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Hermitport’s finest- and only- bakery had a new visitor.
The cashier knew this from the bell above the door giving a small ding at her entrance. She watched carefully as the woman, around her age, walked inside covered in white snowflakes. Just before she could take a step further into the shop, she called out.
“Don’t make a mess on the floor.”
The woman’s head shot up. “Oh, sorry ‘bout that!” She quickly stomped her feet on the welcome mat before looking up at the cashier for approval. When it seemed she was in the clear, she made her way forward.
The cashier, Gem, took in the details of the girl. She wasn’t from Hermitport; that much was obvious. Everyone in the small town knew each other, so seeing someone new was out of the ordinary. She was tall, her hair a mousy brown and her eyes a pale blue, reflecting the brisk winter outside. She wore a blue hoodie, which definitely wasn’t enough for the weather, and jeans. There was an air of mischief about her that Gem couldn’t quite place.
“Don’t worry about it,” Gem said. The woman walked up to the counter, looking around the bakery as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
The girl smiled sheepishly. “Uh, no, I’m not. I’m actually from Evoburrow. My brother lives in town, so I’m visiting for the holidays.”
Gem hummed acknowledgment, racking her brain for which townsfolk this girl might be related to. Definitely not Skizz or Impulse; that was a given since she lived with them. Scar, maybe?
“Who’s your brother?”
“Grian Adar,” she responded, slightly proud. “I’m Pearl, by the way.”
Ah, so that explained the mischievous feeling. Grian was well-known, a good friend to her ‘dads’, and generally recognized as someone of many talents. Gem had tuned into his rambling stories of him and his siblings, a younger brother and an older sister. She connected that those stories must have been related to the woman standing in front of her.
“That makes a surprising amount of sense,” Gem commented neutrally.
Pearl let out an indignant noise. “I- What’s that supposed to mean?”
Gem shrugged. “Just an observation. I’m Gem.”
And then Pearl grinned, something so bright that Gem felt her heart literally stop.
“Nice to meet ya, Gem! This place is beautiful,” Pearl said, looking around the shop again. Gem took the moment where she looked away to take a deep breath.
“It’s not much, but it’s nice.”
Pearl stooped down and began looking at the glass display cases. They were filled with relatively freshly baked goods, an assortment of cupcakes and cookies and danishes. The bakery didn’t get many customers on a weekday like this, so most things remained in stock.
Suddenly, the door to the kitchen burst open. Gem jumped at the disruption, turning to see Skizz in his white hat and messy apron.
“Heya, Gemstone, do you remember where the-” he cut himself off, glancing between Gem’s beet-red face and Pearl’s confused expression. “Oh! Hey, Pearlo, welcome to town! Good to see you two are getting along .”
Pearl tilted her head. Gem pointed at the window and called out.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“What’s what?” Pearl turned quickly, scanning the windows.
Gem turned to Skizz and drew a single finger across her throat. Skizz shrugged before grinning and giving a whistle.
She turned back to Pearl. “Oh, it must have been my imagination. Oops.”
“Well,” Skizz said, clapping his hands together. “I’ll just ask you about it later, Gem. Pearl, I hope you feel at home while you’re here!”
“Thank you!” Pearl called as Skizz ran back into the kitchen. Gem made a mental note to follow through with her threat.
“So, can I get you anything?” Gem asked, desperate to change the topic. She gestured to the baked goods in the cases.
Pearl squinted, inspecting each one. Gem couldn’t help but laugh at her serious expression, the finger on her chin. Then she looked Gem dead in the eyes and said, “Got any pickles?”
“Excuse me?”
She rolled her hand as if what she said should have been obvious. “Pickles? Ya know, cucumbers in vinegar-”
“No, I know what a pickle is,” Gem said warily. “But this is a bakery.”
Pearl blinked. “Yeah, so?”
“A bakery .”
“I’m not understanding.”
“We bake ,” Gem responded, exasperated. She really was Grian’s sister, wasn’t she? “We don’t sell pickles!”
Pearl frowned, and Gem couldn’t tell if the girl was actually upset about the dilemma or not. “Ah, that’s a shame. You should start.”
Gem stared back at her, deadpan. “We’ll think about it.”
