The bakery stood out amongst the other buildings. While its neighbors were plain grey buildings with no decor or anything, the bakery had a bright pink exterior, white gingerbread trim, and flowers creeping along the sides. Everything about it radiated a bright and cheery vibe, like if you stepped inside all your problems would magically go away.
Juleka Couffaine parked her bike outside and slowly headed up the white wooden steps. She had one goal in mind: to pick up the cake for their mother’s birthday. The cake was Luka’s idea; if it were up to her, they’d have baked it themselves, but he thought she deserved the best.
“Besides, Jules,” he’d added, “remember when we baked those cupcakes for Grandma? I think we were cleaning batter out of the oven for weeks afterwards. Let’s just get it done professionally.”
He was supposed to be the one who would pick it up, but apparently he had to work an extra shift, and the cake needed to be collected as soon as possible. Of course Juleka minded picking it up; she absolutely hated talking to people she wasn’t comfortable with. Still, it was for their mother’s birthday . . .
So here she was, heading to this little bakery on the edge of the city. She did have to admit, it was pretty cute, but that didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t comfortable at all speaking up and telling whoever worked there what she needed.
Juleka opened the door. Right away, she was hit with a burst of sunlight and a sweet floral scent. And with good reason too; flowers seemed to be everywhere she looked. Flowering vines crept along the walls, lilies sat in pots by the door, poppies grew in the windowsill, and a couple of roses had been clipped and placed in a vase on the counter. Not to mention the mouthwatering array of cakes, cookies, and other pastries that sat behind a large glass pane, right at the counter.
The girl at the counter was humming softly to herself, back faced away from the door when Juleka walked in. At the sound of the door’s bell, she turned. Now Juleka could tell that the girl was around her age, with short blond hair, bright eyes, and a really sweet smile.
“Hi!” the girl greeted, tone light and cheerful. “How’s it going?”
Shifting her weight between her feet, Juleka stammered, “Uh, I-I’m here to pick up . . .”
“An order?” The other girl grinned, peacock blue eyes sparkling from the light of the skylights that dotted the ceiling. “Sure! What name is that under?”
“I-I don’t know. Probably ‘Luka Couffaine’, that’s my brother.”
“Oh, are you picking it up for him? How nice! Hold on, lemme check.” She flipped through a pad of paper, resuming humming softly to herself. “Ah, here he is! And someone’s having a birthday?”
“Our mom. It’s a surprise.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet!” Her smile only widened. “Yeah, we have the cake! Let me get it real quick.” She disappeared into the back of the shop, door swinging slowly behind her.
Left alone in the shop, Juleka glanced around her surroundings in an attempt to stop her hands from shaking so much. Why couldn’t she just talk to people? It wasn’t like this girl meant her any harm. In fact, this girl seemed really sweet.
And cute . . .
The girl reappeared through the swinging door, brandishing a cake in a box. Juleka hadn’t seen the cake before, and when she peered at it through the box’s cellophane lid, she wasn’t disappointed in Luka’s choice: red icing, little white music notes, and a silver trim. What’s more, the cake looked absolutely gorgeous.
“I—it’s . . . it’s so pretty.” Juleka attempted. “T-thank you.”
“Oh of course! I did my best to do it like your brother described. Hopefully your mom will like it just as much as you do!”
She passed off the cake, and Juleka took it. But she didn’t want to leave yet. Something felt “off”, uncompleted, and like she hadn’t accomplished the task she’d set out to do, which was silly since the cake was right there. But there was still something . . .
No. It was fine.
“Well, thank you.” she muttered. “I—I really like it.”
“Of course!” But her tone had become less perky.
Juleka glanced up, meeting the baker girl’s gaze. She didn’t seem upset really, but more hesitant, like she wanted to ask something but she wasn’t fully sure how to do it. And Juleka could almost say she felt the same, in a way. The whole situation had a sort of trepidation atmosphere, like the universe was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
This girl was just so . . . so pretty.
Juleka already knew she liked girls from previous crushes, but it was always celebrities, never just someone her age. And despite having just met her, somehow she felt like the type of person that Juleka could feel comfortable around, like home, almost. Which was strange enough, since for Juleka, “home” meant her hippie-esque brother and her mother, who did as she pleased, never mind what the law thought. This girl, with an aesthetic entirely comprised of pink, glitter, and sunshine, was the exact opposite of what Juleka was used to, even with her own goth style. But despite this, this girl both intrigued and attracted her.
Juleka, despite her better judgement, decided to be the first one to say something. She took a deep breath, building up her courage to speak higher than a murmur. “I—I like your—your shop? It’s cute. And you’re really . . . really . . . uh, pretty?”
The other girl’s concerned expression deepened into a soft smile, her light pink lipstick sparkling in the natural light of the store. “Aww, you’re so sweet!” She paused for a moment. “Here, let me get the receipt for you.”
Juleka watched as the girl scribbled something on the newly-printed receipt, mentally cursing herself that she hadn’t tried harder. Clearly the girl hadn’t caught on to her attempt at revealing her feelings, which was disappointing, but Juleka knew full well that it was no one’s fault but her own.
She took the receipt, unable to meet the girl’s eyes, and walked out of the building. The pleasant ringing of the bell did nothing to improve her slightly sour mood as she walked away, feeling slightly disjointed. Before she got too far, however, she paused and checked the receipt to make sure the price was what Luka said it’d be.
And when she noticed the writing, she nearly dropped the whole cake.
It was a phone number.
Hands shaking slightly, Juleka set down the cake box and typed the number into her phone. Then she sent a text to the number, saying only “Hi”. And now she felt like she was going to throw up. So instead of staying on her feet, she sat down on a nearby bench, balancing the cake box in her lap as she stared at her phone in trepidation, just waiting for whatever was going to happen.
And sure enough, a few moments later, she got a text back.
“Hi! My name’s Rose :)”
Rose. What a beautiful name, and so fitting with all the flowers.
“I’m Juleka”
“Aww, that’s so pretty!”
Despite herself, Juleka felt her lips form a smile. And the compliment wasn’t even that big of a deal, like it was a name she didn’t even get to choose. But it was just so sweet, sweeter than the cake she was currently holding. Every word Rose typed just radiated with positive, sunshiney energy, and she absolutely loved it.
Her phone pinged again. Another text.
“Would you like to hang out sometime? I get off at 5!!”
Juleka’s breath caught.
Calm down, she told herself, attempting to keep her hopes stymied. She probably seemed desperate at the bakery, which maybe made Rose pity her or something. And even if she genuinely wanted to be friends, that was probably it. No other implications.
“That sounds fun! I’m free at 5, too”
“Awesome!! Just lmk where you want to meet up”
And just as Juleka’s fingers started typing as fast as she was physically able, letting Rose know that she could meet her at the bakery while simultaneously hoping that she wouldn’t seem too desperate, another text pinged on her phone.
“Btw, you’re really pretty too!! I love your style :)”
And with that one text, a whole new set of possibilities opened up for her. Maybe Rose was still just being nice, maybe she was being polite and returning the compliment. But even though there was that very plausible option, her hope swelled at the thought of her feelings being possibly returned.
And maybe she’d lucked out after all.