Sticks and Stones

Sixteen: Two Doughnuts and One Civilized Conversation, Please

"You get five minutes," the woman decided, propping the door open with her hip and nodding inside.

"You serious?" Brady asked and Tatum swatted his arm.

"Yes, before I change my mind."

The two hurriedly followed her in as she swept back inside. The girl switched on a light, highlighting a few of the baked goods that they had left from the day. There weren't too many options left, but Tatum was thrilled to have any of them. Tatum glanced around. It was beautiful inside. It was colorful and welcoming. The walls were a light purple, flowers and plants everywhere she looked. There were several cases for various baked goods, one specifically dedicated to doughnuts which seemed to be her specialty.

"Do you own this place?" Tatum asked curiously, glancing around at the beautifully setup bakery.

"Mhm," she confirmed as she made her way around the counter. Tatum started to recognize where they were. She had seen some people post on social media about this place.

"Do you have that doughnut that's named after someone?" Tatum asked the baker, eyes scanning the menu. "I can't remember what it's called, the—"

"I know which one you're asking for," the girl cut-off with a gentle laugh, reaching into the glass case and pulling for the chocolate glazed baked doughnut. "It's my most popular doughnut."

"For damn good reason," Brady added. "I'll have the same."

The baker packaged the doughnuts into a small bag. Brady reached into his wallet to pull out some cash, but was stopped short when she held up one of her hands. With the other, she held out the bag holding the doughnuts. She denied his money, kindly saying, "It's on me."

"What? We couldn't possibly—" Tatum started to argue, shaking her head.

"I insist," the baker said firmly. "You guys together?"

"Oh, we're not..." Tatum started instinctually but trailed off, glancing at Brady unsurely. It felt a bit harsh to act like it was some inconceivable occurrence.

He licked his lips, eyes darting between her and the baker. "Yeah, we're not..."

She grinned. "Ah, I see. One of those situations. I had that once. But you'd be surprised by what just one night can do."

Tatum blinked in surprise at her words. She stuck her hand out slowly and accepted the bag holding the doughnuts. "Uh, thank you. For the doughnuts."

"No problem," she said kindly. She switched the lights back off and guided them out of the bakery, locking the door behind her. Tatum snuck a glance at Brady, feeling her heart pattering in her chest. She hadn't considered anything with Brady before. He was just... complicated. The whole situation was a bit of a mess. She didn't know what to make of him half the time.

The baker turned to them, saying, "Hope you two have a nice night."

"Thank you," Brady murmured, also seeming like he was in his head a bit. The girl went the opposite direction, leaving them in front of her bakery.

Tatum's eyes darted over to Brady again, unsure of what to say next. She cleared her throat, holding up the doughnuts. "So, kinda wanna see what all the fuss is about."

She didn't wait to see what he might say. Instead, she just walked to a bench outside the bakery. Sitting down, Tatum glanced up to see if he was following her. Luckily, he was only a couple of steps behind her. He sat down next to her and she handed him one of the doughnuts, hoping to break some of the tension. He gave her a small smile as he accepted it, the frosting coating his fingertips.