Pearl grinned again, then pointed at a danish. “Great! Mind if I get one of those instead for the time being? I can’t come home empty-handed or Grian will kill me.”
She nodded, grabbing a pair of gloves and tongs. Gem pulled out the tray the danish was sitting on and picked it up, placing it carefully in a to-go box. She placed some tape on the sides to prevent it from opening before sliding it to Pearl. Typing a few numbers into the cash register, she took the money Pearl handed to her and gave back a receipt.
“Thanks!” Pearl said, taking the box and putting it under her arm. She waved a goodbye to Gem, the door ringing as she pushed through and began on her way.
Gem sighed. Skizz chuckled.
“Not a word, Skizz. Not a single word.”
“Awh, come on, Gemmy,” he said, and Gem could hear his smile from across the room. “It’s cute! You hang out with everyone around here too much, I’m glad you’re finally meeting some new people.’
She placed her head in her hands. “She’s weird .”
“So are you. It makes sense that you two would-”
“Skizz.”
“Alright, alright, I’m leaving,” he laughed. “But I was wondering where you put our extra bag of flour? We’re going to need it next week for Christmas.”
Gem turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “I ordered it last week. It was meant to arrive pretty soon.”
“Oh, yeah… about that.” Skizz placed a hand on his neck. Gem groaned.
“Seriously? It was so much flour, Skizz! There’s no way you two used it all up already!”
He shrugged. “It’s a long story, but me and Dippledop were trying something new. Could you place another order?”
“No,” Gem said sternly, already opening her phone to the website.
“Thank you, Gemstone! You’re a lifesaver!”
She shook her head. “I better be.”
*
Pearl hesitated for a moment in front of the tall door.
Grian’s house was in the center of Hermitport, a single-story with shuttered windows. The man was planning to pick her up at the train station, but apparently, something had come up. All she knew was his address and that he should be home by now.
She took a deep breath and knocked, shuffling with her duffle bags and baked good.
There was a loud crash and someone cursing. The door burst open to a panting Grian, hair a ruffled mess and sweater wrinkled.
Upon seeing Pearl, his face broke out into a grin.
“Pearl!” He rushed out and embraced her, nearly knocking her over with the impact. She laughed harder than she had in what felt like years. Pearl hadn’t seen Grian since… hell, how long had it been?
“Grian!” She said, still laughing. He forcefully grabbed one of her bags and then her wrist, dragging her inside the warm house.
It was small but cozy, with decorations of red, white, and green scattered everywhere. Tinsel shimmered from places on the wall, a candle burned on the kitchen island, and the fireplace was alight. The whole place smelled of cinnamon and home.
“Here, let’s put your bags in the guest bedroom,” Grian said, waving her over to a hallway. As they walked, he glanced down at the box under her arm. “What’s that?”
“I may have made a stop on the way,” Pearl said, trying- and failing- to suppress a smile.
Grian rolled his eyes, opening a door at the end of the hall. It revealed a small room with a bed that took up most of the space, although there was a dresser and mirror placed around. Pearl recognized some of the photos on the wall as drawings they had made as kids, pictures of them from their first days at school.
“Awh, you sap-” she began, before Grian snatched the box from her forcefully.
He went to open it and paused at the design on top. Grian tilted his head, squinting. “You went to Devil and Angel Bakery down the street?”
Pearl nodded. “Yep, thought it looked interesting. There was this nice girl there, too.”
Grian groaned. “Great, my surprise is ruined and now my sister is already falling for the local baker!”
She stumbled, nearly dropping her bag to the floor. “Hey, I didn’t fall in love! I barely know her!”
“You completely ignored the first part of my sentence to prove that point.”
She glared at him. He stared back, more bored than anything.
“Just unpack and get settled,” Grian said, dropping one of her bags to the floor. Something spilled out of it, and before Pearl could protest, he turned around and left to the main room with the box.
Pearl shook her head in disbelief, picking up her things and placing them on the bed. She put her clothes in the dresser and some of her personal care supplies on the bedside table, but otherwise, there really weren’t many belongings. Pearl didn’t have much to begin with; she was surprised that much had even been in the bags.
