Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Early morning sunlight filtered through the thin curtains over the kitchen sink. Warm coffee sat by your hand as you nervously tapped a pen on the table. You closed the shop for the afternoon as it was slow, and you desperately needed a break from all the running around by yourself. Three applications were spread out before you, all bearing the same last name.

Dimitrescu.

Definitely family members. The name sounded familiar, but you couldn’t quite place it. These were the only applications you received for the jobs you posted, and while you did need three employees, it didn’t feel right hiring a whole gaggle of siblings or cousins. It’s not like your business was a big corporation. Policies were all written by you, so there was nothing against the rules you wrote by hiring them.

There were pros and cons of course. Pros were that they hopefully already got along and you wouldn’t have to go through that awkward period of everyone trying to get to know each other and fit in while also trying to navigate a new job. The oldest’s resume was pretty impressive for someone looking into a simple job at a bakery… Only 22 and she’s already had a short internship with a science lab, and even studied abroad for whatever degree she was going for. Other than that, it was all server jobs, retail, and a food truck. She seemed like she’d be a great employee.

Cons? They were family. You would be lost in whatever fighting or family drama they’d be part of, and two of them were still teenagers. They were sure to be combative if there was any sort of conflict.

You pinched the bridge of your nose and exhaled deeply. It’s not like you had a choice, and no matter what, they would be a huge improvement on your last “employee.” After taking a big swig of coffee, you picked up your phone to dial the first number. Hesitating, you wondered if they would all be together. Should you call all three? Or would telling one be enough? You’d jump that hurdle when you got to it.

“Hello?” you heard a young woman’s voice come through.

“Hi, is this Bela?” you asked, leaning back in your chair.

“Yes.”

“Great! This is y/n, from Beans N’ Bagels? I was wondering if you were still interested in the job I posted.”

“Do I need to come in for an interview? Or…” she paused, waiting for you to answer.

“No need. I actually have three jobs to fill and I only got three applications, so it’s all yours!”

“Oh, perfect! Does that mean my sisters got it, too? Should I tell them, or did you want to call them?” she asked.

“Are they with you?”

“No, but we’re meeting up soon for breakfast.”

“Okay, would you mind telling them then? I’ll look over the availability you three filled out and try to get some schedules made up. You three can all start Monday, I’ll email over a schedule by tonight.”

“Awesome, thank you so much!”

After a short goodbye, the line went dead. That wasn’t as bad as you thought, and she sounded nice. Hopefully her sisters were similar enough.

It was hard managing a bakery by yourself. Over the weekend, you had to run back and forth between making coffee and sandwiches to baking everything you’d need to keep your cases full. Luckily you had the idea to keep a few racks of dough in the cooler, trying to come up with a system to keep things running smoothly until you finally had help.

You’d been running things this way for three months at this point, you could do it for two more days, right? It didn’t help that your shop boomed in popularity recently, making it so you could hire a few people.

As the day wrapped up on Sunday, you could feel all the tension leave your shoulders. Your arms felt dead from the unusually busy rush just before, and you were drenched in sweat from running around all day and the hot ovens blasting in your face every time you opened them.

Finally, you were alone as the last customer walked out right before closing time. Ten more minutes and you could start cleaning everything up and crash for however long you could before waking up at an ungodly hour to do all of this again. You made a small latte, deciding to drink your dinner for one last burst of energy to get you through your closing tasks when you saw a jet black Mercedes pull into the small lot you shared with other businesses.

You weren’t sure why it caught your eye. It was just another car, but you decided to sit and watch to see who emerged. Your jaw nearly dropped when you saw a pair of long legs in a pantsuit and black heels exit the vehicle. She was the most gorgeous woman you’d ever seen. She was tall, wide hips, large breasts with a pearl necklace that rested just above. Her black curls bounced perfectly as she walked, and she wore sunglasses even though the sun was setting. Shiny earrings glinted in the evening sun as she turned to close her door.

Then she was walking right towards your little shop.

You were suddenly very aware of how disheveled you looked, hurrying into the back to use a mixing bowl as a makeshift mirror to fix up whatever you could. That would have to do, as you heard the bell over the door ring to announce her arrival.

She didn’t pay you any mind as you rounded the corner again, taking your place at the counter as she examined the area. She took off her sunglasses, resting them on top of her head, scanning with bright, golden eyes. She looked out of place, way too fancy for your little area that you wished you could suddenly tear down and start all over for her.

You cleared your throat, trying to find the courage to utter just a few words.

“Hi, can I help you?” you asked, turning on that customer service voice you’d mastered.

Those eyes landed on you, slowly looking you up and down before the corners of those perfect, red lips turned up in a charming smile. A shiver shot down your spine, and you tried your best to hide it.

“Yes,” she said, stepping towards the counter, finally peeling her eyes off you to study the menu. “Could I get… a black coffee and one of these cinnamon rolls?”

“Of course!” you said, jumping into action to gather the order. She didn’t move to the side like most people, watching intently as you threw out the coffee that had been sitting there for a while and brewing a fresh pot just for her. You tapped your foot impatiently as you watched the water start to slowly dribble down, aware of the piercing eyes watching your every move. Now you were sweating even more.

“Darling, I can pay while we wait,” she reminded you with a deep chuckle.

“Oh, right, sorry,” you said nervously. Why were you so damn anxious? You’ve been doing this shit for three years and you’ve never had someone make you act like this.

She handed over her card, and you quickly tapped on a discount before swiping it. Her eyebrow raised as she watched the price jump down a bit.

“And what did I do to deserve that?” she questioned with a laugh.

“Oh, I just… feel generous at the end of the night. Never know when karma will come back for me,” you chuckled, trying to pass it off as confident but it came out dry. You handed the card back, and her hand slowly grazed over your wrist and down your fingers before she took it back.

Your hand floated in air as if you were still holding it, mouth hanging open as you forgot where you were for a moment.

“Thank you,” she said, snapping you out of your stupor enough to turn around. Your face was hot, and you were hoping it was just heat from the ovens.

She thanked you again as she took her order, giving you one last cheeky glance over her shoulder before walking out.

What the fuck… you thought as you watched her until her car was just a pair of tail lights in the night.

Your alarm blared directly into your ears, making you jolt up. It was on the couch cushion right next to your face where you flopped down the night before. You sacrificed your own rest for the well-being of your shop, like usual, and immediately smelled yourself as you rose. It was 4 a.m and you had work to do, but you wouldn’t greet your new employees smelling and looking like this.

A quick shower and a protein shake later, you felt somewhat better about the day, but you’d need some real food and coffee quick. At least you didn’t have to rush to work and worry about being late with the shop being right under your feet.

You made your way down, grabbing a couple leftover pastries from the display case and turned on the espresso machine, eating as you started your opening tasks. When the front was all set, you made a quick caramel latte, letting yourself sit at a table for a few minutes to enjoy it.

It was rare that you actually sat down, breathing in the sweet aroma of your drink as you looked proudly around your little bakery. It took years of skimping and saving, looking for the perfect building, the perfect area, and working three jobs just to get enough for a down payment. You never needed much to be happy, and this cozy little place you built up by yourself was the perfect home for you. No one to share it with, but you never had time for that kind of thing.

It was terrifying at first of course. You advertised, let the surrounding businesses know who you were and what you were doing. They let you hang posters in their windows for a time, but being a new shop, there was very little business at first, and you were sure your mortgage payments were going to eat you alive.

But you were fortunate. Having worked in a few different bakeries before, you had the knowledge down to a science, learning the coffee and tea part later by working for a year as a barista.

You decorated the place with comfortable chairs and round tables, going for a cottage core vibe with the plants you pushed into every corner you could. A reading nook with your own personal collection of books was put to the side for people to enjoy, and plenty took advantage. One shelf was full of different board games and card games, and you were pleased to see people actually respecting your property and returning whatever they borrowed with minimal damage and stains. It was inevitable in a place with food and drinks, but everything was still in decent condition.

A knock at your window pulled you out of your thoughts. It was still early, and you relaxed when you saw the time. Still plenty of time to start on the baking part of your day. When you peeked around the corner, you saw a girl standing there, peering through the glass at the dim surroundings.

”Right,” you thought. “I scheduled one of them early.”

You were so used to being alone at this point you forgot you’d have help now. Suddenly you felt a little foolish for starting so early, already getting the front part of the store set up. You’d have to explain opening to her another time…

“Hi!” the girl greeted. She had her blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun, yawning as she entered.

“Hey, Bela, right?” you greeted, locking the door behind her. You noted the car she drove was a small, red hyundai. An older model she probably saved for herself, or one a parent found cheap online.

“Yeah, Bela Dimitrescu,” she smiled, holding out a hand.

You took it with a smile, then guided her to the back and showed where to store her things. You had a tiny office, cramped, but functional. You had the idea to clear off three shelves for these girls’ personal effects. She shoved her purse to the side of one along with a water bottle. You looked down, a little disappointed she was wearing tennis shoes.

She followed your gaze, and grimaced. “Right, yeah, none of us had time to get non-slips yet… I hope that’s okay?” she asked.

“It’s fine for now, I have some shoe covers,” you said, waving her over to your supply closet.

Other than the shoes, you were happy to find she was wearing a very practical outfit. Black t-shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. You didn’t have a uniform or anything, just required that she didn’t wear anything with an offensive slogan or logo, and wasn’t too revealing. It went along with the vibe you built for your shop. If the employees were stiff and uncomfortable in something they weren’t used to wearing, it would affect the customers as well.

“Coffee?” you asked.

“Oh god, please,” she sighed, dropping the facade she was using to hide how tired she was.

You laughed, pulling a couple shots as you made an iced dirty chai per her request. “By the way, this goes for all three of you. You can have a couple free drinks and one thing off the menu per shift. Try to keep it to a minimum on the drinks, though. I don’t want to be responsible for a dependency on caffeine,” you joked.

“Oh, awesome, I’ll let Cass and Dani know, they were panicking about pack lunches,” she chuckled. “Well, more Dani than Cass. This is gonna be her first job. Cass isn’t super thrilled about having to get a job so… just a warning I guess, she’ll probably be difficult.”

You eyed the girl with a raised eyebrow, storing that bit of information. “Good to know… Can I ask why?”

She took the coffee from you, taking a deep drink before answering. “Mom cut off our allowances. Well, their allowances. I’ve been pretty self reliant for a while. She said she doesn’t want her kids growing up too spoiled, and they have to start paying for wants themselves while she covers needs,” Bela said with a shrug. “I think she’s right.”

You nodded slowly. Rich kids then… Bela pulled out her phone, sending a quick text before shoving it back in her pocket.

“Alright, so what do I have to do?” she asked.

“Right, I uh… forgot you were coming and just went through the motions this morning. The front’s already set up, so I’ll show you how I do that tomorrow. Same with the baking. I think for now, I’ll have you do an online course for food handlers, the course is covered so don’t worry about that. Then I have a few forms I need you to fill out before you actually start,” you explained.

You showed her to your computer, opening up the guest profile you had set up as you got the course up for her.

“It might take a few hours, but let me know if you need anything,” you said.

She thanked you, and let you get back to your work.

Croissants always took you the longest, so that was what you started with. You went through the motions of pulling out the layered dough, cutting and rolling it into perfect little shapes, filling a rack before pushing it into the proof box so you could start the other breads as they rose. You had three signature loaves that a lot of people came in for: Plain sourdough, jalapeno cheddar, and cranberry walnut. Hopefully if the food safety test Bela was taking didn’t drill it enough into her head on handling allergens, your own warnings would be enough. The focaccia was easy enough, throwing it into the oven as the other breads rose since you had it prepared already.

You opened alone, serving a few customers that had lined up waiting for their usual breakfasts. Fresh croissants with bacon, egg, and cheese, or a big sandwich on a square of focaccia were the two most popular, so you were sure to have some on hand.

By the time 7:45 am rolled around, Bela had finished with the paperwork and passed the food safety test quicker than you expected. You started teaching her how to run the front, and she was quick to learn.

A few minutes later, an angry looking girl with dark, brunette hair falling over her shoulders stormed in.

“Okay, I’m here,” she grumbled as she approached the counter.

Remembering Bela’s earlier comments, you asked in a cheery voice, “Cassandra, right?”

“Yup,” she sighed, looking around. Despite the attitude, at least she was a little early for her shift...

You noted her outfit, jeans again but with a black, cropped leather jacket over what you hoped was a navy t-shirt.

Similar to Bela, you showed her to the back, giving her the same run-down on food and drinks, getting a snappy, “Yeah I know.”

“Okay,” you muttered quietly, pointing to one of the shelves for her to leave her things. She pulled off the jacket, and revealed a tank-top with spaghetti straps. You sighed, massaging your temples as you said, “You can’t just wear a tank while working with food.”

“Why? I didn’t see a dress code!” she argued.

You filed through a cabinet, pulling out the exact application she filled out and pointed to Dress Code, where it stated she could not, in fact, wear that. She rolled her eyes and went for her jacket when you said, “You can’t wear long sleeves, either. There’s machinery in the back it could get caught on, and it gets way too hot.”

“Well what the fuck am I supposed to do then?” she seethed.

“Woah, it’s fine, you’re not in trouble or anything. I know not everything’s gonna be perfect on a first day, alright? I’ll go grab a t-shirt you can borrow,” you said. “But in the meantime, I just have some paperwork and an online test for you do to. You’ll be paid while you do it, and I cover the cost for the test, it’s just for a food safety permit.”

She rolled her eyes, folding her arms as she said, “Seriously? I have to do a test now?”

Your jaw dropped. This was unbelievable. “You’ve had other jobs, this isn’t a new thing,” you stated.

“Fine, whatever. Just get me started,” she sighed.

Well that was something. You got her sat down at the computer, making sure she was set with everything before going up front. Bela gave you an apologetic side-eye.

You let out a breath, looking around at the state of the shop. “Are you alright if I step out for a couple minutes?” you asked.

She shrugged. “Yeah I can handle things for a bit,” she said.

“Thanks,” you sighed, exiting the shop and going through the front door right next to it that lead to your apartment.

While Bela was already showing great signs, you weren’t sure about leaving Cassandra in the back of your shop. You ran through your apartment, digging through your shirt drawer before pulling out an old t-shirt for some alternative band you were into in high school. It was good enough.

As you entered the shop again, you saw two customers waiting at an empty counter. Your groaned before circling the counter to take their orders, hearing some quiet arguing in the back. “I’m so sorry,” you apologized.

Once they were satisfied, you grabbed the shirt again and stepped into the back, listening to the argument around the corner.

“Are you trying to get fired already?” Bela scolded.

“Maybe,” Cassandra snorted.

“You know if you do, Mom’s just gonna start canceling the streaming services one by one, and that affects all of us. Then she’ll move on to something else. Stop being such a brat, it’s 8 hours a day, suck it up!”

“Oh, Mom wouldn’t actually do that. She’s got her own shows she’s into!”

“You know she always follows through on her threats, remember when you and Dani stole her car when she told you not to? She won’t let her own shows get in the way of a lesson, you know.”

Cassandra was silent.

You appeared in the office, unable to hide how upset you were already before tossing the shirt on the desk. “There,” you mumbled, before turning to Bela. “There were a couple customers at the counter.”

“Oh, shit,” she panicked, running out of the room.

You didn’t want to be mad at her, you knew she was just trying to stand up for you, but it wasn’t necessary. You were an adult, their boss, and you could handle things yourself. There was a small part of you regretting hiring three sisters already, but you’d give them a chance. It was still just the first day.

Cassandra stayed quiet, glaring at the computer with her cheek resting on her fist, clicking through answers without reading a damn thing.

“Do you want coffee or anything?” you asked with a bit more attitude than you meant.

“Mocha frappuccino,” she muttered.

You gave an exasperated sigh and went up front to start making the drink. Bela was there, pretending to clean the already spotless counter as she eyed you nervously. “Sorry…” she said.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” you said.

Cassandra ended up failing the food safety test, and you had to dish out for another attempt, telling her to take whatever time she needed to really understand the material. She barely passed the second time and that was good enough for you.

With her attitude, you were hesitant to let her man the front, but with her failed attempt with the test, you were scared to trust her with the food in the back. You pulled out a couple pans of the croissants you baked this morning and showed her how to melt down the chocolate to pipe into the middle. That should be easy enough to start out. What you didn’t expect, was for her to actually take an interest in it.

“How do you make the croissants?” she asked, pulling on gloves so she could take over for you.

“Oh, I have a recipe I follow for the dough, then you just… fold it over itself a few times with a layer of butter in the middle that gets folded in, too,” you explained, then grimaced. “I’m a lot better at showing than telling…”

“Could you show me sometime?” she asked, trying to keep up that attitude she had before, but failing.

You couldn’t help but smile and chuckled, “Yeah I can show you. I scheduled you for a couple opening shifts for when Bela’s off, that’s when I usually make them.”

She smiled, but didn’t say anything as she concentrated on filling croissants. At least there was a little improvement.

As you showed her how to fill out the display case with her batch of chocolate croissants, the bell rang and in scampered the youngest sister, about ten minutes early. You were relieved that she was wearing appropriate clothes for work, other than shoes like the others.

“Hi!” she greeted excitedly as she approached the counter.

“Hi, you must be Daniela?” you asked.

“Just Dani,” she laughed, grabbing your hand in a shake.

“Great, want some coffee before we get started?” you asked, and noticed Bela already pulling a couple shots of espresso.

Dani pointed and said, “Yep! She’s got it.”

She followed you back, and like the others, you showed her where to put her things before guiding her to the computer.

“Alright, so like I told the others, there’s some paperwork to fill out and an online food safety course. Don’t worry about rushing through it, take whatever time you need, alright?” you explained, anxious since Cassandra had failed before. You wanted Daniela to make sure to take her time.

She nodded, fidgeting her hands nervously in her lap. “Um… this is my first job, I don’t really know…” she faded off, looking up at you expectantly.

You gave her a warm smile and said, “Don’t worry about it, I don’t expect you to know anything right away. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, alright? I’ll cover whatever I can, but I know I’ll probably forget a few things.”

She blew out a breath and said, “Got it, thanks!”

You noticed her confusion right away as she stared at the forms in front of her before she went for her bag, pulling out a few different cards and papers while she muttered to herself.

“Need any help?” you asked.

“Maybe… What’s all this here?” she asked, pointing to a spot on one of the forms.

“That’s your bank information so when payday comes around, your paycheck will just go directly to your bank.”

“Right, right, right,” she said, flipping through her cards before she found the right one. “And… this?”

You pulled a chair over, and decided to just go over the forms fully with her. She was young, and didn’t have all of her information memorized like a lot of older people. You couldn’t fault her for that, and Bela and Cassandra were doing well enough that you could spend a few extra minutes helping Dani.

The day was somewhat eventful. You were glad Cassandra had calmed down for the most part, and Daniela was a very nervous learner. Her sisters always tried to jump in to help her, but being new themselves, they would all end up confused. You’d have to shoo them away so you could set her on the right path.

Bela ended up being a great floater, going between the back and front to help wherever needed. Daniela took to helping customers with a natural friendliness that made them all leave with a smile, and Cassandra wasn’t quite a natural in the back, but she was more willing to learn than she was dealing with people. You spent most of your time with her, teaching her a few of the more simple items like cookies, then moved up to bagels and muffins.

Before Bela left, you handed her a printed off schedule, and did the same when Cassandra left later on. You spent more of the day trying to figure out their dynamics with each other. They definitely got along for the most part, other than Cassandra snapping at someone every now and then. Daniela was that youngest sister that the other two were protective over, and Bela was the oldest that tried to keep everyone in line. You could work with this.

By the time closing came around, you were exhausted again. Lack of sleep and dealing with three girls who all had very different attitudes all day was more than you were used to, but at least with help you could get to bed at a decent hour. You were excited for that.

As you showed Daniela how to get through clean up efficiently, you asked, “So do you have someone picking you up when we’re done here?” She was only 15, and you doubted she drove herself.

“Oh, yeah Bela’s coming back to grab me,” she said. “We live pretty close, one of the vineyards up the road.”

The name clicked in your head as you said, “Oh! Dimitrescu Vineyards? I thought I recognized the name!”

“Yeah! Our Mom owns it all. I think Cass wants to learn and take over someday, but Mom’s pretty… picky. I think she thinks Cass just wants to stay home all day, so she hasn’t really listened at all. I mean I get it, Cass can be a bitch, but she’s a lot more dependable than people take her for,” Dani lamented, trying to stick up for her older sister.

“She seemed pretty interested in baking,” you commented, rolling a mixing bowl onto the big dish rack.

“Really?” Dani scoffed. “Maybe she’ll give up on wine then. I hope Mom gets it through her head that Cass looks up to her, but at this rate, she’s gonna lose her.”

That comment made your heart drop a little bit. You definitely didn’t want to get in the way of any family relationships, but you could understand the frustration of not living up to a parent’s expectations. You were also curious about their mother and what kind of woman she was. Maybe she’d stop by sometime.

You locked up as you and Dani stepped out, and you ended up waiting against the side of the building with her until Bela arrived. You handed her a print out of the schedule, like you did with her sisters, and said, “Normally you’d be off on Monday. I staggered you guys today to get all the training and online stuff done so you can just learn the job from now on, but I’ll take you off Sunday this week instead so you’ve still got the two days off.”

She took the schedule, looking over it with approval before folding it into her bag.

“Do you live far?” Dani asked, nervous that she was keeping you from heading home yourself.

You leaned over and tapped on the door to your apartment and said, “About two feet away.”

She laughed, letting her shoulders relax. The red Hyundai you saw earlier drove into the lot, and Dani straightened. “Thanks for waiting with me,” she smiled.

“No problem,” you said, waving to the two girls as she sat down. “See you two tomorrow!”

They said their goodbyes, and you stepped into the apartment with a sigh. This was the earliest you’d been able to close up in three months, and you desperately wanted to curl up in bed, but first, you needed an actual meal.

As you sat down with a bowl of canned soup you heated up, you saw you had some texts.

Unknown(8:38pm): Hey! I’m gonna start this group chat so we can all talk work, hope that’s okay! :)

It must have been one of the girls. You gave them all your number, but never actually saved theirs. Looking through your call history, you found Bela’s number and saved it. With how friendly the message was, this must have been Dani, so you saved that one as well. Looking into the group chat, you saved the last number as Cassandra.

Daniela changed the chat name to Beanies

Cute.

Daniela changed the chat picture

It was a picture of a possum. You laughed and sent a thumbs up to the chat. What a cute kid.

Chapter Text

Wednesday was one of Bela’s days off, so Cassandra ended up opening instead. You were careful with their schedules, making sure that whenever Cassandra opened, she’d be off the day prior so she’d be able to get proper rest. You remembered your own times clopening for several different places, and it was horrible. It was also your current life, though being the owner of the establishment made it more worth it than being paid pennies to work too much.

First, you set out a tip jar. You wouldn’t take any for yourselves, but decided it would be nice to have a little extra for your three employees to earn and split at the end of the day. Then, you showed her how to set everything up, trying to start up conversations that she didn’t seem all that interested in.

“So tell me about your other jobs,” you said. “You don’t seem that thrilled to have one now, but you’ve worked before?”

“Those were just short part-time gigs, they weren’t actual… job jobs. Just to get some ‘world experience’ according to our mom, but they were just with our aunt and uncle. I didn’t really do much there,” she said.

Oh, so this was her first actual job, too.

“Well, it’s cool she had you do that. I saw that one’s a mechanic? Knowing stuff about cars is pretty handy,” you attempted to compliment.

Cassandra snorted. “Oh please, Uncle Karl’s a softy. I pretended I didn’t know what he was talking about so he’d just take over and I could go hand out on my phone or something.”

That didn’t help your opinion of her in the slightest.

With the front mostly set up, you turned to her and asked, “Want to learn how to make the croissants?”

She folded her arms, keeping her gaze lowered as she shrugged, “I mean… I guess...” You could tell she was trying to hide that little glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

You laughed as you showed her over to your area. At first you just wanted people to man the front of the shop, but if one of them could get a handle on the baking side, it would help you immensely. She studied how you rolled out the dough for the croissants, adding the layer of butter before folding, rolling, folding, over and over until you had the perfect amount of layers to cut and form into the delightful little pastry.

After watching intently, Cassandra got to work. She tried keeping up her nonchalant attitude, pretending she wasn’t as interested as she actually was, but the her focus told you otherwise. She would stop what she was doing, trying to remember exactly how you did it before she would continue. Obviously trying to impress you with some croissants that were formed slightly askew. You applauded her work, though. It was definitely impressive for a first time, and with practice you knew she’d pick things up quickly.

Thank god. Maybe you’d actually be able to take a day off soon.

As opening time came around, you sent her up front so you could continue with your daily breads and bagels. She objected at first, but with the promise of letting her take over in a few weeks when she was more comfortable with all of the different breads, she relented and went to man the front.

It only took a few minutes to come back, that anger back on her face as she said, “I’m not serving her.”

“Excuse me?” you huffed, blowing flour out of your face. You tried to peer around the door of the kitchen, but you could barely glimpse and elbow of someone standing at the counter.

“I said I’m not serving her,” Cassandra growled, folding her arms to her chest again.

You sighed, brushing the white dust that collected all over you as you moved to wash your hands and arms. Must have been some high school buddy or bully or something. You rounded the corner, and your breath caught in your throat.

It was the same woman from Sunday night.

You tried to hide your anxiety, wondering what exactly this woman did to make Cassandra so upset with her. Putting on your nicest smile, you approached saying, “Welcome back, ma’am! Nice to see you again.”

The woman lifted the sunglasses to her head again, a wide smile appearing as she looked you up and down again. “Well, I’m glad I’ve left enough of an impression to be remembered! Lovely to see you, too, Darling,” she said, putting emphasis on Darling, and sending a chill up your back.

And again, you were left floundering for your words. What was it about this woman that made you lose years of customer service experience?

“I- Yes, you…” you cleared your throat, starting over with, “Another black coffee?”

A deep chuckle rumbled through her chest. “Yes, and one of those chocolate croissants, please?” she asked in her velvety voice.

You nodded, clearing your throat as you started brewing the coffee, tossing out the already fresh pot that was there from half an hour ago. You heard another chuckle behind you as she watched you, and again, reminded you to actually charge her.

You punched in the discount again, feeling awkward at this point to charge her full price.

“Again?” she asked with an amused smile on her face.

“Oh, I… just,” you said, trying to find an excuse this time. You just opened, so you couldn’t use the same one as last time.

She reached out, putting her hand on yours as she said in a low, sultry tone, “I appreciate it, Darling.”

You let out a slow breath, frozen at the contact as she pulled you in with those deep, golden eyes. You didn’t even see her pull out her card, tapping it on the screen for you as you internally lost your goddamn mind.

You spun around, hiding the red in your face as you pulled her order together. There was no way it was already this hot in here. The ovens haven’t been on for long enough.

“Here you go, ma’am!” you smiled, handing her the order. “Please come again!”

You didn’t mean for your goodbye to sound so demanding or pleading, but you did want to see her again. She was already at the start of becoming a regular.

“I look forward to it,” she smiled, picking up her order in one hand and turning on her heels. As she passed by a couple plants, she reached out with her free hand to twirl a finger around a small lesbian flag you had hanging along with a few others in the collection. She flashed you a knowing smile before taking her leave.

Was she flirting? Were you flirting? You were usually so calm and collected, even around other women you were interested in, but this one had you unraveling with half a look!

After hearing the bell again, Cassandra carefully emerged from the back, watching that jet black Mercedes pull away with a scoff. She looked over at you to see you white knuckling the counter as you stared out the window.

“God, what’d she say to you?” she asked.

“Hm?” you asked, wide eyes flicking to your employee. “I- nothing. Um… carry on, let me know if you need anything.”

You fled to the back, a sudden rush of energy coursing through your body that you had to take out on some dough.

The next two weeks went off without a hitch. Other than some normal sibling bickering, and more complaints about their mother, your three new employees were picking up their tasks easily. It helped that you were a small business, and you were pretty lax on some things a bigger company would have frowned upon. You didn’t mind them being on their phones as long as they were ready to help customers quickly. They could talk, eat, take their breaks, read, play board games during dead hours as long as things were cleaned up enough. They started to seem like they actually enjoyed it, making you feel proud of yourself for making your space a positive one in their hectic, young lives.

As for the mystery woman, she started coming in daily. Bela seemed happy to speak with her, giving her quick service and a proud little smile. Cassandra, on the other hand, continued to avoid her. Whatever grudge she was holding, it was lasting for a while. You really only saw this woman on days Bela was off, and you’d be pushed to the front to take her order while Cassandra cowered in the back.

The girls seemed to notice how hard you worked. Even with help, you wouldn’t allow yourself a moment’s rest. You couldn’t. You had dough to mix, muffins to pour, bread to bake, day in and day out. Sure, you trusted Cass and Bela with your work in the back at times, but you were protective and controlling, much to their annoyance. It was your business after all.

When the second Sunday after they started working rolled around, all three girls’ schedules overlapped from 12-1, and they pushed you to the office at least to sit down.

“We got it, and there’s barely anyone in here, take a damn break!” Bela demanded, her sisters standing behind her as if acting as back up if you dared stand again.

“I need to start on the bagels for tomorrow!” you argued, pushing up from your desk.

“We. Got. It!” Cassandra hissed, using her pushy attitude as a weapon to make you sit again.

You relented, throwing your hands in the air as you leaned on your fist, casting them all a grumpy look as you grabbed the computer mouse to work out the next schedule. Not that it needed to be worked out, they seemed happy with the same one each week.

You exited out of the program, fiddling with some pens on the small desk as you looked around you. Maybe you could take some time to actually organize this area. But now that you were sitting, your legs felt dead. You leaned on your hand again, and before you knew it all those nights of little sleep caught up to you.

