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Jensen took the part-time job at the bakery originally because he wanted to make some extra money next to studying at university. He’d never imagined that he’d fall in love with kneading dough, baking cakes or making icing for cupcakes but he did and that was exactly the reason why he quit university and took a full-time job at the cosy little bakery named ‘Little Pleasures’.
‘Little Pleasure’ was small. Only seven little tables with three chairs each lined the walls. There were nine employees working there and Jim, the owner of the shop who treated them all as if they were his family and forced them to take home whatever hadn’t been sold at the end of the day. That didn’t happen all too often though because despite its size, the bakery was well-known and popular among students and elderly people in the local area and more than once did they run out of stock about half an hour before closing time.
Jensen huffed in frustration. There was flour on his glasses again and Ty had just come in to tell him that they needed more strawberry cupcakes, but Jensen was still busy working on the apple pie - a recipe Jim claimed his mother had invented- and the boss was nowhere in sight to give him a helping hand. The sleeves of his sweater always slid down his arms today. It was days like this that he thought to himself he should have continued university. He had to help out at the front of the store today already and that although his workplace was in the kitchen and talking to the customers had made him uneasy. The old lady with the orange lipstick had asked him too many questions and he hadn’t liked the students either that were too boisterous for eight o’clock in the morning. It was a stressful day and there were still two more hours for him to go before he could escape to the quiet of his small flat.
Sam -bless her- had come in half an hour earlier and Jim had taken mercy on Jensen and sent him home after one of the metal bowls filled with chocolate chips nearly slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor. The younger man had made his escape to the staff room quicker than ever and discarded the dirty apron into the laundry basket. He didn’t even have to tug down the sleeves of his sweater because they were slipping down to his wrists again on their own accord. After cleaning his glasses and a quick chat with Steve, who was on his cigarette break at the back exit of the shop- Jensen walked to his car. It was a beat-down Peugeot or at least what was left off it. The car had been around for nearly as long as Jensen and even though it had its issues, he felt strangely attached to it.
The red scrap- how his few friends liked to affectionately call it- was parked on a public parking space two blocks away from ‘Little Pleasure’. Jensen parked their every day and took the few minutes of walking to the store and back for relaxing before engaging with stressed co-workers or the horrible traffic on the streets of the city. Jensen unlocked the car and cursed under his breath. The idiot with the fancy black BMW had parked close enough to make it difficult for Jensen to squeeze himself through the door into the driver seat. He couldn’t wait to get home, to burry himself into blankets with some popcorn and catch up with Game of Thrones. It had been a stressful day and he deserved something good right now. He hadn’t realized that he’d put the car in reverse when he hit the gas pedal.
Jared Padalecki wasn’t in the best mood possible. His father had given him a long lecture for turning down the internship offer from one of his partner firms and he was already late for his university lecture. His mood did not at all improve when he had to park the car in one of the huge rundown public parking spaces several minutes away from university because there was no single space free along the sidewalks. His mood hit rock bottom when he rolled into one parking space and realized too late that the hideous red Peugeot in front of his rolled back with full speed before crashing into the front of Jared’s black Mercedes. His father was going to kill him. Jared’s bad mood was forgotten the second he laid eyes on the frantic looking young man who stumbled out of the red car with wide eyes.
Jensen nearly fell out of the car, tears of frustration burning at the back of his eyes. Shame colored his cheeks. He took a deep breath or five before making his way to the expensive looking Mercedes. With trembling hands he knocked against the driver seat window and braced himself for angry words. Nothing of that came as the window lowered. Inside sat a young man, he couldn’t have been older than Jensen himself. His mouth was open and he didn’t say a word, just watched Jensen quietly. Maybe he was in shock. Maybe Jensen should call an ambulance. That was just what he’d need now.
Jared looked up at the man and noticed the smear of flour on his left cheek. He had to clench his fists in order to not reach up and wipe it away. The man standing at his window was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. The stranger’s hair was sticking up in every direction as if he’d run his head through it a thousand times already. Jared wanted to touch it, wanted to run his hand through it as well. The man looked distressed and really Jared just wanted to give him a hug. And maybe a kiss He must have hit his head when the cars crashed.
“Are you okay?” Jensen asked quietly.
“Yes, I think I’m fine.” Came the answer. He sighed in relief. The cars looked bad enough; he probably couldn’t live with the knowledge of having hurt someone else.