This is just for the holidays , she reminded herself. Just for the holidays and then I’ll be back to the cubicles and fast food.
Dusting off her hands, Pearl took off her hoodie and went back to the living room. Grian was leaning against the granite counter stirring a couple of mugs. Wordlessly, he threw a remote at her. She pressed a few buttons and put on the first thing that came up, which happened to be a cheesy Hallmark movie.
“So,” he started, not looking up from the mugs. Pearl took a seat at one of the barstools as Grian spoke. “How’ve you been?”
“I’ve been alright,” she replied, not dishonestly. She had been doing alright, after all. Maybe not spectacular, but you win some, you lose some.
Grian looked at her incredulously. “You’ve been… alright.”
“That’s definitely what I said,” Pearl made grabby hands for the mug, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the man. He handed it off to her and she took a long sip.
“Right, so in Pearlo, that means your life sucks.”
Pearl nearly spit out her drink. Once she recovered and used a napkin, she said, “Well, that’s not exactly it.”
Grian slid the box from the bakery over and began cutting apart the danish for them to share. “What is it then? Come on, Pearl, I know you better than that.”
She sighed, setting the cup down. Grian took another sip of hot chocolate, dividing the danish and placing it in front of her on a paper towel. He took a bite of his while Pearl began speaking.
“Work is long,” she started slowly. “And I still don’t really know anyone.”
“You’ve lived there for years!” Grian exclaimed, more shocked than anything.
“I know, I know, it’s just… hard. Everyone is someone there. I’m different.”
He huffed before leaving the room to the hallway, not coming back for a moment. Right as she decided to call out and ask what he was doing, he came back with a blanket in hand.
Grian threw it at her with as much force as he could muster. It hit Pearl in the face, causing her to yelp and try to untangle herself. He leaped onto the counter, leaning over and watching Pearl carefully, who was still incapacitated. Grian grabbed the remote and paused the movie.
He turned to her, legs crossed on the countertop as Pearl readjusted and wrapped the blanket around herself. “Enough about that I’m different stuff. Everybody who speaks to you knows that.”
“Yeah, but I need them to like me if I want to do things!” Pearl protested.
Grian let out a noise of exasperation. He opened his mouth to argue when his eyes lit up.
“No,” Pearl began. “Whatever you’re thinking, no.”
“I didn’t even say anything!”
“You have that look on your face.”
He rolled his eyes, hanging his feet above the tile. Grian had an idea, she knew. The only problem was that when Grian got an idea, it was hard to talk him out of it. If he was going to plan something elaborate to fix her issues, it was probably going to create a thousand new ones.
“Not planning,” he said eventually. “Just debating something.”
“God, Grian, just get on with it,” Pearl groaned, laying her head down on the counter.
“I mean,” he started, pausing to gather his thoughts. After a moment, interrupting Pearl’s complaining, he continued. “Well, Hermitport is small. I’ve got that guest bedroom. The people are nice, and there are jobs.”
She looked up at him, eyes wide. “What are you saying?”
He put a hand on his neck, suddenly interested in the paused movie screen. “If you ever got tired of Evoburrow, you’d always have a place here.”
The chocolate in her mug tasted slightly sweeter, although making her a bit queasy. Staying in Hermitport? Thousands of miles from home, in a place where she barely knew anyone? Her job, her apartment, her… well, there wasn’t much she had there in the first place. But the idea of such a huge change, even with her brother supporting her?
For some reason, despite the sinking feeling she was getting, it actually didn’t sound so bad.
“Like I said, it’s only if you ever get tired of that place. And don’t act like I won’t charge you rent,” Grian said, shoving her shoulder hard enough to bruise.
“Alright, alright. I’ll spend some time here and then by the end of my trip, I’ll let you know,” Pearl assured him, elbowing him back. He dodged, his face less creased than before.
“Now, back to the movie and that danish,” he said, picking up the remote. “Where were we in this, by the way?”
Pearl shrugged. “I think the main character just met the love interest who’s going to keep her from leaving the small town for the big city.”
Grian hummed, pressing a few buttons. “Sounds about right.”
*
Gem smiled as the bakery door opened, bell ringing quietly.