It was hours later when you woke up, a puddle of drool sticking to you as you lifted your head. You grimaced, wiping it away with the back of your hand as you wondered where the hell you were. A pair of shoes were propped up on the desk facing you, and you looked up to see Cassandra kicked back in the small chair on the other side of the desk scrolling through her phone.

“I fell asleep?” you grumbled.

She started laughing, not looking up as she said, “Yeah, you were out.”

You ran your hands over your face, trying to get yourself to fully wake up. “Why didn’t anyone wake me up? What time is it?”

You leaned over to your computer to see that it was nearly 8 pm. You shot up, bumping your knees on the desk and fell back with a hiss of pain. “Ow, fuck! Is Dani okay?”

You shot up again, circling the desk to see a perfectly clean kitchen. Your jaw dropped as you scanned the area, catching a glimpse of Daniela doing a last wipe-down of the front counter. Your shoulders slumped, and you had to catch yourself on the door frame of the office. Turning to Cassandra you asked, “Why are you still here?”

She shrugged. “I helped, and I have to drive Dani home anyways.”

She stood up and started following as you hustled around your kitchen, checking on the cooler to see what had been prepped for the next day. Everything was done, and while it wasn’t to the exact standard you usually held, it was still well done.

You turned to Cassandra with an exasperated look, and she shrugged again.

“We good?” she asked.

You nodded, speechless as you tried to process that after only two weeks, they were able to keep up with the amount of work that’s been crushing you for three months. These girls were a godsend.

“Cool, see ya tomorrow,” she said, flicking a hand up as she walked past you.

“Wait, did you clock out on time? And what about Bela?” you asked.

“Yeah, out at 4. Bela clocked out at 1, left at 3.”

“I’ll adjust your pay, I’m not letting you stay after for free,” you sighed. “And… thank you.”

She was surprised, looking you up and down before finally, a smile appeared on that face you thought would never light up.

“See you later, Boss!” Dani shouted from the front, following her sister out to the car.

Everything was already done, and you didn’t have anything to busy yourself with. While you’ve been able to get to bed at a more reasonable hour, you always found yourself running back down here in the middle of the night to catch up on one thing or another.

You didn’t know what to do with yourself, and you slept all damn day. Maybe you should try to sleep more? But now you were kind of wired.

Finally, you got yourself moving, locking up and heading up to your little home. It was a little depressing how little décor you had around the three bedroom space. No other roommates, one room with a pile of crap piling up that you called your “storage room.” The second was an attempt at an office/workout room that you never entered, and the third was your sparse bedroom. A closet full of clothes you never wore, because you never went out, a dresser, nightstand, and a bed with plain sheets on it.

Nothing decorated your walls, no little plants or knickknacks anywhere. You poured your whole heart and soul into the bakery, that was really where you felt at home. Up here was just where you slept and sometimes sat at a table to space out.

Looking at your unused clothes again made your heart sink as you realized your birthday was coming up this weekend. It never meant anything to you, always working through it and forgetting about it, sometimes treating yourself to a random cookie or a muffin from your display case. You didn’t exactly have friends, having moved several hours away from your hometown to start anew. No one to go out with or celebrate with.

Maybe you could celebrate by yourself? You did have a small amount in savings, you could definitely splurge a bit for a nice night out. Maybe an expensive meal dressed up in that pretty sundress you used to wear all the time. You could stop at a bar, pick up a stranger. It’s been a long time since you had a good one-night stand. Laughing to yourself, you started formulating a plan to finally get yourself out there.

You pulled out your phone and opened up the “Beanies” group chat.

You(8:22pm): Hey, all three of you take the weekend off. I’m closing the store Fri-Sun.

Bela(8:25pm): Is something wrong?

Daniela(8:25pm): Are you mad at us? They stayed to help me, we didn’t wanna wake you up.

You(8:27pm): No, no one’s in trouble. You guys deserve a break, and I have some weekend plans. I really appreciate you guys, thanks again for all the help today :)

Cassandra(8:28pm) (Thumbs Up)

Daniela(8:31pm) Thank you! You’re awesome!

The conversation went dead, and you tossed your phone aside. They deserved a break, and you could tell from their actions today that they thought you deserved one, too. You could afford to close for a few days and finally take some much needed time to yourself.

The rest of the week rolled through smoothly, and the girls seemed to sense an excited buzz from you. Daniela was the one that ended up asking about your change in mood.

“You seem happy lately,” she said, leaning on the counter as you wiped down some tables.

“I’m just excited. I don’t usually close down the store, but you guys are right, I need some time off, so I made some weekend plans,” you said with a smile.

“Ooh, what are you gonna do? We’re all going camping, Uncle Karl has a really nice RV he’s taking us in!”

“Damn, I haven’t been camping in forever!” you said with a hint of jealousy. “I’m not doing anything that fun, but I’m treating myself a bit. I’m taking myself out to a nice restaurant, and maybe some bar hopping,” you said.

“Alone?” she grimaced, and you suddenly felt very judged.

“Yes, alone. No shame in that,” you said, trying to defend yourself.

She shrugged. “Alright, if that’s what you wanna do.”

You rolled your eyes, but it was sweet of her to be concerned about your social life at least.

“I’ll be back, I gotta pee,” she said. “Can you cover for me?”

“Yeah, I got it,” you chuckled, taking your rag behind the counter to let it soak in the sanitizer.

It was getting close to closing time, so there wasn’t much to cover. It was slow enough that you already had things ready for tomorrow, all that was left was some cleaning in the back.

A glint of sunlight caught your attention as you leaned on the counter, and you saw that black Mercedes pull in. You straightened up as you saw that woman step out, this time in a pencil skirt and a low-cut white blouse.

Your eyes darted straight to her muscular calves as she entered the bakery.

Your voice came out an octave higher than you expected as you said too eagerly, “Hi, Ma’am!”

She smiled as soon as she saw you, ignoring the strange greeting as you cleared your throat.

“Black coffee and a… poppyseed muffin?” you asked, trying to guess which pastry caught her eye this time.

Her eyebrows shot up, and her captivating smile grew as she said, “Goodness, however did you know?”

You chuckled, sounding a little more normal as you said, “Lucky guess.”

Like always, you tossed out the coffee that had been sitting there to brew a new pot, this time turning around to charge her before she could remind you. That was an improvement at least. You got her order together quickly, handing it over.

“Thank you, Darling, I’ll see you later,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, uh, Ma’am?” you asked, catching her attention again.

She turned with an eyebrow cocked, waiting for what you had to say.

“I just wanted to let you know we’ll be closed this weekend. Friday through Sunday,” you informed her.

“Ah, weekend plans?” she asked.

You didn’t know why you felt the need to tell her, but you said, “It’s my birthday, I’m just taking some time off to go out.”

She nodded in understanding. “Well, I hope you have a delightful birthday, then.”

You watched her go, letting your eyes wander up those incredible calves up to that tight skirt. Should you chase her? Maybe ask for her number? For some reason you were feeling a little bold. You didn’t know a single damn thing about her, but you found yourself yearning to get to know her at least. As she drove away, you cursed yourself for not even asking her name. It’s been two weeks!

Daniela came out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, shoving her phone in her pocket. You already closed the store, and put this energy towards cleaning everything up. She jumped into action, apologizing for taking too long, but you didn’t notice or care.

It was Friday, your birthday, and you felt nothing but dread. You needed something to do, something to work on. God, did you even have hobbies? All you could do was look forward to the evening, but you were just rotting on your phone and it was only 10 am.

You ended up wandering around town, seeing what other businesses were around. You’ve been here three years and you hardly left your own little area. A bookstore caught your eye, Beneviento Books, but you’d have to take a look at that later. You didn’t feel like sitting or perusing literature at the moment. It would be nice to add to your collection at some point, though.

Around 2 pm, you got a text.

Daniela(2:08pm): Happy Birthday! I hope you have fun with your solo dinner! ;)

You sighed, knowing she meant well and thought she was being funny by bringing up the past conversation. Wait, how’d she know it was your birthday? Did you tell her?

You responded with a laughing emoji.

You got back to your house after a very, very long walk around 4 pm. Was that too early for dinner? No, you were an adult, you could eat whenever you wanted. Besides, you could beat the rush!

You got yourself dressed up in that cute sundress, putting on just a little bit of makeup, and some cute shoes to match. Your hair was always a mess, and definitely needed a cut, but it didn’t look too bad if you styled it right. The messy look actually went well with your outfit in a way.

The restaurant you chose was a some classy place you heard people buzzing about A place people proposed at, and planned special occasions for. And you thought you deserved some damn surf n turf for the life you built from the ground up for yourself.

Even dressed up, you felt underdressed. That didn’t matter, though, you were here now and determined to have a nice night.

You were lead to a table, asked if anyone was joining you, and got a nearly unnoticeable look of pity as a single place was set for you, and a menu placed on the edge of the table.

“Would you like anything to drink?” the waiter asked with that cheery smile you were so used to using yourself.

“I’ll take um… water and…” you paused, looking over the cocktail menu for a moment. “Whiskey sour?”

“Perfect, I’ll get those out for you while you look over the menu,” he said with a quick nod before stepping away.

You sighed, staring at the menu. You already knew what you wanted, looking longingly at the mouth watering picture of the meal you craved. The silence was a little daunting, and even though what you wanted for dinner was at your fingertips, not being able to enjoy it with someone made your chest ache. You were reminded again on why you never went out, tempted to order everything to-go so you could go home, change into sweat pants, and dig into a lobster tail.

While you were distracted, your new regular stood across the restaurant. For the first time, she didn’t catch your eye, but you caught hers. She carried a box full of wine bottles, not even breaking a sweat as she handed them to the manager of the establishment.

“Thank you so much, Alcina!” he wheezed as he took the heavy box.

“Of course, Darling! I couldn’t leave one of my best customers high and dry,” she chuckled, wincing as he nearly dropped the box full of some of her finest bottles, her pride and joy. “If you ever need another last minute order, you’ve got my number.”

She turned, surveying the pre-rush of the sparkling restaurant before she saw you. Sitting alone. She cocked an eyebrow, wondering if you’d been stood up, but no, there was only one place set. She assumed you were meeting with friends, or a partner.

“I really owe you one,” the manager sighed, seeing her still standing there after dropping the box off in the kitchen.

She nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on you as she asked, “Would you mind setting an extra place at that table?”

He followed her gaze, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion. “Oh, sure, do you know her?” he asked, waving down the hostess to get an extra set.

“I’m going to,” she said, stepping around the divider to follow her.

When another set of utensils was placed at your table, you straightened up and scowled at them.

“Mind if I join you?” Alcina asked with a broad smile.

Your eyes went wide, not expecting to see her outside of your little bakery. She looked at you expectantly, and you knew you had to say something, but your words were gone, yet again.

“Or I can leave,” she suggested, waving a hand towards the door.

“No! I- No, please, feel free,” you stammered, motioning towards the seat across from you in the booth.

She gave a triumphant smile and set her purse down on the bench before sliding in. “Thank you, Darling.”

Chapter Text

“I’m so sorry, I never asked your name?” you asked to the woman sitting across from you.

Her eyes flitted across the menu, though it didn’t look like she was actually looking through it. She paused her perusing, and looked at you as if that was the silliest question she’d ever heard, that wide grin that always captivated you every time you saw it appearing. “Alcina,” she replied with a chuckle.

Your drinks were brought out, and you realized that without ordering, they brought her some water and a glass of red wine. She must be a regular here as well.

You leaned forward, pushing the menu away as you said, “That’s a beautiful name!”

She laughed again and said, “Well, aren’t you just as sweet as your pastries. And yours?”

You told her your name, and she chuckled. “I think that’s quite lovely as well.”

You felt a blush appear on your face as she pushed her menu aside, lacing her fingers together as she gave you her full attention. She cocked her head as she asked, “May I ask you something?”

“Yeah, of course!” you said, probably a little too eager just to hear another sentence from her.

“What exactly were your plans for the night?” she asked, taking a quick sip of her wine.

“Oh, I guess just dinner alone then some barhopping,” you shrugged, fidgeting with your nails as the embarrassment of being here alone started to creep up again.

“Ah, hoping to find some company at the bars tonight?” she asked, one eyebrow cocked as she gave you a teasing smile.

You snorted, cheeks turning red again as you nodded. “Yeah,” you replied. “What about you? Did you cancel anything to come sit with me out of pity? Or…”

“Oh please, you don’t need pity. I was simply here dropping something off as a favor for a friend, then I saw this adorable little baker I’ve had my eyes on lately and decided to take the opportunity to get to know her better,” she said, leaning her chin on her palm as she grinned at you. “I have nothing else to do tonight.”

You nearly snorted whiskey at that comment, setting it down so you wouldn’t die by inhaling it.

“Too much?” she asked without dropping that smile.

“Just enough,” you laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. You could scream right now, but being the presence of a fucking goddess in the nicest restaurant you’ve ever set foot in, you controlled yourself. “I’ll be honest, I almost chased you out on Wednesday to ask for your number. I’ve been kicking myself since then for freezing up.”

Now it was her turn to laugh. It was such a delightful laugh, and you could only watch in admiration. She was touched by your comment, and only more so by the smile you were wearing.

Seeing the menus pushed aside, the waiter made an appearance, holding open his notebook. Alcina gestured towards you to order first. You hesitated, thinking of who would pay for both meals, or if she would keep things separate. You could probably afford both having pulled out a lot of your savings for this. Maybe you should just get the soup of the day?

“Should I come back?” the waiter asked, trying his hardest to hide his annoyance.

“Oh, I- no, I’ll take the 6 ounce sirloin and lobster,” you said, pointing to the menu.

“Alright, how would you like the steak cooked?”

“Medium-rare.”

Alcina nodded in approval, which was enough to calm you slightly.

“Sides? It comes with two,” he said with a smile, gesturing at the menu again.

“I’ll take the grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes,” you answered, handing over the menu.

He turned to Alcina, quickly marking down the rest of your order before giving her his full attention. He straightened a bit, seeming to have more respect for her than you.

“I’ll take the exact same thing. Thank you,” she said, handing over her menu as well.

He nodded, taking both menus, flicking his eyes at your drinks, then made his way back to the kitchen. In a flash, he was back with refills before disappearing again.

You couldn’t help but sigh out of relief. Ordering ended up being the scariest part of the night even though it was all you were looking forward to at first.

“I will be paying for this, by the way,” Alcina said.

“Oh, what? No, I can’t-” you started, but she put her hand up to stop you.

“Please, I insist! It’s your birthday, and I did crash your plans for tonight. Besides, the manager here owes me one, and he’s offered me a discount,” she explained.

Your shoulders relaxed at the mention of a discount, but even so, this place was so expensive…

Sensing your hesitation, she added, “And you were the one who told me that you never know when karma will come for you.”

You chuckled, remembering that first evening she visited your bakery and you were grasping for a reason to have given her a discount. Then you wondered if she ever got anything at full price.

“Alright, I’ll let you pay,” you smiled. You just barely learned this woman’s name and she was already treating you like a damn princess unlike your last relationship. “But you didn’t really crash any plans, if anything my night’s already a lot better!”

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said before taking another sip of wine. “So tell me, how long have you had that quaint little bakery?”

“About three years. It was hard at first, but the people around here have been really sweet! Business was pretty up and down for a while, but lately it’s been busy,” you sighed, thinking about all the times you were stuck in there for days on end. You enjoyed the work of course, but it was backbreaking to do it on your own.

“Ah, so that’s why you decided to hire?” she asked.

“Yeah. Well, I had one person helping out a few months ago? But after he… left… It’s just been me. I thought I could do it on my own, I can be pretty stubborn, but I finally decided to hire some help. These girls have been a lot, but they’ve definitely made a huge difference after only a couple weeks on the job.”

Alcina’s smile only grew as you spoke about your new employees, her features softening and filling with a kind of warmth you couldn’t figure out.

“I can definitely relate. There are times I get overprotective over my work, or I think only I can do things the right way. Stubbornness, as you said, but a little help can go a long way,” she shrugged, leaning back to take another sip.

Just as you were about to ask what she did for work, she asked, “So, barhopping. Where exactly were you planning on doing that?”

“I’m not actually sure,” you grimaced. “I’ve been here a few years, but I don’t know the area that well. I’ve spent majority of my time just… in my bakery.”

Alcina laughed again and said, “Well, I’d be happy to be your guide, but being a small town made up mostly of vineyards, there’s really only a couple and they mostly serve wine. Judging from your choice of beverage, I’m guessing that’s not quite your taste?”

“No, not really. I mean, I get boxed wine sometimes? But it all just kind of tastes like nail polish remover to me,” you said.

“I will try not to take that as an insult,” she joked. “Might I suggest an establishment a couple cities over? It’s a lot more lively there, and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of people to your liking.”

You snorted, “Are you gonna be my wingman?”

“Would you like me to be?” she asked, leaning forward a bit and smirking as she saw your eyes flick to her chest for half a moment.

“Oh, you don’t have to do all that. Honestly, just having company at a bar would be enough. Taking someone home was just to not be alone, but I don’t think that’s a priority anymore,” you chuckled, staring down at the table.

She cocked her head again, trying to catch your gaze. When she did, she said, “What if we make a deal?”

“A deal?” you asked, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I will be your wingman. We can go from bar to bar, go dancing, meet people, and we can see if there’s anyone out there who catches your eye. But,” she let the word hang in the air, making you tense up in suspense. “If we find no one, you come home with me.”

“With her?” you thought, feeling your heart flutter in your chest. Your face felt hot, and you found yourself reaching for the new cocktail that had been placed down to both battle the dryness in your throat and give yourself time to formulate an answer. Of course you wouldn’t be against that, but was she actually serious? If she was, you could just skip the damn bar and go home with her right here and now.

You jumped as the waiter return holding two massive plates of the most mouthwatering food you’ve ever seen. You were so lost in thought that you didn’t notice him return.

“Here you are, ladies!” he said, setting a plate down in front of Alcina first, then you. “Let me know if you need anything else.” He gave one last friendly smile to the two of you before stepping away again.

You sighed, trying to calm your heart as you stared down at your plate. The steak looked perfect, topped with a little bit of garlic butter that was melting over the sizzling slice of meat. The lobster looked artistic, separated from the shell with the meat placed back down over some kind of stuffing. Lemon slices decorated the border between the potatoes and asparagus.

“Wow,” you muttered, completely forgetting what Alcina had said before now that you had this absolute masterpiece of a meal sitting on front of you. She couldn’t help but giggle at your reaction, letting you start enjoying your food as she started delicately tucking into her own. She’d pester you later about an answer.

Every part of your body relaxed at the first bite. The steak was tender and practically melted in your mouth. It was everything you’d been craving since you first found this place online.

The rest of the meal was quiet. You were so captivated by the food that you nearly forgot about the woman across from you who was enjoying her view of how goddamn happy you were to have a great meal. Something other than whatever noodles you had at your house or pastry you snagged from the case.

As you sat back more than satisfied with an empty plate in front you, another whiskey sour was waiting for you. You realized you never actually ordered more of them. The waiter must have just kept them coming since you were at a table with Alcina, who also kept receiving more wine whenever her glass was emptied. The food helped battle the alcohol, but at this point you were pleasantly tipsy. Then you remembered Alcina’s deal from right before the food was set down.

“About that deal,” you said, flicking your eyes up as you caught her attention. A sly smile appeared on her face as she set down her wine, lacing her fingers together again as she waited for your answer. “What are you getting out of it? It’s not really much of a deal, you’re pretty much just trying to get me laid.”

“It’s a change from my usual day to day activities, and it gives me at least a chance to take a beautiful woman home,” she smirked.

You let out a breathy laugh, shaking your head. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing, and had a feeling that no matter who she tried to push you towards, you’d end up in her bed regardless.

“Alright,” you answered. “I’m game.”

“Excellent,” she said, sitting up to wave down the waiter. She was quick to handle the bill, and you were able to sneak a glance at the total after she added a massive tip. It almost made you throw up.

She stood, gathering her bag before she grabbed your hand to pull you up. She didn’t let go as she lead you out of the restaurant and to her car. She opened the door for you, giving you a playful little bow as she waved you inside.

The bar she had in mind was about half an hour away, giving the two of you more time to chat and get to know each other. She didn’t talk much about herself, seeming to have a strange control over the conversation and asking new questions before you could expand on a few things. What you did find out was that she worked at a vineyard, no surprise there, and that she had close friends from high school that ended up in the same area as her, people she considered close as siblings. She also had children that she’d adopted with an ex-wife. You didn’t find out how many, what age, or what happened that lead to a divorce. She didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about that part of her life, so you left it.

For the most part, she asked about your life, showing genuine interest in the stories you’d tell about family, different things that happened in your youth, how you stumbled across your passion for baking. She was so easy to talk to, and conversation flowed smoothly. You tried to stick to happier stories, avoiding the subject of religion that had caused a rift between you and your family, the reason you decided to leave and start a new life on your own.

You were willing to let her take you wherever she damn well pleased, which happened to be a much dingier looking bar than you thought. It was more on the edge of town than others you noticed she passed by. Loud music thumped through thin walls, and aluminum traffic signs and cheap beer logos decorated the windows.

You looked at her with a baffled expression. She always seemed so poised and elegant, and seeing her back at the restaurant only confirmed your theory that she was some proper wine connoisseur who would only dare be seen in the most classy places. You thought just seeing her in your bakery was a stretch, but this place?

She caught your staring as she put the car into park. She smirked, leaning over into your space as she said, “Everyone has different sides to them, dear.”

This close, you could spell her faint floral perfume finding its way through your senses. You closed your eyes to try and savor it, but then she was out of the car and circling around to your door.

The bar was exactly what you expected. There was a small, crowded dance floor, and around the edges were pool tables and darts. It was like a dive bar trying to be a club. The bartender looked like a disheveled old man, leaning over the bar as he watched his patrons with a crooked smile. When he saw Alcina, he gave her a quick nod in greeting, straightening as he started pulling different liquors.

Alcina sat at the bar with a drink in hand seconds later. “Whiskey sour?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink with a nod of approval.

“What’re you having?” you had to yell over the music.

“Old fashioned!”

You looked to the bartender who was leaning forward, braced by both hands. You nodded, and he got to work. This was already more than you usually drank with the three whiskey sours settling with the food, and even with the longer drive, you weren’t quite sober. You didn’t want the night to stop, though, and it seemed Alcina was on the same page as she started a tab.

“Why don’t you go dance? See if you bump into someone!” she leaned forward so you could hear, and you barely caught that whiff of floral again over the strong scent of sweat and cigarettes.

“Oh, I might need a couple more drinks before I dance,” you laughed, taking the glass from the bartender.

Alcina shot him a look, and he nodded in understanding as he started on the next round.

A shot and two drinks later, you found yourself on the dance floor. At first you didn’t think it would be that fun going alone, but after Alcina excused herself to use the bathroom, the music was resonating with you, and sitting to the side just wouldn’t do.

There was a group of girls that gladly invited you into their circle, pulling you in as soon as you stepped towards them. You were laughing as you joined into their jumping and dancing, hands flying everywhere as you all tried to grasp onto each other for support. It was fun, but you couldn’t see yourself with any of them at the end of the night. Your thoughts were plagued by the woman that drove you here, knowing that her deal was going to end up at her benefit as well as yours. At least, you hoped it would.

The girls ended up stepping off the floor after a few songs. One looked like she was going to hurl, so her friends surrounded her and pushed the crowd to the side to rush her to the bathroom, as drunk girl do. You watched them go, tempted to follow just for that addictive feeling of being part of something, but it wasn’t your place.

Soon you were alone again in a crowd of people without the comfort of familiarity. You’d stopped dancing, now just avoiding flying arms and elbows as you started to push yourself through the crowd back to the counter.

A pair of hands grasped you back by the hips, pulling you flush against her own body as you yelped in surprise.

Floral perfume again, and the smell of alcohol on her breath. “Anyone catch your eye?” she said with a slight slur in her speech, nose pressed into your hair as she spoke directly into your ear.

You giggled, leaning into her as you rested your hands on hers. “Yeah, I think I found someone,” you leaned your head back so she could hear.

Disappointment was all too readable on her face as she muttered, “Oh…”

“I can’t really see her now since she’s right behind me, though,” you chuckled.

“You cheeky little!” she laughed, swaying along with the music. “Perhaps a few dances will sober me up enough to get us out of here then.”

She placed a kiss on your neck as she dug her nails harder into your hips. Not enough to hurt, but enough to hold you against her. She started moving both bodies as one, breathing you in as she nuzzled her face into the side of your neck.

She didn’t strike you as the kind of dancer that would just jump in place like everyone else. She felt the music, moving with it in more of a sway, and you were happy as you could be in her arms like this.

She pulled you back to the bar, settling the tab after getting you one last drink that you practically chugged. You were too eager to let yourself sit down again, knowing it would take more effort just to get up again, and you were ready to go. Alcina couldn’t stop laughing as she lead you back to her car, but before unlocking it, she flipped you around and pressed you against the door.

She tipped your chin up with a finger, a seductive smile on her face as she asked, “Could I have a quick taste before the drive?”

You didn’t even answer, wrapping your arms around her neck as you pulled her closer, meeting her lips with yours in a hungry kiss. One of her hands found your thigh, digging her fingers into the soft flesh as she pulled your leg to rest on her hip, hiking your dress up just a little as she held you there, pressing her leg between yours before deepening the kiss.

You let out a soft, needy moan as she snaked her tongue through your lips. Neither of you expected tonight night to go like this, but here you were, exploring and tasting in a dive bar parking lot against a jet black Mercedes.

She broke the kiss, and you almost pulled her in for more until she whispered, “Patience, Darling. I think my bed would be a much better place to end your birthday celebration.”

You nodded, letting her pull away with a deep sigh as you tried to catch your breath, giggling as she pulled open the door behind you.

The entire drive home you were a giggly mess, biting your lip as her free hand resting on your thigh. She was really testing you. Even though she was the one who told you to be patient, she could hardly follow her own words as her fingers slowly found themselves teasing you, pinky finger barely brushing your clit through your damp underwear.

“Patience,” you joked, rolling your head towards her and drawing out a smile. You pulled her hand off your thigh, brushing down your dress before placing a kiss on the back of her hand. You didn’t let go, intertwining your fingers with hers for the rest of the drive.

You hardly gave the small road she pulled off on a second thought, admiring her gorgeous features in whatever streetlights would pass by before entering the long private driveway. You didn’t notice the sign as she approached the house, one that would have actually told you more about her identity. You didn’t look out the windows at all until she parked, and when she did, your breath caught in your throat. The house was massive and beautiful. Clay tiles decorated the patio that wrapped around the entire building, tan walls meeting with bricks covered by the plants that hung from every window planter and box that littered the whole house.

You let out your breath, just now realizing the car was off and she was already holding open your door. “After you,” she smiled, gesturing with her hand to guide you out. “Don’t worry, we have the house to ourselves.”

After locking the car, she took your hand again to lead you inside.

As soon as you passed through the door, it was closed, and you were pressed up against it. It didn’t seem like patience was a quality Alcina had, and you didn’t care. She lifted you with ease so you’d wrap your legs around her waist. She was on you, lips crashing together in a desperate kiss as she let her hands start to explore you again.

Every touch, every pinch sent a shiver up your spine as you moaned into her mouth. You held onto her shoulders as she pushed you against the door, rubbing herself against your core as she got you all worked up again.

Your own hands were wandering now, finding the front of her shirt and pulling free the top buttons as you worked your way down. Her shirt wasn’t free yet, especially not with your body trapping it against her own, but you were able to free up enough to pull it open at her chest. Her grip on your thigh tightened as she felt your fingers brush against her collarbone. She pushed her other hand up your dress to rest on the small of your back, giving you another little sensation that sent sparks through your body.

She pulled her lips away, a string of spit connecting gasping mouths until she started moving down your neck. You rolled your head back to give her better access, letting your eyes flutter open so you could watch her, smiling as she practically worshiped your panting chest.

Your eyes wandered, and for a split second, you thought you saw a familiar face, but no, it was just a family portrait. The face you saw was Alcina’s.

But then there were more familiar faces. Alcina felt you stiffen, your grip tightening on the front of her shirt. Sensing something was wrong, she stopped. Her eyebrows knit together, looking at your face to see what was the matter. She followed your gaze and saw the portrait of her and her three daughters looking back at her. She grimaced. Even if they weren’t physically there, it felt wrong to do this in front of the portrait.

She set you down, smiling again as she said, “Would you like to continue this elsewhere?”

“Wh- I… No! I don’t want to continue!” you shouted, hiding your eyes behind your hand. You were suddenly way more sober than you wanted to be. “You’re their mom?!”

“Yes? I thought that was obvious. Or I at least thought you knew who I was,” she scoffed, folding her arms in front of her chest.

“I didn’t know who you were! I didn’t even know your name! How the hell would I have known?”

Alcina looked at you incredulously, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I- Well yes, you didn’t know my first name. I just assumed after you saw their last name you would have looked us up or something! The very first thing on our website is that portrait, Daniela even told me you recognized the vinyard!”

“God… I need to go, I can’t- This is wrong,” you started, then pulled open the door to storm off into the night.

“How is it wrong?” Alcina shouted, but you didn’t respond. You shut the door in her face

You set off down the dark path, using the streetlamps in the distance as a guide. You felt so deceived. It felt so obvious now, with how much she tipped at the bakery, spoiling her kids that she said shouldn’t be spoiled, how much she visited, how Cassandra wouldn’t speak to her for a while. It wasn’t for you, it was just to check on her kids.

You knew she was driving after you, hearing car pulling up beside you as her window opened. “At least let me drive you home, it’s too dark out!”

You paused your walk, staring ahead into the night. It didn’t take much coaxing to get into the car. When you sat down, you folded your arms and faced away from her, glaring out the window as she started for the bakery.

She was quiet for a moment, contemplating what to say. “I truly did not mean to deceive you. At the restaurant I just… I assumed we were playing some game, fake first introductions. I knew yours already, but I asked anyway because I wanted to join in.”

