The Tea Shop [mxm]

V: Cute as a Cupcake

Wren was feeling weird. His leg wouldn’t stop shaking, no matter how hard he tried. He wasn’t usually like this. But, as the younger man sat down, he forgot all about that. All of his focus centered on the man facing him.

     ”Nice to finally meet you. Or, well, I guess we’ve already met, but I mean like really meet. As in being introduced to each other and all that, you know? We have talked to each other, of course, since you’ve been coming here regularly since last Saturday, but I never got to know your name.”     

      The baker was rambling, like he was earlier when they crashed into each other. Wren found it rather endearing, especially when he blushed and looked down. He must have realised how fast he was talking, once again.

      ”Anyway, I’m Elliot.” Wren tilted his head to the side. Elliot. He let the name settle in his mind for a few seconds, before deciding that the name suited him perfectly. The sweet face with the blond hair and blue eyes gave him a very innocent look, and he couldn’t be a day over twenty; he was definitely an Elliot.

      ”I’m glad to finally be introduced to you too, Elliot,” Wren said and extended a hand. In it was one of the cupcakes Elliot had managed to save from the fall. Elliot reached forward to grab it, and as he did their fingers touched.

      Wren totally thought that it was only in cliché movies and books that ”the sparks” happened, but now he wasn’t quite sure. How could he otherwise explain that tickle that led from the tips of his fingers straight to his heart?

     Elliot quickly retracted his hand, and sunk down in the soft seat. It looked like he felt uncomfortable with their slight touch.

     Wren decided to ignore whatever had just happened, and instead tried to find the right words to say. He was more than rusty when it came to initiating conversations; nowadays it seemed as though others always came to him. He wasn’t used to be the one chasing, as he was usually chased. But he did find this turn around rather satisfactory, and thought that maybe something good could come out of this. Maybe this time he wouldn’t get stuck with one who only wanted him for his good looks or his bank account.

     It pleased him immensely that Elliot seemed to be flustered around him. That might be a sign that there were actual feelings involved. No matter how unsure he was about them, Wren was amost certain there was something in the way Elliot acted that was a proof of those feelings.

     ”How long have you been working here?” Wren asked.

     ”Since I was fourteen, so ten years now. This shop really has been like a second home to me.” Wren was surprised to hear this. Mostly because he had started working at such a young age, and he wondered why that might be. Had Elliot’s life been difficult? But he was also surprised by his age - twenty four years old. He barely looked twenty. But then again, his sweet face and blue eyes gave him a innocent, boyish look.

     ”Fourteen, huh? That is quite unusual. How did you find this place?” Wren was very curious, and couldn’t wait to find out more about Elliot. He seemed like a gentle soul, and Wren could definitely use a ray of sunshine in his otherwise grey world.

     ”I came in here one day, and I met Auntie Mae. She was very kind, and when I was about to leave she offered me a weekend job here.” Elliot bit into the cupcake and looked away, and Wren could sense there was more to the story. He could also sense that Elliot was reluctant to share this, so he decided to drop it.

     ”I take it you were interested in baking already, back then?” Wren asked.

     ”Oh no, not before that. It was actually in Auntie Mae’s kitchen I started baking, and I found that I was really good at it. That’s why I desperately wanted a kitchen in the shop when we expanded. I guess my passion for the job has only grown over the years,” Elliot said with a smile. His whole face lit up when he spoke about baking, and his shoulders seemed to relax and he was more open.