The street lamps were on and the sky was dark, cold wind and snow entering as Impulse pushed the door with his back. He was carrying a stack of empty delivery boxes, his face covered with a scarf and goggles. Gem could see his motorcycle parked outside, the light still on and reflecting the snow.
“Hey Impulse,” she greeted, walking over and taking some of the boxes from him.
He nodded gratefully. “Hey, Gem! Everything going okay around here?”
She placed the boxes on the counter, taking out the receipts and writing down the exchanges. There were significantly more tips recently, probably in light of the holiday season. “Yup, not much new. Late night?”
Impulse let out a huff, stretching his back. “You could say that. Who knew so many people were ordering gingerbread a week before Christmas?”
The kitchen door swung open and Skizz greeted Impulse. The two stood, hands and arms moving in a complicated handshake that Gem could only describe as horrifying. Once they were finished, Gem spoke.
“So, what’s the plan for the next week? I know we’ll be busy with orders, but is anything else going on?”
Skizz turned to her, grinning. “Well, you’re right about the orders. But Scar is holding a Christmas Eve party that night, and I told him we’d be there.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I appreciate you answering for all of us.”
“Don’t be like that, Gem,” Skizz teased. “You never talk to anyone new anyway, aside from your new-”
Gem shot him a glare.
“... anyway, it’s good for all of us to get out and do something. I know I’ve been missing seeing everybody recently. We all just get so busy over the summer and fall, it’s nice to rest and catch up with the rest of the town.”
Impulse nodded in agreement. “Plus, Scar always throws a good party. Not much to worry about there.”
Gem went back to counting and tracking the receipts. Before she could get too far into them, Impulse and Skizz were looming over her. When she looked up and tilted her head in a question, they only started giggling.
“Come on, Gem, you’ve been doing that all day,” Impulse said, smiling excitedly.
“Let’s do something as a family!” Skizz added.
Groaning, with no real agitation behind it, Gem set down her pen and walked around from behind the counter. “Oh yeah, like what?”
“The place is looking pretty dull for December,” Impulse noted. Skizz ran off into another room, coming back carrying a heavy box of what Gem assumed were ornaments. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea to decorate.”
“It’s eleven pm,” Gem noted, pulling out a long string of tinsel.
“Even better!” Skizz said, letting Impulse grab from the box. “Now, let’s get to making this place festive!”
*
Pearl and Grian walked into the bakery bundled in coats, sweaters, and scarves.
The place, somehow in the few hours she had been gone, was now covered in ornaments. Some were hanging from the ceiling, and others were on a small tree in the corner. It was full of bright colors and the warm smell of fresh baked goods flooded Pearl’s senses.
The next thing that flooded her senses was the girl at the counter, rolling her eyes and laughing as she spoke to two other people.
After a minute of racking her brain in panic, Pearl remembered that her name was Gem. She was the receptionist for Devil and Angel Bakery, had a knack for making you feel small where you stood, and was the most stunning person Pearl had ever seen.
The girl turned her head, noticing the new guests. Gem got the attention of the two tall men she was speaking to and then went back to Grian and Pearl. “Hey, welcome to the bakery.”
“Hey, Gem,” Grian said, fist-bumping the other two. They introduced themselves to Pearl quickly as Impulse and Skizz, the owners of the bakery and Gem’s ‘dads’.
“What can I get for you two today?” Gem asked, glancing between Grian and Pearl. Grian gave a rough elbow to Pearl, making her wince.
“Don’t look at me! You just said we were coming here for breakfast, G,” Pearl complained, avoiding eye contact with the girl in front of her.
Grian groaned. “We just want a couple of croissants, please.”
Gem nodded quickly, doing her regular routine of grabbing the tongs and the baked goods. Grian began speaking to Skizz and Impulse, a conversation that Pearl was sure wasn’t as deep as it seemed. That left her to stare awkwardly as Gem dished out their breakfast, her nose a rosy red from the cold.
“So, uh, come here often?” Pearl asked, the words coming out quicker than she meant them to.
Gem looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Well, I live here.”
“Oh.”
“And work here.”
“Right. So, no?”
