Chapter Text
Andrew hadn’t appreciated just how strange the man was until they were inches apart from each other.
His day had been normal, after all. A scheduled train stop in a lively town, en route to the heart of the mainland. Passengers, esteemed and common alike, alighted and set foot on solid ground for the first time in...perhaps too long, they would say. Andrew himself had no preference. The constant hum of the locomotive beneath the soles of his boots, or the stillness of earth, he liked both in their own ways.
More than that, his job was his job. He took pride in his duties; ensuring that the journey would be smooth for everyone. Those duties often extended into the pre and post-journey as well.
He wondered if this counted. The young man who scrambled after his dropped papers along the platform hadn’t been a passenger on Andrew’s train.
Any train conductor would have noticed someone like him. Even from a distance, that man was striking. In a world of blues, greys and browns, he was a dash of vibrancy with his pink coat, lemon scarf and dyed pink hair. He looked like spring, though they were in the dead of winter. When Andrew made his way through the crowd, he could have sworn it felt warmer the closer he got.
Or perhaps he was just in a mild panic because the pink man almost scampered onto the tracks. Sometimes it was hard to tell with these things.
“Please stand back, sir,” Andrew said as he set a hand on the man’s shoulder and held him away from the tracks. “It’s dangerous. I’ll get it for you.”
“Oh! That’d be great, thanks!”
Eye contact was still difficult for him, truth be told. And so Andrew hadn’t thought to look at the man in the face. He simply stepped in front of him and, after signalling to the engineers that he was there, went down to retrieve the lost papers. Then it was only a matter of handing them back to the pink man.
“Please be careful next time,” Andrew cleared his throat and adjusted his hat once the papers had been returned to their rightful owner.
“I will,” the pink man chuckled. “Just a bit of bad luck, you know? Bad luck and strong winds, especially today. But I do appreciate your help, Mister ah...”
“Kreiss.”
“Mr. Kreiss then! Thank you kindly.”
Andrew nodded slightly. He wasn’t good with words or accepting praise. A nod of acknowledgement was often all he could manage in return whenever people thanked him.
His gaze, ever avoiding directly looking into others’ eyes, drifted down to the papers the pink man held now in his arms. He noticed the words “Balsa Chocolatier”. Beautiful lines of calligraphy swept and curved around the same letters in different styles on every line.
“Oh?” The pink man’s voice reminded Andrew that he was staring, perhaps quite rudely, at someone’s personal documents.
Andrew blinked and averted his eyes. “My apologies, I was—“
“If you’re interested to see, could I take this chance to get your opinion on these then? That is,” the pink man smiled and tilted his head. “If you have the time, Mr. Kreiss?”
As a train conductor, Andrew was used to dealing with many kinds of people. One as open and friendly as this brightly-dressed gentleman couldn’t be considered out of the ordinary. Still, Andrew found himself slightly flustered. He checked his pocket watch, and turned his head to look at the trains and the platform. The alighting crowd had dissipated by now and there wasn’t much else to do while the engineers did their checks. So he did have time.
How strange that he didn’t feel the need to escape this unscheduled social commitment.
Once again, Andrew cleared his throat and adjusted his hat. “I have time. What can I help you with?”
“Great! I need a third opinion on some of these things—Ah, my name is Luca, by the way. Luca Balsa.”
And so they sat on a nearby bench, papers spread between them and weighted down by various trinkets they had on hand.
A chocolate store. That was what the pink man—Luca—said he would be opening up soon. Apart from the chocolates themselves, there were a lot of other aspects to consider. The papers that had been mercilessly pulled loose by the wind, and then retrieved by a quiet train conductor, contained all of these considerations.
Andrew had been mildly curious about the calligraphy before. Now he found himself curious about all these schematics and precise drawings of gift boxes, signs and even some interior architecture. One thing was for sure though: they were all a healthy balance of elegance and whimsy. Stoic lines offset by bright colours, dark shades offset by cheerful scalloped curves and dots, there was harmony there. It suited this strange but vivid man.
“I’ve only just received the keys to the shop,” Luca smiled as he pointed to a sketch of a storefront. “And the renovation company said they’ll take a couple of weeks to set things up. But I’m already excited to open.”
Andrew gave a short hum. “Seems to be coming along nicely, Mr. Balsa.”
“For the shop itself, at least,” Luca chuckled. He looked through the papers once more and handed Andrew one drenched in oddly meticulous drawings of boxes and paper bags. “I’d like your thoughts here as well. Would these be easy to carry for you? Without you having to worry about whether they would be crushed or toppled?”
“Mm. I think smaller, more compact boxes are better,” Andrew said as he looked through the designs. “I prefer having things in my pockets than carrying a separate bag altogether.”
