BTS Imagines

Scones & Cream (NJ)

It all began a year ago when, one spring day, a story akin to a fairy tale started. The circumstances seemed too much of a cliche to result in anything real or form the beginning to a story about happiness, the skies filled with chittering wee birdies a rare clear pale blue and decorated with the lush, bright green leaves dancing on the breeze and covering the pavements that are not a darker shade of grey for once.

So much beauty already, only to be enhanced by the girl with the printed canvas bag with the quote ''Reading is for awesome people'' and onyx cat-eye shaped glasses to walk in and ask to take photographs for an Instagram post for the travel agency she worked for. There was an enthusiastic spark in eyes transforming into those of a professional once the lens is raised, hoping to not be denied this chance at sharing the bakery with the world. Also, the soft-spoken tone with which the request was made could not be resisted so, of course, permission was given to let the lass complete the set goal.

That was the moment the spell first began to take hold on soul and thought, making a simple man in an alien country hope to see a single specific individual drop by regularly. To serve them coffee and a new addition to the assortment of baked goods, hoping to find approval and thus permanently add it to the stock. Witness the tranquil fantasies of the old castle on the hill take hold and colour every visit with its ancient promise of repose and protection it keeps even in contemporary times.

Wishing one day the proposal would come of being beckoned to return to the table and both delight in the comforting aroma of a warm beverage and tiny bites of something delicious gradually reduced with a small fork. Share the afternoon event as the city life passes by the window, the heavens slowly turn a navy blue mixed with royal purple and the stone buildings, some of them roughened by the passage of time, are lit up by small dots of light like the will o' the wisps found in the swamps of this country which was at first so foreign.

But she has made it home.

Y/N, as would soon be the discovered name of the customer who began to drop by at leisure, made the desire for the mutual delight come true. Mental curses for clumsily sitting down formed a cause for the all but smooth speech, stumbling over words regardlessly of being fluent in the local language, alongside the bafflement at the turn of events. However, the messy composure presented instead of the disciplined wise demeanour in the absence of the photographer was not minded.

In fact, it created something beautiful that would be the first step on a shared path.

A smile.

A curling of the lips that meant a reason for amusement - whether it be comical or merely rejoicing in the company - at the hand of a barista who longed for a girl out of the league of possibility. The physical evidence to add to the growing dream about the feeling of that subtle gesture pressed against the mouth that wanted to do more than solely speak.

Another wish that was granted when Y/N agreed to go on a casual date to the military tattoo, an annual music festival that is held at the castle where the royal mile begins and has to be experienced at least once in a lifetime. Certainly as a habitant of the city, according to the girl who just smeared a wee bit of strawberry jam on a raisin scone. The proposal to go came from the mistress of pictures because there was apparent offense at never having been in the year of already inhabiting the town, the carefully put down knife and delayed bite of the food a clear indication of the displeasure. Henceforth, an evening of music mixed with tradition was enjoyed after meeting at the bakery and closed off by the greatest sensation of the night: her lips on mine, small hands on hips whilst bigger ones framed a delicate face.

Finally, after many more outings like this one and multiple trips to the great nature park at the edge of the city - hiking until legs cannot go on anymore yet somehow manage to gather enough strength to make it back to the old mile for a cup of coffee as the never truly-fading rain clouds shed their tears - a relationship was established and has been happily maintained ever since.