Gem squinted, a glare that seemed to make Pearl’s ears turn a bright shade of crimson. Then she burst out into laughter, the tension leaving her shoulders. Pearl couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear.
“Any updates on the pickle situation?” Pearl asked innocently.
Gem placed the plates on the counter, typing numbers into the register. As she did so, she said, “Nope. Guess you’ll have to check next time you’re here.”
Pearl took a moment to pause dramatically as if she were thinking. “Hm, I guess I’ll just have to keep coming by to check, then.”
She was half convinced she was imagining it, but she could have sworn Gem’s cheeks turned pink. “I guess you will. As long as you make sure to spend some money while you’re at it.”
“Oh, well, of course. It would make me a bad customer if I didn’t.” Pearl grabbed the plates and nodded to Grian, who walked with her to a small table next to the window.
Grian took his croissant greedily, taking a large bite of it and chewing peacefully. Pearl took a few bites of hers, her previous morning appetite almost entirely gone.
“You’re down bad,” Grian said in between bites. Pearl froze, nearly dropping the baked good in her hand.
“Don’t say that so loud!” She hushed him, taking his croissant from his hands and stuffing it in his mouth.
Grian nearly choked trying to mock her again. The three at the counter looked over in concern, but Pearl simply waved them away, assuring them everything was fine.
“Grian Adar, I swear to god, if you say a single word, you won’t make it out of this shop.”
He shrugged, chewing a large bite again. “Whatever you say.”
“I’m serious.”
“Sure.”
The two ate in uncomfortable silence. Pearl could have sworn there were eyes on her, could feel the look someone was giving her, but she refused to turn around. She wasn’t sure she had ever wanted to leave a place more than she did at that moment.
A voice broke the silence.
“So, G-Man, Pearly, are you two coming to Scar’s party on Christmas Eve?” Skizz asked, leaning against the counter.
Grian looked between Pearl and Skizz, then shrugged. “I mean, I guess so. I don’t see why not, right Pearl?”
“Sounds fun, even if I don’t really know who Scar is,” Pearl said, nodding along. “I’d love to meet the other people around here.”
“Yeah, I think it’s also a great way to get to know those you’ve just met,” Skizz said, winking at Gem. Pearl got the sense there was something she didn’t know.
“Yup!” She agreed, beginning to clean up her plate. Grian did the same, taking their trash to the can next to the door. As they put on their coats and hats, ready to leave, Pearl made eye contact with Gem.
She smiled, waving goodbye before rushing out the door. Pearl nearly slipped in the snow seeing Gem roll her eyes and wave back.
Grian left the building and stared at her, still trying to regain her balance. “You’re pathetic.”
“I’m doing alright, thanks.”
*
“Come on, Gemstone, it’s your chance!”
“It’s not my chance, Skizz, you’ve ruined my life!” Gem practically screeched, pacing around the bakery. It was dim outside, streetlamps turned on and a brief pause in the seemingly never-ending snow in Hermitport.
Gem was going to kill Skizz. And Grian. And Pearl, and then maybe lock herself in her room for the rest of her life. Every time she thought this stupid problem- she wasn’t ready to give it the name Skizz and Impulse wanted to call it- was over, it got worse. Now, in less than a week, Gem was being set up for the most embarrassing situation of her life.
“Y’know, she doesn’t even live here,” Impulse commented unhelpfully, wiping the counters with a cloth. “If it goes south, you probably won’t have to worry about seeing her again.”
For some reason, the sinking feeling in her gut was made worse by the realization. Sure, if it went badly, she’d probably only have to see Pearl on rare occasions. But even scarier was if it went well. As Impulse said, Pearl didn’t even live in Hermitport- nothing could work out. And Gem didn’t want it to! She continued to repeat the same words in her mind. It’s nothing.
“Gem,” a hand was on her shoulder, pausing her pacing. “Deep breaths. It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine, Skizz. It’s- listen, whatever you think is going on, just stop. I don’t want anything to do with that type of thing.”
Skizz frowned, and she was taken aback by how genuine he looked. “Be careful, Gem. Things are never as bad as they seem.”
“I don’t want to go to the party anymore.”
“Too bad,” he grinned, patting her shoulder. “Merry matchmaking!”