Which was true. He often needed his hands free, whether it would be to help passengers or to hold his shovel and help clear the train tracks from heavy snowfall. As time passed, it simply became a habit to have only what he needed on him at all times. If it was in his pocket, it was something important.
“...Maybe this,” he said, pointing to the sketch of a neat, square box. Dimensions were scribbled alongside each design and he figured this one could fit nicely in his coat pocket.
Luca looked over the sketch. “Ah, I see your point, Mr. Kreiss. Hmm...portability is a big question indeed. Seems like the trend of these days isn’t to foist a giant heart-shaped box on your lover anymore. I have heard that these more compact designs are better for the romantic types.”
“Romantic types?” Andrew raised an eyebrow. Clearly, he wasn’t one to be well-informed about what was in trend with chocolate-gifting, but he couldn’t help being surprised that people put this much thought into packaging. Rather, he thought bigger was better when it came to people’s preferred romantic gestures. The opposite of what a practical man like himself would want.
“Yes, the romantic types,” Luca chuckled. It was a nice sound.
“I’m afraid I don’t follow.”
“Ah. Hmm...Alright, picture this.”
Andrew watched as Luca stood from the bench. He noticed then that only the man’s bangs were pink. The rest of his hair, pulled into a little ponytail, was warm brown just like chocolate. Fitting, really. The thought almost made Andrew’s lip twitch into a smile.
Luca adjusted his scarf and then turned to the train conductor with a playful, crooked grin.
“Pretend that I’m your lover, and we’ve just reunited after barely seeing each other for...hmm, maybe a month or two,” he said, waving his gloved hand—ah, his gloves were pink too—with a bit of a flourish. “You see that my hands are empty. ‘No flowers?’ You think. Where’s the effort? The thoughtfulness? You hide your disappointment while we go out to dinner—“
Andrew couldn’t quite resist his amused smile now, as this very strange yet charismatic young man prattled on. If Luca wasn’t already in the midst of opening up a shop, he could perhaps be a playwright of cheesy romantic stories. He laid out the itinerary of a lovely evening. Dinner, a walk in the park at sunset, and watching the light-up of streetlamps once night had settled.
“—and then, just when you least expect it, I pull out a small box from my coat pocket. It’s not too small, so you won’t mistake it for a ring box.”
Luca mimed the movement. He sat down again next to Andrew and took the taller man’s hands in his. The slight friction between the fabrics of their gloves made this little pretend scene feel so real and tangible.
“I look into your eyes as I hand you the box of chocolates I’d bought. You know I was thinking of you when I picked these out. Even the wrapping paper’s your favourite colour and pattern.”
Andrew realised then, just how close they were now. Luca’s face was close enough for his mind to truly take in the man’s features. Again, he hadn’t appreciated just how strange this man was until they ended up inches from each other.
Luca had a lovely face. His smile was bright and sincere. The little canine that peeked between his lips added to his playful charm. Then his eyes...It seemed his left had previously been injured and never quite healed right, as his eyelid remained half-mast and darkened from an old bruise. Still, they were lovely eyes, not quite blue and not quite grey, framed by long lashes.
And, oh, the warmth in those eyes. Everything about Luca seemed so warm, from the way he dressed to the friendliness in his voice. It was like sitting next to a cosy fireplace...Hmm. No, that wasn’t quite it. What was it, then?
Oblivious to the train conductor’s thoughts, Luca continued with his voice softened to play out the scene. “‘Happy anniversary, love,’ I say.”
Ah, yes. It was like the feeling of coming home. Andrew swore he felt that warmth now, rising from the base of his neck to his cheeks. He swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. And was his mouth always so dry?
In the next instant, the spell was broken. Luca set Andrew’s hands back down with a chuckle and tilted his head. “Now, isn’t that romantic? Gets to the toughest hearts too, doesn’t it?”
Andrew cleared his throat. God, he hoped he wasn’t staring. Turning away slightly and pretending that he needed to check his watch, he took the moment to catch his breath. He needed to adjust his tie too; it was starting to feel a bit stuffy. Just a bit.
“You sure you’re not an actor or a writer instead?” he managed a dry quip once he regained his composure.
“I could make that a side venture if I wanted,” Luca laughed, shifting back to his original seat across the chasm of papers. “But, yes, such subtle romantic gestures are trending, I heard. I do agree that smaller boxes would be better. Of course, the traditional larger ones would always be available for those who want them.”
“Hey, Balsa!”
The two men blinked and looked over. A petite young lady stood some distance away on the platform, a hand perched on her hip and a pout on her lips. Some part of Andrew thought it apt that a lady like this would be acquainted with Luca. Like him, she wore bright colours. Under her cream coat was a vividly yellow dress, embroidered with designs of candy and sweets. Even her hair matched Luca’s, with its peach-salmon hue.
