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There's something wonderful about the smell of freshly baked bread that makes Tzuyu feel like everything is right with the world. She pulls a piping hot tray of milk bread from the oven and sets it aside to cool. The loaves are golden on the outside and springy to the touch, and the sheer perfection of this bake makes Tzuyu glow with satisfaction. It doesn't matter that this is the second batch of milk bread she's baked this morning and probably the ninetieth batch since her little bakery opened about two months ago. It doesn't matter that she's baked hundreds of perfect milk bread loaves in her life and will hopefully bake thousands by the end of it if she's lucky. A good bake is a good bake and that's more than enough to put a smile on Tzuyu's face.
It's only 5 am, but Tzuyu has been baking for the last 2 hours and there's still a ton of work to do before the bakery opens at 7. The croissants and cinnamon rolls are already finished and the muffins come next. Tzuyu already has a few trays of batter poured and she pops those into the empty oven. A batch of scones will follow. Donuts are on the agenda, too. And then the shop opens and Tzuyu will handle a small rush of morning customers before resuming her baking in the afternoon.
There will be cookies, there will be cakes. And if Tzuyu has time for it, she wants to whip up some strawberry tarts this afternoon, too. Her daily list of planned bakes seems endless sometimes, but Tzuyu loves it all. She's wanted to open this bakery since she was five years old. And now, twenty years later, Tzuyu is living her dream. She's surrounded by bread and baked goods from morning to night. What more could she ask for?
*mwah*
A gentle kiss lands itself onto Tzuyu's left cheek. It's like the universe is answering her rhetorical question and Tzuyu jumps at the unexpected touch of warmth. Her heart nearly leaps out of her chest when she turns and finds Nayeon's face just inches from her own, a bright and mischievous smile dancing on the older woman's lips. Tzuyu hadn't heard anyone come into the kitchen, distracted and daydreaming as she was, and the surprise is more than evident on Tzuyu's face.
"W-what are you doing here?" Tzuyu stutters, trying to still her racing heart as though such a feat was even possible around Im Nayeon.
The older woman simply laughs at the question, her twinkling eyes already prepared for merciless teasing. "Really, Tzuyu-ah? Is that how you greet your girlfriend? What ever happened to, 'Good morning Nayeon, you look beautiful today?'"
Girlfriend. Tzuyu blushes even harder under Nayeon's playful smile. She still can't get used to the word even though it's already been a month since they became girlfriends, a month since Nayeon became more than just her employee's roommate, a month since Nayeon ate her way through the entire menu at "Tzuyu's Bread" and finally asked Tzuyu out on a date.
"GoodmorningNayeonyoulookbeautifultoday," Tzuyu mumbles while blushing furiously. She looks away because she knows that Nayeon's brilliant smile has likely tripled in size at this point, looks away because Tzuyu knows that she will simply melt and become putty in Nayeon's hands if she looks up and catches the expression on Nayeon's face that makes Tzuyu feel like she is the single most important thing in Nayeon's life. But Tzuyu forgets that looking away in embarrassment is more of an attractor than a deterrent for Nayeon's attention, and she quickly finds herself tangled in Nayeon's arms.
"There, that wasn't so hard," Nayeon giggles. She hugs the younger woman to her chest even tighter and snuggles Tzuyu close. "Good morning to you too, Tzuyu-ah!"
The bakery's kitchen is already warm due to the heat of three commercial sized ovens going full blast, but the kitchen somehow warms up further as Nayeon whispers compliments into Tzuyu's ear about the baked goods surrounding them. Nayeon talks about what she did last night after Tzuyu left her apartment, about things she'd like to do with Tzuyu tonight after they both get off work... There's nothing inherently dirty about what Nayeon is whispering--it's all rather tame and innocent even though they already slept together fairly soon after starting to date and still sleep together regularly despite their busy lives. But there's something about the way Nayeon trails little butterfly kisses on Tzuyu's neck as she tries to squirm away that makes Tzuyu feel like Nayeon is about to jump her right here amongst the cinnamon rolls.
"Yah!" A voice calls out. Tzuyu looks up to find Jeongyeon at the kitchen entrance, already changed into her work uniform and looking sternly at them. Jeongyeon ties her apron strings as she moves closer to examine the pastries that are already done. "Ugh, come on you two. No sex around the baked goods. People need to eat these things so please, do your business elsewhere."
"We weren't doing anything!!" Tzuyu quickly denies. She struggles to get out of Nayeon's hug unsuccessfully as Nayeon sticks out her tongue playfully at Jeongyeon.
"Yeah, we weren't doing anything. Not yet anyway~"
"Jeongyeon, help me..." Tzuyu whines, still stuck in Nayeon's hug. Jeongyeon is her most trusted employee, always ready to help Tzuyu and the bakery out in any way possible. Plus, Jeongyeon finds her roommate Nayeon annoying (in an endearing sort of way) and knows how to deal with her, so Tzuyu is immensely relieved when Jeongyeon bops Nayeon lightly on the head and the older girl finally lets go.
"Don't tease the little one," Jeongyeon says simply and Nayeon agrees without a complaint.
"Fine~," Nayeon relents, giving Tzuyu back her freedom.
Tzuyu straightens up and throws her girlfriend a hardcore pout. "How come you never let go when I tell you to let go?"
There's no chance for Tzuyu to look away this time. Nayeon's glowing smile is radiant and Tzuyu can already feel her heart melting. "Because where's the fun in that?" Nayeon replies both teasingly and earnestly. And while Tzuyu's brain short circuits from the pure adoration in Nayeon's smile, Nayeon quickly leans back in and kisses Tzuyu chastely on her cheek.
"Have a great day at work, Tzuyu-ah. I'll pick you up after work, OK?" And then Nayeon bounces out the kitchen and out the bakery's front door with only the soft jingle of wind chimes announcing her departure. Tzuyu stays still for a few moments longer, simply staring out the door that Nayeon left through, and wonders how much longer it'll take before her brain stops short circuiting around Nayeon. She's known her girlfriend for about two months now, and yet she still feels like such a train wreck when Nayeon showers her with affection.
"Hey, Tzuyu, you do like dating Nayeon, right?" Tzuyu hears Jeongyeon ask from the other side of the room. She looks over and Jeongyeon is already up to her elbows in the vat of dough for the scones, flour smeared across her forehead, but the older girl's attention is fully focused on Tzuyu. "Nayeon isn't pressuring you to date her, right? Because if you're not interested in her, just say the word and I'll stop her from bothering you."
Jeongyeon is dead serious with her offer and the kindness she radiates brings a smile to Tzuyu's dazed face. Tzuyu is infinitely grateful that Jeongyeon looks out for her so well, but at the same time Tzuyu feels sheepish. She's sure to an outsider, her relationship with Nayeon makes no sense. Tzuyu is certain that it often looks like she's just trying to get away from Nayeon, that her girlfriend is a source of annoyance rather than a target of Tzuyu's adoration. But in reality, Nayeon's presence has grounded Tzuyu in a way that Tzuyu never thought possible when she embarked on this extremely stressful adventure of starting her own business. Nayeon quickly became the supportive, encouraging, revitalizing rock that Tzuyu didn't even know she needed in her life. And even though she hasn't been able to convey it properly to Nayeon or to anyone else, she's more grateful to Nayeon than she can even express in words.
"Don't worry, Jeongyeon," Tzuyu replies softly. She glances out the kitchen and out the bakery's front door again even though Nayeon is long gone, and she smiles at the memories of her girlfriend's many energetic entrances through that door. "I definitely do like dating her."