TWO WEEKS LATER, Evelyn had woken up at two in the morning to go to her and Leona's bakery. Over the past several weeks since the eventful house party at George and Alex's place, Evelyn and Arthur had texted each other numerous times a day. Often at times, both individuals found themselves keenly awaiting responses and smiling as the familiar notification popped up on their phones. However, they had jobs, and responsibilities, and interests that laid outside of one anothers messages. So, with their minds elsewhere, their normal life continued on as it had before the party.
On the first of September, Evelyn was humming to the music softly playing through the speakers above her as she rolled out the red velvet cookie dough along the clean bench. She tilted her head, admiring the way the bright red dough caught the light and glistened.
At the same time, Arthur had been walking the empty streets of London with his friends Theo Baker and Chris Dixon. They were in the midst of filming a video for the shortest of the group, but due to the need to fly to Jersey, they found the only available flight to be at six in the morning. So, with backpacks slung around their shoulders, they headed in the direction of a place they knew would be open.
Only a few days after meeting one another, Arthur had asked more about Evelyn being a baker. Briefly, she had explained how her and Leona opened a shop, Hearts and Flours, with the intention of it failing drastically, only to find it becoming rapidly popular. She also mentioned how she often started extremely early in the morning alone until the time struck six, when another employee would arrive and help tend to the customers.
When Evelyn worked in the mornings, she left the front door unlocked incase someone desperate for food or coffee happened to be walking past. She only flicked the lock off when the clock struck four, due to her nagging anxiety telling her that the possibility of a drunk person stumbling into the store with a knife had a great possibility of occurring at that time in the morning. Even so, she rarely got anyone walking into the store, unless being to seek warmth.
However, that Thursday morning, she was extremely surprised to hear the bell jingle above the door at quarter past four, signifying someone walking in. With furrowed brows, she peered around the corner separating the main part of the store to the bakery half. She was pleasantly surprised to see Arthur looking around with two other boys behind him.
"Arthur?" Evelyn grinned as she walked around the corner, his head immediately shooting up. He smiled with a laugh as he greeted her, the two boys behind him sharing looks of confusion. "What are you doing here at this hour?"
"We're flying to Jersey to film a video in about an hour," he explained shortly, the thought of being awkward completely leaving his mind as he gestured behind him to his two friends. Evelyn let out a sound of acknowledgement.
"Hello," she waved as she leant over the counter, smiling kindly at the two blonds behind Arthur. They both muttered greetings back to her with a nod of their heads. Clearly, Arthur was more of a morning person then they were.
"So, what do you recommend?" Arthur asked, blowing out a short breath of air as he admired the array of muffins and croissants on display before him. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his pants as he walked along the other side of the counter.
"It depends on what you're in the mood for," Evelyn shrugged as she rested her chin in her palm.
The shortest blond stepped forward while he cracked his fingers. "This looks amazing," he said as he walked towards one of the glass cabinets.
"Thank you," Evelyn smiled sweetly, the look the man was giving her pastries warming her heart. It was one thing to get customers liking the look of her food, but when it was friends or even friends of friends, she couldn't describe it. She simply became over-joyous.
"Is everything fresh?" The taller blond asked as he stepped forward with furrowed brows. Everyone missed the look Arthur quickly sent his way. Evelyn quickly nodded with a smile and raised brows. He opened his mouth in shock. "Wait- you baked all this today?"
"Yeah," she nodded with a small laugh. "That's my job."
"What the fuck," he mumbled as he shook his head in confusion. "It takes me this long to get out of bed every morning."
The other three laughed as he continued to stay in a state of dazed confusion.
After everyone ordered, Chris and Theo stood at the back with their food as Arthur waited by the coffee machine, watching Evelyn make his tea. Sneakily, while Evelyn and Arthur were distracted by talking to each other, Chris snuck a photo of the girl on his way to the back of the shop, sharing a quiet laugh with Theo as he saved it.
"What's the video on?" Evelyn asked as she placed the paper cup beneath the coffee machine. The machine let out a squeal as it filled the cup up with boiling water.
Arthur hummed as he leant his hip against the counter. "Just a football challenge. We're doing a bunch of different shots on different pitches to see how it affects performance. Yesterday we did the Emirates so today we're gonna go to the Jersey field."
Evelyn nodded with interest as she dunked a tea bag into the medium-sized cup. "Who's it for . . . like, who's channel?"
"Oh, it's for Chris," he said as he turned to look at the two blonds, nodding in their direction. Evelyn furrowed her brows as she let the tea sit for a moment or two.