“Ah, there’s Tracy,” Luca gave a sheepish laugh. “I’d better get going or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Were you meeting her?”
“Was supposed to. I arrived early and...well, I got distracted, then these sketches all got loose and you know the rest.”
“I see. Best not to keep her waiting then, Mr. Balsa.”
Andrew helped pack up the papers, sorting them into a neat stack before handing it to Luca. There was lingering warmth in his cheeks, but he tried not to think about it. Not now.
“Thanks for your help, Mr. Kreiss,” Luca smiled as they stood up together. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Most people don’t really give their time of the day for things like this, you understand.”
“It wasn’t a problem,” Andrew said after clearing his throat quietly. “I hope I was of some help at least.”
“Oh you definitely were! That reminds me...”
Luca tucked the stack of papers under his arm and slipped his hand into his coat pocket. A soft crinkle. Then, he fished out a single piece of chocolate, slotted in a clear plastic sleeve and sealed with a thin gold ribbon.
“Here, a token of my appreciation!”
Andrew blinked. “Oh, no I—“
“No time to be courteous now,” Luca laughed. He took Andrew’s hand and folded the packet into his palm with a wink. “I’d like to hear your thoughts on this too, should we meet again. Goodbye for now, Mr. Kreiss!”
There was barely time for Andrew to respond before Luca turned and jogged his way to the young lady, who was getting impatient with her companion. The two of them walked off together, already engaged in some spirited banter that had both of them gesticulating wildly.
The train conductor stood there on the platform, mouth agape like a silly fish out of water. He must look quite silly indeed. Still, it took time to process what happened. The strangeness of it all. Andrew’s gaze went to the single chocolate in his hand. With a shake of his head and an exasperated sigh, he tucked it away into his own pocket just as one of the engineers called for him.
“I’ll be right over.”
---
For the rest of the day, his job dominated most of his thoughts. There was much to do. Preparing for the next journey could be busier than the ride itself sometimes. Paperwork to go through, reports to read and then engine parts to check with the engineers. Andrew took pride in his job, and so he rarely let himself be distracted while on duty. He couldn’t afford to do so. Messing up the preparations could mean trouble down the line and trouble down the line was hard to handle, more often than not.
It wasn’t until he sat alone in his office, after all his colleagues had retired for the night, that he remembered what happened in the afternoon again. His hand had slipped into his pocket by habit, and met a soft crinkle of plastic.
“Ah.”
He pulled the small packet out. The chocolate inside hadn’t melted, thankfully. Then again, on a cold day like this, he would have been surprised if it did melt.
Truthfully, sweets and sugary things weren’t exactly Andrew’s favourite. That had been part of the reason he tried to decline when Luca handed this to him—rather, “foisted” was the word that man used.
Andrew thought about the little scene described to him in the afternoon, about lovers reuniting for their anniversary. It was romantic, he had to admit. A simple dinner, a walk in the park together, culminating in a small but thoughtful gift as a quiet surprise. Perhaps he was the odd one but he preferred this over the troublesome grand gestures people seem to like so much. What would one even do with a bouquet of flowers bigger than their torso? Or a declaration of love spelled out by a plane in the sky? Mm, but Luca did say that grand gestures were falling out of fashion...
Well, he supposed it would be a waste if he left this piece of chocolate. With that in mind, Andrew undid the ribbon and peeled open the clear plastic sleeve. It was a simple one, button-shaped with a little divot in the centre, and the darker shade of brown perhaps meant that it wasn’t too sweet.
He took a bite.
Indeed, he wasn’t immediately assaulted by sugar. The sweetness was subtle, blending nicely with the richness and bitterness of the dark chocolate.
Hm? There was something else in the taste and texture. Something fragrant.
He looked at the chocolate, and saw that there was pink in the filling. Strawberry cream, that’s it.
Pink and brown...
Andrew was reminded of Luca himself then. It was almost like the man was a spark, what with the way warmth rose in Andrew’s cheeks just from the thought of him.
He didn’t dislike it, at least. Maybe it was that pretend scene again. He had never really been able to imagine himself being in a relationship until now. Luca helped him visualise it. And so perhaps the skip of his heart and the warmth in his cheeks was from that rush of finally being able to picture himself with a lover, someone who would love and think of him even when they were apart. Someone he would love and think about in return.
Strange, though...Andrew could picture it now, but somehow the partner in his mind remained Luca Balsa. He supposed others might imagine celebrities or generally attractive people—...Well, Luca was attractive, so there was that. Maybe this was normal.
He finished the chocolate and folded the wrapping away neatly. It was good, even for someone who didn’t like sweets. The flavours lingered pleasantly and he might have reached for another one if he had a box of them around.
He liked it. If they met again, Andrew would be sure to let Luca know.