“L-look, I’m sorry about w-what happened. It w-was an accident.” Jensen stuttered over his words and blushed even more. “Here’s my insurance card. A-and my nu-mber should there be any problem. I’m r-really sorry!” He threw the card into the Mercedes and turned around quickly. The red scrap needed a few seconds to start the engine but once the car was running, Jensen pressed the gas pedal as hard as he could, of course making sure this time that it wasn’t in reverse. Only when the door to his small apartment fell into lock behind him did he finally allow those angry tears to well up in his eyes and spill over.
-//-
Jared should be angry. He’d only gotten the Mercedes for his twenty-second birthday a few months ago and now it was already damaged. He couldn’t find it in himself to be angry though because all he could think about were a green pair of eyes hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, oversized sweaters and sweet sounding stutters. Jensen Ackles, the name on the card had said and Jared had repeated it in his head over and over again. He’d called the insurance number after university and as it turned out, Jensen had already told them about what happened as well. The financial aspect of the accident was covered and even though Jared’s parents weren’t all too happy about the fact that the car was already damaged, for Jared the incident was already over and done with. That is, if he could forget about the most beautiful green eyes he’d ever seen. With a heavy sigh he picked up his phone and called the families private detective.
“Morgan?” asked the man on the other side of the phone.
“Jeff, it’s Jared. I need your help. How fast can you find a person?”
“Is everything alright?” Jeffrey Dean Morgan asked from the other side of the line.
“Yes, everything’s good. I need you to find me someone named Jensen Ackles.”
-//-
“You’re an idiot” Jeff declared as he pushed a folder over the table to Jared.
“And you’re working for my father, so watch your mouth.” Jared muttered.
“Oh please, I know you since you pooped into diapers, I won’t let myself be intimidated by you.” The older man rolled his eyes. “But I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t just call the guy. His number is literally on the sheet of paper he gave you.”
Jared shrugged his shoulders awkwardly.
“It’s because you like him” Jeff teased good-naturedly and enjoyed watching the blush spread on Jared’s cheeks. “Anyway, here’s what I got. His name’s Jensen Ross Ackles, he’s twenty-six, originally from Texas. Parents died when he was twelve. Two siblings, they got separated in foster care but still keep in touch with each other. Works for a bakery called ‘Little Pleasure’, owned by Jim Beaver. I sent Misha to the bakery a few times. He says that the man always works in the back. Also the cupcakes they sell are apparently the best he’s ever had.”
Jared took in every information of Jensen Ross Ackles that he possibly could and exactly one week after the accident, he found himself entering ‘Little Pleasure’ for the first time. The place smelled like heaven, baked goods with a mix of raspberry lingering in the air. It had a cozy vibe to it. Behind the counter stood a young woman whose eyes went huge when she saw him enter. Of course she would recognize him. Nearly everyone in this city knew the Padalecki clan and the money that came with the name. His face was on the cover of local magazines more often than Jared liked.
Jared smiled at the woman. “Hey.”
“Hey” she squeaked back. “What can I get you?”
“Is Jensen here?” The woman nodded her head eagerly. “Great, can you get him for me?”
“Of course!” and with that she was quickly retreating to the back.
Jared leaned against the counter and sighed. If his heart was beating a tad bit faster than usual, then no one ever had to know. He had gone through this moment over a thousand times in his head already. Jensen would come out and look confused and Jared would ask him out on a date. Naturally Jensen would say yes. The millionaire’s son would pick him up in the black Porsche that belonged to his father and escort him to the finest restaurant in town. Where the rest of the night would be spent? If it was up to Jared, it would be in the midst of his king-sized bed.
“You should have told me you knew Jared Padalecki.” Jared could make out the woman’s voice.
“I have no idea whom you are talking about”
The man was coming out of the kitchen, hair in a mess on the top of his head, glasses halfway down his nose and with a dish towel clutched between his hands. He came to a stop the second his eyes landed on Jared, a look of recognition on his face.
“Is something wrong with the insurance company?” His voice was higher now and worry crossed his features. Jared frowned.
“No?” he asked. “Why would it be?”
“You crashed into Jared Padalecki’s car?” The woman screeched.
“Let’s talk in the back” Jensen suggested, completely ignoring his co-worker.
Jared agreed, following the shorter man into the back of the shop, through a kitchen that looked like a war field and into a tiny room with some lockers and an old looking table with two chairs.
“I’m sorry about my co-worker. I have no idea what’s gotten into her.” Jensen said sheepishly as he sat down on one of the chairs. He awkwardly offered Jared the second chair, an offer the other man didn’t decline. “Although you do look familiar.” He blushed. Jared wanted to hug him.