"Is he the tall one?" She asked, causing Arthur to turn around with a scrunched up face.
"No, what makes you say that?" He asked with a grin.
"Because the other one looks like a Theo," she shrugged. He only grew more confused. "What? He just reminds me of that chipmunk. You know, Theodore, the one with the green sweater?" She continued on, but Arthur only stared at her in shock, mouth agape.
Just before Evelyn was about to explain her thoughts further, Arthur let out a laugh. "What?" He questioned incredulously, enjoying her explanations much more than she'd meant for him too. The bright grin on his face erupted a laugh out of the girl herself.
"Yeah. He kinda looks like him, don't you think?" She said as she stared at the boy across the bakery floor. Arthur's mouth fell open even wider before he let out a louder laugh, throwing his head back as he caught the attention of the two blonds on the other side of the room.
"Chris!" He laughed as he watched Evelyn mutter in protest, throwing a hand over her face out of sheer embarrassment. "Evelyn just said you look like a chipmunk!"
"That's not what I said!" Evelyn cried as she poured some milk into the boy's tea, placing the carton back on the bench as she looked in Chris' direction. The blond was standing there - shocked and entirely offended - as Arthur and Theo laughed at him. "I just meant that you reminded me of Theodore, from the chipmunks."
"That's not any better!" Chris said as he raised a hand in the air. To a stranger, it would look like he was serious, but Evelyn, even though she'd only just met him, could tell he wasn't taking genuine offence. Hopefully.
"No, it is! There's nothing wrong with Theo. I love Theo! He's adorable!" She reasoned as she placed the lid on Arthur's tea.
"I'm not adorable," Chris mumbled as he walked towards a hysterical Arthur, Theo continuing to laugh as he trailed behind him.
Evelyn lent against the counter, sliding the tea in Arthur's direction. "I bet that if Simon was a human, he would look, act, and sound exactly like you, Arthur, so I don't know why you're laughing."
Chris burst out laughing and pointed at the boy in question as the brunette swiveled around with mock shock, holding a hand against his chest.
"And I thought we were friends," Arthur said as he reached for the tea. Evelyn only shrugged, struggling to hide her smile.
"Okay, we've got to go before we miss our flight," Theo said as he quickly glanced at the time on his phone. "It was lovely meeting you. Really woke me up."
"Yes," Chris agreed as he cleared his throat, pushing the rest of his laughter down. "Sort of."
"I swear I meant nothing bad about you reminding me of Theodore, I'm so sorry," Evelyn explained desperately as she walked around the counter, clasping her hands together in front of her flour-covered apron.
Chris waved it off with a smile. "No, no, it's fine. I was only kidding," he reassured her as he held his bag of food in his spare hand.
"Okay, good," she mumbled, rolling from her toes to the heels of her feet. They all waved goodbye to her as they exited the store, Arthur being the last to leave. "I hope you win," she said to him once the other two had left the shop.
He quickly turned around with a bright smile. "Me too. Thanks for the drink . . . and for dealing with us," he quickly added with a tilt of her head. She grinned back at him, a light blush rising to dust her cheeks.
"Of course," she muttered. "Anytime."
He nodded at her one last time. "Text me when you finish."
"Yes, sir," she said before they finally departed ways, the girl letting out a slow, calm breath before returning to her dough in the back section of the store.
Meanwhile, outside, Theo and Chris immediately jumped onto Arthur.
"So," Chris began as soon as the door had closed behind his childhood friend. "Who was that?" Theo nodded beside him in interest.
Arthur only shrugged as he took a sip of his tea, his other hand remaining in his pocket. "Evelyn."
"Yeah, we know that, but who is she?" Theo clarified with a roll of his eyes.
"A friend," Arthur responded easily - too easily. Chris instantly knew something else was up, and while Theo reluctantly settled for that answer, Chris secretly pulled out his phone and slowed to walk behind the pair.
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GEORGE CLARKE
george
I have an important question to ask you
read 4:21am
what
read 4:23am
dude, why are you up
anyway
who is this
read 4:23am
oh, that's evelyn
4:24am
how does everyone know her?
why have I never met her before?
read 4:24am
she was at the party a few weeks ago,
you probably saw her.
she was with Arthur the whole time
read 4:25am
ahh
read 4:25am
what
read 4:25am
nothing, it just makes sense
read 4:25am
she called me a chipmunk
read 4:26am
HAHAHAHAHAH
read 4:26am
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arthurtv updated their instagram story
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