“You kept avoiding questions all night about your life… Were you just trying to keep it from me on purpose?” you asked, your rage bubbling down just a bit.

“Why would I have kept it from you? I wasn’t avoiding questions, I answered whatever you asked of me, but I thought I was being kind by asking more about you, trying to get to know you. It’s your birthday for Christ’s sake, I’m not going to drone on about myself when I was trying to make the night about you!”

You scoffed and shook your head, leaning on the window again.

“Again, how exactly is this wrong?” she asked.

“I’m your daughters’ boss! Surely there’s a conflict of interest there?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, is it against policy, then? Policy that you wrote as the damned business owner? Come on, you’re not some big corporation, if you were you wouldn’t have hired all three of them!”

You fell silent. She did have a point, but that didn’t erase the fact that you felt like it was wrong.

After she pulled in front of the bakery, you didn’t get out right away. There were still words both of you wanted to say, but it was hard to find them.

She sighed, cutting through the silence as she said, “You’re not going to take this out on the girls, are you?”

“Of course not, they had nothing to do with this…” you muttered.

She pulled out a small notepad and scribbled something down before handing it to you.

“Here. You can contact me whether it’s about my girls, or whenever you decide to give this another chance. I don’t give up easy,” she said.

You snatched the note and shoved it into your purse. You didn’t wait for her to pull open the door for you this time, hopping out before stomping up the stairs to your little home.

Chapter Text

You regretted your decision to close the bakery for the whole weekend as soon as you woke up Saturday morning. Originally it was so you could have some actual time off for once, and to recover from whatever it was you had planned. Time to get home from wherever you ended up, or send off whoever you ended up with.

Unfortunately, you woke up alone and disappointed. Alcina was immediately on your mind, and as short as your encounter was the night before, you could still feel her fingers digging into your thigh.

“Nope,” you thought. “Can’t think about that.”

As much as you scolded yourself for it, those thoughts still lingered, and you knew you had to get out of bed and make something of the day.

Looking around your home, you decided to get some deep cleaning done. It’s been three years since you moved in, and that spare room was still full of boxes you hadn’t unpacked. Mostly decorations you didn’t care enough to put up or clothes you never wore anymore.

It didn’t take as long as you thought it would to organize, finding yourself finished with a big “Donate” pile in one corner, making room for… maybe another bed? A spare bedroom in case you actually made any friends that might stay over? Or maybe you could get a pet, designate this space as theirs so you wouldn’t be so lonely.

You didn’t have a car, so you knew the whole morning was probably wasted. You wouldn’t be able to get all this out on your own, so you shut off the lights to let the things in this room sit for what would probably be another three years until you thought about it again.

Looking at the clock, you saw it was just before noon. Your shoulders slumped as you let out an exasperated huff, already wanting the day to be over. You couldn’t start making the dough you needed for Monday until tomorrow. You could freeze it, but that was one option you always tried to avoid. Fresh was best.

Maybe you could visit that bookstore you saw yesterday…

Your mind was instantly made up. You made a quick lunch of whatever you had in your fridge before throwing on some jeans, a hoodie, and an old baseball hat before stepping out. After locking the door, you nearly tripped over a bottle someone left there.

“What the hell?” you muttered, bending down to pick it up. It was an expensive whiskey with a pink ribbon tied around the neck. A small card was attached. Opening it, you read:

Dearest Y/N,

I apologize for how we left things last night, and I do hope to return to your good graces soon. As I said, I don’t give up easy.

I hope you had a lovely birthday,

A.

You took a quick look around the parking lot, not seeing that Mercedes you’ve come to recognize. A deep blush settled on your cheeks that you tried to shake away. After jamming the key back in the lock, you set the bottle down on top of your shoe rack before leaving again.

Retracing your steps from the day before lead you back to Beneviento Books. It looked like a cozy little shop with a similar vibe you were going for with your own bakery. There were a few papers plastered to the window showing some scheduled author visits, book readings and signings, hours of operation, and a few different deals they had going on.

When you entered, you were greeted by a girl about Bela’s age, maybe a little older. She was blonde with her hair pulled up into two buns. Her voice was a lot louder than you expect from someone working in a bookstore as she practically shouted, “Welcome to Beneviento Books!”

“Angie,” a quiet voice warned from the office behind her.

Angie snickered at the reaction, both from you nearly jumping out of your skin and from whoever was back there.

“Let me know if you need anything,” she giggled.

You puffed out a breath, putting your hand to your chest to calm your beating heart, giving a nod in thanks before wandering deeper into the store.

You wanted to gather a few more books for your shop for people to borrow while they sat. You tended to go towards more queer literature, but knew you had to branch out more to cover people’s tastes.

By the time you decided you were done, there was a decent stack of books next to you. As much as you tried to branch out, majority of them were romance or fantasy… or both. You at least kept a good variety of relationships.

One book on your stack was one you’d been eyeing for a while, so you gathered your items, purchased them, then went to a little nook near the front where a big cozy armchair sat. There was a little station with hot water, instant coffee, and a few different selections of tea. You made yourself a cup of chamomile before hunkering down to enjoy your book.

It had been a while since you were able to just sit like this and read. You almost forgot how much you enjoyed a quiet moment to yourself with how overworked you were. Of course, it was your own doing, and you wouldn’t trade it for the world, but you started to consider shortening your hours a bit, giving yourself a little more free time…

Getting lost in thought made you lose your place in the book, flipping back and forth to try and remember where you were last paying attention. You looked up when you heard the door and felt your body go rigid when you saw Alcina walk in.

And as always, she was well known wherever she went.

“Heeeey, Alcina!” Angie greeted with a drawn out hello.

Alcina didn’t notice you curled up in your chair. She sighed and forced a smile to the girl. “Is Donna in?” she asked, setting her bag on the counter.

“I’m here,” the soft voice from the back was barely audible to you. “Give me a moment.”

Alcina scanned the store as she waited with a fond smile. A smile that fell as soon as her eyes landed on you staring directly at her.

Fuck.

You wanted to see if there was a way to sneak around her and leave before she saw you, but that plan was already dashed before you had a chance to stand. She looked like she wanted to say something, but then Donna came out of the back. Alcina looked from her to you, at a loss for words as if she forgot why she was here.

You stood up, gathering your bags of books and made a quick escape.

“Wait!” you heard Alcina behind you, but you were already out the door.

Donna folded her arms, cocking an eyebrow at her friend. “Scaring off my customers, Dimitrescu?” Donna teased.

Alcina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “No, it’s… a lot to explain.”

“Well then, explain over lunch. You did say you’d treat me today,” Donna said, pulling her bag out from under the counter.

“Are you alright alone, Angie?” she asked.

Angie gave a thumbs up and a determined nod. “Yup! Got it all covered! Just as long as you tell me any juicy details about that lady,” she cackled.

“Absolutely not,” Alcina deadpanned before leaving the shop.

Sunday was the best day of your “vacation” because it meant getting back to work. With the shop closed, you were able to blast music through the back, getting lost in your routine of mixing different doughs, kneading them out, and placing them on pans to sit in the cooler until the next day when you’d let them rise and bake.

Then came Monday. As always, Bela was in right on time, using the key you gave her to let herself into the shop. You were blasting music again, trying your hardest to keep out whatever thoughts had been plaguing your mind when she walked back.

“Hey,” she greeted, a little confused by the music. Usually you just played a quiet playlist of whatever you had on for the shop. The blasting was new.

You jumped, not realizing she was in yet. You tried to keep the “Hey I almost fucked your mom” expression off your face as you smiled and waved, letting her put her things away.

The music lowered to a soft hum as you asked, “So how was camping?”

“It was fun! Dani got a little sick because Uncle Karl told her to cook her fish a little longer and she was impatient, but she’s fine. Threw up for a while yesterday, but she’s almost back to her normal self today. Good thing she’s off,” Bela laughed.

You grimaced at the thought of not cooking some random river fish all the way, but it did sound like classic Daniela. “Yeesh, sounds about right,” you chuckled.

“How was your weekend?” Bela asked. “Dani told me it was your birthday!”

“Oh! Uh… it was fine,” you muttered.

She caught a hint of hesitation in your voice and gave you a sly smile. “Just fine? She mentioned something about barhopping, you meet someone?” she said with a little eyebrow wiggle.

You scoffed, turning your attention back to some dough you were abusing. “No, I just got a drink and went home. I’m too old to stay out that late anymore,” you laughed, trying to play it all off as a joke.

“Oh come on, you can tell me! I’m not like my sisters, I’ll keep my mouth shut,” she said, begging you to open up.

“No,” you said firmly. “Seriously, nothing happened! Go set up the front!”

She groaned, rolling her eyes, but still did as you asked.

The bakery was pretty lively at opening, and since you had most of the baking done by then, you were able to help Bela with the morning rush. The two of you worked in tandem, grabbing items and pulling shots as ordered so people could get their food and drinks out quickly. It died down by noon when Cassandra was supposed to come in.

When the middle Dimitrescu sister walked through the door, you were at the front chatting with Bela. Cassandra had a big gift basket balanced on her hip as she stepped sideways through, muttering something under her breath.

“What the hell is that?” Bela asked, leaning forward on her hands like she was trying to lift herself up.

“I dunno! Some delivery guy was outside, I told him I’d bring it in,” she grunted, slamming it down on the counter. “Says its for you.”

“For me?” you asked, furrowing your eyebrows as you checked the tag.

“Looks like one of those wine baskets they sell at all the vineyards around here,” Bela informed you, peeking around at the different items in the basket. “It’s a little different… No wine, it looks like someone took it out and put a few random things in there.”

“Can I open it?” Cassandra asked.

You noticed a card sitting front and center with beautiful curled handwriting in shimmering gold ink, your name written on it.

“Yeah,” you said.

Cassandra grabbed at the ribbon, pulling it off quickly so she could push down the plastic. You snatched the card before either of them could.

“Wait, I wanna see!” Cassandra whined, but Bela held an arm in front of her. Based on your reaction before, Bela was determined to protect your privacy.

Y/N,

I know you said you weren’t a fan of wine, so I replaced it with the rest of the ingredients for a whiskey sour. I hope you enjoy the other goodies I included.

A.

It seemed like she knew how curious her daughters were, signing her notes with just her first initial to try and throw them off in case they got their hands on them.

“Who’s it from? Secret admirer?” Cassandra said with a wide grin.

“More like a secret stalker…” you sighed, cramming the note into your pocket. “What else is in there?”

“Lets see… Lemon juice, simple syrup, some chocolates from that shop down the road, it looks like it’s a mix of almond, peanut butter, milk, and dark chocolate. A little wheel of brie, better refrigerate that, and a couple sleeves of fancy crackers. There’s a few gift cards, one to Amazon, that nice restaurant Mom takes us to for birthdays, some place called… Uniforium? Shit, are you getting us uniforms?” Bela asked.

You remembered seeing Uniforium pop up for you a few times online. While they did make custom uniforms per their clients needs, they also sold a lot of basic work attire for different kinds of businesses. It was all expensive, but high quality and meant to last a long time.

“Oh, no. I don’t think I’ll ever have a uniform. They sell other clothes, too,” you explained.

“Can I have the chocolates?” Cassandra asked.

“Cass, stop it!” Bela scolded.

“No, it’s fine, you guys can have some, I don’t really care,” you sighed.

“Soooo, stalker?” Cassandra mumbled through a bite of chocolate.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” you said.

“What are you gonna do with all this stuff?” Bela asked, looking concerned at the mention of a possible stalker.

Your first instinct was to just divvy it out between the girls, but then they’d get back home and Alcina would see her gift torn apart and regifted. You didn’t want to be cruel, and you weren’t even that angry at her. You had time over the weekend to cool down and rethink on her words. She seemed genuinely confused about the whole situation…

“I’ll keep it,” you said.

Cassandra nodded approvingly. “Bold move.”

You shrugged, gathering up the rest of the basket minus a couple chocolates you had set aside for Dani when she came in the next day.

“I’ll be back, I’m just gonna run this upstairs,” you said.

“Take your time,” Bela said.

As you carried the basket up to your apartment, you couldn’t help but think about how thoughtful the gift was. She was careful to take out what you didn’t like and replace it with what she knew you did. That, and she probably noticed your work clothes weren’t exactly in the best shape. You could definitely use new ones.

You smiled to yourself as you pulled the crumpled note from your pocket. Even in the state it was in, the hand lettering of your name was breathtaking, and you thought about how smoothly her pen moved on the paper in a well-practiced manner.

A knock at your door pulled you from your daydreaming. You hurried down the stairs to find Bela at the door.

“Cass fucked up,” she said with a panicked look on her face.

“Oh god, what happened?” you asked as you rushed back into the bakery.

Cassandra was nowhere in sight, but you could hear aggressive muttering and thuds from the back. When you saw her, she was kneeling on the ground next to a fallen rack. Several loaves of sourdough were on the ground being picked up and slammed into the trash.

“… and they’re gonna fucking blame me as always, Cass always fucks up,” she was muttering to herself.

“Cass, what happened?” you asked.

She looked up with terror in her eyes, tears welling up at the corners as she defended herself, “I swear it wasn’t my fault! It just… I don’t know how it happened, the damn thing fell and now all this shit’s all over the ground!”

“Bela, watch the front,” you said as you jumped in to help. You didn’t say anything, letting Cassandra feel out whatever she was feeling.

When you picked up the rack, you had to hold it steady as it wobbled. One of the wheels had popped off.

“Oh shit,” you breathed. “It didn’t hit you at all, did it?”

“No,” she muttered, slamming her back against the wall as she brooded.

“Thank god. The wheel came off, did you see where it went?”

She shook her head. She looked like she was waiting for you to yell at her or something, bracing for whatever anger was coming.

“Cass, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine, I need to check my equipment better,” you assured her.

She raised an eyebrow as if she didn’t believe you.

“Seriously, don’t worry about it. Shit happens,” you said, moving the rack to lean against the wall.

You went to your little office, grabbing a sticky note and scribbling, “DO NOT USE: BROKEN!” on it before slapping it on the rack.

“I’ll order some new wheels. I’m sorry that happened,” you said.

She was quiet for a moment, then said, “It’s fine… It just startled me.”

“Well I’m glad you’re alright, that’s what matters. I’d rather you be okay than the bread,” you said.

She relaxed at that, giving a weak smile before she went over to the mixing station. “Think you can show me how to make the dough?”

You laughed, joining her by the mixer as you pulled out your cookbook. “Quite the opportunist,” you chuckled.

Tuesday evening was slow. So slow that you and Daniela had everything in the back completely cleaned up and done long before the shop even closed. The front couldn’t be cleaned up until then, though, so the two of you ended up sitting at one of the tables playing a board game.

“If you want, you can probably call someone to pick you up soon. I think it’s dead enough we can just close,” you said as you lost yet another round.

“Oh, you sure?” she asked, already pulling out her phone.

“Well on second thought…”

“Oh…” she muttered, putting it back in her pocket.

“I’m kidding! Call Cass, you did good today,” you chuckled.

Her face brightened as she pulled out her phone, shooting a quick text. “Thank you so much! My friends are seeing a movie tonight, I really wanted to go!”

You felt a pang of guilt, realizing you were stealing almost all of her evenings. Maybe you should change your open hours… You didn’t get much business after three, anyways.

You cleaned up the board game while she called someone, then both of you jumped in to cleaning up the front. It wasn’t too bad, especially since the two of you cleaned everything you could without completely closing down beforehand. Within half an hour you were done and standing outside waiting for her ride.

“So other than giving yourself food poisoning, how was camping?” you teased.

She rolled her eyes, tapping away at her phone before sliding it into her pocket. “It was fun. Uncle Karl brought some kayaks. I shared with him and we kept seeing who could tip Bela and Cass,” she snickered.

“Of course you did… and did either of you win?” you asked.

“They did. They figured out what we were doing and came at us,” she explained.

You laughed thinking about the two older girls spurred on by a competitive spirit to dunk their uncle and younger sister.

“Oh, Mom’s here!” she announced, pushing off the building wall as she waved at the Mercedes pulling into the parking lot.

Your face fell when you saw. You wouldn’t be able to hide from her forever, but you still had her disconnected from the kids in your head since you didn’t really see them interact. Once or twice when you still didn’t know they were related, but other than that, it was all separate encounters.

Alcina stepped out of the car, putting her sunglasses on her head as she greeted her daughter with a wide smile.

“Hey, Mom!” Daniela greeted, running in for a hug. “C’mon, Nico bought my ticket already, I said I’d meet him out front!”

“Give me a moment, dear, I’d like to speak with your employer about this ‘stalker problem’ your sisters told me about,” Alcina said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Daniela looked a little confused, flicking her eyes between you and Alcina then said, “Fine…”

“Wait in the car, please,” Alcina requested as she stepped over to you.

You shuffled uncomfortably in place, folding your arms over your chest as she approached. You couldn’t get yourself to meet her eyes. Not from anger, but from embarrassment.

“Could I come in for a moment?” she asked quietly.

You didn’t even try to argue. Before you knew what you were doing, you were pushing the key into the lock to your apartment and let her inside. She didn’t move to go upstairs, making it clear it was a short visit. The two of you stood in your cramped doorway at the base of the stairs. She wasn’t even a foot away, almost chest to chest with you.

You could smell her perfume wafting to you, and you breathed in deep to try and savor it.

“Did you get my gifts?” she asked.

“Yeah…”

“And?”

“… I… They were thoughtful, I really appreciate it, but Alcina, that needs to stop,” you sighed, looking into her eyes for the first time since the date.

She furrowed her eyebrows, taking a moment before saying, “I did apologize in one of my notes, but I would like to do so in person.”

“No, listen, you don’t have anything to apologize for. I get that it was all just a huge miscommunication, I’m not mad at you,” you explained.

“Then what’s wrong?” she asked.

“It’s just… I don’t want to start anything and have it impact the girls. I don’t know how they’d feel about it, and I know it would probably feel suffocating to them to have a parent somehow part of their home and work lives,” you said.

She gave you a gentle smile, chuckling to herself as she said, “And you saying that only makes me want you more.”

“What?” you flustered, feeling blush rising in your cheeks as she inched just a little closer.

“You actually care about my girls. Even the way you talked about them when you didn’t know I was their mother. That, and the way they talk about you at home. They have nothing but good things to say about you,” she said. She was close enough now that she was almost trapping you against the wall. You could have pushed her back or stepped away, but you didn’t.

You scoffed, turning your head away from her as you said, “They’ve only known me a few weeks. None of you know me well enough to get that kind of opinion…”

“So let me get to know you better,” she whispered, her lips ghosting the tip of your ear.

Your breath was coming out in short puffs now as you faced her again. She was a lot more hesitant and gentle than she was at the bar, as if quietly asking permission to touch you as she floated her hands near your hips. You couldn’t stop staring at her lips, remembering how soft they were as you melted into them before.

“Even if you want to hide it for now. We can take things slow and work our way up, test the waters and see how it turns out. If we feel stable enough, we can make it known,” she continued.

It didn’t take as much convincing as she thought when your lips met hers. She was so close, and her words and proximity to you made it impossible to resist. Your body reacted before your mind could process. You felt her warm cheeks in your hands as you kissed her, and she took that as permission to pull your hips close as she leaned into you.

Your breathing quickened, combing your fingers through her hair, gripping a fistful to deepen the kiss, pulling in her tongue so you could get just a little bit of that taste from before. It wasn’t quite the same, she hadn’t been drinking before this, but it was still intoxicating.

She was breathless when she pulled away, a proud smile on her lips with smeared lipstick staining the corners of her mouth.

She didn’t say anything, just scanning your face for any sign of regret or anger, but there was none. She cupped your cheek as you caught your breath. You stared into her piercing eyes, now softened as she looked at you and only making you melt even more.

“Was that an answer?” she breathed.

“I… guess so,” you sighed, leaning your forehead against her chest just to breathe her in a little more. “I don’t know. I’m still not sure about everything…”

“That’s okay. We can figure it out as we go,” she said, wrapping her arms around you.

You nodded, mumbling, “Yeah, we can hide it for now, if that’s something you’re willing to do.”

“Of course. As long as I know we won’t be hiding it forever,” she said.

You pulled away from her, then let a giggle slip out. “You might wanna fix your makeup before you go back out there, then,” you said, tapping the corner of your mouth.

She sighed, pulling out her phone to look into the camera. She licked her thumb to wipe away any smears then reapplied just a little before tucking it back into her pocket. “Thank you, Darling. I’ll be seeing you, then?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later,” you said, opening the door for her.

Daniela was staring out the window, tapping an imaginary watch at Alcina who playfully rolled her eyes. “I know, Dani, I’m coming,” she chuckled.

They both gave you one last wave before driving off. After heading back inside, you almost collapsed against the door. That kiss left you breathless and dizzy, and your legs didn’t want to work as you forced them up the stairs. This could work out. You didn’t think you’d be able to find time for a relationship with how much you worked, but if Alcina was willing to put up with it, then maybe it would be alright.

Chapter Text

As soon as you got up to your apartment, you made yourself a whiskey sour before digging through your nightstand to find the crumpled up note that had Alcina’s number. Was it too early to text her? It had been barely ten minutes since she left you weak in the knees and you agreed to try.

You (6:58 pm): Hey, it’s y/n! I just realized I never gave you my number.

You sat staring at your phone for a response, then tossed it aside. She was probably still driving Daniela to the movies. You couldn’t just sit there, so you flipped on the small television that sat unused for the majority of its time living with you. At first you turned on some zombie show, thinking you were in the mood for horror, but the anxiety you were already feeling due to waiting on a damn text from a hot woman wasn’t helped by the anxiety you felt watching these stupid people doing stupid things to escape the dead.

The show was switched off and replaced with an old animated movie you grew up with. It wasn’t as amazing as you remembered, but nostalgia kept you glued to it, chuckling at some of the quirky side characters that still held your affection.

Finally, your phone buzzed and you nearly spilled your drink to pick it up.

Cassandra (7:25 pm): I’m opening tomorrow, right? Can I come in early? I wanna try mixing some of the shit you make before we come in.

You (7:26 pm): You actually want to be awake that early?

Cassandra (7:26 pm): stfu. Fine I won’t come in

You (7:27 pm): No wait! Sorry, I’m just teasing, come in whenever you want. I go in at 4. 😅

Cassandra (7:28 pm): 👍

You tossed your phone again with a disgruntled sigh and went back to your movie. Did Alcina write her number wrong? Or maybe she purposefully gave you the wrong number and was just toying with you.

A few minutes later, your phone buzzed again and you snatched it back up.

Alcina (7:34 pm): Hello, Darling! I almost got it from one of the girls the other day, but I decided I would let you come to me instead. I hope you’re having a wonderful evening.

You felt a smile spread across your face at her response.

You (7:36 pm): I am

You (7:36 pm): By the way, we never really talked about what this relationship would really be.

Alcina (7:39 pm): Well I suppose that’s up to you. From my understanding, you probably want to take things slow, so we don’t need any labels for now. So long as you promise to keep me updated on how you’re feeling, I’m happy with whatever we may be.

You reread her response multiple times, your smile growing as you clutched the phone to your chest. She was being so thoughtful, and you definitely owed it to her to be more open.

You (7:42 pm): Promise

After thinking for a moment, you decided to make a move this time.

You (7:45 pm): How about we start with another date? Maybe a fresh start, on me this time.

Alcina (7:45 pm): Oh? What did you have in mind?

Fuck… You still didn’t have a lot of knowledge about this area. The only things you could think of was wine tasting, but with her life being surrounded with wine already, that didn’t sound like a good idea. You pulled over your laptop, looking up date ideas in the area.

There was a pottery shop nearby that did classes, the movie theater was connected to an arcade that had a bowling alley, there was karaoke, a lot of beautiful natural scenery that would be great for a picnic. One vineyard also had stables where they offered guided trail rides. The next city over had all the big attractions such as a water park, an ice rink, escape rooms.

It took a while for you to respond with all these options at your fingertips, but finally you had an idea.

You (7:58 pm): How about bowling then a sunset picnic? I can bake a few things I don’t sell in my shop.

Alcina (8:01 pm): That sounds absolutely lovely! Shall I bring some wine? I have a lovely sparkling rosé that has become quite the fan favorite even among those that don’t typically like wine.

You laughed. She really wanted you to like her wines, and it was worth a try.

You (8:02 pm): Sounds perfect! Hows Monday? I’m thinking of adjusting my hours so I can close earlier. I’ll start having more evenings free around then.

Alcina (8:02 pm): I’ll be there. I can’t wait, Darling.

You (8:03 pm): See you, then! Have a great night! ❤️

Alcina (8:03 pm): Good night. 💋

You downed the rest of your drink, feeling a surge of confidence. Just that one emoji made you kick your feet. It’s been so long since anyone has made you feel this way. It was so refreshing, even if you wanted to hide it for now.

Feeling proud of your choices, and a little tipsy from the drink, you turned in.

Cassandra was already standing against the wall between the doors to your apartment and the bakery when you walked out in the morning. She looked exhausted and annoyed at your chipper attitude as you greeted her.

“How the fuck do you have so much energy right now? I swear last week you were dying,” she groaned as she followed you inside.

“I’m actually used to waking up this early. You only have two opening shifts a week. And don’t forget, this was your own choice to come in this early,” you reminded her. You started setting up the front so you could rush her something strong to wake her up.

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered.

“By the way, after this weekend there’s gonna be a change in hours,” you said. “I want to close earlier so I can actually have some time for things I wanna do, which also means less hours for you guys. It’ll probably be six hours a day instead of eight. Think that’ll be alright with you guys? Less hours means less pay.”

“Yeah that’s fine, me and Dani aren’t really used to full-time anyways,” she yawned, grabbing the coffee from you and chugging half of it. She sighed, letting the drink settle for a moment before saying, “I’m sure Dani’ll be happy to have more time with her friends.”

“Yeah I felt pretty guilty last night when she mentioned going to the movies. I’m glad she could make it,” you chuckled. “Ready to get started?”

Cassandra straightened with a determined nod, setting her drink down to crack her knuckles. “Hell yeah I am!”

She passed by your to get to the back, pulling her hair back into a messy bun before donning a hairnet and apron. The switch up in attitude made you laugh as you followed her back.

You decided to start small with Cassandra. As much as you wanted to trust and teach her, it was best to do smaller batches just in case there was a mix up of ingredients.

Which there was. As the two of you worked, you kept her croissants separate from your own. She knew how to roll them pretty well at this point, but making the dough was a whole different story. It seemed like she had a handle on it, but after baking, you took one of your own and one of hers, splitting them in half so you could try them. You pointed out differences in texture, not sure how she got hers so dense and dark.

First, you tried yours. It was exactly how it always was, perfectly buttery and flaky. She nodded, grabbing for hers. You were about to bite in when you saw her face screw into disgust. She rushed to the trashcan, spitting it out before jamming the rest of the one you made in her mouth to get rid of the taste.

“What…” you said, looking down at the pastry you held in fear of what she did to it.

“How the fuck!” she mumbled through her full mouth. Apparently the second bite of yours wasn’t enough to get rid of the taste, so she started chugging the rest of her coffee.

You chanced a small bite, and tasted pure salt. You didn’t have as dramatic a reaction as her, spitting the tiny bite into the garbage as you smacked your lips to get rid of the lingering saltiness in your mouth.

“How much salt did you add?” you asked, watching her as she squinted at the recipe.

“I followed what the recipe said!” she complained, leaning over the book as she pressed her fingers to her temples. You could tell she was frustrated with herself, and could sense another outburst coming.

You put a hand on her shoulder, and she shrugged you off, waving her arm out to swat you away. “Don’t touch me,” she grumbled.

“Cass, it’s fine. Mistakes are gonna happen at first,” you reassured her.

She didn’t look at you, keeping her eyes on the recipe book like she was trying to block out everything else from her sight with the page.

“Can I ask you something?” you asked.

“You just did.”

“You know what I mean.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes before putting her back to the table, folding her arms and staring at the ground. “Fine.”

“Is everything okay at home? Like, with your mom. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” you said. “You just react pretty… dramatically whenever something goes wrong, I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

“Peachy,” she huffed.

“Okay, I said you don’t have to tell me, but I could do without the attitude.”

She rolled her eyes again and said, “It’s a lot. I think she just hates me.”

“Oh, I doubt she hates you,” you scoffed.

“You don’t know my mother. She gives me a hard time for literally everything!”

“Everything?”

“Well not… everything. I don’t know. I know I can be bitchy sometimes, but it just feels like she gets mad at me or blames me whenever something happens!”

You walked over to your second mixer, pulling out the bowl in front of the bowl lift to get it all on the table. You motioned for her to help you start separating it all into loaves, finding it easier to talk while having something to do with your hands. It seemed like it was the same for Cassandra, because she started opening up more as she kneaded.

“I guess it started with math class. I’ve always liked math but my last couple years I really struggled with it. She thought I was being lazy, but I just didn’t get it! I tried to get help, but even the teacher treated me like I was some lost cause. I barely scraped by with a B-, but that wasn’t good enough,” she growled.

You nodded in understanding, letting her continue on.

“Then one of my friends got sick while we were hanging out, and we took his car out, so I ended up driving. I didn’t see that someone left… I don’t even know what it was in the road, I didn’t get a good look at it, but I hit something and lost control. It wasn’t a bad accident, I just dented the bumper, but Mom was pissed. She said we had to pay for the damages, like she couldn’t afford it or something. Then there’s little things. I bumped into a vase and it broke, she yelled at me. Me and Dani borrowed her car, she yelled at me. Did Dani get in trouble? No, she can’t drive, so of course it’s not her fault even though it was both of our idea! But I’m the problem child, so I get blamed.”

You stopped kneading, taking in a few details of her comments as you started connecting some dots. First, her saying she didn’t see anything about a dress code on your application. The amount of salt she put in was just over what you’d need for sugar in the croissants, she must have put salt in for both. Struggling with math after saying she loved it. Not knowing what she hit in the road. Bumping into things. Everything else was normal teenager stuff getting mixed in.

