Pronouns: They/them
Breaks were a rare occurrence, especially for Luisa. But whenever she could, she would take a moment to duck into Pasteles Celestiales—a wonderful little bakery in the Encanto that belonged to the L/n family. The food there was heavenly—hence the name—and the pastries always gave Luisa a boost to keep going throughout the day.
The food wasn't the only reason she kept visiting, though. The number one thing she kept going back for was her giant crush on the person behind the counter—Y/n, who helped bake every single good in the shop.
Every time she went to the bakery, Y/n was always there, handing out bagged treats with a heart stopping smile. Every day, Luisa would always order the same thing—a blueberry muffin—say thank you, and leave, savoring every bite with Y/n on her mind. She never did anything else, though. It was too nerve-wracking to start an actual conversation with them.
Today, though, she decided to take the risk.
She opened the door to the bakery, and a little bell above jungled merrily to signal her arrival. The shop was fairly empty today—the only people inside were sitting at their respective tables, and the line only had one person in it.
Taking a breath, Luisa stepped up to the counter just as the person in line walked away, so she didn't have to wait in order to see their face.
They looked up, their smile widening, and Luisa's heart jumped around in her chest when she met their e/c eyes. "Hey, Luisa," they said cheerfully. "The usual?"
She nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah, that'd be great."
"Okay, coming right up!" They walked over to the glass that held the baked goods, grabbed a blueberry muffin in their gloved hand, and put it in a white paper bag. They held it out, and Luisa grabbed it with an awkward smile, holding out some money.
"Oh, no," they said, holding up their palms. "It's on the house."
"What?" Luisa said in disbelief. "No, you don't have to do that."
"I insist," Y/n said firmly, pushing back the hand that held the money. Luisa's skin sparked where they touched it. "You're always working for this village—think of it as a thank you. From me."
Luisa swallowed. "Oh. Well...thank you."
They smiled and started to walk away.
"Wait," Luisa said hastily, and they paused, leaning against the counter, waiting for her to continue. "Uh..." she rubbed the back of her neck, staring at the ground. "When do you go on break?"
They blinked in surprise. "Around three. Why?" Their lips curved into a knowing smile, and Luisa had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from panicking.
She sighed, dropping her hand. "Just curious, I guess."
"Ah." Their smile drooped, but they quickly hitched it back up. "Well, now you know."
No! I almost had it! Luisa internally cursed herself. She gave one more uncomfortable smile, offered a two-fingered salute, and retreated out the door without another word. The bell jingled tauntingly at her as she left.
She headed down the street, sadly chewing the muffin as she walked. She was so close, and then she fumbled it.
"Luisa?" someone asked, and Luisa quickly shoved the rest of the muffin in her mouth to free her hands up. "I need some help, if it's not too much trouble..."
Luisa shook her head, rapidly chewing, then swallowed, ignoring the heartburn. "No! You're good, what do you need?"
Time skip brought to you by "You're the real gift, kid"
For the next few hours that Luisa worked, she stressed about her interaction with the cute baker. A small, rational part of her brain told her that it wasn't a big deal, she could try again tomorrow, nothing was going to happen.
The rest of her brain sobbed that she'd ruined things forever.
Eventually, she stopped getting calls for help, and decided to sit down on a short stone wall nearby. With a small groan, she wiped the sweat off her forehead and neck, flexing her aching muscles.
"Hey."
Luisa nearly had a heart attack. Standing next to her was none other than Y/n L/n. They had their hands tucked behind their back, bouncing on the balls of their feet.
"Y/n?" Luisa gasped, clutching her heart. "You freaked me out!"
"Lo siento," they giggled. "It's just...I'm on break now, and I wanted to see if you were free to chat?" They bit their lip, eyes twinkling hopefully, and Luisa's already racing heartbeat quickened even more. Why did they have to be so cute? Who gave them the right?
"Um—yeah!" Luisa said, scooting over on the wall for Y/n to sit, too. "That would be nice."
They grinned and sat next to her, tucking one leg under the other. "And while we're talking, I brought this!" They gleefully revealed the white paper bag they'd had hidden behind their back, and Luisa's eyebrows shot up her forehead.
"Did you pay for that?" she asked incredulously.
"Like I would steal from my parents' shop," they snorted, handing her the bag. She took it and opened it to discover seven muffins—three blueberry, two strawberry, and two lemon.
"Those are for you, by the way," Y/n said smugly, crossing their arms. "I know you also like the strawberry and lemon ones."
Luisa pressed her lips together, determined not to cry. It was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her—and it was just muffins. She looked up at them, lips slightly parted. "Thank you," she said softly. "It—it means a lot that you would..."
"It's nothing." They waved their hand listlessly; their smile had broadened at her obvious gratitude. "Just don't eat them all in one day. You need them to last throughout the week."
"I need to pay you back," Luisa said, peering at the muffins in wonder.
"Absolutely not," they said. "Like before—they're on the house."
Luisa's eyebrows crept up her forehead again. "Why?"
They shrugged one shoulder, hugging their elbows bashfully. "It's the least I can do for my favorite customer."
She laughed nervously. "Me?"
"Duh," they said, half of their mouth tugging upward. "So don't try to make me accept your money. I will eat it in front of you if I have to."
Luisa's eyes widened. "Uh..."
"Sorry, too weird?" they apologized. "I wasn't sure how else to get the point across."
"Consider it across," Luisa assured them with a small chuckle, patting their shoulder. They giggled, playfully pushing her hand away with slightly flushed cheeks.
A villager approached the two of them just then and said, "Excuse me? My wagon fell into a ditch, and I couldn't think of anyone else to help."
Luisa nodded. "I'll get right to it." She looked apologetically at Y/n, who shrugged and pat her shoulder.
"It's okay, you can go ahead." Luisa stood up, and they said, "Same time tomorrow?"
She nodded, trying to contain her glee. "Same time tomorrow," she agreed.
