sweet surrender | pulisic ✓

nineteenth

Lea sighed lightly, before chuckling. "Don't worry about it, Alex. I'm sure we'll find another way around this," she reassured the flustered Alex, who stood before her in front of the counter.

Hearing those words, a tiny smile graced Alex's lips. "I love how you're so positive about everything," she said, earning a laugh from her friend. "It's my special trait," Lea casually shrugged, prompting Alex to laugh this time.

As the laughter died, Lea spoke again. "You did the right thing," she said, to which Alex sighed in reply. She knew she had to return the recipe to him. Using it would have been wrong anyway. But there was something else she had hoped would come from returning it.

"I just wish –" she was interrupted by the sound of honking. They turned their heads in unison, glancing outside. "Well, finally," Lea quipped. Erik had told Alex he would be there in an half an hour, and that was two hours ago.

Alex laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "I'll talk to you later then," she gave Lea a quick squeeze before scurrying outside. Her eyes followed the car as it drove away. She smiled to herself, ever so envious of the lively relationship the siblings had.

Just as she was about to return to her duties, the front door opened, revealing a familiar face.

"Chris?" Lea frowned from the surprise of seeing him there. He was the last person she was expecting at the bakery. Christian shyly flashed her a small smile. "Is, uh, Alex here?"

Lea raised her eyebrows. Not only was he the last person she was expecting there, Alex was also the last person she was expecting him to be looking for. Yet there he was crushing both expectations. 

"She just left," she eventually replied, crossing her arms on the counter before her. He mumbled an oh in reply, and it was evident he was disappointment he had missed her. Lea studied him as his eyes landed on the cupcakes on display.

After a moment, he turned to face Lea again. "Are you guys going to be okay?" He asked, "I mean, Alex told me that you guys needed help so I thought –" But he was cut short when Lea chuckled.

"We're going to be fine, Christian. It was her decision not to use it," she explained. Frankly, they both knew a recipe like that would sky-rocket the business to a status far higher then they currently were.

In fact it would have definitely helped them get out of their current situation. Yet Alex, who had her whole heart and mind set out on that bakery, refused to even look at the recipe. At the first chance she got, at the training ground, she returned it immediately.

A small sigh slipped from Christian's lips. After getting the recipe back, he had spent a long time thinking about it. In all honesty, he had wanted her to use it. He couldn't bear to see her lose her bakery knowing how much it meant to her.

All he wanted, despite everything, was ultimately for her to be happy. And it didn't take him long for him to realize that he honestly did want to forgive her. He really did.

"Plus there aren't many things that mean more to Alex than this bakery," Lea suddenly stated, "so if she's willing to give it up for something – or someone," she looked at him knowingly before continuing, "they must be pretty special to her."

At that Christian found himself chuckling. And I think she's just as special to me.

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"I'll be right back," Erik said to Alex, who was scrolling through her Instagram feed, "and I'll leave the doors unlocked so Felix can come in."

The sound of the unfamiliar prompted Alex's head to snap up, "what?" Erik didn't say anything about a Felix hopping into the car. All he had done was agree to drive her to campus on his way to their parents' place.

"I'm dropping him off after I drop you off!" Erik clarified as he climbed out of the car. Before Alex could protest he shut the door behind him, disappearing into the store across the street.

For a while, Alex contemplated about running after him. But very suddenly, the car door burst open, revealing a very flustered Felix. "Bro, I swear if you –" he froze when their eyes met, awkwardly almost. "Oh, hello Alex," he caught himself, flashing her a smile.

"Hi," Alex returned the smile. Felix looked around for an odd second, prompting Alex to invite him inside in an attempt to rid of the awkwardness. Ironically, as soon as he climbed inside, things felt even more awkward.

Felix glanced at her, he head turned toward the store across the street. He was about to speak when she turned, catching him off guard. "I'm the worst, I know," she said, a hint of sadness in her tone.

Looking at her then, anyone could tell how upset she was at herself. Even Felix, who knew next to nothing about girls, could tell she was devastated. So he told her the only thing he could think of right then. The truth.

"Alex, he will forgive you," he said, flashing her a small smile, "trust me."

For a few seconds she only gazed at him, trying to figure out if he really meant it. And slowly but surely, her lips curled into that of her own small smile. Because Felix had given her that glimmer of hope she had been hoping for.

The glimmer of hope she needed. 

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