“Cass, have you gotten your eyes checked recently?”

She froze, looking at you like a deer in headlights.

“Yes. I’m fine,” she said all too fast.

You sighed, putting your hands on your hips. “Are you?”

She let out a growl, and got a little more violent with your dough. “I said I’m fine! Don’t say anything to my family, especially not my mom!”

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Unbelievable… Why?”

Her cheeks turned red and she refused to make eye contact with you. “I don’t wanna get made fun of…” she mumbled.

“By who?”

“Everyone! My sisters, my friends, there’s a bunch of people at school that bullied the hell out of this one kid after he got glasses!”

“Seriously? Cass, you’re an adult! That’s juvenile shit! And you’re graduated by now, aren’t you? Why are you so worried about what some dickheads at school think?”

She fell quiet for a moment then scoffed. “What do you know?”

“A lot? I’ve gone through high school, I know how awkward and stupid everyone is. Being an adult can suck sometimes, but it also doesn’t have the stupid cliquey bullshit that school has. The people that act like that after graduation are the real losers, it means they never grew out of being a dumb kid. They can’t handle the real world so they pretend they’re better than everyone like they did when they were teenagers,” you ranted.

She pushed aside a few loaves, starting on a few new ones. You knew she was listening, but she acted like everything you said just went past her.

“I can tell your mom if you want me to. It might be easier on you.”

“Or she’ll yell at me for not saying anything sooner.”

“I can see if I can tell her to lay off,” you shrugged.

She glared at you and shook her head. “Don’t insert yourself into my issues, I can handle it. Besides, how the hell would you tell her? It’s not like you can just text her or something, isn’t that kind of unprofessional?”

“I mean, yeah, but she’s kind of a regular now. I have a way with making everything seem nice if I have to bring up tough topics,” you said, grasping for anything that wouldn’t make your relationship with her mother seem suspicious.

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Do what you want.”

“How about a deal?” you asked, realizing you were repeated Alcina’s own words.

“A deal?”

“You need to at least tell your mom about needing an eye check. If you can’t read my recipes, I don’t want you making anything. Sooner you get glasses, or contacts, the sooner I can teach you.”

“What? That’s not fair!”

You just shrugged. “I can’t have you destroying too much product. A mistake is a mistake, but knowingly going along when you know there’s an issue that might keep happening is just irresponsible.”

She growled again and threw off her apron. “I’m going on break,” she shouted.

You watched her go in shock. You knew you were pushing some buttons, but didn’t think she’d actually walk out. Instead of trying to yell after her, you just let her go. She obviously needed time to cool down, and hopefully she’d come back.

You finished up the work in the back as fast as you could before opening, keeping an eye on the door in hopes that Cassandra would walk through again.

She didn’t come back until half an hour after opening. You were standing at the counter, ringing up the last customer in line before looking out the window. Alcina was standing in front of her Mercedes in front of the shop looking like she was having a shouting match with her middle daughter. Both were gesturing aggressively, then Cassandra tried to walk away, but Alcina caught her by the arm and pulled her into the shop.

“Let go!” she yelled.

“You have a damn job to do, so go do it!” Alcina shouted.

Cassandra huffed and stomped past you, mumbling, “Don’t talk to me.”

Alcina was looking around, cheeks red as she realized that she had caused a scene and the patrons were now staring at her.

“Apologies,” she sighed, walking stiffly to the counter.

Your back was turned as she approached, filling a cup with her usual black coffee. She was leaning on an elbow, a hand over her head like she was exhausted or trying to hide.

“Sorry,” you muttered. “I pushed some buttons today…”

“It’s not your fault Darling, she’s very stubborn,” she sighed, straightening before giving you a charming smile. You definitely knew where Cass got that stubbornness, but you weren’t about to comment on it.

“May I ask what buttons you pushed to get her into such a mood?” Alcina asked softly, keeping an eye on the door that lead to the back in case Cassandra came back.

“It’s not really my place to say,” you said with a nervous smile. “Though… I guess part of it was that you might be a little too hard on her.”

“Too hard?” she scoffed, realizing she was being a touch too loud before lowering her voice again. “It’s none of your business to dictate how I discipline my children.”

You put your hands up defensively as you said, “No, no, I know. Just… the way she acts around here sometimes, a rack fell and a bunch of bread had to get thrown away. A wheel fell off, it wasn’t her fault, but she acted like I was gonna run in and scream at her. Then today, she acted the same when she messed up a batch of croissants when I was teaching her to bake. That’s not normal.”

Alcina furrowed her eyebrows, and as she was about to say something, you cut in again with, “I know it’s not my place. I’m not looking to be some other mother to them or anything, or insert myself into your family business, but it becomes my business when it starts affecting my shop.”

Her expression softened, and she folded her arms looking at the space where Cassandra disappeared. “I suppose you have a point.”

“Just talk to her. You both seem to be pretty stubborn, but I think there’s been a big misunderstanding. You asked me to communicate with you, but you need to do the same with your family.”

A sad smile appeared on her face and she shook her head. “Also a fair point. And again, your care for my daughters only makes me want you more,” she sighed.

You relaxed your shoulders, glad you were able to at least diffuse the tension between you and Alcina. Cassandra was another story.

“Change of topic, what time should I expect you for our date?” she asked.

“Oh! Uh…” you started, realizing that she was expecting you to pick her up. “I don’t… have a car…”

“Ah, well, what time should I expect to pick you up then?” she asked with a teasing smile.

You turned a little red, but chuckled, glad that she didn’t seem bothered by it. “Sorry, how does five sound? Get a round or two of bowling in, come back here to grab the food, then find a good picnic spot?”

“Sounds perfect,” she smiled.

She looked around for a moment as if looking for someone spying on her, then leaned over the counter. She gripped you by the chin, pulling you forward just a touch so she could plant a light kiss to your lips. You couldn’t help but let slip a giggle as she pulled away.

“Now, what do I owe?” she asked.

“That was payment enough,” you laughed, pulling out a chocolate croissant to add to her order.

She laughed as well, picking up her order. She winked, then turned and left.

With Cassandra moping in the back, you ended up stuck up front for the rest of her shift. Since she came in early, there wasn’t an overlap on schedules, she’d leave as soon as Daniela got there, which gave you no time to talk to her. You weren’t about to try and push her up front, either, with her mood. The dough was already made, so all she really had to do in the back was bake things according to the sheet you had back there and pray she read it right.

She was gracious enough to stay until Daniela clocked in, but when she was about to clock out, you pulled her aside.

“What do you want?” she huffed.

“I just wanted to apologize. I know I was pushing you this morning, and it just got you in more trouble with your mom.”

“Yup,” she muttered, looking like she just wanted the conversation to be over already.

“I won’t push anymore. And I can’t tell you what to do, but I do stand by my decision that you can’t mix anything until you get your eyes checked. That’s all,” you said.

She was quiet for a moment, just seething at the ground until she finally muttered, “Fine.”

“Fine?”

“I’ll get my eyes checked and get some stupid fucking glasses,” she sighed.

“Oh, great! But also if you really don’t want glasses, you can always try contacts,” you mentioned.

“No, I hate putting anything near my eyes,” she said. She seemed exhausted, probably from holding her rage in her chest for so long today. “Are we done?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“’Kay,” she said, clocking out before heading to her car.

You let out a breath as you watched her go, hoping that something got through to her. You felt bad for her, and even worse for piling on even more today. Hopefully it didn’t bite you in the ass. Maybe her and Alcina could have a civil conversation despite how goddamn stubborn they both were.

With Daniela manning the front, you let yourself get lost in your baking again, glad to have some time alone. As you walked through the bakery, you stepped on a sticky note, the one that had been placed on the broken rack before.

“Oh, shit,” you muttered, slapping it firmly back on the rack and made sure it stayed. You’d buy new wheels eventually.

Chapter Text

The new hours went into effect that Sunday. You expected some push back from a couple regulars, but surprisingly, there was only one who seemed mildly irritated at not having a study place in the early evening. You directed her to the bookshop as an alternative, and she perked up when you mentioned they had tea and coffee there.

The girls were happy with their new hours as well. They had enough time in the evenings to spend time with their family, or friends, and you were a little relieved to have some more time to yourself. You would text Alcina whenever you could, trying to avoid small talk, finding it dull and annoying. Instead you’d fill her in about your day, trying to avoid any subjects that would cause any more family drama. In return, she did the same. She would tell you funny stories about the girls at home, or whatever she had to do on the vineyard that day.

Your first evening where you were able to get out of the bakery earlier than usual was spent… baking. During the day you sat frozen for a long time trying to decide what new recipe you wanted to try to bring along on the date. You didn’t really know what Alcina liked. Fruit tarts? Eclairs? Cinnamon bread? Those and several more baked goods floated through your mind as you finished up your day to day work. The second you left the bakery, you walked to the nearby grocery store.

Like many shops in this town, it was a small business run by a cute, talkative older couple. They greeted you as you entered, and you gave them a shy wave before filling a basket with everything you thought you’d need. The list was long, and you knew you resigned yourself to a busy evening, but you were determined to make everything perfect.

You ended up making everything you could think of, packing multiple servings of each in little to-go boxes and plastic wrap from the bakery. Fruit tarts, eclairs, two slices of cinnamon bread, some salted caramel cookies, and some German chocolate brownies.

It was a good thing you also bought the makings of a charcuterie board, because you were packing a whole lot of sweets. Pita bread, crackers, meats and cheeses from local artisans, pepper jelly, and a homemade cheddar, bacon, jalapeno cheese ball rolled in green onions.

Was this a bit much for a picnic for two? Maybe. Did you care? Just a little bit, but hoped she would be impressed by the work you put in anyway.

You got everything wrapped and packaged so it would be easy to pack the next evening, then went to bed and attempted to sleep. Excitement kept you up almost all night, resulting in just a few restless hours of sleep.

You were a bundle of nerves during work. Even with little sleep, you felt like you had to keep moving or you’d drown. It wasn’t that busy, but that didn’t stop you from making way too much dough for the day, and the next. Bela tried handing you some tea, thinking coffee would just make you erratic, but it was left untouched as you treated your bakery like some sort of battle ground. Flour coated the walls and floor.

As soon as Cassandra walked in for her shift, she stopped at the door. She already looked done with the day, but seeing you in this kind of frenzy didn’t help her mood.

“What… the fuck is happening?” she asked Bela who resigned herself to the front to stay out of your way.

“I have no clue… she’s hardly said anything today,” Bela sighed, rubbing her temples.

Cassandra turned back to you, sticking a couple fingers in her mouth and letting loose a sharp whistle. The sound made you spin around, clutching your chest as you were ripped from your thoughts.

“What?” you shouted, waving a hand out in offense.

“What the hell are you doing?” she asked, motioning at the full racks of different breads and pastries.

“I’m just… I don’t know,” you mumbled, turning to get back to what you were working on.

Cassandra rolled her eyes, setting her things in the office to get herself ready. She joined you, pulling the lump of dough out of your hands to set it aside. “Christ, and you said I was wasting product,” she mumbled. She leaned on the counter with one hand, the other rested on her hip. “What’s up? You’re acting like a freak.”

“I- I am not!” you stuttered, folding your arms in front of your chest.

“Uh, yeah you are! You’re so bad at hiding shit, did something happen? Was it that stalker again?” she asked, her voice turning a little softer with concern.

Even though you were the boss, her height advantage and stern expression made you feel scared for a lecture. She was definitely like her mother.

“No,” you huffed. “Sort of. But no, they’re not a stalker I just… that was a little harsh.”

You weren’t making a lot of sense, but the way you switched up how you were speaking about Alcina made Cassandra’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Oh, shit, wait, do you have a date? With them?” she asked, piecing together the bits of your scattered sentence.

“You have a date!?” Bela shouted from the front. She moved to lean against the door, keeping an eye on the front so she could be part of the conversation while also being there in case a customer came in.

You gave an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Yes, yes, I have a date.”

“So you’ve just been a nervous wreck all day?” Bela asked, putting a hand on her chest.

“Yes,” you muttered.

“Aw! Wait, do you know what you’re doing? Where are you going?” Cassandra asked, getting a little closer than you were comfortable with.

You put your arms out to push her back by the shoulders. “Okay, knowing you, you’re just gonna show up wherever we go,” you said.

“So what?” Cass shrugged.

“Oh, Cass, leave her alone,” Bela scolded. “She’s nervous already, she doesn’t need you breathing down her neck.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Fine! Whatever, if it goes well I’m sure we’ll meet them soon,” she sighed. “Can we get a name?”

“No.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun,” she muttered as she took over kneading out the dough you were working on. That was starting to become a catch phrase of hers whenever she tried prying into your life.

You finally let Cassandra just start cleaning the back for you after she pushed you back into the office to take a break. She moved racks into the cooler to save all the extra product you made for the next couple days before taking over for Bela.

As you sat at your desk staring at the blank computer screen, you got a text.

Alcina (11:15 am): So if we’re so determined to hide from my daughters, do you want me to park a street over to pick you up, or?

You (11:16 am): Oh, right. They should be gone by the time you get here, but Cass is getting pretty snoopy so I wouldn’t put it past her to stalk the store.

Alcina (11:16 am): Yes, that does sound like Cassandra. Alright, Darling, I’ll park at the market.

You (11:17 am): Sounds good, see ya then! ❤️

Now you were even more nervous, tapping your foot rapidly on the floor as you tried to distract yourself with scheduling, as if the schedule ever changed.

As the work day drew to a close, Cassandra approached again leaving the front unmanned.

“Hey, it’s fucking dead up there. There’s one guy at a table and that’s it, should I start closing?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah, go ahead,” you said, wiping down the last prep table in the back.

“Cool. Gimme your key,” she said, holding her hand out expectantly.

“My key?” you asked, putting your hand protectively over your pocket.

“Just to the store, I’ll lock up when I’m done. Go get ready for your date, your anxiety’s spreading and you look sweaty and gross,” she said, wiggling her fingers for the key.

You looked around the shop. The back was already done thanks to your morning panic baking, and she could definitely handle the rest on her own. Even with her forceful attitude, you knew she was trying to be nice. You sighed, clapping the key into her hand.

“Alright, just knock when you’re done. And… thanks,” you said, giving her a smile before heading for the door.

Before you could go, she fisted a handful of fabric on your shoulder to pull you back into a hug. You were surprised, letting your hands hover over her back for a moment before embracing.

“Thanks for talking to my mom,” she muttered. “Nothing’s fixed, but it’s a start.”

She shoved you away, walking off to grab a broom so she could start cleaning the front. You stood frozen for a moment, watching her as she purposefully ignored you. You smiled again, feeling some relief after hearing that you actually helped in a way.

You made your way up to your apartment, shedding your clothes and hopping into the shower. It was still a while until the date, but you used that time wisely to make sure to completely scrub yourself clean, finding flour clumped in strange places. Stepping out, you checked your phone to make sure you still had time to get ready. A text was waiting from Alcina again.

Alcina (3:31 pm): Did you need me to bring anything else for the picnic? Just the wine?

You (3:49 pm): If you had any other drinks in mind, you can bring those. Maybe some water bottles? Otherwise, I have all the food ready 😊

You didn’t wait for a response, setting your phone down so you could get dressed. As soon as you slid that same sundress on, a knock sounded at the door. When you answered, Cassandra looked you up and down with a surprised expression.

“Oh, that looks cute!” she said with a smile, handing over the key. “Your hair needs work, but it’s a start,” she snorted.

“Cass, I just got out of the shower, I haven’t done anything to it yet,” you sighed, running fingers through the soggy strands.

“Yeah, I know, I’m just teasing,” she scoffed. “Good luck on the date.”

She gave you a small wave before walking to her car.

With an hour before the date, you worked on your hair and makeup. The last time you went on that surprise date with Alcina, you went with a messy look, but just like the food, you wanted to put more effort into your appearance. There hasn’t been a person in your life in a long time that made you actually put effort in like this.

Finally, about fifteen minutes before, Alcina texted you to say she was already at the market down the street. You gave yourself one last look in the mirror, satisfied with your work before double checking the fridge to make sure everything was ready to be quickly grabbed after bowling.

The walk to the store was only a few minutes, but the anxiety that had built up all day made it feel like an eternity, counting your steps as the sidewalk stretched out before you.

As soon as you entered the parking lot, the sight of her flushed all anxiety out of your body. She was leaning against the hood of her car, crossing her legs and arms with a cigarette dangling lazily from her fingers. When she saw you, those perfect, painted lips spread into a smile. She dropped the cigarette, stamping it out with her shoe before she approached with open arms.

You almost tripped doing an awkward jog over to accept a hug before she held you out in front of her to admire your outfit.

“You look stunning, Darling,” she said, placing a kiss to your forehead.

“Thanks, you look beautiful, too!” you said, looking her up and down.

She had on a nice pair of black pants that hugged her curves perfectly, and a deep purple blouse with a deep v-neck that dipped down to show off her cleavage. Light ruffles along the neckline complimented the view nicely, and you could stop from blushing at the sight.

She lead you to the car, opening the door for you before pulling out of the parking lot. The drive to the theater/bowling alley was short, just a few streets away. Alcina pulled in, locking the car to stop you from opening the door yourself. It seemed she was still determined to act chivalrous towards you, not that you minded.

What you didn’t expect, though, was for her to pull a bowling bag from the back seat. You furrowed your eyebrows, looking between it and her. She gave you a cocky smile, watching you expectantly.

“What…” you muttered.

“I used to be part of a small league a while back, I thought it would be nice to dust off my things,” she chuckled, shouldering the bag before pressing her hand into the small of your back to guide you forward. You relaxed at the touch, leaning into it as her arm wrapped around your waist.

“So what you’re saying is you’re gonna absolutely wreck me, right?” you smirked.

“In what way?” Alcina asked, the corners of her mouth twitching as she watched you turn red.

“Oh… get your mind out of the gutter,” you scoffed, playfully pushing her off you. “I meant on the lanes!”

“But later… maybe,” you thought.

The alley was just reaching peak business hours, but you were still able to snag a lane on the end. You looked at the crappy worn out keyboard for a moment before typing in “Muffin” as your name. Alcina laughed, taking the next slot for herself as “Merlot.”

“Perfect,” you laughed, grabbing a bright orange ball that was slightly too heavy to start.

Your first few turns were… abysmal. You seemed very skilled in getting a split every damn time you started your turn, then got a gutter ball when you tried to hit at least one of the pins. Alcina, however, was a little rusty, but still had some game. Her first turn was a split, then a couple spares, and finally two strikes in a row. Each time, she would turn with a shit eating grin to see you start slow-clapping sarcastically.

“Show off,” you laughed.

She strutted over to you, hands on her hips as she bent at the waist so you could hear her murmur, “I just want you to know that I have skilled hands, you didn’t let me show you the other night.”

You snorted, instantly turning red as you pushed her out of your way. “Christ, you’re on one tonight!” you breathed, drawing a deep, rumbling laugh from her as you attempted your next turn and got… gutter balls. You blamed her.

Needless to say, she won by a lot. Your single strike and two spares were no match for her score that was more than double yours. You groaned, almost ruining your makeup as you dragged a hand down your face.

“That was humiliating,” you laughed, shaking your head. “I probably shouldn’t have picked bowling, I’ve never been good.”

“Did you have fun?” Alcina asked, settling in the seat beside you as the final little strike animation appeared on the tv above.

“Yeah,” you smiled, leaning on a hand to admire her.

She leaned over, putting her arm on the back of your chair as she drew in close. “Then it doesn’t matter if you’re good,” she chuckled, kissing you on the cheek. “Now, I was a promised a picnic, and I forgot to eat lunch today,” she said, standing and switching out her personalized bowling shoes for the short heels she decided to wear.

“Good, because I was scared I made way too much food,” you said, following suit before returning the bowling shoes to the counter.

She lead you back to the car, tossing her bag in the back after.

“Should I park in front of your bakery this time?” she teased.

“Yeah, the girls are gone,” you said, clicking in your seatbelt.

Even though you were sure they were gone, you scanned the small lot you shared with a couple other businesses for any familiar cars. There were none, so she parked right in front of your door.

Opening the trunk, she produced a nice picnic basket. “I brought this just in case,” she explained before following you up the stairs to your apartment. She looked around the sad, un-decorated area with pity, slowly setting the basket down on your table.

“Quaint,” she commented, turning her attention to you as you started pulling out everything you made and bought for the picnic. “Goodness, you’ve been busy!” she beamed, looking at the spread as you set it out.

“Thanks, I uh… wasn’t sure what you liked so I came up with a few options,” you said nervously, feeling the tips of your ears burn.

She flipped open the basket, and you were surprised to see a small table acting as a lid under the flap, two holes that could hold wine glasses. Inside were straps holding plates and silverware to the sides. You were glad you didn’t pull out the cheap paper plates yet. She helped you load the food securely into the basket before heading out the door again.

“So… I still don’t really know the area, I thought maybe you’d want to pick out where we go?” you asked. “I looked up a few spots if you don’t want to pick, though, they seemed nice.”

“Oh, I have a lovely spot in mind. It’s on my property. Quiet, secluded, and the girls never venture out there,” Alcina said.

“Sounds perfect!” you said, letting her take you wherever she wanted to go.

Instead of the main driveway, she drove up a dirt path that lead into the small forest that surrounded the vineyard. You peered out the window to see what you could, having missed the entire view the first time you’d been here. Between the trees, you saw a gorgeous property. Small hills completely covered in posts holding up grapevines that would be turned into her wines, a circular driveway that rounded the whole mansion that sat beautiful in the center of the land, a small fountain out front, a large garage, and lower on the driveway was a lot for workers and visitors. There were a few other buildings scattered around holding equipment for tending to the vines, making wine, or places for visitors to do wine tastings or meet for tours.

The dirt road lead up a larger hill, giving you a better view of everything as she drove. It wound up and behind the mansion, then she turned to go deeper into the forest. Eventually, she came to a stop. There was a small clearing here with a couple benches viewing out over a cliff to the expanse of trees below. The clearing was surrounded by large stones, giving a secluded, cozy feeling to the small area.

“Wow…” you breathed, stepping out of the car to get a good look at the view.

The sky was already taking a slightly orange tint as the sun was just barely starting to set, and you knew from where the clearing was facing, it was the perfect place to watch the sunset. You were glad you had Alcina pick, because no other place that you’d looked up could possibly compare to this.

She smiled as she approached with the basket, sliding her arm around your waist to pull you into a tender kiss. “I’m glad you approve,” she whispered, letting you go to start setting up.

You jumped into action, spreading out the soft blanket she handed you before taking a seat on it to pull out the food. The small table in the basket was perfect for the little charcuterie board as you placed the meats, cheeses, and crackers across it. You left the cheeseball on the plastic wrap, pulling away enough so you could dip into it. Then came the sweets you made. Alcina’s eyes lit up as you opened containers, placing them on the blanket in front of you.

“Oh, Darling, this looks incredible,” she beamed, leaning over to kiss your cheek.

You laughed, leaning into the touch for a moment before she pulled away. “Well, like I said before, I wasn’t sure what you liked. You have kind of a variety of things you get from the bakery whenever you come in, so I thought variety was the right call.”

She picked up one of the small fruit tarts right away, delicately biting into it to avoid the crust crumbling. She hummed in approval as she chewed slowly, savoring the sweet flavor of the fruits and cream that filled it.

“This is exactly what I needed,” she sighed, wiping away a bit of cream that collected at the corner of her mouth.

Seeing her enjoy something you made in this way made your whole body flush, a familiar heat building as you watched her. Sensing your gaze, she turned to you and leaned into your space, holding the pastry to your lips.

You held a hand under to chin, catching some crumbs as you bit down. You were relieved that it was just as good as you remembered. It’s been a while since you made something like this, and while you regretted not taste testing at first, your hard work definitely paid off. You sighed contently, shutting your eyes to let the flavor rest on your tongue.

When you opened, Alcina was watching you with a soft smile on those perfect lips. She reached over, wiping away a bit of cream from your lip, then licked her thumb. A shiver shot down your spine, and you couldn’t stop yourself from laughing.

The two of you dug into the little feast, chattering about little things in life while enjoying the view. A slight chill cut through the air, so Alcina pulled you closer, letting you lean into her while you ate. The smell of her perfume wafted around you, the comforting scent only pulling you closer.

The sky streaked with purples and oranges as the sun took its rest beyond distant trees. You wished you could bottle up this moment and keep it forever.

The rest of the food was left abandoned as you watched the sky darken into a beautiful starry night. Bright speckles dotted your entire view as you picked out the few constellations you knew.

A finger one your chin pulled you from your stargazing, Alcina’s smiling face becoming the only view you cared about as she leaned forward. You closed the space, pressing your lips to hers in a deep, passionate kiss. She turned her body, pressing her chest against yours as she slowly pushed you to the ground, laying over you as she dragged her lips across your jaw, then down your neck to your collarbone.

“A-Alcina,” you gasped as she sucked at your exposed skin. “Is this really the place?”

Her chuckle reverberated through your chest. She took her time answering, dragging her tongue up your neck before whispering, “Like I said before, no one comes up here, it’s completely private. And I want to finish what we started on your birthday.”

The sentiment made your heart melt, and you released a shuddering sigh. You captured her lips again, pulling one of her hands to your waist. That was all the confirmation she needed to continue. As she trailed kisses down to your chest, her hand moved to grip the flesh on the back of your thigh, digging her fingers in just like you remembered, just like you craved since the last time she’d touched you.

She sat up, pulling you with her so you could scoot back against the rock, shifting to get comfortable so she could pull the straps of your dress down, then your bra. She smirked at your already hardened nipples, the cold air making you gasp before she leaned down to suck one of your firm peaks, teasing the other with her fingers. She moved to kneel, forcing your legs open, then shifted closer so your calves rested on her thighs. The new position made you whimper as she pressed against your covered core, just a thin piece of cloth keeping away the friction you desired as you started to grind against her.

“Patience,” she chuckled, reminding you again of the last time you got this close.

You groaned in frustration, knowing she was toying with you to see how long she could keep you like this. “Just take them off,” you growled, biting your lower lip as she nipped at your breast.

She sat up again, a sly smile on her face as she admired how much she already made you unravel. Panting below her with your legs spread and breasts exposed, annoyance painting your expression at the loss of touch.

“As you wish,” she cooed, scooting back so she could pull your dress up to your hips. You pressed your hands to the ground, lifting your butt up just a little as she hooked her fingers into your waistband and pulled down painfully slow. She tossed them aside, neither of you bothering to see where they landed.

She was on you again, licking and sucking at your neck, your legs perched on her thighs. You slid your hands under her shirt, caressing the soft skin on her stomach as you slowly slid it up over her head. She did the same with your dress, then bra, needing more skin contact. You felt so exposed, completely nude in the middle of a forest clearing, but laying underneath this absolute goddess made you throw all care to the wind.

You reached behind her, unclipping her bra. You needed to see more of her, pulling it off so you could suck on those perfect breasts, drawing short gasps from her.

“Oh… fuck,” she muttered as you nipped and twisted, dragging your teeth across to give the other similar attention. She gripped your hair, relishing the feeling of your lips and fingers. Her words sent warmth to your core as you started grinding on her again.

“T-trying to ruin my pants, Darling?” she stuttered, choking out a short laugh between gasps.

“Just until you use those hands you were bragging about earlier,” you muttered into her chest, biting at the top of a breast.

She let out a breathy laugh, pulling you away to lean against the rock again. “I’ll do you one better,” she said, leaning forward to give you one more kiss before moving to settle on the blanket between your legs. She continued to tease, kissing and leaving small bites on your inner thigh as she lifted your legs to rest on her shoulders.

Your heels dug into her back, trying to pull her closer. She giggled, resisting the pull for just a moment longer until she dragged her tongue slowly, gathering your arousal as she licked up to your clit, drawing a deep gasp from you.

“Already so wet for me,” she sighed into you, ghosting the tip of her tongue over the bundle of nerves. You grit your teeth, tangling your fingers through her hair to pull her closer.

Finally, she obliged, taking the sensitive bud with her tongue, swirling and sucking. You moaned, relaxing against the rock as you finally had the sensation you were wishing for. Your breathing quickened, watching her pleasure you between your thighs.

Your eyes fluttered closed, and your back arched as her finger teased your entrance, gathering the slick before slowly sliding into you. A second was soon added, curling into you as she easily found that sweet spot. Another moan left your lips, and you crossed your legs behind Alcina’s head.

She quickened her pace, pressing her tongue to your clit to add pressure as she felt your walls start to tighten around her fingers, thrusting in and out, curling each time to hit that spot over and over. Your hips moved along with her, grinding against her tongue as you let out pitiful whimpers and gasps.

Your thighs started to shake, tensing at the sides of her head as she built you up, slowing just enough to keep you at the edge. She watched you from this position, admiring your seizing body above her, your chest rapidly rising and falling, and your expression just on the edge of ecstacy.

“A-Alcina, please,” you begged, almost coming undone as you looked into the gorgeous eyes that racked your sweaty body. “I-I’m so close!”

She thrusted again, a laugh vibrating through your clit as she sucked harder, pulling another deep gasp from you. You nearly hit your head on the rock as your eyes rolled back. Your fingers gripped her hair for dear life as she slowed to help you ride out the orgasm, keeping you at that peak until it was almost overwhelming.

When she felt you relax, she slowly pulled out, which drew a shuddering sigh from you. She hovered over you, a proud smile on her face as she brought her fingers to your lips. You drew them into your mouth, cleaning your own release from her fingers and dragging your tongue up and down each digit.

“Good girl,” she sighed, pulling her fingers from your mouth to kiss you, pressing her tongue against your lips, and you happily gave her access. Many flavors from the night melded together as you pressed into her, chest to chest, arms around her neck to pull her closer.

You pulled away, a drowsy smile on your face as you cocked your head. “Your turn?” you asked, running a hand from her collarbone to squeeze her breast as your other hand tugged at her belt.

