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“Okay, this is the last tray, going in!” Colin exclaims from where he’s standing near the oven.
Ryan smirks when he sees him set the timer.
“What happened to “good bakers don’t need timers”?” Ryan asks.
Colin rolls his eyes. “Good bakers don’t need timers, but that doesn’t mean they can’t use them. Especially when making several recipes at once.”
“You could have let the kids do some of the baking, you know?” Ryan prompts, referring to Jeff and Jonathan, who are taking over the bakery now that Colin’s retired.
“I could’ve, but they’ve got enough on their plate with taking over the place while also setting up the Christmas market. Besides… It might be the last time for me to go all out.”
There it is.
The retirement thing.
Overall, Ryan feels like Colin’s been quite alright with the entire process, but there are moments like this when he can see his partner slightly upset.
Ryan approaches Colin slowly, inviting him for a hug which Colin accepts.
“You’ve done enough. And it’s not like you can’t do more, if you choose to. I mean, if you bake it, I’ll eat it.”
Colin chuckles into his chest.
“It’s not the end,” Ryan reassures his partner. “Just another step along the way.”
Colin sighs and then pulls away, holding onto Ryan’s forearms. “You’re right. I’ve done this for long enough. It’s time for those youngsters to shine.”
“If they shine as much as your forehead-”
“Save it,” Colin interrupts Ryan’s attempted joke, but his eyes are sparkling with amusement. That’s a sight Ryan likes to see.
“How long do we have till it’s done?” Ryan points at the oven with his head.
Colin glances at the timer. “Not too long. But we can get the ones that have been cooling out in the meantime. Give me a hand?”
“I can give you-”
“Cookies, now. That…later.”
Ryan is the one to chuckle this time as he makes his way over to their special fridge saved only for Colin’s sweet treats.
“Which ones should I take out?”
“All of them. I’ll make space for them.”
Ryan takes the first tray he sees and turns around rather triumphantly. “Coming right up, dove.”
Ryan checks carefully for Colin’s expression, and he’s not disappointed when he sees the ends of his husband’s mouth twitch up and something bashful sparkle in his eyes.
“That’s a new one.”
“No, it isn’t,” Ryan argues. “I use it all the time. I’ve got more unusual ones. Like… Pumpkin! Or pudding. Oh, that’s a good one. Fitting, too,” he remarks, holding up one of the already assembled cookies. He waits for Colin to look at him and then shoves it into his mouth.
“Stop eating all the cookies!”
“You gotta taste them to make sure they’re good! C’mon. Have a taste yourself.”
He picks up another cookie rather carefully and places it onto the palm of his hand.
“There it is. For the apple of my eye.”
Colin rolls his eyes again, but he does take the cookie and eats it.
“They really are quite good.”
“Of course, they are. You made them. My honky tonk.”
Colin is about to open his mouth in dispute when the kitchen timer goes off.
Ryan actually giggles as he turns around to take another tray out of the fridge.
Another day, another opportunity to annoy the hell out of Colin, knowing they’ll still be sleeping beside one another at the end of the day.
What a blessing his life is.
-
The scent of freshly baked goods fills Ryan’s nostrils as soon as he enters the bakery he kept passing by for weeks, yet never entered.
Could it be because he was able to steal a glance at the employee and found him really cute?
Maybe.
“Hi!”
Ryan lifts his gaze up and looks into the friendliest face he’s ever seen in his life. He doesn’t find people particularly inviting just in general, but this face seems welcoming just from the first glance – the sparkling eyes, the warm tone of voice, the genuine smile.
“What can I get you?”
“Um, I’ll have the…” Ryan gazes over the different options, his eyes stopping at the croissant. He then gazes up and into the expectant – and very pretty – eyes of the man behind the counter, and back onto the tag next to the pastry he chose.
“Chocolate muffin,” he ends up mumbling.
“Are you sure?”
Ryan looks back up.
The man diverts his gaze. “It’s just, you keep looking at the croissant.”
Ryan’s hand automatically comes up to rub at the back of his neck.“Yeah, well, I didn't want to embarrass myself by trying to pronounce it.”
The man chuckles softly, and man, what a pretty sound that is.
“If it’s any consolation, I don’t think I’ve met an American knowing how to pronounce it correctly.”
“You don’t seem to have a problem with it, though.”
“Well, I’m Canadian. We don’t tend to have problems in this area.”
“Oh really? Whereabouts from?” Ryan asks, leaning against the counter. The pastry is his last concern now.
“Vancouver. I mean, I was born in Scotland, and we lived in Montreal at some point, but I’ve lived in Vancouver for most of my life.” The man takes a breath before offering Ryan a bashful smile. Sorry, I’m rambling.”
“No, I was just… I know Vancouver quite well.”
“Do you?” The man looks genuinely surprised. And interested.
“Yeah. I’ve also lived there the majority of my life.”
Something flicks in the man’s eyes, but it’s soon gone, replaced by something more playful.
“And yet they didn’t teach you how to pronounce croissant?”
Ryan can’t help but chuckle this time around. “Never came up. Maybe you could fix the reputation? Of all Canadians.”
“Well, you’re going to have to pronounce it, if you want me to give it to you.”
“Can you say it one more time? For reference.”
“Croissant.”
“Croissant.”
“Not bad! Could use some practice, but I’ll give it to you.”
“I feel like you’re only trying to make a sale.”
“Or maybe I’m trying to get you to come again?”
Okay.
That’s…good.
That’s very good.
Better than Ryan could have hoped for.
