Chapter Text
The little, tucked away street by the library was all strung up for the Christmas season. Yellowish string lights were draped between branches of leaf-bare trees, and little stalls connected to cars selling coffees and pretzels were open all evening, with little radios playing the same Christmas songs. Winter made the sun retire early in the afternoon, so the moon shone overhead, clouded over by angrily grey cumulus.
It was raining, and Kim was utterly lost. She’d been so certain he knew where she was going, but she must have gotten turned around somewhere, and her phone was dead. Her first day of work in a new city - even if it wasn’t too far from home - was a long one, and it had sucked up her battery life like a sweltering tourist with a straw to ice. This meant she couldn’t check a map, or even call someone who knew anything about roads.
The rain was dripping down the back of her neck in the most uncomfortable way, and the first place that looked like she might be able to get a cup of coffee and plug her phone in was a well-lit little cafe sort-of-looking place. She ducked into it as soon as she saw it.
“Good evening, can I.. Kim?” The only person Kim saw when she walked in was a short, skinny man, with hair tied up and falling over his eyes, standing behind the full glass display case by the register.
Chris Trott had been half of a friend during college, and secondary school. He was always the overachiever in every class she saw him in. He had always said about his aspiration to become some kind of chef, that he wouldn’t be at university because he wanted to have his own restaurant. Here he was. With an undercut and a heavy cardigan, and his own apron.
Through his stare, he briefly disappeared into the back of the store through a little side door, before coming back a moment later with a towel. He came out to her, and closed the door behind her.
“I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“Not since the leaver’s party at college.” Kim took the towel with a smile, wiped the water off the back of her neck and briskly toweled her soaked hair. “You really got your dream after all.”
Trott grinned. “I said I would. Not to say it’s been easy.” He took the towel from her. “You can sit down without buying anything,” he continued, walking off behind the counter. “I can make hot chocolates or coffees, or the like. But it’s really a shame to come in here and not try a pastry or a dessert, since that is the entire premise.” He smiled to himself.
“What do you recommend?” Kim asked. She put her bag down by a table, walked over to the display case, but couldn’t read the tags on each set of slices. She was nearsighted enough that she’d have to put her nose on the glass to read them without them - she didn’t bring her glasses today, out of a rush to get to work early.
Trott poured coffee into a tall white mug, set it on a saucer, and put it down next to the register. He tugged a plate out from under the counter, and set it beside the saucer.
“Depends on what you like. None of the cakes are conventional; there’s far too many interesting flavour combinations to stick to the basics. Do you still like dark chocolate?”
“Of course.”
“What about cherries?”
“My tastebuds will never change, Trott.”
The baker laughed, and Kim barely missed the little flash of a tongue piercing behind his teeth. He reached into the back of the display case and placed a nearly black cookie onto the plate, beside her coffee.
“You’ll hate me for giving you this as soon as it’s not in your mouth anymore.”
Kim was intrigued enough to break a piece straight from the plate and popped it into her mouth - and made an embarrassing sound. The richness of the chocolate cookie studded with dark chocolate chunks made the tartness of the dried cherries pop.
“Oh my god.” She beamed at him. “This is amazing. Worth abandoning me in college, holy shit.”
Trott laughed again.