“How do you want me?” she asked, kissing the tip of your nose.

You slid down to lie on the blanket again, scooting down between her legs so she was hovered just over your face. She laughed, moving to stand so she could finish stripped. You watched from between her, pulling her pants off after she lowered them enough. You sat up to throw them by your dress, then her underwear added to the pile.

She pressed a heel to your chest, resting her hands on her hips watching you expectantly. You gripped her calf, pressing your lips to her ankle before removing the shoe, then the same with the other. She knelt over you again as you slid to your back again, wrapping your arms around her powerful thighs, guiding her down to you.

You didn’t tease as long as she did, kissing and licking up her thigh until your nose met that patch of hair above her clit. You looked up over the curve of her stomach, the swell of those perfect breasts and into her waiting eyes.

“Already so wet for me?” you teased, repeating her words back.

She sighed, suppressing a laugh as she combed her fingers through your hair. “Always,” she breathed, bringing herself lower over you.

You chuckled, moving a hand to grip her ass as you dipped your tongue between her folds. She gasped as you ran it over her clit, her fingers tightening their grip in your hair. You licked and sucked at the aching bud for a minute before switching for your thumb, rubbing circles into her so you could press your tongue to her core, wanting to so badly to taste her.

She moaned as you slid into her, bucking her hips against your face as you worked her up. You stopped focusing on what you were doing, falling into a rhythm that seemed to drive her wild. As her hips moved, you flicked your eyes to watch her, tits bouncing with each thrust. Her arm was on the rock, steadying herself as her eyes screwed shut.

“Right there…” she whispered, moans and gasps falling from her lips, encouraging you to keep going.

You felt her walls close around your tongue, and then heard a groan of annoyance as you pulled out, but soon it was replaced with a deep moan when you slid two fingers, gauging how much she could take until you added a third, curling into her as she cried out.

“Oh… f-fuck, y/n, yes!” she gasped as you swirled your tongue around her clit again. She squeezed her thighs together, legs buckling and trembling as she got closer.

“I’m… I’m close, Darling, k-keep going,” she stuttered, losing all composure she had before.

She seized, crying out as her release coated your hand and throat. You laid back, gently rubbing her clit with your thumb as you watched her come down from her high, chest heaving and eyes hazy. She sat up on shaky legs, biting her lip and wincing as your fingers slid out of her. Her eyes darkened more when you started licking your fingers, looking directly into her face.

She let out a deep sigh, smiling down at you before shifting to lay at your side, her head on your chest as she traced her fingers on your stomach. You put your arm over her, rubbing her back as you kissed her on top of her head.

“Thank you,” you muttered into her hair, smelling the fragrant shampoo and product she used to ground yourself.

“Thank you, Darling,” she sighed, pressing lazy kisses to your chest.

A small gust of wind hit both of you, sending a chill through your naked bodies. Alcina huffed, pulling the large blanket over both of you, refusing to get up quite yet.

“Are we camping now?” you teased, gripping the edge of the blanket to pull it tighter over you.

“Just for a moment, I’m not ready to let go of you quite yet,” she muttered. And you were content with that.

For another hour, you just laid in each other’s arms, admiring the beautiful starry night, exchanging languid kisses and running hands to soothe soft skin. Muttering quiet conversations about nothing important, just enjoying each other’s company.

You finally sat up, throwing the blanket off with an annoyed grunt from the woman next to you. “I can’t stay up too late,” you sighed, pulling your bra back on as you scanned the area. It was too dark to really see anything. “Where’d my underwear go?”

A look of guilt crossed Alcina’s face as she looked around, then to the cliff. “I may have tossed them in the excitement,” she winced. “I’ll buy you new ones.”

You laughed, handing her a pile of clothes before putting your dress back on. “That’s fine, I needed new ones anyway.”

You helped her clean up, wrapping up the blanket as she tossed the rest of the food back in the basket.

“You can keep the leftovers, by the way. I’ve still got plenty at home,” you said.

“Oh, thank you! Everything was delicious, I may be addicted to your baking,” Alcina chuckled.

“And I might be addicted to you,” you retorted.

She pulled you in by the waist for another kiss, both of you laughing into it.

Alcina drove you back home, walking you to the door to kiss you goodbye. She lingered for a moment, and you were about to invite her inside when her phone rang. She sighed, rolling her eyes to check and saw it was Daniela.

“She’s probably wondering where I am,” she sighed, a smile playing at her lips. “I suppose this is where I leave you, Darling. Have a wonderful night.”

“You, too!” you said, giving a small wave as she drove off.

It was later than usual for you, and while you knew you’d be exhausted the next day, you didn’t regret a single moment. After crawling into bed, a deep, comfortable sleep greeted you.

Chapter Text

When Bela walked in the next morning, she was surprised to see you humming along with the soft music you were playing as you calmly set up the front. There wasn’t much baking to do thanks to your frenzy the day before, and the complete switch up in your demeanor had her standing there in shock. You almost didn’t notice her at first, looking up and giving her a friendly smile. “Morning,” you greeted.

“Morning,” she said slowly, keeping her eyes on you before stepping into the back. “Good date?” she yelled as she set her things down.

“Yeah,” you chuckled, not exactly wanting to go into detail.

“Are you gonna see them again?”

“Absolutely,” you said, pulling a couple shots for her usual morning coffee.

“Good,” she sighed, grabbing the drink from you with a smile. “You scared me yesterday, I thought you were gonna die or something from anxiety,” she laughed.

“Yeah, it was a lot. I mean it wasn’t our first date, but it was our first real date,” you said with a shrug.

You didn’t tell her much more, skipping around details to the point she gave up. She knew you were a pretty private person, so she didn’t push too much. Daniela, on the other hand, had you scared. You knew her shift was in a few more hours, and tried to prepare in your head what to say to throw her off. She was pushy, but easily distracted.

You didn’t have to deflect at all, though, since Cassandra walked in alongside her younger sister in a huff.

“Nice glasses,” you commented, trying your hardest to sound sincere.

“Whatever. Sister meeting! Now,” she demanded, pulling Bela by the arm to sit at a table.

“What! Wait, Cass, they’re at work,” you said, throwing a hand out in disbelief.

“There’s hardly anyone here, just man the front,” she said with a dismissive wave.

You rolled your eyes. For someone that worked under you, she had a way of taking charge. You leaned against the counter, not exactly trying to listen in, but Cassandra wasn’t a quiet talker.

“Mom’s seeing someone!” she started, drawing surprised gasps from her sisters. You tensed and spun around, making yourself look busy while hiding your red face. “Not just seeing someone, she’s fucking someone!”

“Really?” Daniela asked, leaning forward in her seat.

“Wait, did she say something?” Bela asked.

“No! She came home with her bowling bag and a picnic basket. Said I could have whatever was left. There was a lot of food, I threw some away, though because someone’s fucking underwear was at the bottom!”

Oh fuck.

“Ew,” Dani said, wrinkling her nose. “Wait, but why’s she hiding this from us?”

“I dunno, she hasn’t really seen anyone since the divorce. Unless…” Cassandra faded off, looking to Bela for an answer.

“Oh, you don’t think she’s seeing her again?” Bela scoffed. “No way! Not after that shitshow!”

“Mom wouldn’t hide a relationship from us, she’s usually so open about everything! That means it’s someone we wouldn’t like! Besides, you saw them while they were married. That bitch had her wrapped around her finger, I wouldn’t be surprised if she weaseled her way back into Mom’s life,” Cassandra ranted.

“But… Mom wouldn’t do that, especially not after how she treated us,” Dani argued. “Miranda’s manipulative as hell, but Mom’s smarter than that.”

“I really don’t think it’s her,” Bela sighed, but doubt was all over her face.

You’d turned back around at this point, not even hiding that you were totally listening. All three girls looked like they were about to throw up, all staring at the table as they tried to figure out who else would be seeing their mother. Part of you just wanted to tell them, but you were also horrified to know that Cassandra found your underwear in the damn picnic basket.

You pulled out your phone, leaning on the counter as you sent a text.

You (10:12 am): Are you at home?

Alcina (10:14 am): Yes

You (10:15 am): You might wanna check that picnic basket…

You set your phone aside to see Daniela staring directly at you as her sisters continued the conversation. You shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, and saw a sly little smile on her face.

“Oh god, she’s planning something…” you thought.

The expression disappeared as she jumped back into the conversation, like she didn’t just send a feeling of dread through you. Did she know? What the hell was that face?

After a few more minutes, Cassandra stepped behind the counter to make her own coffee, even though she wasn’t working today and she shouldn’t be behind the counter off the clock. You didn’t say anything though, seeing as she was practically the boss at this point. You’d have to work on saying no to her…

After she left, Bela and Daniela got back to work. You decided to take this opportunity to completely reorganize your little office. It was well past when you should have done this, but you never had time before.

You gutted the shelves and drawers, throwing everything on the counter so you could sort through. When you turned to place some things on the desk, you nearly jumped out of your skin to see Dani standing there.

“Fuck!” you shouted, putting a hand to your chest to calm yourself.

“So how was your date?” she asked, pulling the chair out to sit.

“It was good,” you said, suddenly forgetting everything you prepared for when she talked to you.

“Just good? What’d you do?” she asked, leaning forward on the desk.

“We went to dinner and a movie,” you shrugged. “Basic date, but it was nice.”

“Really?” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Never go to a movie on a first date! How do you even get to know the person?”

“I dunno, I think it’s nice to just ease that tension? Getting comfortable around each other and seeing if you have similar tastes, and just existing around each other,” you said, trying to justify yourself for a date you didn’t even go on.

“Think it’ll get serious?” she asked.

You shrugged again, “Maybe, we’re not really labeling anything yet, but we’ll see what happens.”

“Okay, well, sad date aside,” she said, waving a hand in front of her face.

“Ouch…”

“I have a huge favor to ask,” she said, a nervous look crossing her face.

You cocked an eyebrow, not expecting her to drop the date subject so quickly. “Alright?”

She took a breath, hyping herself up before saying, “Okay, so. After a lot of begging and arguing, my school is letting me and some friends put together a summer school dance. Kind of as a last goodbye to everyone who graduated, but also because we just really wanted to. We got sponsors, like Mom and a few other vineyard owners around the area, catering, a theme, we got everything put together and it’s happening this Saturday.”

You narrowed her eyes, not exactly sure what any of this had to do with you. Was she going to ask for the day off? She already got off early enough to make it to a school dance, though you still wouldn’t argue if she asked. You’d just cover her.

“Okay?” you said, motioning for her to continue.

“We’re short one chaperon. They gave us a certain number, and if we don’t get enough adults to attend, it’s all for nothing! I’ve asked everyone I know, and they said graduated seniors don’t count since they’ll be attending. I even had Mom ask around, and we can’t find anyone! Can you please go?” she asked, clasping her hands together to beg.

“Woah, what? Dani, I’m your boss, that sounds…”

“Unprofessional? Please, I think we’re past all that. Just put on a cute dress, we’ll come pick you up and head over together. It’ll be fun! And there’s free food! You could probably use it, too, since we all know you live off pastries and instant noodles,” she grimaced.

“Damn, okay… Rude. Let me think about it,” you sighed.

“Well, you have until the end of the day today, so think fast!” she said, putting the pressure on.

You groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose as she walked away. The day started out so well, but now you had to make a decision to save an entire goddamn school dance. “Fine!” you yelled after her.

“Really?” she popped her head around the corner, smiling from one ear to the other.

“Yes, fine, I’ll go,” you sighed.

“Great! I’ll let Ms. Lupu know!” she said, pulling out her phone.

You sighed, slumping your shoulders. You really couldn’t say no to any of these girls, could you?

As you went back to cleaning, your thoughts returned to their conversation from before. Miranda. Was that Alcina’s ex? You knew that she’d been married before, but never heard a name or talked about it. With the relationship being as new as it was, it wasn’t a topic you expected to come up other than in passing. You felt bad having heard some insight to her previous relationship from her daughters instead of from her. They mentioned that she didn’t treat them well, and wondered if that’s where Cassandra’s issues originally came from. The other two girls seemed more stable, but then maybe they just hid it better than the middle sister.

Then you thought about this school dance. If Alcina dished out money for it to make it happen, she would definitely be a chaperon as well. It could be fun, but you weren’t sure what to wear. Something more modest than what you’ve been wearing on dates, schools are usually pretty picky about outfits. You’ve never been a chaperon before, did you just stand there and watch all these kids dance? Make sure they didn’t do anything stupid?

Bela walked back at the end of her shift, heaving a big sigh as she grabbed her stuff. “Sorry about that conversation earlier… Cass doesn’t really have a filter, you didn’t really need to hear about our mom’s sex life,” she said with a grimace.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” you said, waving a hand in the air. You paused, wanting to ask about Miranda, but you weren’t sure how to phrase it in a way that told her you didn’t know that was her mom’s ex. You shouldn’t know, if you’re “not dating” Alcina. “So… is this Miranda person… someone…” you started, pausing as you lost your train of thought. How the fuck were you supposed to ask about her? “Nevermind, you don’t have to talk about it.”

“Our mom’s ex-wife. She never told Mom that she didn’t want to adopt, just went along with her and never signed the papers. We used to call her Mother when we were younger, but after a while it just didn’t feel right. So now she’s Fake Mom, Not Mom, Talon Twat, That Bitch, or whatever else we think of,” Bela laughed. “She didn’t treat Mom right, either, it just took her a while to see. Then she cheated.”

You nodded slowly, taking in this information. And the bonus info about the girls being adopted. You knew it was a high chance, but there was also a chance at Alcina having used a sperm donor or something.

“Sorry, I know that was a lot…” Bela sighed, taking a seat across the desk.

“It’s fine, you can talk to me about whatever you need to. I don’t wanna push, though,” you said, making sure she was comfortable with the conversation.

“Thanks,” she said with a shy chuckle. “I dunno, we haven’t even thought about her in a while, but with Mom being in a new relationship we’re just… confused? I don’t know why she’d hide it from us.”

You took your own seat, trying to think of something to say to help the situation. “It could be to protect you guys. Maybe she doesn’t want to bring another person into your lives unless she’s completely sure they’ll be good?”

“Maybe…” she muttered. “I’m just anxious. I mean, I don’t even live there anymore, I shouldn’t be, but if Miranda came back, I’m scared for Cass and Dani.”

“That’s part of being an older sister, you’re protective. It’s nice that they have someone like you in their lives,” you said with an encouraging smile.

She scoffed, but smiled in return. “Thanks. I should get going, I’ll see you later.”

“See ya,” you said with a wave.

Your phone buzzed as she left, and you saw a text from Alcina.

Alcina (11:15 am): Oh good lord. How did you know they were in there?”

You (11:17 am): Cass came in to tell her sisters she found them. 😬They’re scared you’re getting back with “Miranda.”

Alcina (11:18 am): I should hope they know I’m smarter than that.

You (11:22 am): Dani said something like that. I told Bela that you might be trying to protect them, keeping it hidden until you know whoever you’re dating is good.

Alcina (11:24 am): Oh, good one. I’ll use that if they bring it up. I’m sorry, I know it’s early for this kind of conversation. I hoped Miranda wouldn’t come up until well into our relationship. No need to weigh you down with my family drama quite yet.

You (11:26 am): Don’t worry about it. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here for you. I told the same to Bela.

Alcina (11:30 am): Thank you, I truly appreciate it. I will get your underwear washed and returned discreetly.

You (11:31 am): Lol, thanks. I’ll see you later! ❤️

Alcina (11:31 am): 💋

You set your phone down again, putting away the last items you had to organize before stepping to face the office area. It looked much better. With that out of the way, you finished up the little work you had to do in the back before cleaning, then joined Daniela up front.

The night before the school dance, you found yourself staring at your closet again. You couldn’t wear that sundress again, especially with how short it was. You ended up finding a plain looking forest green dress with capped sleeves and paired it with a black cardigan. The outfit looked like something your English teacher would wear, but it was cute enough. As much as you wanted to dress up to try and impress Alcina again, you were trying to drill it into your head that this wasn’t a date. She would probably be there, but you had to keep a distance.

Satisfied with your outfit, you set it aside for the next day so you could get ready quick after work. You already agreed with Dani to close early, that way she could rush home and get ready herself.

You were just about to settle in for the night with a movie and a bowl of cereal when a knock sounded at the door. You stared at the stairs for a moment, then looked down at what you were wearing, which was very short pajama bottoms and a tank-top. With a heavy sigh, you set your cereal on the table and went to see who was at the door.

After slipping into your slippers, you trudged down the stairs to look through the peephole. Standing just outside, looking around the parking lot, was Alcina.

“Fuck,” you whispered, panic spiking in your chest. You didn’t want to answer like this, but you already took a while to even get to the door. Mustering up all the courage you could, you opened up.

She turned, capturing you with those gorgeous eyes as she took you in. “Well, don’t you look delicious,” she said, stepping into your space and closing the door behind you.

“Alcina, wh-” you started, but her mouth was on yours in seconds. You relaxed against her as her arms wrapped around you, one hand snaked down, gripping your ass through the thin fabric. Just as fast as it started, it ended with her pulling away leaving you weak in the knees.

“Holy shit,” you breathed.

She chuckled, holding you steady as your mind reeled. “What um… what are you doing here?” you asked. Now that you got a good look at her, you noticed she was rather comfortable. Sweatpants and an old t-shirt, something you never expected to see her in.

“Well first, I wanted to return these,” she said, pulling a folded up pair of underwear from her pocket.

“Oh, Jesus, right,” you muttered, grabbing them from her as fast as you could.

“I was also passing by on my way to a friend’s house, and thought I would invite you to join us. Nothing serious. Drinks, board games, chatting,” she said, waving a hand around as she spoke.

“Oh, uh, sure! Sounds fun! I should go… put on some pants though,” you said, looking back down at your outfit.

“No need. I’m sure Karl will refuse to wear a damn shirt, and Donna usually wears something similar to you,” Alcina said. “Just grab your phone and whatever else you want to take.”

Just a very casual night then. You could handle that. Previous experiences with meeting those important to a partner always felt so rigid and tense, like you had something to prove. It was usually dinner to meet someone’s parents, or meeting friends at a nice restaurant. A cozy game night sounded perfect.

“Alright, I’ll be down in a sec,” you said, suddenly feeling excited for tonight as you wandered around to grab your phone, keys, and wallet, throwing them in a small shoulder bag before making your way back down.

She gave you one more small kiss before leading you to the car, still insisting on opening the door for you. On the seat was a dish full of bean dip.

“Would you mind holding that? I don’t want it to slide around,” she asked.

“Wait, should I bring something?”

“If you want to,” she shrugged.

You hopped back out, unlocking the bakery and grabbing the biggest to-go box you had. There was still plenty of pastries left over from the day, so you grabbed an assortment of chocolate croissants, muffins, and a loaf of your jalapeno cheddar sourdough, wrapping it before meeting Alcina back at the car.

“Hopefully there’s something there that’ll go well with the bread,” you said nervously, placing the pastries at your feet so you could hold the dish.

“I’m sure he has something,” Alcina chuckled. “You’re adorable when you’re nervous.”

You snorted, shaking your head at that comment.

The drive wasn’t long, in fact it was just about five minutes down the main road, then a few turns away. Alcina pulled up to a decently sized house. Nowhere near as big as her mansion, but still had some lovely decorations out front and a well maintained yard. Alcina grabbed the dip from you so you could get your assortment of baked goods, then lead you to the house. She didn’t bother knocking, instead walking right in.

“Hello, Sal!” Alcina announced, shutting the door behind you before kicking off her shoes. “I’ve brought a guest!”

You followed her to a large kitchen where a short man stood holding a knife, chopping up what looked like chunks of fish.

“Oh, uh… hello. Nice to meet you,” he said with a shy nod, flicking his eyes nervously between you and Alcina. “Hope you like ceviche,” he muttered, turning back to his fish.

Alcina sighed, rolling her eyes as she said, “This is y/n, Sal. Introduce yourself.”

It was more of a demand than an instruction, and he almost dropped his knife. He peeled off his gloves, offering a hand over the counter. “Salvatore Moreau,” he said with a smile.

His hands were clammy when you went to shake, but you didn’t shy away, trying not to be rude. You could already tell he didn’t exactly have the best social skills, so you’d try your best to be friendly so he wouldn’t be nervous around you. You could definitely relate.

“Nice to meet you! Beautiful home,” you complimented.

He nodded, smiling again before going back to his dish again.

“Are the others here yet?” Alcina asked, setting out her dip before wandering around the kitchen. She snatched a bag of chips from the top of the fridge, filling a bowl then setting it by the dip.

“Not yet. Donna said she’d be a few minutes late and Karl just shows up when he feels like it,” he muttered.

“Right, of course. Jackass,” Alcina murmured under her breath.

You raised an eyebrow at her reaction. You thought these people were her friends, but she didn’t seem too fond of Karl. Then you recognized his name, he was the guy the girls called their uncle.

Alcina offered you a chip with some of her bean dip on it. “Try this,” she said, holding it in front of your mouth. You took a bite, holding your hand under your chin to catch the crumbs. It was delicious, and had a touch of spice. You could never really go wrong with bean dip, honestly.

“Mm, that’s really good!” you muffled through the bite.

She chuckled, taking a bite for herself with an approving nod. You turned to Sal, opening your container of treats and offered it to him. “Wanna try one?” you asked.

He peeled off his second pair of gloves, looking a little annoyed that his food prep was interrupted once again. His eyes lit up at the sight of the pastries, and he snatched a blueberry muffin. He bit into it, humming as the flavor hit his tongue. “Where did you get this?” he asked.

“I own a bakery in town, Beans N’ Bagels,” you said, motioning in a vague direction.

“Oh, I pass by there on my way to work, I’ll have to stop in sometime,” he said with a smile before taking another bite.

You heard the door open, a boisterous voice filling the air as it continued a story that was started long before the two people entered.

Karl and Donna both entered, wearing exactly what Alcina had described early. Donna in a similar outfit to yours, though her shorts were longer, and Karl was in only sweatpants and slippers. He had a bit of a beer belly, and enough hair to almost qualify as a shirt. They both set down bags or dishes.

“Oh, looks like the big bitch got here early as always!” Karl shouted, clapping Alcina on the back. She lurched forward, shock in her eyes as she almost choked on her chip. She was sent into a short coughing fit.

“Well one of us is going to have to change,” Donna’s soft voice was barely audible over Alcina’s fit. At first you couldn’t tell if she was serious or not, but a slight smirk on the corner of her lips made you relax.

“Only difference is her ass is hanging out,” Karl pointed out, motioning a hand towards you.

“So are your tits!” you said defensively.

Alcina’s fit turned from coughing to laughing in a second.

“Ha! Oh, I like her, Alcina,” Karl cackled. “Here, I brought drinks.”

He pulled out a variety of cans and bottles, shoving a pre-made Moscow Mule into your hands. You shrugged, twisting off the cap and taking a swig. You already liked Karl. Even if he was a bit crude, he seems easy to get along with.

“Karl Heisenberg, by the way,” he said, holding out his hand. You took it in a firm shake.

“You’re the woman Alcina scared out of my shop,” Donna noted, reaching behind you to grab a wine cooler. “Donna Beneviento.”

“Nice to meet you guys,” you said with a smile. “I’m y/n.”

“Why did you two arrive together?” Alcina asked, reaching for your hand to pull you closer to her.

“I have a flat tire,” Donna explained. “Karl said he’d drive me and fix it tomorrow.”

“What a gentleman,” Alcina rolled her eyes.

Karl clapped his hands together, startling Sal as he squeezed lime juice all over his dish, almost dropping the slice. “Alright, Sal! Your little hoard still in the tank room?” Karl asked loudly.

“The hallway,” Sal sighed, mixing everything together before setting it on the counter. He slid over a plate of pita chips to accompany it. Along with Donna’s caprese bites, it was a nice little spread.

Karl loaded up a plate, grabbing a few beers before wandering out of the room. Alcina sighed, smiling a little as she shook her head. She seemed to have a similar opinion of him as you. Though she obviously found him annoying, it was endearing in a way.

“What’s the tank room?” you asked hesitantly as you and the remaining three in the room loaded up your own plates. Your mind immediately went into those guys you met in the past who always bragged about loving history, when they really only cared about World War 2.

Sal lit up at the question and said, “I’m the director of the aquarium! I have my own collection here of different fish, all in their own tanks that are kept at specific temperatures, sizes, and salinity depending on the species. I don’t have anything big here, but you’re free to see them if you want! Another room, I installed a massive enclosure for my Burmese Python, she’s a sweet little lady.”

You were a little startled at the surge of confidence from this awkward man, but glad to see that there was something to pull him out of his shell. You stifled a laugh and said, “Oh, that’s awesome! Yeah, I’d love to see sometime!”

He beamed at that, but didn’t push any further. He knew he could get carried away info-dumping about marine life and reptiles, and his friends would get frustrated if he took too long before their games.

You followed Alcina to a couch, sitting beside her as you picked at your food. For the most part, you were quiet, picking up pieces of their lives through their conversations. Every now and then there was something you could add, and the four welcomed you warmly. It had been such a long time since you got together with people like this. You bakery had been the only part of your life for years now, other than an ex relationship that went sour. The changes that happened in your life over the last month or two made such a huge difference in how you went about life.

Karl had picked out a few games from Sal’s impressive collection of board games. Along with fish, he seemed to collect these games and keep them in great condition. He had eight difference versions of Monopoly, though the Pirates of the Caribbean one seemed to be his favorite. Cards Against Humanity, Stupid Deaths, and Dixit were brought out as well. Monopoly was avoided at first, due to it being a game that took a lot longer to play.

Dixit was interesting, and took a minute to get, but after a while it was fun trying to match the strange artwork in your hand to whatever phrase or word the person whose turn it was said as a descriptor for their own. They didn’t want to be too descriptive, or too vague. If they got all of the votes on which card was theirs, they lost. If they got none, they lost. They just needed most.

You were careful during Cards Against Humanity. Still not knowing these people, you didn’t want to place anything down that would be too offensive. That was soon dashed as Alcina placed something absolutely atrocious. She had a proud little smirk on her face as she won that round, and you had tears streaming down your face cackling at the crude scenario her card brought up.

Stupid Deaths was fun, too, and quick. A piece resembling the Grim Reaper chased your pieces around the board as you guessed true or false to each death that was read out from the cards. Karl was caught cheating as he looked some up on his phone, trying to keep it hidden at his side. Some of the False deaths were really based on true stories where a detail was changed slightly to try and trick the players.

Finally, it was time for Monopoly. The game that ruined family ties and friendships. It started out peaceful, but soon descended in a shouting match between Karl and Alcina. Donna vacated the room, pulling you along with Sal following.

“You’ll need this if we keep playing,” she sighed, pulling some liquor bottles from Sal’s cabinet.

“That’s normal?” you chuckled nervously, taking the offered shot she handed you.

Sal nodded, knocking back his head as he drank the sweet mix. “Yeah. They get along for the most part, but there’s definitely a few things that set them off.”

“How long have you all been friends?” you asked before taking your own shot. It didn’t burn as much as you expected, and you licked your lips to get the rest of the flavor.

“Since High School,” Donna shrugged and poured a few more shots. You eyed the bottles and saw it was Bailey’s and Butterscotch Schnapps. She saw you watching and smiled. “We call this one a Slippery Nipple,” she said with a smug look.

You snorted, trying not to inhale the shot as you laughed.

Sal chuckled, keeping his own on the counter for a moment. “I think other people call it a Copper Camel or something.”

“I’ve also heard Buttery Nipple,” Donna shrugged.

“Jesus. It’s really good, though,” you said, finishing off the shot.

“I like the salted peanut shot, too,” Sal said, pointing at some peanut butter whiskey on the counter. “You just salt the rim and take it like that.”

“I like Oatmeal Cookie,” Donna said, tapping the fireball. “Same thing I gave you but with a third of this.”

You nodded slowly. You really just had a couple cocktails you rotated between with the limited amount of liquor you kept, or just Malibu with whatever soda or fruit juice you had. It was nice to branch out a bit.

Donna sighed, grabbing a couple wine coolers and the last beer. “Lets see if they’ve calmed down yet,” Donna said, heading back into the living room.

Alcina and Karl were glaring at each other, but whatever argument they had came to a close. Karl spotted a speck of brown on Sal’s shirt and his eyebrows dug deeper down. “Aw, you guys took shots without us?” he complained.

Donna waved the beer in front of his face, and any complaints he had were gone. Alcina gladly accepted the wine coolers, and put her arm around your waist as you sat down next to her again. “Shall we continue? I think it’s your turn, Darling,” she said, giving you a small kiss to the cheek.

By the time the night wound down, everyone was pleasantly drunk, and Sal refused to let anyone drive home. His insistence was unnecessary since everyone had already claimed different couches or chairs. Donna had curled up in one huge leather arm chair, almost resembling a cat as she drifted off with her head on her bicep, her arm stuck up and over her head. Karl had his legs straight out in the opposite armchair, arms draped over the rests as his head hung slumped forward with deep snores rumbling from his chest.

You were the last to fall asleep, stretched out on a couch with Alcina on top of you. She was laying on your chest, one of her hands under your shirt to rest on your soft skin. One of her legs was between yours and she was practically melted into you. She hummed, half asleep as you played with her hair. Sal passed through a couple times, smiling at the two of you as he gathered some plates and empty cans.

“Thank you,” you whispered. He gave you a small nod, tossing away the garbage before wandering to his own bedroom.

You kissed Alcina on the forehead, then leaned your head back, letting the alcohol numb your mind into a pleasant slumber.

Chapter Text

A blaring, repetitive noise filled the air as you were roused from your sleep. You groaned, trying to reach an arm out, but a weight on your body held you in place. Hair tickled your nose as you took a deep breath, and you remembered where you were. On a couch in the house of a new friend, with Alcina laying on your chest.