Gem placed her head in her hands. “I hate it here.”
*
“You’re planning something and I hate it.”
“Grian, you’re the one with the elaborate plans. I’m just… debating.”
Grian stared at her, unimpressed. “I said that barely a day ago.”
Pearl opened a cabinet and grabbed a mug. Grian continued grumbling, his hair a mess from waking up only a few minutes ago. Normally, she might poke fun at him, but she was too lost in thought to think about it. Pearl filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stove, patiently waiting for it to boil.
“Seriously, you don’t do this. What’s come over you?” Grian groaned, rubbing his eyes and reaching for a mug of his own.
“Well, I mean, that party is coming up soon, right?”
He hummed confirmation and Pearl took a deep breath.
“I was thinking about asking Gem-”
“Okay, I’m gonna stop you there,” Grian interrupted. “You’ve known her for, what, not even a week, and you’re already daydreaming of kissing her under the mistletoe?”
“What? No!” Pearl cried out, a little too quickly. At Grian’s look, she added, “Okay, maybe it would be nice, but no! I just wanted to see if she wanted to… I don’t know, hang out?”
Grian walked over to the stove and poured some of the water into his mug. Pearl had been too distracted to even realize it had started boiling. “Sure, whatever you say. Can I just drink this in peace?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You can never do anything in peace.”
“Good point.”
*
As the day of the party approached, the weather seemed to get colder than usual. A blizzard made its way through Hermitport, causing an abrupt pause in Pearl’s visits to the bakery. The last time she had seen Gem was a few days before, chatting about pickles- why had she chosen pickles? It was a stupid joke, but it seemed to make the girl laugh, so she continued.
The snow would clear up before the party. That was when Pearl was going to ask, very casually, if Gem was interested in hanging out outside of the bakery sometime. She just had to hope that if things went south, Pearl would be forgotten as quickly as she had shown up.
*
The snow managed to slow down only a couple of hours before the party.
Pearl had no time to talk to Gem. Or anyone, besides Grian, as they had been practically frozen in by the amount of snow. In that time, she had worked in the guest bedroom, finding scraps of paper and colored pencils to form a makeshift gift. Once, Grian had walked in on her at a late hour of the night working on it.
Seeing her near-tears face scribbling away, Grian had raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and said, “Wow, this is worse than I thought. Make sure you sleep at some point.”
He had promptly left Pearl to her own devices, going back to bed. Neither of them had spoken about it since, but she knew Grian was aware of her plan.
God, Grian really was right. Pearl was screwed.
*
The door opened wide, a bright face grinning back at Grian and Pearl.
“Well, hello there!” The man ushered them inside, the warm air hitting Pearl like a bus. “I’m Scar, I don’t think we’ve met.”
Pearl shook his hand. “I’m Pearl, Grian’s sister.”
“Oh, Birdie, I know you mentioned siblings, but I didn’t realize any would be coming over for Christmas,” Scar smiled. Pearl noted the red that came over her brother’s face at the motion.
“Is anyone else here yet?” She asked, looking around. Scar’s house was similar to Grian’s, except it looked modeled after every movie she had ever even heard of. There were Star Wars posters, Disney figurines lining the shelves, Indiana Jones hats and artifacts scattered around. It was comfortable but with enough space to fit however many people might be showing up.
“I think Joel and Etho are here, but they had to run off for a bit to help the bakery guys with their goods,” he explained. “But in the meantime, the TV is all yours, and I’ve got hot chocolate!”
The three of them took a seat at the kitchen island, chatting as the time passed on. Pearl tried desperately to ignore the sickly twisting of her gut; not so much dread, but something she didn’t want to put her finger on.
Before long, the doorbell rang. Scar jumped up, opening the door and grabbing a couple of boxes from the girl in the frame. Pearl felt her heart skip a beat.
Gem wiped sweat from her brow, gratefully stepping into the warm house and giggling as Impulse and Skizz stumbled past her with their boxes. Two people followed them inside that Pearl didn’t recognize, and she connected them to be the Joel and Etho that Scar had mentioned previously.
The group continued to talk and laugh as they held the boxes. Pearl watched as Skizz’s head shot to her before turning to Gem, elbowing her in the side.
