening where they resided on her cheek. "That's six hours we could be cuddling."
"I don't get paid to cuddle you," she pointed out.
"You get paid in happiness." Keefe threw her a teasing smile, and they exchanged another kiss. Sophie ruffled his hair, leaving streaks of flour in his perfectly styled blonde waves.
Keefe gasped, immediately shielding his hair with a hand. As Sophie laughed, he ran to the nearest window and glimpsed his reflection.
"You ruined my hair!" he exclaimed.
Laughing, Sophie wiped her hands on her apron. She wasn't sorry at all. "I think it looks cute."
"Of course you do," Keefe said. "I always look cute. But I gotta say," he added, scowling at her, "this is not the best look on me."
"Come here." Sophie hopped up onto the counter — ignoring protocol — and slid off the opposite side. Once he was within a foot of her, she dug her hands into his hair, shaking free a good portion of the white powder.
He looked like he was trying not to groan in pleasure. Sophie laughed. "You never let me play with your hair."
"For good reason."
"But you like it." She was still laughing.
"I do," he admitted. "But it just looks too good to be ruined."
"You're no fun, you know that?" Sophie shook free a cloud of flour, consequently littering the floor in a white sheen. "Great," she mumbled. "Now I have to mop again."
"You'll be mopping up your tears if you don't come cuddle with me."
Smiling, Sophie turned away, unwilling to let him see how content he made her. Sure, ninety percent of the time she wanted to murder him. But she liked being teased. It was how Keefe Sencen showed his affection.
Warm arms wrapped around her waist, prodding Sophie to rest her hands on his elbows. "Yes?" she whispered.
His lips were smiling as they kissed her cheek. "Can I have a cookie?"
"For free?" she guessed.
"That is my favorite part of dating an employee."
"Fine," she mumbled, turning into his arms. "But you can't stay. You're a distraction."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Huffing, Sophie returned to the opposite side of the counter. Pastel blue walls met her, lined with pre-baked cookies of all sizes and flavors. She placed a snickerdoodle in a white box lined with parchment paper, then slid it across the counter.
Keefe smiled, watching her. "You know what I really want?"
Sophie frowned. "A macaron?"
He laughed. "Those are good. But I was talking about you."
She smiled, bashful. "I'm not for sale, Keefe."
"Of course not." He leaned across the counter and kissed her. "You're priceless."
