The Tea Shop [mxm]

II: Spiced Apple Cupcakes

The sun was only just rising when Elliot woke up. As he looked out the window, all he could see was white. The sun’s beams couldn’t quite reach all over the city landscape, but where it could shine everything seemed to be coated in liquid gold.

     He loved waking up this early in the mornings, and therefore often asked to be the one to open the tea shop where he worked. Auntie Mae’s Tea Shop. Okay, so she wasn’t actually his aunt - or anyone's aunt for that matter. But ever since she’d opened the shop God knows how many years ago, that is what people called her. She was an elderly woman now, but all through his childhood she had been his second mother. She wouldn’t let him call her that though, since she believed that would dishonor his birthmother. So, once again she became Aunt.

     When he was old enough he started working at the shop, which at first only sold tea. There wasn’t even a place to sit down and drink it, you simply bought it and went on your way. But as young Elliot stared working there, things changed. Mae’s old age never stopped her from working actively, but she was glad to have a younger soul in the shop; it seemed to attract new customers.

     Therefore, she fully trusted Elliot when he came with the proposal that maybe the shop needed an upgrade. As the shop had been very successful for many years, money was never a issue, and together they expanded and redesigned and did whatever necessary. With this renovation came the new name. Auntie Mae insisted that Elliot should be given some credit for his work, and wanted to name the shop after him, but he refused. He knew that most people came to the shop to see and gossip with Auntie Mae, and so he singlehandedly decided to change the name to ”Auntie Mae’s Tea Shop” instead of just ”The Tea Shop”. That seemed a bit too anonymous for such a well known, and loved, woman.

     But still it was Elliot who did most of the work. With the expansion he had wished for a kitchen to bake in, and they were now also a café. When most of his effort was put on baking, they needed someone to handle the front together with Mae. That’s when Abigail came into the picture. She was a very bright girl, who was only supposed to work for a couple of months the summer before college, but she fell so in love with the shop that she decided college could wait. Her red hair and large smile was very much welcome to stay, for she always improved people’s mood with kind and witty words.

     Early mornings on saturdays called for baking. The shop was always crowded on weekends, and they had to make sure the freshly baked buns and pastries and cakes never ran out. That took a lot of effort on Elliot’s part, but he absolutely loved it. He was one of those warm, kind souls that never ceased to amaze with how genuine they always seemed. Whether he was baking or interacting with customers he had a smile on his face, a bubbling laughter and a bright mood that never seemed to dampen.

     He had a habit of humming to himself as he was working, and therefore didn’t hear either Abigail or Auntie Mae come in. He was lost in his own world, as he was so often. Not until the first customer rolled in and asked for ”whatever is in the oven” (yes that was an actual option their menu) he became aware of the rest of the world again.

     It was like that the whole day, and at six o’clock he was sure that they had enough sweets to last the final three hours. That’s when he usually started working out in the shop as a waiter to make sure that the evening crowd wouldn’t have to wait too long. Even though he would get out there while his sweets were baking in the oven, he was always exited to meet the people.

     He was a very social person, and loved the gossip the crowd brought with them each day. Even in a city like this, there would be small town gossip. Meaning, people were gossiping about people, places, and events just like you would think they do in a small town diner. In the city, not everyone knew everyone else, but it would certainly seem so the way they spoke about each other. It was quite entertaining, really.

     ”Elliot!” a familiar voice called. ”Get your sweet behind over here, I need you desperately!” As Elliot turned around he was met with a round face belonging to Joanne, one of the regulars. He could see they had already been served, but ever since learning he was gay, she loved teasing him by trying to match her with her son. Her son who was, in fact, not gay at all. Not gay, and married on top of that.

     Elliot started to make his way over there, until he heard the bell ding, telling him a new customer had arrived.

     ”One second,” he said and smiled at the lady and her friends. He shifted his focus to the man that just entered the busy shop, and seemed to be searching for a table. He seemed vaguely familiar. Elliot then walked over to greet him, and with a smile asked, ”would you like to sit down, or are you just picking something up?” The man looked down at him.

     ”Oh, it’s you,” he said. So he had been here before. ”I would like a table yes, but it seems a bit cramped. Perhaps I’ll just take something to go.”

     ”If you don’t mind the crowd, I do have an empty booth in the back.” Elliot smiled at the man. ”It’s right next to the kitchen door, so you would be the first one to know when the next batch of cookies are ready,” he said teasingly. For some reason he didn’t want the man to leave. It would be a shame to lose a customer, he told himself.

     ”Oh, well in that case,” the man smiled back. ”Show me to this magical table that would give me such an advantage.” Elliot turned and walked to the table, painfully obvious of the man’s gaze on his back. For some reason he didn’t like being observed.

     ”The menu’s right there on the table, I’ll be right back to take your order.” Before he had time to walk away, the man stopped him.

     ”Actually, I was here just a couple of day’s ago. I asked you to choose something for me, and I was immensely pleased. Would you please do so again?” When the man spoke Elliot suddenly remembered their brief encounter. That made his face light up once again, and he laughed.

     ”Oh, I thought I recognised you! Of course, I would gladly choose for you. Let’s see…” He tried to remember what he had last put in the oven. ”How about a spiced apple cupcake with a cup of tea to that?” The man seemed to consider this for a second.

     ”Would it be possible to get a cup of coffee with it instead?” A short laugh bubbled from Elliot’s chest and escaped his mouth without permission.

    ”So you’re one of those, huh? Of course, I could do that.”

    ”Wait,” the man said with a furrowed brow, ”what do you mean ’one of those’?”

    ”Strictly coffee drinkers. We don’t get a lot of those, since this is a tea shop, but sometimes they show up.” Elliot started to walk away, but turned before completely disappearing. ”I’ve managed to convert most of them to our side,” he added with a smirk, and disappeared out of sight.