𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 [𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐱 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑]

°𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖔

As promised by the man beside you, the bus showed up at 4:55 AM. As you stepped on, he had disappeared into the crowd of people near the back of the bus. You took a few wobbly steps as the bus began to drive and sat in the first row of seats. Your eyes gazed out the window, admiring the view of the city. 

It was as if the gods had been in your favour when the bus came to your stop. There had been absolutely no traffic and as you stepped out onto the pavement, you checked your phone. The time was exactly 5 AM. You walked forward, completely forgetting about the man, and practically sprinting towards Lily, who was standing at the front doors of the bakery.

The bakery theme could essentially be explained by its name. Inside, splashes of pink and white were all over the walls, tables, and chairs. There were a few small paintings with cupcakes and cookies depicted on them. Then, there was a painting right near the till that showed you when you were 5 years old. You were wearing light blue overalls and absolutely nothing else, surrounded by pots and pans in the kitchen and holding a spatula. The sign outside the bakery was attached to the top of the structure and had its name clearly spelled out in big, pink letters. At night, they would glow with lights outlining each letter. 

"Let me guess, you absolutely forgot to do the arm thing" Lily spoke, uncrossing her arms and walking towards you. 

"Hey, I'm here on time" you chuckled, wrapping your arms around her in a tight hug. 

Two hours later, you were finally pressing that "open'' sign that hung on the window of the bakery. Both you and your best friend had baked and baked, making sure to make extra of everything. Displayed at the front counter were chocolate orange cupcakes, blueberry and cinnamon scones, strawberry roll cake, vanilla cupcakes with pink frosting, and three loaves of bread. Additionally, the menu above displayed more bakery treats, along with some coffee and tea drinks. At one point, you had been working at Starbucks and knew all the ins and outs of coffee and espresso drinks. Which, has now come in handy because what is a scone without a cup of tea?

"Do you think anyone's going to come?" you asked softly, glancing at the door for what seemed to be the thousandth time. 

"Oh come on, give it some time, love. I know people will come" Lily responded, tapping her foot against the floor. 

That had been an understatement.

By noon, the store had made $1500, and there were customers constantly coming in. Every table and chair was filled by a customer and the lineup stretched just out the door. You could not stop smiling. This was your dream come true. You and Lily would switch on who's baking and who's on cash every two hours. Ensuring that you had enough stock for the demands of customers. 

It was around 12:45 PM when you were on cashier duties, quickly putting customers through and helping their needs when a familiar face stepped up to the till. 

"Hi, there! What can I get for you?" you spoke enthusiastically, quickly writing down the total of sales thus far on a piece of paper. 

"Right um, I'll have. Actually, do you have, sorry I. Ahem, maybe you could recommend it. Or actually, I'll have" a voice that you recognized began stammering in front of you, causing you to raise your head. 

It was the man from earlier that day at the bus stop. A small smile began to form on your lips as you watched him furrow his eyebrows, unable to choose from the menu above. It was absolutely adorable and now, you became conscious of the flour in your hair or the mess on your apron. 

"Oh hello again" he began speaking once again, seemingly recognizing you as well. "Was the bus alright? I hadn't realized that you were working here".

"Yeah, opening day! The bus was completely fine, thank you for all the help" you responded, noticing his features much better in the light. "Did you want me to recommend you something or.." you trailed off. 

"Actually yeah, that would be lovely. Everything here looks really nice" he stated, staring into your eyes. You noticed how dark his were yet how they were lit up as well. He looked like a puppy. 

"Well, I think one of our best products is the strawberry cream cheese breakfast pastries. They're perfect with an earl grey tea" you responded, pointing up at the pastry displayed on the menu.

"Right, that does sound really nice but erm I'm vegan" he spoke again, making your smile grow. Both you and Lily had specifically made vegan options for everything you sold. 

"Then you're at the perfect place, we have vegan options for everything mentioned above" you explained happily.

His smile grew and you started scolding yourself for just how attractive you found this man. You began to write the order down. 

"Alright, so an earl grey tea and a strawberry cream cheese pastry for...?" You glanced up, asking him for his name. 

"Steven. Steven with a V" he answered, twiddling his fingers. 

You giggled, writing out the words "Steven with a V" on the pastry bag. 

"Well, Steven with a V, I'm (Y/N). It's really nice to meet you. Enjoy your day" you spoke, reaching over the counter and handing him his drink and dessert. 

"W-wait I've not paid yet" Steven spoke, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"It's on the house today. Consider it as a thank you for this morning" you responded, giving him a wave as he smiled back at you.

"Cheers, (Y/N). I'll see you around then?" He asked, heading out the door and glancing back at you.

You gave him a soft nod, watching as he disappeared out the door.