Pearl smiled at her when she looked over, giving a small wave. She held the colored mess in her other hand, trying to hide it behind her back.
Gem rolled her eyes and walked over, sitting on the other barstool. They sat in silence for a long moment before Pearl spoke.
“So, parties, right?”
“It hasn’t even started yet,” Gem said, a smile in her voice.
“Yeah, but parties, right?” Pearl laughed. Scar opened the door again to let a few more people in, the sky getting darker and darker. She and Gem continued to sit, watching as Hermits made their way inside.
Suddenly, Gem stood up quickly. “Oh my god, I forgot, we brought snickerdoodles! Come on, we can snatch some.”
She grabbed Pearl’s wrist and practically sprinted to the other side of the room. Before Pearl could protest they were halfway across the room, taking a box from Skizz’s hands and running away faster than he could fight back.
“Hey, we need those!”
“Not anymore!” Gem called back, still running. She opened a door and pulled Pearl inside, closing it and locking it right as the handle rattled.
“Gem, we spent hours-” Skizz paused, the door handle going quiet. “Y’know what, never mind. They’re all yours!”
She held her breath as the steps got farther and farther away. Once she was sure Skizz was gone, she turned to Gem.
As soon as they made eye contact, Gem burst into laughter. Pearl grinned, taking the box from her and opening it. The cookies were covered in cinnamon and sugar, still warm from their time in the oven despite the cold weather outside.
Gem took one and handed it to her. She accepted it, gratefully taking a bite. She had known the danishes and croissants were good, but maybe she should have tried some of the other baked goods sooner.
As Gem ate her own cookie, Pearl realized she was still holding the gift in her hand. She hesitated before throwing it at her.
Gem cried out, barely managing to move out of the way. She looked between the gift and Pearl in shock, eventually saying, “ Why? ”
Pearl shrugged, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. “Merry Christmas!”
She raised an eyebrow, carefully undoing the colored wrapping. Gem gasped quietly when she saw a small bouquet of yellow flowers, folded from paper and held together by a small bow.
“It’s not great, but-”
“It’s wonderful.”
Pearl’s brain buffered. “Well, um, I was just wondering- I know you’re pretty busy with the bakery and everything, but I kind of, I don’t know, I just-”
Gem laughed quietly, holding the bouquet tightly. “Yeah?”
“I was wondering if you’d want to hang out, outside of the bakery sometime?”
“Y’know, for someone who acts like she has a lot of confidence, you’re pretty cute when you get nervous.”
“I- thanks?” Pearl said, trying her best to make sure words came out. “So, is that a yes?”
Gem grinned, tilting her head as if in consideration. “Sure, why not.”
Pearl cheered, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Gem nudged her side, leaning into her.
“So what happens now?” Pearl asked quietly.
Gem groaned. “Skizz and Impulse are going to make fun of me.”
“Why?”
Gem gave her a side-eye. “No reason.” After a moment, she added, “I guess we just go out there and enjoy tonight. You only have so much longer of your trip anyway.”
Pearl frowned. “We’ll see.”
“What do you mean?”
She thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. I guess we’ll just find out,” Pearl continued, “I think the rest of the group wants some of these cookies.”
They closed the box and stood, Gem still gripping the paper flowers. Pearl helped her up and the two of them made their way to the door.
When they opened it, they were met with a crowd of townspeople standing in the hallway. At the front were Skizz, Impulse, and Grian, the first two holding something above the door. Once Pearl’s eyes adjusted to the lighting, she recognized it as mistletoe.
“ Skizz, are you serious?” Gem cried, noticing it at the same time as Pearl.
“We may have been eavesdropping on your conversation just a lil’ bit,” Skizz admitted. “But hey, no time like the present, right?”
Pearl glanced over at Gem before leaning down and kissing her cheek quickly.
Gem turned, gibberish stumbling out of her mouth. Pearl beamed.
“Well, no time like the present, I guess.”
“You’re terrible,” Gem commented, although she was smiling.
Pearl found Grian at the front of the crowd. “Maybe your idea isn’t so bad, actually.”
Grian scoffed, crossing his arms. “I’m always right.”