Still, he tries to stay nonchalant.
“Not a bad strategy. How much is it?”
The transaction goes without any other exchange, and Ryan observes a shyness on the man when he hands him his order.
“Thanks,” he says, making sure to initiate eye contact before continuing to speak. “I’ll keep practicing.”
-
“There,” Ryan remarks as he pulls the last tray of Christmas goodies out of the fridge. “That’s all of them.”
“Good,” Colin replies, sitting down with a sigh as he wipes the sweat off his forehead. “You know, maybe me retiring is a good thing. I don’t remember this being so much work.”
“Probably because you didn’t have me to annoy you back then,” Ryan replies, sitting down as well.
“Not true. You’ve always been there to annoy me.”
The thing is, these words probably shouldn’t sound romantic, and they probably don’t to anybody else, but to Ryan, they mean everything.
They really have been together for a long time. And the bakery has been there for every step of the way.
Not only is the bakery where they first met, but it’s also where they got together as a couple, where they spent most of their time, and where their bond solidified.
It was at the bakery where Colin found out Ryan was going to help him buy the place from the original owner, Greg. It was at the bakery where Colin said yes to spending the rest of his life with Ryan.
So in a way, it’s quite sad to be letting the place go.
“Double J’s got it.”
Colin looks up at Ryan confusedly.
Ryan clears his throat.
“Jeff and Jonathan. They’ve got it. They’ll take good care of the place. And it’s not like we’re letting it go completely. We’re still the owners. Just… Gotta let the young blood in.”
“Yeah. Speaking of which, we should get these packed so that we can deliver them on time. You don’t want to set up a market stand and have nothing to sell.”
Ryan agrees with that, so he gets up and offers his hand to Colin who eyes him expectantly while taking it.
Ryan doesn’t have a silly nickname on his tongue now, though.
He only brings Colin’s hand up to his mouth and kisses it.
That says all.
-
“C’mon, just say it. My pronunciation is perfect now.”
Ryan is leaning against the counter, like he always is, the man he’s grown extremely fond of on the other side of it.
“It’s… Close to perfect.”
“I’ve been trying to improve it for weeks. There is nothing to improve now, I’ve got it down. Croissant!”
“Yeah, you’re saying it correctly. Perfectly, even.”
“See, was that so hard to admit?”
The man’s head is suddenly hanging a little lower. “Kinda.”
His voice is quieter, too.
“Why? You know you still pronounce it better than me. Canadian roots and all,” Ryan tries to joke but it doesn’t really land.
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?” Self-doubt suddenly creeps into Ryan’s brain. “I’m not annoying you with my visits, am I?”
“No!” The man exclaims and then immediately drops his gaze. “It’s um…” His skin is now turning a light shade of red, and his voice is almost inaudible. Ryan still hears him, though.
“The opposite.”
Ryan’s eyebrows raise at that, and the wheels in head start turning. The opposite? So he’s enjoying Ryan’s visits? That’s good, isn’t it? ‘Cause Ryan’s been enjoying them too. They’ve been a lovely excuse to-
Oh.
Ryan leans a little closer, his eyes trailing over the other goods the bakery offers.
“I don’t know. I feel like there are still plenty of words I need to learn how to pronounce.”
He sees the ends of the man’s mouth twitch, but he’s still stubbornly watching the floor.
“I could start with your name?”
The man’s gaze comes up at that, and Ryan can see the sheer surprise in his eyes. It soon melts into some sort of… Relief?
“That might not be that tricky,” he finally says.
“Let me try.”
“Colin.”
“Ryan.”
The man, Colin, smiles for real now. “Not even close.”
“Shame. Guess I gotta try again some other time.”
-
“Delivery’s here!”
Both young men lift their heads up in unison, and they greet the couple with the same smiles.
As they unpack the cookies and display them, Jeff turns to the chief baker.
“Thank you so much, Colin. They look incredible.”
“Yeah, you’ve got big shoes to fill.”
“Ryan!” Colin pretend-scolds his husband.
“He’s right,” Jonathan joins in from where he’s setting up the improvised cash register. “It’s going to be hard to match up with your abilities. But you’d be happy to know I’ve been perfecting my piping skills.”
“See, my piping skills-”
“Alright, alright,” Colin spreads out his arms in an attempt to stop the conversation. “Can we focus on the setup, please?”
Ryan leans against the construction. “I think what you meant is “alright, alright, alright.”
The two youngsters erupt into chuckles, and even Colin can’t hide the smile at Ryan’s lame Matthew McConaughey impression.
The chuckles do eventually lead the four of them setting up the market stand.
“Looks good,” Colin remarks. Ryan comes up to him from behind and holds him close to his chest.
“It really does.”
“Aren’t you two cute,” Jeff says, and Ryan gives his partner’s shoulders a squeeze.
“Yeah, how are you two preparing for retirement?”
The tall couple exchanges a look.
“You’re always welcome back,” Jeff starts. “But I think you two deserve a break, too. You’ve done so much over the course of the last few decades, you could really use a breather.”
“I guess you’re right,” Colin says, but there's an uncertainty to his voice that doesn’t only get noticed by Ryan.
“I’ll tell you what,” Jonathan leans forward from behind the counter. “You let us handle the stand now and go walk around the market. Hold hands, buy a hot drink, maybe some decorations for your place? It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
And it really isn’t.
As they walk around hand in hand, each with a hot beverage of their choice in their other hand, observing their surroundings, peeking into the different stands…
It feels like although things are changing now, they won’t actually change that much.
Because it’s still them.