The Tea Shop [mxm]

VII: Hot Chocolate... Coffee?

Wren had started to accept what was happening. He was reluctant at first, but could no longer deny it. He really liked Elliot.

      No matter how many times he tried to tell himself that Elliot wasn’t the reason he’d been coming back to the tea shop, eventually he’d had to face the facts. Elliot was the reason. He’d captured Wren’s attention the very first day he went there, but Wren refused to accept it, so he didn’t come back for a few days. Of course, Wren couldn’t stay away, and so eventually he returned; telling himself that the atmosphere was pleasing.

      Even Wren had to admit it sounded stupid. Now he couldn’t understand how he could ever deny that it was Elliot’s sunshine he was addicted to. He couldn’t help but to come back and bask in the warm rays of happiness he emitted, and he had to admit; it was contagious.

      That single hour Wren spent in the tea shop was easily the best hour of his day, and he could still feel the bubbles in his stomach laying in bed late at night. At day, he couldn’t wait to come back, and he was now willing to admit that the thought of Elliot and the shop made it easier to get through the day.

      He was walking, once again, to the corner of the street where Auntie Mae’s Tea Shop was located, and was eager to get into the warmth. The snow from a couple of weeks ago never melted away, and the weather had only grown colder. The difference now, though, was that Wren was prepared. He had a thicker coat, leather gloves, and even a warm knitted hat. The scarf he wore that first day was still there, though, as he wasn’t quite willing to let it go. He now considered it his lucky scarf.

      All this clothing was way too much once he got into the shop, especially as he was greeted with Elliot’s smile, and his already red cheeks grew even hotter. He wasn’t used to these reactions, he didn’t understand them. How could a simple smile affect him so much?

      At this point, he was beyond caring. He just wanted to get to his table and be served by Elliot. 

      As soon as Elliot saw him walk through the door, he rushed towards Wren. Well, rushed might be an exaggeration, as it took him several minutes to get there. Elliot seemed to be popular among the customers, because he was stopped several times by people who wanted a quick chat with him.

      When he finally reached Wren by the door, his cheeks were rosy and the smile on his face had never been bigger.

      ”Hi, Wren! I’ve been expecting you. You just go sit by the table and I’ll be there in a second, I just have to take care of a couple of things and I’ll be right with you,” Elliot promised, and then rushed away again. Today seemed to be a busy day, so Wren wasn’t too bothered by Elliot disappearing. A bit disappointed, yes, but that he just shoved to the back of his mind.

      Obviously, Elliot couldn’t spend all his time with Wren when he was in fact working.

      But Wren didn’t have to worry, because Elliot was back before he could even take his coat off. He was caught off guard, and almost lost his balance when he felt Elliot’s hand on his shoulders.

      ”Oh, let me help you with that. It sure is could outside, huh? Everyone in here has all these clothes hanging over the back of their chairs, its hard to get around the place! I’m just glad I work in a kitchen where it’s all warm and cozy, and I don’t have to worry about being cold at all - quite the opposite actually. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I sweat like a pig when we’re the most busy.” Elliot spoke a mile a minute, and Wren was completely overwhelmed. The Elliot from weeks ago was completely gone, and was replaced by this hyper person. What happened?

      When Elliot finally gets Wren’s coat off, he hangs it over the back of the chair, and pulls it out.

      ”So, what would you like today?” Elliot didn’t seem to take notice of the change, he just stood there, bouncing on his feet, as he waited for Wren to answer.