Your phone’s ringtone didn’t seem to wake her, instead making her shift and clutch onto you, nails like claws digging into your tank-top.

“Alcina…” you muttered, trying to shake her awake. She murmured something and buried her face deeper into you.

“Alcina, I need my phone,” you said, shaking her again. Again, she didn’t wake. Another option was to let her drop to the floor, but you weren’t sure how happy she’d be about that.

“Answer that damned phone!” Karl grunted, putting both hands over his face.

The ringing wasn’t helping anyone’s hangover. You kept an arm around Alcina to keep her in place and awkwardly stretched your other towards the sound. Finally, your fingertips hit the corner and you were able to drag it closer.

You didn’t look at who it was before answering. “Hello?” you muttered.

“Y/n? Christ, you sound like you’re dying, are you sick? I’ve called you like, five times and I knocked on your door a bit ago, where are you?” Cassandra shouted.

You were wide awake now. Alcina grunted as you sat up, barely holding her on the couch so she wouldn’t fall off as you checked the time on your phone, squinting against the bright screen.

“Oh shit… Cass, I’ll uh… I’ll be right there, I’m not home. I gave you a key, right?” you said, panicking as you looked around the room.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get started on the front,” she sighed.

“Thanks, I’ll get there as soon as I can,” you said. She hung up.

You dropped your phone, wheezing a bit as you rolled Alcina onto your other side so you could escape her death grip. You stood, picking your phone up again before shaking her.

“Alcina, I need to go!” you said, a little more forcefully than before.

You gasped as a large hand grabbed your bicep, pulling you away. “Lets go, Miss Baker, before my head explodes,” Karl growled, pushing you towards the door. “That one always takes forever to wake up after drinking.”

You relaxed a bit, glad to have a ride. You really needed to get a car or something… You pulled away from him, stepping next to Alcina again to place a small kiss on her cheek, whispering a quick goodbye before following him out. You felt a little guilty just leaving without a proper goodbye, but you had to get home quick.

“Thanks,” you breathed as soon as you stepped outside. It was still dark, a chill hung in the air as crickets chirped around you.

“Whatever. You owe me a free breakfast,” he grumbled. “I’ll stop in tomorrow for it.”

“Deal,” you said, hopping into the passenger seat of his old truck. It creaked and groaned just under the weight of two people, but Karl didn’t seem bothered by it. He leaned over, popping open the glove box to grab a small battery. You watched him in confusion as he exited the truck again to pop the hood.

“What the…” you muttered, watching as he jumped his own truck with the battery.

“She’s an old girl, got a couple quirks,” he chuckled as the engine roared to life. He popped it into… Neutral? And the truck rolled back. “Yeah, the letters don’t really match what gear I’m in either. Don’t worry! We’ll get there safe!”

You suddenly regretted following him out.

You white knuckled the grab handle for the entire short trip back to your bakery, directing him an alternate way so he would park in the alley behind the building. You didn’t want to park out front, or risk having to walk in front of the big window at the front of your shop for Cassandra to see you walking back in your short ass pajamas.

“Thanks again,” you said, hopping out of the death truck.

“No problem, just don’t forget that free breakfast!” he laughed, shifting back into gear to drive off.

You turned, looking down the alley that lead to the front where your door would be and saw… a delivery truck blocking the entire goddamn alley. There was no way through. Maybe Cass wouldn’t be looking out the window…

You took a turn, heading for the other alleyway, peeking around the corner to see her back turned as she pulled a couple espresso shots. Perfect. You darted out, heading for your front door. You didn’t watch the window as you passed, focused on getting inside. After struggling for a moment with your keys, you heard her voice.

“Is… this a walk of shame?” she asked.

You nearly jumped out of your skin, not noticing that she was leaning on the wall right next to you. How the hell were these girls so damn quiet?

“Jesus Christ!” you swore, dropping your keys. “No, I just fell asleep at a friend’s house. Let me get dressed, I’ll be down in a bit.”

Cassandra laughed as your cheeks flushed. “Take your time. By the way, were we busy yesterday? We’re almost out of chocolate croissants and muffins.”

“Oh uh… no I took some. I’ll get started on those first.”

She nodded, turning to get back to work so you could get ready.

When you passed through the kitchen, you spotted the cereal still sitting on your counter, now dried up and crusted against the bowl. You cursed, tossing it in the sink to soak.

You drank way too much the night before. Throughout your work day, you were nursing a headache, and kept the lights as dim as you could while still being able to see enough to get things done. Cass kept your coffee cup full, and ended up ordering lunch for the two of you, and Dani when she came in. A big greasy burger was exactly what you needed, and along with the coffee, you drank as much water as you could stomach.

Luckily you kept some meds in one of the cabinets in your office, taking a migraine pill to try and ease the pain away. You wanted to recover as fast as you could before you had to get read for the dance. Dani was anxious, scared you’d cancel, but you promised her that a little hangover wouldn’t stop you from going.

At some point in the day, you got a text from Alcina.

Alcina (10:15 am): Are you upset?

You (10:16 am): No? Why would I be?

Alcina (10:18 am): You were gone when I woke up. It seemed you left in a hurry, too, because you left all of your treats at Sal’s.

You (10:20 am): Oh! No, Cass called, I forgot to set my alarm. You weren’t waking up, so Karl drove me home. Everything’s good, I swear!

Alcina (10:22 am): Well, then I apologize for not waking up. As much as I wish I could have been the one to take you home, I’m glad you got there safely with how he drives.

You (10:23 am): Lol, yeah I don’t wanna get in that truck ever again. I’ll see you again tonight, though!

Alcina (10:24 am): You will?

You (10:26 am): Yeah, Dani asked me to help chaperone the dance.

Alcina (10:27 am): Interesting. Well I’ll see you tonight. 💋

You (10:27 am): ❤️

You flipped your phone down on your desk as Dani swung around the corner. “Hey, we were closing up at 2 today, right?”

“Yeah,” you said, looking around the messy bakery ahead of you.

“Great. By the way, we’ll be here to pick you up at 4:30. We have a reservation at 4:45 and the dance starts at 6!” she said.

“Wait, dinner?” you asked. You didn’t think dinner was part of the plan.

“Yeah! Me, Cass, and a bunch of our friends got a table. Mom said she’d sit a ways away so we could hang out, so you can sit with her,” she said with a wink.

Wait, did she know?

“Oookay,” you said hesitantly.

She spun around, marching back up front. You sighed, rubbing your temples for a moment. If she knew, was it really that big of a deal? You still felt bad for causing all that anxiety earlier when they were wondering if Alcina was back with her ex.

You pushed that thought down, standing to get some cleaning done early so Dani could go.

It didn’t take as long to get ready this time. After work, you hurried upstairs to shower, letting your hair dry a little bit as you threw on the comfortable outfit you chose earlier. A simple hairstyle and some light makeup completed the look. You constantly had to remind yourself this wasn’t a date, don’t put in too much effort, tonight is for the kids.

You got ready too fast. There was still an hour until they would be by to pick you up, and now you were sat at the kitchen table tapping your foot rapidly on the ground as you doomscrolled on your phone. It almost died, and you ended up standing against the counter so you could reach the charger and continue your scrolling. You constantly checked the time, then the window, then your texts in case you missed any.

A knock sounded at your door, and when you answered, your heart did a flip. Alcina was standing there in a nice pantsuit with black wedges. Her hair was perfectly curled as always, and her painted lips stretched into a smile as she took you in.

“Daniela demanded I be the one to greet you. She’s acting shifty,” Alcina chuckled, waving her hand towards the parking lot.

“She’s definitely up to something, but I can’t tell with her,” you said quietly, fighting a smile as you turned to lock your door.

“Well our chariot awaits,” Alcina said. Waiting at the end of the lot was a bus.

“Is that… a party bus?” you grinned.

“Yes, I made it very clear from the company I rented from to bring one without the stripper poles and alcohol. The mini bar is stocked with juice and sparkling cider. Though I did stash a bottle of wine in case we wanted any. We might be chaperones but I think we can manage a drink or two,” she laughed. She kept her arms folded, and you could tell it was to keep herself from putting an arm around you like usual.

You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing. The doors were pulled open, and the driver tipped his hat at you as you stepped on. Seven teens were crammed at the back, all in different loud, giggly conversations while music blared from the overhead speakers. Black and gray leather seats were glowing from the neon green lights above. Dani shot up, barely avoiding spilling her drink as she shouted a greeting you could hardly hear. Cass was a little less enthusiastic, offering a small smile and wave as you sat at the end near the driver.

Dani almost tripped, stepping over legs as she made her way over. “Hey! These are our friends! Nico, Rose, Taylor, Steph, and Ray!”

“Nice to meet you!” you tried shouting over the music. You couldn’t tell who was who, but you were sure you’d learn at some point. She returned to her friends, returning to the loud chatter, every now and then motioning towards you

A small table divided yours and the seat Alcina sat in. She waved for the driver to go, then pulled out her stashed wine, pouring two glasses. It was that same rosé she gave you before, which you took gratefully. It probably wasn’t a great idea to drink after you just got rid of your headache from the night before, but a couple glasses wouldn’t hurt.

The kids all cheered as the bus started moving again, taking smooth turns and gliding over the road as the driver went to the new destination. You laughed as each kid took a turn in the center of the seating area, dancing awkwardly to the music as their friends cheered. You didn’t understand how they had so much energy, but it was fun to watch. Cass and the girl Alcina let you know was Rose both stayed seated. They were smiling and chatting, but obviously not in the mood to dance in front of an audience.

It was hard to hold a conversation with Alcina over the cheering, laughing, and loud music. She was smiling proudly at her kids and their friends, sitting with her legs crossed as she watched them having fun. That loving expression of a mother who spared no expense just to see her children smile. It warmed your heart seeing this side of her, knowing that even with the tension between her and Cassandra, they were still able to have this as part of their mother-daughter relationship.

The bus parked at the back of a lot across from an Olive Garden. When the music shut off, Alcina stood and clapped her hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, our reservation is in five minutes! I will take care of the bill, but don’t go too crazy. We’ll sit at a different table so we’re not ruining your fun, if you need anything we’ll be across the same section.”

She gestured for everyone to follow and stepped off the bus. You stood beside her just outside the door, waiting for the kids to file off. She turned back towards the driver and asked, “Is there anything you want?”

“Oh, you don’t have to get me anything,” he said with a dismissive wave.

“Nonsense, we’ve rented this bus until midnight, and you need to eat,” she said.

He looked up nervously, not used to his clients offering to actually buy him food. “Well… alright, I’ll get a seafood Alfredo if that’s alright?”

She smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

The doors closed behind her, and she took the lead into the restaurant. The kids stood in a cluster in the corner as Alcina secured the table, trying to keep their voices down but struggling to stifle their giggles. The whole group followed the hostess, sitting at a large table before you and Alcina were lead to a booth across the divider.

She sighed as soon as she sat down, rubbing her ear as she worked her jaw to try and pop it.

“Too much loud music?” you chuckled, your own ears ringing from the shift in volume around you.

“A small price to pay,” she smiled. She peeked over the divider towards the gaggle of teens, all captivated by their own conversations. Seeing they were distracted, she ducked back down to lean over, putting a finger under your chin to pull you into a kiss. You breathed out a laugh against her lips, a goofy smile on your face as she pulled away. “Tonight’s going to be very difficult for me,” she chuckled.

“We’ll have to plan another date soon, then,” you said with a wink.

When the server came over to ask about drink orders, Alcina ordered more wine, leaving it open to you if you wanted more or not. You ordered a cocktail, telling yourself it would be the last drink of the night, other than the remaining wine in the bus. It probably wouldn’t be a good look if you showed up to chaperone a school dance drunk.

“Oh, I was wondering if we could get a seafood Alfredo to-go? It’s for our bus driver if someone would be kind enough to take it out there? If not, I can run it out myself,” Alcina asked.

The server looked around, biting her lip at her nearly full section. “I can… I’ll see if I can run it out,” she said nervously.

Alcina flashed a $20 bill, making the server’s eyebrows shoot up. “I’ll add this to the total tip at the end. I’m paying for those kids, too.”

The server eyed the bill and gave Alcina an eager nod. “I’ll get it out as soon as I can!”

“Thank you, take your time,” Alcina said.

After the server left, you leaned forward on your palm. “That was nice of you.”

“I like to take care of my people,” Alcina smiled.

“So I’ve gathered,” you laughed.

Being the busiest time of the night, the service was a little slow, but you weren’t upset by it at all, knowing it just meant a little more time alone with Alcina. Both of you kept peeking over the divider to keep an eye on the kids. Sometimes Alcina would steal another kiss, or a caress of your hand, or letting her foot rub up on your calf whenever she made sure all the kids were at the table. You welcomed the little touches, letting out a short giggle at each one.

You ended up splitting plates, sharing half of your Shrimp Scampi while getting half of her Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo. Everything was delicious, and you ended up absolutely stuffed from the large serving of pasta, unable to stop yourself from clearing the plate.

It felt like a redo of that last time you ate out together, but a lot less awkward. All that had to happen now was go out to that bar, dance a little, then get whisked back to her house, but that part probably wouldn’t happen while you were hiding things, or when the girls would be home.

“How did Dani manage to put together a whole school dance? She’s only fifteen,” you asked.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve come to learn that she is very persuasive when she puts her mind to something. Though she was really motivated by Cassandra,” Alcina said.

“Cassandra?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alcina put her fork down, finishing her bite before wiping her mouth on her napkin. “Yes. Cassandra missed her last prom because she got a stomach virus. Daniela wanted to do this last nice thing for her after her graduation, so she got some friends together, got in contact with some teachers and got to work. Hell, she even convinced me and some other parents to sponsor it so it could happen. There’s never been a school dance in the summer here before.”

“Oh, that’s really sweet of her!” you said, putting a hand to your chest.

Alcina chuckled, “She is a very sweet girl. Always so thoughtful even if she comes off very abrasive sometimes.”

You continued to chat as the meal wound down, and when you were finished, Alcina paid on the small screen at the end of your table, smiling as she added in quite a large tip. “I’ll be right back, Darling,” she said, squeezing your hand as she stood.

You peeked over the divider again as she approached the kids table, having a short conversation with Cassandra before paying for their meals, another large tip added. The server really made bank tonight just at two tables. She gave Cassandra a final squeeze on her shoulder, nodding as she said something before walking away.

She sat across from you again, taking the last sip of her drink. “I told Cassandra to text me when they’re ready to go,” she said.

The text came just a few minutes later, and she looked surprised. “Ah, I expected them to keep chatting, but I suppose they’re anxious to get to the dance in time,” she chuckled, gathering her purse before offering a hand for you to stand. The group of kids rounded the corner to meet you, and Alcina lead the group back to the bus. Before leaving, she slipped the $20 to the server, who thanked her profusely.

The drive to the dance was about ten minutes, and the kids stayed seated for the ride, all full from the satisfying meal and trying to reserve the rest of their energy for the dance itself. They stayed in the back half of the bus, leaving you and Alcina to have your own conversation as you finished off the wine. At this point, you were pleasantly buzzed, glad you kept to your self imposed one cocktail rule.

The bus pulled into the busy high school parking lot. It seemed majority of the school came, excited to have some summer event to see everyone well before the actual school year started. You were actually surprised so many showed up as soon as the dance started, remembering back to your high school days where being late meant you were on time.

Another group of kids went running into Cass and Dani’s group, jumping on each other, picking each other up, and giving out tight hugs. You and Alcina followed behind as the growing group entered the halls, corralled by teachers and signs pointing to the auditorium.

One hurried up to you with a clipboard, smiling at Alcina as she said, “Oh good, you’re here! I’ll mark that down. Ethan and Mia are here already… we’re just missing…” She looked up at you with a questioning look. “Are you y/n?”

“Yep, Dani asked me to come,” you replied, feeling a little proud of being the dance savior.

“Perfect. I’m Elena Lupu. Okay, you two are good to go in, just make sure everyone’s having fun, no one’s doing anything inappropriate, feel free to enjoy any the refreshments, and… I think that’s it!” she said, motioning with her pen towards the double doors.

Alcina opened the door for you, saying, “After you!”

You laughed, entering the darkened room. Again, you were surrounded by loud music that you could feel through the floor.

“So, how did Daniela convince you to come?” Alcina shouted over the music, pulling you over to a wall. She leaned against it, looking out over the dance floor. She folded her arms, one foot back on the wall.

“She said they needed one more chaperone or the dance was canceled!” you yelled. You stood about a foot away from her, hands in pockets as you also leaned.

Alcina smirked, looking for her daughter who was trying to hide the fact that she was watching the two of you. “We had plenty of parents and relatives willing to come,” she chuckled.

“What?” you shouted.

“Has she been nosing into your personal life at all lately?” Alcina asked.

“Always. She started asking about the date, I told her it was dinner and a movie and she moved on pretty quick to asking me to come,” you scoffed.

“What exactly did you tell her?”

“She asked if me and my mystery date were serious and I told her we’re not labeling anything yet.”

Alcina nodded, narrowing her eyes at Daniela, who turned away again to chat with her friends. You watched as she tried to hide that she was pointing at the two of you as she spoke with Rose. Her friend looked directly at you, then back at Dani as she realized you were watching. Dani clapped a hand to her forehead, and you guessed she told Rose not to be obvious when she looked.

“I don’t think she actually knows about us,” Alcina smirked.

“Really?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. You weren’t convinced.

“She would have said something immediately if she thought we were together. She’s scared I’m getting back with Miranda behind their backs, and she doesn’t think you’re serious with your ‘Mystery Date.’ She’s jumping for the first person she could possibly think to set me up with,” Alcina laughed.

You couldn’t help but laugh with her at the thought. Daniela trying to set you up with the person you were already dating.

“Keep an eye on her, I’m going to test this theory,” Alcina said, pushing off the wall to walk away. “Mr. Winters!” she shouted, throwing her arms up in an enthusiastic greeting.

You looked down at your nails, pretending to inspect them. You flicked your eyes up every now and then, watching as Daniela looked between you and Alcina. She shook Rose by the shoulders, frustrated as she threw her arm out to motion at Alcina and the man she was talking to. You chuckled as you watched her panic, pushing her friend to go over to the two adults.

Rose rolled her eyes, letting out a deep sigh before jogging over to the two adults. “Hey, Dad!” she shouted over the music. She pulled her father away, and he gave Alcina an awkward wave goodbye as Rose started having her own conversation with him.

Alcina watched them go, folding her arms and shaking her head, feigning annoyance before joining you against the wall again.

“And there we have it,” she chuckled.

“How did that prove anything?” you asked.

“Did Daniela send her?”

“Yes.”

“She doesn’t want me separated from you. She wants us to spend time together so we’ll eventually get to know each other and fall in love,” she said, putting a hand on her chest with an amused smile.

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Alcina, we can tell them. I feel bad hiding it now.”

She cocked an eyebrow, asking, “Are you sure? I’m actually having fun.”

“Fun?” you scoffed.

“It’s a little exhilarating. Sneaking out for dates, pretending we hardly know each other and barely escaping notice? I feel like a teenager again,” Alcina laughed. “We could continue to hide it, just change our reasoning.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lets make it a game,” she said, watching your expression.

You gave no reaction, motioning for her to continue.

“We’ll see how long we can hide it, us versus them. We could even make it a bet. See how long it takes for all three girls to figure it out,” she said.

You laughed again. “God, I’m shit at hiding things. I doubt we could last two months,” you said.

“Then I’ll bet we last more than two,” she smirked.

“What exactly are we betting? Food, booze, favors, money?” you asked, feeling a little excited now.

“Favors.”

She sounded so sure, answering the second you stopped speaking, which made you a little nervous.

“What kind of favor?” you asked.

She shifted a little, flexing her hand. She was struggling to stop herself from reaching for you, and tucked her arms closer to her chest. You could barely hear her deep chuckle over the thumping of the music.

“I want to see you in a little maid’s outfit,” she sneered.

You felt heat rise in your cheeks at the thought. You weren’t against it at all, and several different thoughts filled your head. You looked forward again, putting a fist to your mouth as you cleared your throat, trying to think of what to say. What did you even want? Because at this point all you wanted was to lose the bet.

You felt the corners of your lips turn upward, a sly smile spreading as you said, “Well then I want to see you in a little maid’s outfit.”

Alcina cracked up, her shoulders trembling as she let out a booming laugh. She didn’t expect you to return with the exact request.

“Alright,” she sighed, holding out her hand. “It’s a deal, Ms. Baker.”

“Pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Dimitrescu,” you chuckled, shaking her hand.

You looked up seeing Daniela watching you with a confused expression. You knew she couldn’t stop herself as she started running over.

“Sooo, what are you guys talking about?” she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

“We were talking about the possibility of hosting a small wine tasting at her bakery for our new line,” Alcina responded quickly.

“Oh…” Dani muttered, her shoulders slumping.

She looked like she was about to say something when the DJ’s voice took over the speakers at the end of a song. He hadn’t done this with any other songs, but for the one he was about to play, he announced the title, one you didn’t recognize, and asked for everyone to clear the center of the room for a dance circle.

Daniela landed a quick jab to Alcina’s arm, yelling, “Mom!”

“Go, I’ve seen you practice in your room,” Alcina encouraged, pushing her daughter back to the floor.

“What is happening?” you asked, watching Dani shove her way through the crowd for the center of the circle where two other girls you hadn’t seen before stood. The start of the song played, and the three girls lined up.

Alcina looked at you in shock. “You haven’t heard this?”

“Wh- no, I don’t… what is it?”

“It’s a new movie that shot up in popularity. A cartoon about demon hunters who sing. This song is the most popular of the score,” she chuckled.

“I didn’t think you liked cartoons,” you chuckled.

“I don’t usually, but this one is actually very good,” she said, looking forward to watch her daughter dance.

You looked up just in time to see them start. The three girls, even though it seemed they just met, danced almost perfectly in unison. There were a few missed steps, or awkward pauses as they would check to see where they were in the dance, but otherwise, very impressive.

“There are several videos online of people doing this dance from the movie,” Alcina informed you.

They only danced up to a certain point, and soon the floor filled out again with jumping teenagers as they enjoyed the rest of the song. You could barely hear it as they all sang-screamed along, but from what you could hear, it was quite catchy.

As the dance wound down, you and Alcina found yourselves surrounded by six tired teens. Rosemary had split off, following her parents out to go home with them. “I’ll let Ms. Lupu know we’re leaving, lets go!” Alcina said, waving for the remaining kids to follow.

Elena had no arguments about you leaving, most of the kids having gone home already. Alcina gave a list of addresses for the bus driver to stop at, dropping each kid at their individual houses. There was no more blaring music, just tired, happy faces. Cassandra fell asleep leaned against Alcina’s shoulder, and Daniela sat next to you.

“That was a cool dance,” you said, nudging her with your elbow.

“Thanks! God you have no idea how much I watched that scene and practiced along,” she sighed.

“What was the movie called again?” you asked.

Dani looked at you like you were fucking insane. “You’ve never seen Kpop Demon Hunters?” she shouted, standing up and spinning to face you.

You leaned back in your seat, shocked by her reaction. Cassandra sat up in surprised, then rubbed her eyes as she mumbled, “Dani, shut up! Christ how are you still awake?”

Alcina pulled Cassandra back down, patting her shoulder to encourage her to sleep more.

“I- No, I haven’t really had time for a lot of movies,” you said.

“Mom! Can we please have a movie night tonight?” she asked, turning to Alcina.

Before her mother could respond, you said, “Tonight? Dani, we all work tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow evening then? Please?” she begged, clasping her hands together, looking between you and her mother.

You looked to Alcina for help, not sure what to say. She simply shrugged and said, “That’s fine with me, we can order pizza.”

Dani punched the air, taking that as confirmation rather than waiting for a response from you. Alcina gave you an apologetic look, and you just chuckled.

You were the last stop before the family went home, and Alcina followed you off as she told Dani, “I just need to speak with her about that wine tasting, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

You smirked at her excuse, unlocking your door and letting her follow you inside.

After the door was closed, you stood on the bottom step so you could be just a little taller than her, grasping her blazer to pull her into a kiss. She was surprised by the assertion, letting out a pleased hum as she kissed you back. You were waiting all damn night for a kiss like this, and the way she grabbed your hips, pulling you even closer told you that she’d been waiting, too.

You pressed your tongue to her lips, and she immediately gave you entry. Tongues grazed each other as you explored her mouth, tasting the wine and spice on her breath.

She pulled away with a giddy little laugh, pressing a kiss to your jaw before looking up at you. “That wasn’t exactly the wine tasting I meant,” she chuckled.

You laughed, kissing the tip of her nose before saying, “I think it’s the best kind.”

You reached up with your thumb, wiping away a bit of smeared lipstick from her skin before cupping her cheek to admire her gorgeous face. Her arms were wrapped around your waist, a dreamy look in her eyes as she gazed into yours.

“I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she sighed, planting another quick kiss to your cheek.

“See you tomorrow,” you said, stepping down to get the door for her. She gave you one more small wave before entering the bus again, and you watched them until they disappeared down the street.

You entered your kitchen, sighing as you started taking off the few accessories you wore all night and kicked off your shoes. You were exhausted, just wanting to collapse into your bed, then saw the cereal bowl still sitting in the sink. Soggy bits of what used to be in it floated around and broke apart. You grimaced, emptying it out before scrubbing the shit out of what was left. If you didn’t do it now, you’d just forget again and it would end up being there for days.

You didn’t bother changing, just falling to your mattress and appreciating the comfort as you drifted off.

Chapter Text

Cassandra and Daniela showed up early, well before the bakery actually opened the next day. They both wanted to take advantage of the quiet atmosphere to work on different personal projects while you and Bela got to work. Cass had a small chalkboard and an assortment of colors packed in a side bag, and while you were nervous about her causing a dusty, colorful mess, she assured you it would be mess free. She didn’t seem keen on letting you see what she was working on, but a small peek over her shoulder let you see a beautiful art piece of some green scenery. Way better than you could ever do with some chalk.

Daniela, meanwhile, had some calligraphy worksheets. You paused from your baking to check on what she was doing, and you were impressed by how easily she made it look, curving the tips of her pens for different widths to make beautiful, smooth characters.

You were less impressed when you interpreted the writing to say, “Fucking bullshit motherfucker.”

She snorted when she saw your expression twist from proud wonder to annoyed in half a second, then continued on her worksheets to practice different letters. At least it was still a kind of creative outlet.

The second you unlocked the front door, Karl was waiting on the other side, a big shit-eating grin on his face as he watched you through the glass. “I’m here for that free breakfast you promised!” he shouted.

All three girls straightened at the sound of his voice, and the sounds of gasps and shrieks filled the air. You were pushed aside as they jumped him, pulling him into a three way hug.

“Uncle Karl!” Daniela shouted, jumping in a way that made him stumble back and throw his arms around her to catch her.

“Goddamnit, it’s too early for this shit,” he muttered, but his smile betrayed his attempt at scolding the excited girls.

“What are you doing here?” Cassandra asked, flicking her eyes between you and their uncle. “And what do you mean ‘free breakfast?’”

You exchanged a panicked glance with Karl, only to see that he was completely calm. He threw an arm around your shoulders with a huge smile on his face as he said, “I’m hookin her up with that motorcycle I’ve been workin on!”

“You’re what?” you started.

“What, were you drunk or somethin’ when you came to my shop? Said you wanted somethin’ cheap and reliable because you’re sick of bein’ stuck at home all the time!” he said. The way he was saying all this sounded so smooth, and you almost believed him.

“Oh, you’re gonna look so cool!” Daniela exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

“You need a leather jacket or something!” Cassandra yelled with more excitement than you’d ever seen from her.

“Oh, I uh… I mean I’m not sure…” you stammered.

“I’m letting her test drive it soon, that’s why I’m gettin’ a free breakfast. Well, that and I found her on the side of the road the other night,” he said with a booming laugh.

“Oooh, is that how you got back here?” Cassandra asked.

“Uh… yeah, he gave me a ride from my friend’s place,” you said, still reeling from the strange lie this man was spinning.

“Well, get back to work!” he said, waving an arm at the girls.

“We’re not even clocked in yet, chill!” Cassandra huffed, sitting back at her little chalk station.

He rolled his eyes and sauntered over to the counter, leaning over it as he peered behind to see get a good look at the area. “Nice place,” he complimented.

“Thanks,” you sighed. You waved Bela towards the back where you could hear an oven timer going off, and she went to fetch whatever was done while you took Karl’s order.

He still had that goofy grin on his face as he watched you work, speaking in a lower tone as you handed over the food and coffee. “Alcina told us about your little bet,” he chuckled. “My lips are sealed, but hey, if you wanna buy a motorcycle! You won’t have to rely on other people so much.”

You couldn’t help but laugh and shake your head. “I’m uh… not sure a bike’s for me,” you said. “I’m alright, everything I need’s in walking distance.”

He scoffed. “Not while dating Alcina. Bitch has tastes that takes her all over the damn country. And trust me, she’ll probably find you hot as hell in leather,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee with his pointer finger stuck out at you.

That got you considering it. You sucked your bottom lip between your teeth, missing the toothy smile he gave you as he knew he hit the right spot.

“How much are you wanting for it?” you asked.

“Just four grand. Though, free food for life and I’ll knock off a thousand,” he shrugged. “It’s an old Harley I got cheap at an auction, no one else wanted it. Fixed it up and now it runs smooth as hell!”

You laughed at the offer, then shrugged. “What the hell, I’ll at least test drive it.”

“Ever ridden one before?” he asked.

“Dirt bikes, four wheelers, my uncle had a Harley once, I drove it just down the street,” you said.

“Perfect, I won’t have to teach you a thing then!” he said, scooping up his order before turning for the door. “Drop by tomorrow when the shop closes, right at five!”

He ruffled Dani’s hair, drawing an annoyed grunt from the girl as she hurried to fix it, then fist bumped Cass. Bela hurried out of the back, giving him a quick hug before he left.