“Maybe it’s the fact that my family is all over the news all of the time.” Jared suggested and shrugged his shoulders. That’s when understanding dawned on Jensen’s face. He covered his face with both his hands but Jared could still see the tips of his ears turning red.
“Of fucking course.” He mumbled. “From all the cars I had to crash into it turned out to be the one owned by a member of one of the city’s most influential families. So how can I help you? How did you even know where to find me?”
“It really wasn’t that hard and don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with the insurance company. Everything’s covered. I came here for something else. Would you want to go on a date with me?”
Jensen’s jaw opened and closed several times as he looked at Jared. “I’m sorry?”
“You’re adorable. Go out on a date with me, please?”
The man eyed Jared from head to toe and then shook his head slowly from left to right. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t. And now please excuse me; I need to get back to work. Those cupcakes don’t bake themselves.”
There’s many ways that Jared had seen this conversation in his head, but none of them had ended with Jensen turning him down.
-//-
“You should have seen him in his damn suit and tie.” Jensen threw his hands up in the air. “It was ridiculous.”
Danneel looked less than impressed. “I still don’t know why you said no. There’s a hot guy asking you out, he’s rich and nice enough to not hold a crutch against you for destroying his car and still you say no to him. Sometimes, Jensen Ackles, I really don’t understand you.”
Jensen gave up. He had tried to make his best friend understand the situation for half an hour now, but Danneel- who was taking up his entire couch- didn’t seem to understand his issues. Jared, good looking and rich Jared, had turned up at his bakery and asked him for a date. It was already creepy enough that the guy had found out his working place. To Jensen it was obvious that Jared must have played a prank with him. How would someone like this guy even seriously think about someone like Jensen with his stupid freckles and stupid glasses that kept sliding halfway down his nose. It must have been some kind of bet going on with his friends, seeing how fast he could get Jensen into bed with him. Well, Jensen refused to be just that, a bet.
The days at the bakery turned weird after that. Every day a bouquet of flowers would arrive for Jensen. Sometimes the flowers had chocolate with them, other times it was little stuffed animals. Each time a card was attached to the bouquet, asking Jensen out on a date, signed by Jared and a mobile phone number written on it. Jensen never called. Jim was slowly getting irritated by all the deliveries and the fact that Jensen refused to take the flowers home and wanted them to be displayed at ‘Little Pleasure’ instead.
It was about two weeks later when Jared entered ‘Little Pleasure’ again, slightly irritated by the fact that he hadn’t heard back from Jensen yet. He didn’t know the man behind the register but the man obviously knew him. He just raised an eyebrow and muttered that he’d get Jensen, before going into the kitchen. Jared took in the flowers that he had sent, each table filled with at least one bouquet.
“What do you want, Jared?” Jensen asked as he came out of the kitchen. He had bags under his eyes and looked really exhausted.
“I never got your call.”
“That’s because I never called you. What does it take for you to back off?”
“A date with you.”
Jensen frowned. “If I go on a date with you, you’ll leave me alone after that?”
“If you still want me to leave you alone afterwards, then I will.” Jared agreed. The other man looked reluctant but he agreed. The millionaires son could have made a happy dance right there, but that would probably scare Jensen off again. They agreed on meeting up the next evening. Jared would pick Jensen up at seven p.m.. It was going to be a good night.
-//-
Jensen watched from his window on the third floor of the building as the black Porsche parked before the door. He didn’t even have to see Jared getting out of it to know that the car belonged to the Padalecki member. He swallowed hard and watched as the man got out and went to the entrance door. Even though Jensen knew it was coming, he still flinched at the sound of the doorbell.
“Be right with you” he said through the interphone before putting on shoes and taking his phone, keys and wallet. Never in his life had he been this nervous before.
He nearly tripped four times on his way downstairs and when he pulled open the entrance door to find a smiling Jared in front of him, his heart sank to his stomach. The man before him looked amazing. He wore a grey suit that looked worth more than Jensen earned in two months, matched with a white shirt and black tie, a white rose clutched in his giant hands that he offered Jensen. The other man felt way underdressed. He wore a pair of black jeans and a grey sweater, the most decent things he could find in his closet. A black shirt peeked out under the collar of the sweater. Jensen took the offered rose and played with it nervously.
“You look amazing.” Jared said.
You’re a good liar, Jensen thought to himself but smiled.
The way to the restaurant was mostly silent. Jared tried to start a conversation a few times, but Jensen always shut it down with little to no words. It was a bit of a longer drive though, about twenty minutes. Jared had never been in the part of the city were Jensen’s apartment was located and that even though he grew up here. It was just one of those parts that your parents would tell you not to go to. Jared didn’t listen to his parents very often, especially nowadays, but that was one of the few things he’d always listened to.
