Hey there!!!
How you guys doing??
Merry Christmas!!!

It's a two shot I got this idea when I was baking cake today..
Since it's Christmas and Christmas means cake and cake means bakery..so... How about a love story at bakery shop 😋😋....

Okay now lets jump into the story......

Whether it's a sunny and chilly morning, whether there's strom or rain, the same boy with jet black hair, Greek God face and an endearing cute smile comes in, with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, pants, jacket or shorts, comes to the counter and looks seductively at the girl behind the counter, ordering black coffee and a pastry.

The girl smiles, shies away or if she's feeling brave, flirts back and puts in the combo an extra chocolate bar or the best chocolate muffin she has at the moment. Sometimes they exchange a few words, sometimes they don't. If it's busy, they usually don't. But if it's not, the boy dares to speak and make even her friends blush.

"Aw, the boy's not here today," Kavya cooed at Swara's down face and Swara just stick out her tongue at Kavya.

"He is maybe sick. It rained yesterday and he didn't bring an umbrella. He's so stupid," Swara said with stupid smile on her face. She opened the cash register to see if she has enough change, as a woman entered.

She's always had the policy for the bakery-slash-coffee shop she owns to smell of coffee and pastry, to smell like home, to be warm and has that decor and atmosphere. That's probably why her business did good.

Swara wasn't exactly sure how it all started. She opened the bakery something over a year ago and met the other co-workers over time as they applied to job. First was Kavya, then Laksh and lastly Ragini. They make the atmosphere better, make the working day pass faster and they work well, both in the baking area and in the customer service area.

"Well, a little flirting never hurt anybody, am I right?" Ragini patted Swara's back and smiles at the lady, proceeding to offer her help with her choice.

"The boy is ba~ck," Kavya teased and leaved the spot, winking at Swara to take the spot and serve the boy.

"Black, and anything tasty and nutritious," the boy says, smiling at Swara and looking her in the eye, knowingly. Swara winked and turns to Kavya, but she was already making the coffee.

"So... can I recommend?" Swara asks, pushing the bangs out her eyes and twitching an eyebrow. The boy tilts his head and shrugs.

"I trust the beauty infront me."

Swara chokes for a moment, blushing at the complement and covers it with a cough and a fist over her mouth. "How about this? There's a lot of chocolate in there."

"Well, is it nutritious?" The boy insists, pretending not to see Kavya and Ragini trying to eavesdrop and like he doesn't see Laksh's head poking out the back.

"You don't need anything nutritious," Swara said, already putting the pastry in a paper bag. "You seem like you got a lot of loving nursing over the weekend."

"I did," the boy smiles and Swara turns around to take the cup from Kavya.

"Have a good day at work."

"Now I sure will," he says and leaves money on the counter, turning around to look at Swara once more before exiting and taking his way out.

"Swara?" Kavya asks, looking after the boy, as both Swara and Ragini were, just standing there in awe.

"Hm?"

"That husband of yours better be damn hot if you're missing out on this."

"Come on," Swara pushes her playfully. "Get back to work."

"Isn't it considered cheating?" Laksh asks barely over the chewing of the new pie Swara's shared the recipe for.

"Shut the hell up, idiot," Ragini spitted. "No one asked you. If a hot as hell boy is fliting with the boss, the boss will flirt the hell back."

"Thank you," Swara said.

"I'd call it cheating," Laksh said. "It's not okay. You are eyeing him every single morning and I'm pretty sure the hot guy doesn't come here just because the coffee is mediocre."

Kavya shoves her shoulder a little too hard. "The coffee I make is not mediocre."

"Neither are my muffins," Swara pouts quietly.

"Now that I think about it," Ragini sighed, "Maybe it is not particularly fair for your husband not to know."

"He knows," Swara said and looked guilty, while everyone shares interested looks. "He- he's okay with it. I mean, it's not like I'm doing anything. He's a customer, that's all." she looks up at the clock and taps Laksh's knee for him to hurry up with his meal. "We're opening, go unlock."

As predicted, the boy came in with a huge smile as soon as he spots Swara there. Ragini pretended not to hear Swara when she told him to go to the counter and suddenly found those rolls in the oven more interesting as if she hadn't just put them there.

"Morning, beautiful," boy leans on the counter and Swara lifts her eyebrow up. "The usual, thank you."