Jesus Christ, were you actually thinking of getting a damn bike? How the hell did that even come into conversation? Damn, that guy was a good salesman...

When closing time came around, all three girls were still there. Normally, Bela was off before noon and Cassandra by two, but whoever wasn’t on the clock stayed in the lobby enjoying coffee or pastries while they worked on random creative projects. When Bela was off, you tried to peek over her shoulder, and she would tip the screen of her laptop down and give you a wary glance.

“Oh, sorry, I was just curious on what you were working on,” you said with an awkward smile.

“No, it’s fine I just… I don’t know, I like writing but it’s just so forced when it comes to essays and such,” she muttered.

“For school? I didn’t think you were taking any classes over the summer,” you said, cocking an eyebrow.

“I’m not, I finished up an internship like, two months ago and I was supposed to work on an essay for them so they’d know that I actually learned something from them and could put in a good word for future jobs,” she explained, tipping her screen back up and deleting two paragraphs of text.

You nodded slowly, circling the table so you wouldn’t be tempted to peek again. “I don’t think I ever asked what you’re going into,” you said, wiping down a couple nearby tables.

“Entomology,” she said, leaning back and nervously tapping her fingers on the keyboard, unsure of what to write.

“That’s the study of…” you faded off, trying to remember. You’d definitely heard the word before.

“Insects,” she said. “This internship was mainly to learn about forensic entomology. How long it takes for certain species of flies to attract to a body, learning about myiasis… Did you know that most sheep’s tails are usually docked to avoid getting infested with fly larvae? They don’t just nest on dead things, it’s called flystrike. I got to watch them help this one guy in a hospital that had a gaping hole on his back just full of maggots. It was crazy!”

You held your hand up, unable to hide the disgust on your face. “Oooooh kay, that’s… I think I get the picture,” you grimaced.

She shrank in her chair, realizing she was getting a little too excited about what most people would consider “horrors.”

“I- I’m sorry, I just…” she muttered.

“No no no, don’t worry about it! I just wasn’t expecting that. That is really interesting, and it seems like something you’re really passionate about! I’d love to hear more just… with a little warning ahead of time,” you chuckled.

She gave you a shy smile and laughed. “Thank you,” she said, straightening so she could get to work on her essay again.

Cassandra joined her shortly after, pulling out her chalkboard again to work on her piece. Seeing her work gave you an idea, one you had in the back of your mind for a while now, but no idea where to turn for it.

“Hey, Cass,” you said, catching the girl’s attention.

“Yeah?” she asked, not looking up as she shaded a leaf.

“I was thinking about redoing the menu, it’s a little… all over the place and I might also get new boards for it,” you said.

She looked up, raising an eyebrow so you’d continue.

“If I got chalkboards, would you want to write everything down? Add some of your art to it? I think it would look a lot nicer with the vibe of the shop instead of the plain black lettering on white I have up right now,” you said.

She sat up, her eyes wide as she took a quick glance at the current menus. They were definitely lacking.

“Really?” she asked, as if not quite trusting that you actually wanted her artwork.

“Yeah, of course! And I’ll pay you for them, outside what you usually make here. I got a couple looks at what you’re working on now, it looks amazing!”

A slight blush decorated her cheeks as she slouched down again, as if hiding behind her current work.

“I mean… yeah if you’re sure,” she shrugged, and went back to her art.

“One hundred percent,” you chuckled, then left the two girls to help Dani clean the back.

Closing went quickly, but you were surprised that the girls were still just loitering around in the cafe.

“You guys can go,” you said, putting your hands on your hips.

“Aren’t you coming to movie night?” Daniela asked.

“Well, yeah,” you said with a shrug.

“Pack an overnight back, Mom said we could both stay the night and I’ll drive us back here in the morning,” Bela said, waving her hand toward the door.

“Stay the night? I don’t live that far, I can just come back after,” you said nervously.

“Yeah, but I mean, we’ll all already be in our pajamas, it’ll be late, may as well, right? Don’t worry, Mom has some really nice guest rooms,” she explained.

“It just feels…” you started.

“Unprofessional? Come on, why are you so hung up on that?” Dani huffed.

You didn’t really feel like you had a choice in the matter. “Alright, I’ll be back down soon,” you sighed. You didn’t actually know why you were hung up on it, and decided to avoid the question.

Spending the night? Was this Alcina’s idea? Or maybe one of the girls. You wouldn’t put it past Alcina to try and sneak around in the dark with you, the idea making you chuckle to yourself as you changed into a slightly more modest set of pajamas. Daniela could have pushed the idea out, just hoping you and Alcina would try to sneak around, trying to “set you up” as if you weren’t already dating, and head over heels for the woman.

You met the girls in the parking lot, Bela having locked up for you when they saw you exit your apartment. Bela lead you to her car, Cass and Dani hopping into the back seat to leave the front open for you.

The drive was short and full of the girls chattering to each other. You didn’t fully listen to their conversations, peering out the window as the familiar road came into view. You’d only ever seen this mansion twice. Once from a distance while you drove through the forest with Alcina, and once in the dark. You didn’t even know what the inside really looked like other than a dim front room with a portrait that would probably haunt you for life.

The girls lead you into the mansion, and this time you got a good look at the interior. It was beautifully decorated, lights shining through the spacious area, and clean surfaces twinkling. Very different from the last time you were here. You zoned in on the portrait, which looked different in the light. Instead of three sets of judgmental eyes shadowed by their mother, you now saw a happy family. Alcina’s arms were stretched out as she stood behind the three girls, that gorgeous smile gracing her face. Her hands were placed on Dani and Bela’s shoulders while Cassandra stood in the middle. It was autumn in the background, taken in front of the surrounding forest, and they all wore matching sweaters with a family crest stitched into the chests.

“Ah, Ms. Baker,” Alcina’s voice snapped you out of your admiration. “You look comfortable.”

You nodded your head respectfully, and greeted with, “Ms. Dimitrescu, nice to see you again.”

Daniela wrinkled her nose at the use of formalities, and you pretended you didn’t notice the look.

Alcina waved a hand, beckoning you to follow. “Girls, why don’t you get started on the popcorn, get the movie up, and order dinner. I would like to speak to your employer about possibly hosting some wine tastings at her bakery.”

The girls nodded dutifully and fell back into their chatter as they wandered off somewhere else. Once they were out of view, Alcina slid her hand over your hips to rest at the small of your back. “This way, please,” she chuckled.

You let her guide you through the massive home, past ornate wooden furnishings and beautiful plants. Mirrors with frames to match the side tables, more portraits, paintings of beautiful scenery. You were a little in shock.

She lead you to a massive office, bookshelves lining the walls and photographs of her daughters in a few spaces on the shelves. She had a huge, wooden desk where a large monitor sat to the side so she could see whoever she was speaking to in the chairs facing the desk. A laptop was sat to the side as well as some scattered papers and notebooks.

“So… you were serious about the tastings?” you chuckled, letting her shut the door behind you.

“Mm… no,” she mumbled, grabbing your hand to pull you closer.

You gasped as you were flush against her, looking up into her eyes. You half expected her to pull you into a searing kiss as she had several times before, but this time she just smiled down at you, her skin crinkling around her eyes as she admired you, tracing a finger up your cheek to tuck a strand behind your ear.

“I just wanted a moment alone before we become acquaintances again,” she whispered.

You let out a short laugh, then leaned forward to capture her lips with your own. You felt a rumble in her chest as she hummed into the kiss, deepening it and coaxing your tongue into her mouth. She grunted as she felt her back hit the wall, the moved her hand to the back of your thigh, digging her fingers in so you’d move your legs to straddle her thigh. Your hands were on her hips, tracing fingers under the hem so you could feel her skin.

But you didn’t feel skin. You furrowed your eyebrows, pulling away from her and earning a huff of annoyance as you did. Her expression shifted to amusement as you pulled up her shirt to see what you were feeling and…

“Is… that a harness?” you breathed, seeing the leather straps perfectly resting on her hips.

“Just a little hint to my plans tonight,” she grinned, pulling you into another quick kiss.

“Jesus…” you breathed, turning bright red at the thought. You were not going to be able to focus on this movie at all.

Alcina sighed, caressing your cheek for another moment before turning to open the door again. “Follow me, I’ll show you to ‘your room’ for the night,” she said.

She lead you through more halls, and up a set of stairs, this time explaining what different parts of the mansion were for. Her office was where you were before, the foyer was where you entered, there was a theater room where Daniela was probably queuing up the movie, a huge kitchen, a dining room with a beautiful custom table and china cabinets with different porcelain sets, a cozy looking library, a rec room. All of it was a lot for you, but you were sure eventually you’d be spending more time here.

Alcina opened a door, guiding you inside to her guest room. It was fully furnished with a big king-sized bed, vanity, walk-in closet, its own bathroom, and similar decorations to the rest of the mansion. “This is where you can drop your things, my room is right across the hall,” she explained.

You let out a breath you’d been holding as you scanned the room. If this was just a guest room, you couldn’t imagine her actual room.

A buzzing sound drew your attention to Alcina, and she clicked her tongue when she saw Daniela was calling.

“Daniela,” she greeted. You only heard half the conversation, but you could pick up the context through Alcina’s responses.

“Yes, we’ll be right down, I was just showing your employer to her room… Interrupting? What on earth could you possibly be interrupting?” she flicked an amused look at you, knowing exactly what Dani was getting at, but feigned ignorance for the sake of the bet. “Alright, we’ll see you in a couple minutes.”

With that, she hung up the phone and rolled her eyes. “It seems everything is ready, and the girls have opted for Chinese takeout, so I hope you like the local bastardization of Chinese cuisine that is mostly greasy noodles, soggy cabbage, and frozen chicken,” she sighed.

You snorted, then nodded. “I do, actually,” you laughed.

She gave you a sly smirk, then shook her head, ghosting her fingers along the small of your back again to get you moving. “Well, lets not keep them waiting then,” she chuckled.

She lead you to the theater room that looked like an actual fucking theater. There were two tiers of a variety of different seats. Couches, beanbags, recliners with cup holders, massage chairs. A small table was set to the side with a bowl of popcorn and a few boxes of takeout. The girls had even lined up some plates, smaller bowls, and utensils to the side.

“Ugh, I wish we had a good Korean place nearby, that would have been perfect,” Daniela complained, looking at the spread with disgust.

“You’re literally the one who chose this!” Cassandra growled, already piling up her plate with food.

“Girls, not in front of our guest,” Alcina warned. “Though I’m sure she’s plenty used to it being stuck with you for hours a day.”

“Did you end up coming up with a plan for that wine tasting?” Bela asked, grabbing a plate for herself before handing one to you.

“Maybe sometime in the future,” you shrugged. “There’s a couple big orders coming up at the bakery, then a huge one in about a month. After that, though, I’m open to it.”

Alcina looked surprised, having only used that excuse to speak to you in private whenever she wanted to. She hadn’t actually considered it being a real option. She tilted her head, thinking about it then smiled. “Perfect, I’ll keep in touch on the matter then. I think it would be nice to have a place in town that wouldn’t make so many people have to divert from the main road.”

You nodded, smiling at her for a moment before turning to the food. The cheap, greasy food that you swore had crack in it with how addicting it was. You noticed Alcina picked through the selection, taking tiny portions of everything, making up for the lack of food with extra spring rolls. You hadn’t seen her eat anything other than steak and lobster or pasta. You honestly expected her to have a private chef on hand for all her meals when she wasn’t eating at upscale restaurants. Though her small portions of the food her daughters picked out didn’t exactly do away with that thought.

The girls scattered around the room with their food. Cassandra laid out on a large, leather couch, Bela took up a recliner, and Daniela flopped back into a beanbag, almost throwing her food with the force of impact. Alcina also opted for a recliner, and as much as one of the massage chairs was calling to you, you decided on a beanbag next to Alcina at least until you were done eating.

“We ready?” Daniela asked, holding the remote up for the huge screen almost taking up an entire wall of the room.

A collective “yes” sounded through the room, and she hit play.

She had the volume set pretty loud, feeling a rumble through the floor as the music at the beginning of the movie started. It had an interesting preface, you had to admit, though seeing one of the main girls fucking deep throat a roll of kimbap made you grimace.

Your attention was divided though. As much as you wanted to pay attention, captured by the catchy songs and intriguing characters, the woman in the seat beside you was rather distracting. She stood up at one point to put her plate aside, stretching as she walked past you. You caught a glimpse of that leather strapped around her hips again and almost choked on your noodles. She smirked, sitting back down before peeking through the corner of her eye at you.

You could hardly focus on the rest of the movie. Catchy songs, fight scenes, cute blue tiger demon. It’s hard to ignore what’s on a huge fucking screen in front of you, but you were easily distracted by the sly looks and secretive touches that Alcina gave you. The beanbag beside her was somewhat hidden from view, so whenever she saw her daughters weren’t looking, you would feel her nails through your hair or scraping down the back of your neck. It was torturous and you just wanted to drag her back to her room right then and there.

But you couldn’t. One thing you had agreed on over text with this bet was that if either of you willingly gave up and told the girls, you automatically lost, and you were feeling competitive enough to control yourself.

Near the end of the movie, you had your full attention to the screen again. It looked like things were getting intense, something you didn’t expect from a movie called Kpop Demon Hunters. You recognized the dance that Daniela did with a couple of her classmates during that school dance, chuckling to yourself as you imagined her practicing for however long it took her.

Then the music shifted to a darker tone, two of the girls on stage were replaced with demons, and everything these girls had worked towards came crashing down. Then watching the main girl confront her maternal figure by a tree, asking why she couldn’t look at her or love her… That hit deep in a way you resonated with, and you were sure it resonated with several different kinds of people as well in different ways.

It wasn’t your parents, no they had their own journey into accepting your sexuality. But extended relatives or friends, people who looked at you with disgust and either left or berated you as if it was something in your control. Even being bisexual, some people either pressured you to only keep your eyes out for men, or treated your attraction towards women as evil. You hardly even talked to those people to begin with, who the hell did they think they were to tell you how to live your life?

The music changed again, pulling your attention back to the screen again as you watched this demon boy band do a hypnotic performance, nearly succeeding until the kpop girls reunited and sang something uplifting and bright. In a way they all reminded you of the three sisters that worked for you now, and you chuckled at the thought.

Finally, the movie ended, and Dani was up and crossing the room towards you, leaning forward to help pull you up. “So what’d you think?” she asked excitedly.

“It was good! Very catchy songs,” you laughed.

“That’s it? Just ‘good?’” she huffed. “It’s the movie of the generation!”

You laughed again, playfully pushing her shoulder. “Alright, yes, it was incredible, amazing, life changing,” you joked.

She pouted, folding her arms. Her cheeks turned a little red at the teasing, but she rolled her eyes to play it off. “Whatever, you have no taste,” she snorted, pushing you back.

“Oh please, I have great taste,” you quipped, flicking your eyes to Alcina for a split second.

You spent the rest of the evening chatting with the girls, and eventually tossing popcorn around the room, everyone taking turns trying to catch the small kernels in their mouths. All but Alcina, who sat to the side with a very annoyed look on her face at the mess. Those looks didn’t last long, though, as they were broken by warm glances as she watched you and her daughters interact.

When you saw it was starting to get late, you sighed. “I should probably head to bed…”

“Oh, Mom can show you back to your room!” Daniela said, a little too eagerly.

“I think I can find it,” you chuckled. “I’m sure she’s busy with… vineyard stuff.”

You gave her a look, trying to hint that you thought it would be better if you went up separately, to which she nodded and said, “You’re right, I still have a few expense reports to get through as well as ordering new equipment for the harvest in the next few months.”

Daniela looked disappointed, biting her lip like she was trying to come up with some other excuse when Bela walked over, yawning as she grabbed her sister’s shoulder. “I should get to bed, too,” she yawned. “I open tomorrow.”

“Ugh, fine,” Dani grumbled. She gave you a quick hug, then practically jumped at her mother who held her in a tight embrace, planting a kiss to her forehead.

“Goodnight, Sweetheart,” Alcina muttered before releasing her. Bela gave her a hug as well, swaying in place for a moment before pulling back. She gave you a fist bump, then threw an arm around Daniela’s shoulders so they could walk together.

Cassandra was the last one to walk by, giving Alcina a quick, uncomfortable hug before giving you a quick nod as she followed her sisters out.

“Uh… goodnight, Ms. Dimitrescu,” you said, giving her a smile before following the girls out. For a moment, you walked in the same direction, passing through the kitchen where it looked like they decided to linger for a moment, raiding the freezer for whatever treats or desserts they could find. You passed them by, chuckling as you heard them start bickering about something as you tried to remember the route to your room.

The halls all looked the same, and you struggled to find anything familiar, deciding to rely on the different artwork. There were a few paintings that stood out the last time you’d walked through with Alcina, and you remembered one of a cherry blossom was right next to your room. You stood at your door for a moment, wondering if you should just wait in her room until she got there. Would that be an invasion of privacy? You still didn’t know her that well, and felt weird about just walking straight into her bedroom like that.

As you pondered in the hall, you heard footsteps as she approached with an amused smile. “You can go in,” she chuckled, guiding you towards her door by pressing a hand on your back. She opened the door for you, shutting and locking it behind before taking her hand away. “Feel free to look around while I get changed. And take a look at the bottom drawer in the closet, I have quite the… collection,” she husked. The tone shift sent a shiver down your spine, and you knew exactly what you were going to find in that drawer.

Why were you so goddamn nervous? She had made her intentions for the night extremely clear. You should be excited, you were excited, but you could feel your heart beating rapidly in your chest. You were sure it was just nerves, a little anxiety because until now, your sex life had been lacking. Especially during your last relationship, you were better off just pleasuring yourself.

You couldn’t shake the anxiety as you opened the drawer, but still managed a soft laugh as you saw the collection Alcina had mentioned. Several different dildos, vibrators, grinders, the works. You took a deep breath, trying to calm your pounding heart and the creeping blush that took over your face as you quickly grabbed one of the dildos and shut the drawer. It looked like fucking cotton candy, pink and blue swirls decorating the silicone cock.

You gasped as a pair of arms wrapped around your waist, holding you firm against her body as she pressed her lips into your neck. You tilted your head to the side as you relaxed into her, letting out a nervous chuckle.

“Find something you like?” she whispered.

You nodded, holding up what you picked you. You could feel her smile on your skin as she placed more kissed up your jawline. She nipped your earlobe before whispering, “Care to join me on the bed?”

Chapter Text

Your legs hit the edge of the bed as Alcina urged you towards it, her lips locked on yours in a desperate, needy kiss. It felt as if you hadn’t touched in weeks when it was only a few hours ago you were making out in her office. Your shirt and sweats were already discarded on the floor, and she was working on unhooking your bra, huffing in frustration. She broke the kiss, and you snorted at her angry expression as she focused on fully stripping you.

She was only wearing the strap, now with that hideous cotton candy colored dildo you’d picked out from her collection. It poked you in the thigh while you were pressed against her, hands feeling her waist and clawing at back until she pushed you to fall onto the mattress. She straddled your hips, leaning down to kiss your neck as one hand palmed a breast, drawing a soft moan from you.

“You have no idea how difficult it has been to avoid being openly affectionate, Darling,” she whispered between tender kisses.

“Y-you could be if you wanted to lose our bet,” you gasped as she pressed on your nipple, giving her a teasing smirk.

She chuckled, sitting up so she could hover just over your face. “You also underestimate just how competitive I am,” she laughed.

She stood up, leaving you alone on the bed. Using your elbows to prop yourself up, you saw her grab a small bottle of lube off the nightstand, smiling devilishly as she popped it open, pouring a small amount on her hand before languidly stroking the length resting between her legs. You let out a sigh, admiring her skilled fingers, her curves, and the defined muscle as she strode towards you.

Her weight rested pleasantly on your hips again, the cold length resting on your stomach and sending a shiver through your body. She captured you in a deep kiss again, your lips parting to allow her to explore you. Hands wandered as she shifted, moving so your legs rested on her thighs and the strap was teasing your entrance. You gasped at the cold feeling, breaking the kiss for only a moment before she pulled you back in.

You wanted to feel every inch of her, running your hands down her chest and sides then up her back. Your mind wandered for a moment, wondering why your chest felt so tight. It was a little difficult to breathe, but you couldn’t figure out why. There was only the tiniest bit of her weight on your chest, it shouldn’t impair your breathing. You didn’t say anything, though, trying to stay in the moment.

“Are you ready, Darling?” she whispered, nipping your earlobe.

You simply nodded, unable to form words as you pressed your lips to her neck. Your back arched as she slowly pushed in, and a shuddering gasp that turned to a moan escaped your lips.

“Good girl,” she cooed.

Your arms wrapped around her, fingertips digging into the soft skin on her back as she started thrusting slowly, letting you get used to the decent size of the dildo. You held onto her like a vice, which only made her chuckle. Your body shuddered, and it felt like you involuntarily held your breath for a moment. Mine hazy and numb as her panting breath ghosted your ear.

Your chest heaved, and a deep sob pulled itself from your lips. You felt her stop suddenly, pushing herself up to get a good look at you. Your vision was blurry and face was wet. Were you really that sweaty? Or was it something else?

“What’s happening?” she asked, panic in her voice. You felt a hand cup your cheek, and a thumb graze under your eye.

Your vision cleared, and you saw her hovering over you, concern in her face as her eyes studied you. You were breathing fast, tears streaming down your face that you only just realized were there.

“I-” you sobbed, unable to form words.

“Did… did I hurt you?” she asked, frozen with the dildo half inside of you, terrified to move any more.

“N-no I don’t…” you started.

She was slow pulling out, careful not to do anything that might result in injury. She let the strap fall to the floor before she hurried to the bathroom.

You quietly cursed yourself, clutching a hand to your chest as you tried to settle your breathing, but it just wouldn’t slow. The tears still flowed freely, and it took a moment to process that you were in the middle of an anxiety attack. What the hell even caused it? You knew you wanted this, you were looking forward to it all evening, but you’d also been nervous earlier… Did that nervousness take over? Goddamn it...

You heard the faucet run for a moment, and soon after she emerged again holding a few wet hand towels. She placed one on your chest, the warmth of the hot water she’d used seeping into your skin as she sat beside you. She folded another, placing it on your forehead before using the last to clean you up, softly running it over your skin in an attempt to soothe.

Silence filled the air, other than your sniffing and shuddering breaths as you laid there, letting her take care of you. Eyes closed, you tried to form a reason for this, embarrassed that you were having what seemed to be just a random breakdown.

She didn’t speak, unsure of what to even say in this situation. This was new to her, too. After a while, she slowly pulled the towels off when your breathing regulated. You were cold for just a short moment while she set them aside, then pulled you into her. You ducked your head into her chest, your arms curled around your stomach while her hands rubbed your back and shoulders.

“Sorry…” you muttered.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she sighed. “Was it something I did?”

You looked up, surprised that she’d think it was her fault. “I- no you didn’t do anything!”

She sat up, helping you up so you could face each other. Her hand remained on your arm as she asked, “Then what is it?”

“I don’t know…” you muttered, looking away again.

She tipped your head back up, eyebrows knit together in confusion. “If something’s bothering you, you know you can tell me.”

You could feel tears welling up again, looking between her eyes. You didn’t want to say it.

“Y/n,” she said in a warning tone.

“I just… Maybe we’re moving too fast,” you muttered, pulling away to sit on the edge of the bed, facing away from her again.

“Too fast? You were just fine being eaten out on a fucking picnic blanket,” she scoffed.

“I know! I don’t… I think I’m just overwhelmed. This has just been… a lot,” you huffed.

“Then why didn’t you tell me? You had plenty of warning before I had a damn dildo inside of you. You could have just told me when you found out I had the harness on! I would have been just as happy simply being in your company!” she argued.

“I know! I didn’t expect… I did want this!” you said. You stood from the bed, suddenly feeling far too exposed for the conversation and started pulling your clothes back on.

She was quiet, watching you dress. As you pulled your shirt back on, she said, “Perhaps its best we sleep apart tonight.”

You froze, giving her a quick glance before saying, “Yeah, perhaps.”

You pulled open the door, pausing as you let out a sigh. “I’ll see you later, Alcina,” you muttered before shutting it behind you.

Without bothering to pull back the blankets, you flopped onto the guest bed, pressing your palms to your eyes as you grunted in frustration. What the hell was wrong with you? Was that a break up? It was all so confusing, and you still didn’t know exactly why you were feeling this way. Sleep didn’t come right away, instead thoughts and worries about the true status of your relationship plagued you. If you wanted to, you could barge right back into her room and demand a conversation, but what would you even say? “Are we done?” That would surely just turn into another argument.

The night dragged on for way too long. Every time you checked the time, it had only been about fifteen minutes. You were restless and anxious, but you weren’t about to cry again.

Your alarm blared right next to your ear, startling you awake. Drool trailed down your cheek, which you rubbed away with the back of your hand. Thank God it was finally morning. You couldn’t wait to get your hands on that motorcycle, otherwise you would have just left last night.

Bela was already up and ready when you met her in the kitchen, leaning over the counter, phone in hand and a spoonful of cereal in the other. She smiled as you walked in, waving her phone towards the fridge. “You can grab whatever from the fridge. There’s eggs, bacon, sausage, or if you just want cereal, milk’s full,” she said.

You nodded, quietly pouring yourself a bowl before slouching over your food from your seat at a bar stool. You knew you looked like shit, leaning on a fist as you shoved cereal in your mouth and stared at the counter.

“You good?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Mhm,” you muttered. “Tired.”

She just nodded, throwing glances towards you as she quietly ate her breakfast. She didn’t say anything, sensing you were in some sort of mood. You followed her out to the car, leaning against the window as she drove you back to home.

The day slugged on, and you just felt numb through all of it. You let yourself go through the motions of mixing, kneading, rolling, proofing, baking. You hardly went up front, even when you heard Karl’s booming voice filling the room as him and Bela chatted while he picked up some breakfast. You had a feeling he’d be around every single day. Not that you particularly cared, he’d been good to you so far, even if a little wacky. It was nice having such a character in your life now, and just hearing him made you feel at least a little better.

“Hey, Baker Girl back there! Don’t forget your appointment, go it?” he shouted from the doorway. You nodded, giving him a thumbs up while elbows deep in a huge pile of dough.

He snorted, giving you a wave before leaving, propping the door open for Cassandra as she came in for her shift.

Cassandra joined you in the back after checking that Bela was alright up front, pulling some of the dough over to form loaves with you.

“What’s up with you?” she asked, keeping her eyes down.

“Nothing, just tired,” you muttered.

“Just tired? Bullshit,” she scoffed. “Come on, at this point you don’t even need sleep. And you’ve pulled a lot of shit from me by now, out with it.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” you huffed.

“And I didn’t wanna talk about any of my problems, but here we are,” she shrugged, ignoring the frustration in your voice.

You were quiet, just focusing on your bread, grateful that she didn’t say anything while you took a moment to think.

“I was up texting,” you finally said, hoping she wouldn’t catch onto a lie so easily.

“Texting who?”

“My… partner,” you sighed.

“And?”

“I don’t know, we had an argument. It was stupid, but I don’t know where we stand. We haven’t spoken since then. I mean, not that I expect to, it just happened,” you said.

She paused, pity in her eyes as she looked you up and down. “Maybe you two just need a little time apart, then. Think about what happened and what you can say when the time comes to talk about it,” she said. “What was the argument about?”

Your mouth twitched, and you shook your head. “Something I’m definitely not talking about with you,” you said, face turning a slight shade of pink.

She snorted, getting the implication. “Yeah I don’t think I wanna know,” she laughed.

You laughed as well, feeling a little lighter. She was right, you probably just needed some time to process. The human mind is a fickle thing.

Leaving Cassandra to practice her baking, you joined Bela up front, leaning on the counter to allow yourself to take a much needed break. You didn’t realize just how tired you were until you slumped forward, sighing as you rested your forehead to the surface.

“She dead?” you heard Daniela’s voice, and looked up in surprise.

“You don’t work today,” you stated, then flicked your eyes to the side to see that she had a friend. Rosemary, that girl from the dance.

“Yeah, I couldn’t stay home alone with Mom,” she sighed. “She’s in a mood.”

“What kind of mood?” Bela asked, leaning next to you.

“The same kind as when Miranda left,” Dani huffed. “I can smell the cigarettes across the house.”

Cassandra burst from the back, pointing a finger at her sister. “I fucking knew it!” she shouted, alerting some customers that hadn’t been listening until just now.

“Cass, volume!” Bela hissed. “Poor Mom…”

“Yeah, yeah, poor her, running right back to an evil fucking witch and getting her heart broken again,” Cassandra rolled her eyes, rubbing her hands on her apron.

As terrible as you felt that Alcina was in some sort of state after you left, this also felt like a conversation you shouldn’t be a part of.

“So, what, you dragged Rose here so you’d have a chauffeur?” Cassandra snorted.

“Pretty much!” Dani beamed.

“She promised free lunch,” Rose said, staring at the menu.

“Though, I mean, if you guys need help,” Dani shrugged, looking to you for permission.

“Ugh, I don’t care today, do what you want,” you muttered.

“Seriously? You’re always so strict about extra hours,” Bela pointed out. “I want more hours!”

“You didn’t say anything!” you said.

“Well, I mean I just thought… God I dunno, can I have more hours?”

“Sure,” you shrugged. “Just don’t go over forty a week.”

“Damn, she’s tired tired,” Dani laughed, leaning over to poke you in the forehead. “Why don’t you go take a nap or something?”

“I don’t trust you guys not to burn down my store,” you attempted a smile, but it didn’t meet your eyes. It was hard emoting when you were so sleep deprived.

“Go take a nap, I’ll jump in if they need help. Y’know, since you’re offering more hours now,” Dani said with the most fake innocent smile you’d ever seen.

You didn’t have the energy to argue. Sighing, you tossed your apron under the counter and nodded. “I’ll be back around… I dunno, in a couple hours,” you yawned.