The restaurant Jared chose for the evening was his favorite. It had the best wine, the greatest cooks in the entire city and to actually get a table within the next five months was close to impossible. Jensen’s outfit made him stand out of the crowd just a bit, but Jared couldn’t care less. The waiters knew better than to mention it in his proximity.
They were led to a small table at the back of the restaurant, out of most people’s eyesight just like Jared had requested. A candle was lit for them and Jared ordered them a bottle of wine. He could always call his driver to pick them up, should he have too much alcohol. The man watched as his date picked up the card and went through it with a furrowed brow.
To be honest, Jensen had no idea what any of the things written on the menu meant. Most of them were in a foreign language. He felt lost and uncomfortable, his clothes didn’t match his environment and that wine Jared had just ordered for them both he didn’t even know how to pronounce. Jensen didn’t even drink wine for god’s sake, what was he doing here? Jared was babbling about the food on the menu, about what was recommendable and what he personally didn’t like all too much and Jensen felt frustrated. He would give a lot right now to be back home and watch TV or even hang out with some of his friends.
It wasn’t hard for Jared to pick up on the fact that Jensen had no idea what he had ordered. He had asked for the escargot but really, he didn’t look like someone who liked to eat snails. His glass of wine was barely touched and the conversation moved along slow. Jensen stuttered a lot. His eyes always travelled through the room nervously and he rubbed his hands on the denim of his trousers. Twenty minutes after they had arrived, Jared sighed and took out his wallet. He threw a few dollar bills on the table.
Jensen watched with wide eyes. “What are you doing?”
“I’m paying.” As if it wasn’t obvious. “Come on Jensen, we’re leaving.”
Jensen’s shoulders slumped down. He had never thought that Jared could honestly be interested in him but the fact that he cut off their date made him sad. Without a word he followed Jared out of the restaurant and got into the car when the door was opened for him by the taller man.
Jared let himself fall into the driver’s seat before shrugging off his blazer and getting rid of the tie around his neck. He popped open the top two buttons on his shirt and started the car.
“I’m sorry, this was a mistake.” He said and what Jensen frustrated even more was that he sounded genuinely guilty. They drove in silence.
When Jared parked the car the next time, Jensen was confused. He had suspected that he was brought home, but this was not his building. Instead they parked in front of a typical American diner.
“What are we doing here?” Jensen asked confused and looked at Jared for the first time after they left the fancy restaurant.
The man’s eyes were sparkling and a smile was on his lips. “We’re starting our date over.”
Jensen’s car door was opened by Jared again and a hand was held out for him to hold on to as he got out.
“I do-don’t really understand. Why?”
Jared took a step closer and with the one hand that was not tangled with Jensen’s, he pushed the black-rimmed glasses higher up the smaller man’s nose.
“What do you mean why?”
Jensen started to gesticulate. “Well for once because I was completely underdressed for our date. I couldn’t read the menu, I didn’t like the wine and I felt absolutely miserable at that restaurant. I crashed into your car and I turned you down more than once. My apartment is at the bad side of town, the suit you wear cost probably twice as much as my monthly income is.”
Jensen’s word vomiting was stopped with a gentle finger on his lips and when he looked at Jared again, he found the other man smile in amusement.
“Jensen, you have no idea how loveable you are, do you?” Jensen blushed at those words. “It wasn’t you that was underdressed but me who was completely overdressed. I mean, what was I thinking taking someone to a restaurant like this were the waiters are so stiff that you think they might have a stick shoved up their asses? I don’t care about that stupid car you crashed and neither do I care about where you live or what your income is. What I care about is getting to know the man with the flour on his cheek that turned me down even though he knew who I was.
And I can’t get to know that man in an environment that he doesn’t feel comfortable in. What was I thinking? But now we’re starting this date over again and we’re going to go into that diner right behind us and I’m going to order myself some Chili Cheese Fries because this place? They make the most amazing ones I’ve ever had. We’re going to get to know each other and I’m going to hand-feed you some of those fries. At the end of the night I will drive you home and bring you to your door and if you want to, then we’ll kiss goodnight.”
Jensen blinked a couple of times. “Did you mean that?” He asked with a raspy voice. “What you said about not caring about my income and wanting to get to know me?”
Jared’s smile turned gentle. “Every single word of it.” He brought one hand up again and let his thumb slide over Jensen’s cheek, the exact place the smudge of flour had been at the day that Jensen crashed into his car. “I can’t wait for you to be a part of my life.”