When Swara turns around to the coffee machine, Kavya widened her eyes and goes in the back as if to leave the two alone.
She swears she can hear Laksh whisper-yelled at Kavya, "She has a husband!"

"Can I take you out sometime?" the boy smirked as he placed the money on the counter. Swara put the money in the box and pressed her lips together as she shaked her head no. "Too bad. See you around."

"What." Kavya deadpanned. "He didn't even flinch at the rejection."

"Didn't he say the other night he has to buy some muffins for his babe?" Ragini asks and smiled at the next customer. "Please make a latte," she told Kavya who goes to the coffee machine immediately.

"Did he really use the word honey?" Swara asked. She wasn't there, but she knew when that boy came as Kavya texted her right away and then apologized if Swara was with 'her own honey' who shouldn't see the text.

"Yeah, and he was all smiling. Gross."

"I pair you guys so hard," Ragini takes a deep, longing breath and told the lady she doesn't have to pay the full price if she doesn't have enough money. She had probably seen Swara do that - if people can't pay, Swara will give them food for free.

She would be a mean if she didn't do that. She even put a sign up the front. Still, not many people took advantage of that. She wished she could help more.

"Do you forget she has a husband?" Kavya asked.

"I don't care about his stupid husband. Did you see what a master piece The Hot Guy is?"

"He is but Swara is married," Kavya insisted.

"Didn't you say the other day that Swara's husband is probably ugly as duck and you don't realize what Swara sees in him even though you never met him?"

Swara gasps offended, turning to Kavya with a hand on her hip. "Excuse you. He is very well good looking."

"You never talk about him. How long are you guys married?" Kavya asked.

"Little over four years."

"I thought you were too young to be married but you got married even younger," Ragini frowned.

"How come? Oh, no. Don't tell me you actually love him when you have a whole meal man you can learn to love every morning coming here?"

Swara chuckled. "I do love him. I'm younger by two years. I was only eighteen when we got married. Fled our little town in the South two years before that."

"Wha- what!?" Kavya would scream if she didn't lose all her voice. "You ran away from home? That young?"

Swara nods with a smile. "We don't regret it. I managed to finish my school here with the help of an older friend who had the means to put me through that last year without the need of my parents."

"I smell some illegal shit," Ragini said knowingly.

"Sahil never did anything legal in his life," Swara laughed. "He left the town when he was thirteen, so he helped. I have no idea where he is now, probably in the hands of some narco boss."

Swara said it with such a light voice. She left Kavya and Ragini with worried faces. Laksh's head popped out the back worried as well.

"Oh, I mean, he'll resurface. That's not unusual. He can take care of himself, just as my husband and I did. People of the town..." Swara looked down the counter and wiped it, tsking and shaking her head. "It's not like big cities. You do not get to be different there. It might seem easy to pretend you're friends, to not hold hands or kiss in the public. People think 'Why don't they just hide it?'. But, that's the thing. We don't want to hide it. The only way we could be ourselves and not hide was to go away. And I would do it all over again."

"I think it's beautiful," Ragini stated and Kavya shoot her a shocked and irritated look because she just shat on Swara's husband and now she's compassionate. "Maybe you should tone down the flirting. Not fair to your hubby."

"So, uhm, what does he do?" Kavya asked.

"He's an assistant of a journalist working for the daily newspaper," Swara smiled. "He's doing well, he tries a lot. Works very hard."

"Oooh, I bet Swara makes him little muffins with cute little messages and his husband eats them with love and they're so lovey dovey, I bet," Kavya squealed.

"Yes, that's what happens," Swara said blushing. "While we're at it," Swara said, "he'd like to meet you guys. You free over the weekend for a dinner at our place?"

"Sure, I'd love that," Kavya smiled.

"Totally have great plans, but I'm cancelling," Ragini nodded.

"Uhm... am I invited, too?" Laksh asks shyly and Swara laughed, nodding. It's going to be fun.

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If Swara loves her husband so much then why is she giving false hopes to that boy?

Any thoughts??

Btw do you want to see the cake I baked???

No matters if you say yes or no, I'm gonna show you 😁😁😁 cause I worked pretty hard😫
(I messed up a bit though 😅😅)

Anyways thank the cake for this ff😉😉

Love you 💕💕