“We’ll be here,” Cass said with a small wave.

“See ya,” Bela said with a smile.

When the coast was clear, Daniela leaned over the counter towards her sisters, waving them closer.

“Wait, you’re doing this now? I didn’t get my lunch,” Rose complained.

“It’ll be just a sec!” Dani said. When her sisters walked closer, skeptical expressions on their faces, she said, “So I have an idea. I mean, I’ve already been trying to put said idea in motion but I’ll need help from you guys.”

“Oh god, what are you doing?” Cass groaned.

“Do you guys know anything about her relationship?” Dani asked.

“Not really. I don’t even know if it’s a girl or a guy. Unless they’re nonbinary and I haven’t been reading into the ‘they’ enough,” Bela shrugged.

“I guess they had an argument about something last night, she said she stayed up all night texting,” Cass said.

“Oh, perfect!” Dani said, tapping her hands on the counter.

“Perfect?” Bela snorted.

“Just listen. So she’s having issues with her relationship, and just from Mom’s state this morning, she is, too. And if it is because she’s dating Miranda again behind our backs like we think, we don’t want that to happen! So what if we try to set up Mom and Y/N?”

“What?” Cass shouted. “Wait, is that why she was chaperoning the dance?”

“Yeah, I told her we were desperate for one more or the dance wouldn’t happen, classic guilt trip. Anyways-”

“No!” Cass yelled, slamming her hand on the counter.

“Cass!” Bela shouted.

The middle sister rolled her eyes, then shot Rose a look. “You knew about all this?”

Rose shrugged. “I mean, yeah, Dani had me get my parents away from your mom so they’d be alone and talk.”

“Jesus Christ, I don’t want my Mom and my boss together! She’s already up my ass for everything else in my life, I don’t need her here all the time! She’s already here too much to get her damn coffee!”

“Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about this. Especially if they’re both in… well maybe in relationships. I don’t wanna do any shady shit, I’ve got enough on my plate.”

“It’s not shady! Don’t you think they’d be cute together?” Dani argued.

Cass and Bela exchanged glances, then shook their heads.

“Literally any time I’ve seen them interact they’re just… nice to each other. Mom’s just another customer to her. And she didn’t even bother to show her to the guest room last night! She went and fucking worked and left y/n to figure out the way herself,” Cass said.

“Dani, this isn’t any of our business. They’ve got their own shit to deal with without you sticking your nose into everything,” Bela warned.

Dani huffed, glaring at her sisters. “Fine, I don’t need your help then, I have Rose.”

“And Rose wants lunch,” her friend complained, now standing at the register.

Work was relatively peaceful when you returned, and you were happy to find everything was in working order and not burnt to the ground. Daniela and Rose left a couple hours later after enjoying a couple board games you had set out for customers, and you turned a blind eye to a couple free coffees that Dani snuck behind the counter for.

You nearly forgot about your appointment with Karl right after work if Cassandra didn’t remind you by offering to drive.

“I wanna see Uncle Karl anyways, I need an oil change,” she said.

“Isn’t his shop closed? That’s the whole reason I’m going now,” you asked.

“Not for me, I could go knocking on his door at two in the morning and he’d grumble at me while he changed my fucking oil,” she snickered.

When she pulled up to the closed mechanic, Karl was leaning up against the bricks with a big cigar hanging out of his mouth. He had on some navy coveralls, the top pushed down around his waist to show a gray t-shirt that was so covered in stains, you wondered if gray was the original color.

He tossed the cigar to the ground stomping on it as he made his way over to you, that huge, crooked smile on his face. “Hey, kid!” he yelled, greeting Cassandra who ran over to get a big, sweaty hug. “You need something, don’t you?” he grumbled.

“Oil change,” she laughed.

“Yeah, whatever. I’ll do it after I set your boss up with that motorcycle. This way, Baker,” he said with a wave.

He lead you around the building to a back lot. While the front of the shop was his business, kept clean and organized, this lot was obviously where his hobby took place. Broken down cars missing parts, shattered glass, and older cars that looked rusted to the ground decorated the area. Near the back was a big garage where he kept the pieces he was currently working on, where he lead you through a side door.

Flicking on the lights, you saw a couple nice cars, one was definitely something he was refurbishing. It looked straight out of the fifties. And next to it was that Harley he told you about.

Karl slapped his hand on the seat, leaning on it with his other on his hip. “Alright, ground rules if you buy her!”

“Her?”

“Yes, that’s one of the rules. She’s a beautiful lady, and she keeps her name!”

“Which is?”

“Priscilla!”

“Of course it is…”

“Anyways, I’ve poured my blood, sweat, tears, and a whole heap of money into her to get her in shape. You be good to her. There’s a bunch of crazies on the road, me included, who don’t watch where they’re goin’ and don’t tend to notice anyone on a bike. Rev, wave your arms, do whatever you gotta do to make sure you’re noticed. She’s not made for any fancy stupid tricks that a bunch of those assholes with a death wish do on theirs, so don’t do anything stupid!”

“Jeez, you act like I’m some dare devil.”

“Bitch, I don’t know you!”

You waved a hand in front of you, motioning for him to stop. “Okay, okay, I got it. Don’t be stupid, and drive cautious. This isn’t my first time. How about I lay some ground rules on this food deal we got going?”

“Fine.”

“I’m cool giving you free food every once in a while, but I’m also running a business. I can’t just feed you every meal of the day, if that’s what you were hoping for. One free coffee a day, one free food item a week.”

He narrowed his eyes at you, tapping his foot thoughtfully as he considered the deal. “Espresso drinks count as the daily coffee, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll count them. Extra shots will cost, though!”

“Pff, penny pincher. Fine! It’s a deal.”

“Well, it is if I even want the bike.”

He threw his head back, palm to forehead as he let out a groan. “Why’d you throw me through all that deal making shit if you’re not even sure yet?”

“Because you were laying down your ‘ground rules!’”

“Fair enough. Speaking of, I do all the maintenance on her. No one else touches her but you and me!”

Cassandra cut in, leaning on the hood of the old car. “Uh, what about me? I definitely want a ride on that thing sometime.”

“Only if you’re not the one drivin’! I’ve seen how you swerve around!” Karl huffed.

“I’ll give you a ride whenever you want, Cass,” you chuckled.

Karl rolled his eyes, then stepped away to a work table, reaching under to pull out a helmet. Tossing it to you, he said, “Well, lets test drive this thing then!”

You caught the helmet, suddenly feeling a little nervous. Yeah, you’d ridden dirt bikes and ATVs, but this was a little different. You puffed out a breath, then pulled on the helmet. He didn’t hop on with you, like you expected. He slammed his fist on the button for the garage door, holding it until the door was all the way up.

“Alright, get goin!” he yelled.

Oh, you really were doing this alone. That didn’t help your confidence at all. Taking another breath, you straddled the bike, staring at the handlebars as you tried to remember what to do.

“Oh, shit I still have the keys,” Karl said, approaching to hand them over. “Here, let me give you a refresher, you look lost.”

As he went over how to work the bike, you flinched as you felt the bike shift. Cassandra found another helmet, hopping on behind you. Great, now you were responsible for keeping her safe.

“Yeah, yeah, she’s got it, right?” she said, slapping your arm.

You exhaled deeply, then nodded. “Yeah, I guess,” you muttered.

After turning on the bike, you gave the handle a slight pull, and the whole bike jerked forward. Cass shouted in your ear, her arms gripping around your torso tight enough that you almost couldn’t breathe. You went easier this time, getting the bike moving into the yard so you could get a feel for it before actually trying the road. After circling for a bit, Cass grew impatient and yelled, “Just go! Come on, this is boring!”

At that point you were feeling a little more confident, pulling out of the yard enough to see if anyone was coming. The road was completely empty, so you surged forward, speeding down with a celebratory whoop from Cass. You laughed, speeding up to the limit before easing off a bit to maintain.

“Aw, come on! Speed up a bit!” she shouted.

“I am not getting pulled over during a test drive! Or at all for that matter!” you yelled back.

You thought you heard a little grumble, but she didn’t argue any further. The rest of the ride was spent just getting used to the bike, how well it turned, how sensitive it was when you braked, and how easily it sped up. He did great work on it, something you didn’t expect due to the state of his truck…

Karl was sipping on… something... when you returned, leaned up against the side of the garage. He gave you an enthusiastic wave, following you inside.

“So what’d you think?” he said, beaming proudly.

“Miss Priss is too scared to go over the speed limit,” Cass said, taming her helmet hair by combing her fingers through it.

“Good, it means she’s following my goddamn rules!” he grumbled.

“It’s great, Karl, I’ll take it,” you said, placing the helmet on the seat.

“Perfect! Let me grab that paperwork and a few little gifts,” he said with a wink before walking back to his work table.

“Gifts?” you wondered.

A box was slammed down on the table before he went digging through some drawers. “Open that up while I look for this shit,” he said.

You did, and what was inside was a bunch of leather. Pants, a jacket, gloves. It was a lot. What surprised you, though, was that everything was exactly your size. You gave him a quizzical look, and he just returned it with a smile, mouthing, “Al.”

He looked to see what Cassandra was doing, and she was distracted by his other project, so he leaned forward and whispered. “Wasn’t sure she’d be so thrilled about me pushin’ the bike on you, so I told her I was getting you an outfit because of something we supposedly talked about when I drove you home in exchange for free food,” he chuckled.

At mention of Alcina, your expression dropped, and you suddenly found it difficult to keep eye contact. He scowled at that, saying, “What, trouble in paradise?”

“I… don’t know. We’ll figure it out,” you sighed.

He shrugged, getting you didn’t want to talk about it. He slid over some forms, handing over a pen and pointed to a couple spots. “Here, just sign these and give me the two and a half thousand, and she’s all yours!”

“Two and half? I thought it was three?” you asked.

“Eh, I’m feelin’ generous,” he smiled.

You sighed, feeling a little bit of relief. This was already pretty much all of your savings, so it would be nice to be able to keep a little.

With the paperwork signed, and your card ran, he handed you a drawstring backpack with the gifts and an extra helmet inside.

“Nice seein’ ya! I’ll be by tomorrow for that first free cup! And I’ll bring by a cover, I know you don’t have a good place to store her,” he laughed.

“Can I get my oil change now?” Cass asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I got you,” Karl huffed.

These two were definitely a fun pair to be around. “I’ll see you later, Cass, thanks for the ride!” you said, hopping on the bike.

“See ya!” she yelled over the engine as you turned it on.

As you roared down the street on your new bike, the tightness in your chest let up. It was so freeing knowing you could now go wherever you wanted, not confined to the bakery and forced to beg for rides or have people drag you around because you couldn’t get yourself anywhere. Sure, you probably still wouldn’t go anywhere with how much work you always had, but it was still a nice thought.

Then your mind wandered to Alcina. If this relationship could be fixed, you’d love to take her on a ride, maybe even see her in leather. You could feel your face flush just imagining it, her thighs would look insane in leather pants… You had to talk to her soon.

Chapter Text

You ended up taking advantage of your new form of transportation a lot more than you thought. While you’d been forced to be a homebody for a while now, you wanted to go out and do things. It felt so isolating, having very few friends in the area, only being able to depend on yourself for so long, and delving so deep into work that it didn’t seem like there was anything else for you. All of that on top of being trapped in the confines of your shop.

But now, any time you needed an errand run for the bakery, you were on the bike. Whenever you needed to blow of steam after work, you were on the bike, roaring down the quiet roads through all the different vineyards in the area. Whenever you found you were out of any single thing in your kitchen, you were on the bike.

It helped you think, too. After your incident with Alcina, you definitely needed it. You felt so broken, like something was wrong with you. You’d never cried during sex, not that the last few years were much to smile or cry about when it came to the subject. More disappointing than anything.

During one of your late night rides, it clicked. Finally having the time to actually think and clear your mind helped, not muddling your thoughts with random distractions or being so exhausted you couldn’t think at all.

That’s where you found yourself Saturday night. Nearly a week after you’d last seen Alcina. The engine of the bike roared as you rode down the empty street, only slightly speeding and trying to clear your head. Of course you wanted to text her, having typed out paragraphs and paragraphs of text that you knew you’d regret sending, hovering your thumb over her name to call, or even considering driving up to her house every single time you passed by. You always stopped yourself out of fear of her reaction. You knew you had to apologize, and tell her what was really going on, but you kept holding yourself back…

Alcina was in a similar predicament. Unsent texts, nearly calling you, and passing by the bakery. She skipped her morning coffee all week, opting for brewing it at home, or just day drinking. She wanted to apologize, she shouldn’t have gotten upset at you, especially when you were in such a state.

But she was also hurt. There was no explanation of what she did, how she upset you so. She knew Cassandra and Daniela were avoiding her, especially with the amount she was smoking and drinking, but she had to numb that aching feeling you left behind.

In her office, a freshly emptied pack of cigarettes sat on her desk as she leaned out of her window, spacing out at the rows and rows of vines before her. She huffed, aggressively putting her most recent smoke out in the ashtray before pulling it off the sill and shutting the window. She grabbed her slippers, passing by the living room where Cassandra and Daniela were watching a show on low volume, casting a glance after their mother.

Alcina ignored them, tossing the slippers on the ground to put them on as she grabbed her keys. Running footsteps could be heard behind her, and she sighed as she turned to face Daniela.

“Mom?” she asked.

“Yes?”

“I… are you…” she started, not even wanting the words to leave her mouth in fear of what the answer might be if she asked about Miranda. She pursed her lips, a slight quiver in them as she looked away from her mother. “Are you okay?”

Alcina smiled softly at her youngest, pressing her palm to her cheek. “I’ll be fine, it’s just some stress from running the vineyard.”

She pressed a kiss to Dani’s forehead, then saw Cass leaning against the door frame with a scolding expression. Alcina didn’t even know what to say to her, instead giving her an acknowledging nod, which Cass returned.

“I’m going out to visit Donna, don’t wait up for me,” she said.

“Oh, okay! Have fun!” Dani said with a smile, glad that her mother would be with a friend.

“See ya,” Cass said with a wave before returning to the living room.

Before getting into her car, Alcina made her way to the cellar, grabbing three bottles of her favorite sparkling rosé.

You smelled like gasoline by the time you got home, and felt sweaty and grimy. Leather and summer heat didn’t mix well, even at night. You’d have to wash the jacket later when you figured out how. It definitely wasn’t something you wanted to ruin so soon after getting it. It was probably expensive.

Showered and comfortable in your shorts and tank top, you decided to turn on something nostalgic, and even if you didn’t have twelve hours to spend on movies, you still put on the extended version of Lord of the Rings. It was the only way to watch it. Making a nest of all your best pillows and blankets, covering the couch in comfort, and curling up with a tub of ice cream only made the experience better. Watching the life of hobbits in the Shire made you wish you could live there. Everything seems so simple and happy.

You barely got through the introduction of the halflings when a knock sounded at your door. You groaned, pausing the movie and wondering who the hell was bugging you. No friends meant no visitors, and even if it was lonely, you still preferred the lack of interruptions.

Ice cream in hand, spoon hanging from mouth, you made the short journey down the stairs to the front door. With a huff of annoyance, you opened the door, ready to turn away whatever salesman or religious weirdo was there, but the sight of Alcina caught you off guard. Oh god, you probably looked like the weirdo now.

She was in yoga pants and a tank top, wearing no makeup. God how was this woman always so fucking gorgeous?

She looked you up and down before giving you a soft smile that didn’t quite erase the exhaustion and sadness in her eyes. “Looks like we’re both dealing with things in our own way,” she said, pulling a bottle of wine out of her bag.

“Yeah…” you said, stepping aside and waving your ice cream to let her in.

Both of you were quiet as you went up the stairs, the air heavy with an awkward longing. She set her bag on the kitchen table, pulling out her own corkscrew to open the bottle.

“I don’t have any wine glasses,” you said, looking through your cabinet.

“Any glass is fine,” she sighed, smiling again as you set down a whiskey glass. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

You shrugged, leaning against the counter as you took a bite of ice cream. “Not really, just… watching a movie.”

She peeked into the living room, spotting your nest and the paused frame overlooking some hobbit holes and chuckled. “Cozy,” she said.

God this was so awkward. There’s was so much to say, and it didn’t seem like either of you was willing to start.

You turned away from her, grabbing a glass for yourself and two bowls, scooping out the ice cream into each before helping yourself to some of her wine. After offering the other bowl, you lead her in, patting the spot next to you in the comfortable nest.

She relaxed at the invitation, making herself comfortable across the couch from you, setting her bowl in her lap as she swirled her wine. “I’m sure you know that we need to talk and… figure things out,” she started.

Your heart skipped a beat. Of course you knew that’s why she was here, but it didn’t scare you any less.

“I would like to start with an apology,” she said.

“Apology??” you thought, an icy clutch on your heart. What did she even have to apologize for?

“I feel as if I… violated you. Like I coerced you into something you weren’t ready for,” she said, struggling to meet your eyes, so instead she stared into her wine. “I haven’t dated anyone in a long time, and I’m not sure how to read people that way anymore. I’m sure there was a sign I missed or something, but I am deeply sorry for how I reacted. That was unfair, especially given your state at the time.”

You reached over, grasping her hand. You couldn’t hear any more of this from her.

“No, Alcina, you don’t have anything to apologize for. I was sure I wanted it at the time, I just… I didn’t know I wasn’t ready. You didn’t do anything wrong, I’m just… going through some shit I haven’t fully processed yet and I didn’t think it was affecting me, it had nothing to do with you!”

Now she met your eyes, confusion and relief swirling through her expression as she stared into you. She released a breath, having been ready to lay her whole heart out to you, beg for forgiveness even if she had to fall to her knees, but she didn’t expect this.

“What…” she started, trying to figure out what to even say to that. This was all off her script and now she had to reread the situation. “What happened?”

You sighed, not sure if you should jump in from the beginning or just summarize. Not wanting to overwhelm her with your own issues, you simply said, “I dated someone for three years, and we broke up about four months ago. I haven’t had time to process anything that happened since I had to dive into my work alone for a while, but I had some time to think this week. I’m still just kind of processing it. I might have jumped into this relationship too quick, but I don’t want to give it up, or ruin it. I haven’t felt this happy with anyone else in my life.”

Now it was your turn to look away, but you kept your hold on her hand, rubbing your thumb on the back of it. Her cheeks warmed at the slight confession, and broke into a small smile.

“I should apologize, though. I never meant to make you feel like you did anything wrong like that,” you said. “I think I was just overwhelmed by how… different things are with you, and I guess scared that it was all just too good and you’d just drop me eventually when you realize how boring I am.”

She set her bowl and glass down on a side table before scooting next to you, wrapping her arms around you in a tight hug that you didn’t know you needed until you felt tears prickle at the corners of your eyes.

“You have been far from boring,” Alcina chuckled, placing a kiss to the top of your head.

You let out a shuddering sigh, pressing your face into her collar. She held you for as long as you needed, running fingers through your hair. This talk was honestly going better than she expected, though she didn’t exactly know what to expect.

You pulled away, rubbing a hand over your eyes as you sniffed. “Ugh, sorry,” you muttered, returning to your little corner of the nest.

“It’s alright. May I ask… what happened at the end of your last relationship?” she asked, a little nervous to pry into your life.

You snorted, shaking your head. “It’s stupid. I was checked out of that relationship for a while. He cheated, but I wasn’t even upset about it. He spent a ton of money flying some girl out that he met online and thought he could hide it from me. It actually just felt like an out, finally gave me a reason to drop him. Before I could do anything, though, I found out I actually paid to fly some girl out. He stole thousands from me to fund the plane tickets, the motel, the expensive dates and gifts, everything. So I fired him, broke up with him, and kicked him out of the apartment.”

Alcina hummed, scowling as you told your little tale. “And I’m going to guess that’s why you haven’t been able to hire anyone until now.”

“Yeah. I had to sell my car so I wouldn’t have to give up the bakery and worked alone for months just to survive. I feel like my store is a fucking mess, I haven’t been able to make any of the changes I wanted, organize anything, I’ve just been going through the motions. I guess that’s also why I’ve been so obsessed about ‘professionalism,’” you said with a dry laugh. “Because the last time I got involved with someone tied into my business I was almost ruined.”

She clicked her tongue. “Well, that certainly explains things. I can understand why you were so hesitant, as much as it annoys the girls every time you mention it,” she smirked.

“They’re starting to mock me any time I’m about to say something about it,” you chuckled. “I guess I’m pretty predictable. They’ve been great, though. I doubt I would have lasted much longer without them, probably would have just keeled over one day from exhaustion or trying to replace my blood with espresso.”

Alcina chuckled as she picked up her ice cream again, seeming more in a mood for eating again. “Well I’m glad they’ve been such a help to you. You’ve definitely made a difference to them, I can tell they’re happy working with you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, especially Cassandra. She didn’t seem to have any goals or plans for her life until she started work. Our relationship has improved, as well, even if it’s a minuscule difference for now, I hope it continues to grow. But she’s started baking at home sometimes, looking up recipes online to test out and practice,” Alcina said without looking up from her bowl.

You beamed at that. If she was baking at home, it meant she found some comfort or passion in baking like you had.

“I also haven’t seen her up before noon until she started there. But she gets herself up, even for her early morning shifts. She’s even fixed her sleep schedule on her own. Your bakery has made quite the difference for her, it’s given her a purpose,” she said, flicking her eyes up to catch your blush.

It was always so hard to tell with Cassandra. She was a pro at hiding her emotions, and of course she wouldn’t tell anyone that she actually enjoys work. But hearing that she’s started practicing at home gave you a little glimmer of pride for the girl.

“Good,” you said softly. “So… me and you, we’re alright?”

“Of course,” Alcina nodded. “Though until you’re through this… block? We should probably avoid sex,” she chuckled.

“Yeah probably,” you snorted.

“Why don’t we start again? We’ve really only gone on one official date, not including when I crashed your birthday dinner and dragged you to a bar or when we hid behind a wall at Olive Garden,” she joked.

“Is starting again our thing?” you laughed.

“Well it depends on how many times we mess up. Though at this point, it’s obvious we’re both willing to put in the work,” she smiled.

“Definitely.”

“Then, would you like to go on a date to Jackie’s?”

“The diner?”

“Yes, something more casual to start. You’ll have to forgive me while I navigate dating someone again, it’s been about twenty years and I’m obviously out of practice,” she laughed.

“Twenty?” you asked, eyes wide.

“Well, the last person I actually dated was Miranda. Dated for two, married for eight, divorced for ten,” she sighed. “After that, I was more focused on the girls than myself. That may be why I was rushing things so much. I missed the physical contact, and sex was probably the only thing keeping us together for a while. I guess I still have that mindset of it being all there is.”

You nodded, thinking about how she acted with you. The touches to your back, falling asleep on you at Sal’s place, sex during the picnic, near sex after the movie night.

“Is that gonna be hard on you? Avoiding it for a while?”

She shrugged and took a deep sip of her wine. “We’ll see.”

“Well, we don’t have to avoid physical contact altogether. Hugs, cuddling, holding hands, I’m always down for a makeout sesh,” you smirked, wiggling an eyebrow at her.

She nearly choked on her wine as she started laughing. You joined in, feeling much better after this eye opening conversation on each other’s pasts. It looked like you were both stepping into something new, but at least you were both willing to take the time to make it work.

“So when do you wanna go to Jackie’s?” you asked. “I mean, you know my schedule, I’m free pretty much any evening.”

“How about Monday? I know the girls like to do a sister date at Bela’s apartment Monday evenings, so we’ll know where they are, that is if you still care about our bet,” she chuckled.

“Oh, absolutely, and I know I’m winning,” you said, pointing a finger at her.

“Ha! Your time is ticking, Darling! But remember, no telling or showing on purpose, they have to find out themselves or whoever lets it out automatically loses,” she said.

You clinked your glass against hers, reestablishing the terms of the bet. “You’re on.”

As her laughter faded, the two of you were left with smiles on your faces, adjusting your positions on the couch so you were leaning against each other with ice cream and wine in hand.

“Now, summarize the beginning of this for me,” she said, gesturing to the paused movie on the screen.

“You’ve never seen Lord of the Rings?” you scoffed.

“Oh, of course I have, with my father. Though that was several years ago and I remember very little of it,” she said, playfully rolling her eyes.

“Alright, alright. So there’s this asshole Sauron-”

You gave the best explanation you could of the beginning, having it fresh in your memory. You made it nearly halfway through the first movie when the mix of wine and ice cream in your stomach, and the rise and fall of Alcina’s chest under your head lulled you. As your eyes shut, you heard the tv switch off, and the deep chuckle that resonated in her chest before she shifted out from under you.

“I hope you don’t mind if I spend the night?” she asked, brushing hair from your face.

You grunted, trying to force your eyes back open, but it felt impossible. They were so heavy.

“Come on, Darling, you should at least brush your teeth,” she sighed, sliding an arm under your shoulders to angle you up.

Your eyes fluttered open, and you leaned against her for a moment before you finally found your footing.

“Good girl,” she cooed as you stood up, smiling as she saw you blush.

“Um… I have an extra toothbrush if you need it,” you said shyly as you lead her to the bathroom.

You did your nighttime routine as quick as you could, vacating the bathroom so she could do the same. She joined you in bed soon after, pulling you against her again.

“Thank you for giving me another chance,” she said softly, kissing you on the temple before tucking your head under her chin.

“Thanks for not giving up on me,” you mumbled, wrapping your arms around her torso and pressing a kiss to her collar.

“You’re in a good mood today,” Bela noted.

You’d been humming to yourself all morning, pressing out and separating dough as some muffin batter mixed. You had a very good rhythm this morning, already almost done with the days production. All that was left was pouring out then baking the muffins, and baking off a rack of your variety of loaves.

“Oh, yeah, me and my partner had a pretty good conversation last night,” you said, trying not to hint that said partner was probably still in your bed, unbothered by your alarm.

“Really?” Cass said, having overheard as she walked in for her shift. She looked visibly relieved at the news, though she wasn’t about to tell you about Dani’s plan to set you up with their mother.

“Yeah, they called me and we talked everything out. We’re good,” you said with a smile. “Can you finish this when you’re ready, Cass? I need to order more flour, we’ve got a pretty big order next week.”

“Yeah, I gotchu,” she said, giving you a little finger gun. That was a little unexpected, but you weren’t about to comment on her strangely good mood in fear of it instantly souring.

A text was waiting when you sat down, and you immediately opened it when you saw it was from Alcina.

Alcina (7:56 am): Good Morning, Darling. Was this cereal left out for me?

You (8:06 am): Yeah, I don’t have a lot of food. I might have some microwave bacon in the fridge if you want that, and I think I have a few eggs left, so help yourself to whatever you want! 😊

Alcina (8:07 am): I appreciate it, but I don’t think I want to eat your limited amount of food. I’ll be down in a few for something fresh from your bakery. Would you mind distracting the girls so they don’t see me leaving?

You (8:07 am): Yeah, give me 10 minutes and I’ll pull them in the office.

Alcina (8:09 am): 💋

You set your phone down, laughing as you realized it was just a nice way of saying she didn’t want to eat your small supply of cardboard “bacon.”

You quickly went down your purchase list and wrote what you needed, glad you could see all of your shelves from the office. There were only a couple things you had to walk around to see what you had left, and you sat down right after ten minutes.

“Hey, Bela, Cass, can you guys come in here for a minute?” you yelled.

Bela walked in, exchanging a confused glance with Cass before they both approached.

“What’s up?” Bela asked.

“So I’m planning on revamping the menu. I’m getting rid of some items that we hardly sell and I want to start a seasonal menu. I was wondering if you guys had any input on what I should add.”

“Ooh, tarts!” Cass said, realizing she sounded much too excited for her aloof girl identity, and reigned herself in.

“Okay, I can make those easy,” you said with a nod as you wrote it down on a notepad.

“Other places I’ve seen have a lot of fruit for spring and summer, pumpkin and nuts in the fall, different nuts and gingerbread in the winter, was that kind of what you were thinking?” Bela asked.

“Yeah, exactly! There’s a huge variety of things we could add, but I definitely want to keep it more simple. We’re in the middle of summer now, it’s not too late to start some seasonal items, but it wouldn’t be for long. I’ll definitely add pumpkin spice coffees to the menu and pumpkin pie, that’s a given,” you said, making a quick note.

“Your sourdough sells pretty well, and the jalapeno cheddar. Cranberry walnut tastes like shit,” Cass said with a shrug.

“Ouch,” you said. “But fair… that one’s not too popular. I could do cinnamon raisin instead.”

“Ew! Replacing one nasty dried fruit for another one?” Cassandra grimaced. “Just do plain cinnamon.”

“Or, make the third loaf the seasonal one,” Bela suggested.

“Oh, good idea,” you said, marking down the loaf options.

“Hold on, I just heard the door,” Bela said, jogging up front.

Cassandra peered after her and snorted. “It’s Mom. I haven’t seen her here in a while, she’s been in that weird mood all week.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” you said, trying not to show too much interest.

“She said she was going to Donna’s place last night, maybe she pulled her from whatever rut she was in. Said it was just vineyard stress, but I doubt that was it.”

You shrugged. “I dunno, running a business can be stressful. You guys saw me when you started, I think I was half dead,” you chuckled.

“Fair point,” she said.

“Well, I think I’ve got a good idea on how I want this menu to look. I’ll make a list of suggestions, I might do some practice items and have you guys try them. I also wanna talk to Dani and get her input, too. You’re still good to do the chalkboard menus?”

“Definitely,” Cass smiled.

“Awesome, thank you! You can get back to work, I’ll check on Bela in a bit when I’m done here if you want to focus on the baking side of things.”

She nodded, turning to go back to her loaves. She stopped in her tracks and turned again. “Um… thanks, by the way. For letting us be part of all this. The planning I mean, you’re a good boss.”

You watched her leave with a small smile on your face, remembering Alcina’s words from the night before.