Sixth Encounter

Lucas elected to turn up at the agreed location twenty minutes early in order to impress the love of his life. Flynn’s secretary had sent him an email the evening before detailing the address of the patisserie.

It was a surprisingly cold day, the weather had taken a turn for the worse with a biting wind and spitting rain. England was really a lot gloomier than France or at least the area in France where he had been living.

It was a relief to see Flynn coming along the street wrapped up in a coat and holding a laptop bag. He immediately noticed Flynn’s light shivers from several metres away and took off his scarf.

“It’s cold today,” he said and draped it around his neck before Flynn could say anything.

Flynn flushed a very noticeable shade of red accentuated by his arctically pale skin and Lucas grinned. He definitely did have an effect on the object of his affections.

“Thank you,” Flynn replied quietly. “Let’s go inside.”

Lucas looked at the storefront again. It did look a lot different from the photo he had seen at the office, he had only known he was in the right place from the sign above the door. The brickwork had been painted white and the windowsills were now pastel blue.

The inside was dark mainly due to the gloomy weather until Flynn switched the lights on. The bright light showed off the interior well. There was a lot to analyse.

Lucas looked around with approving eyes. It gave off the vibe of being similar to a patisserie in France with a British twist. There was a long counter in the centre that snaked around one side and was full of empty display cases. Given that it was going to also be a chocolaterie, a lot of display areas would be necessary.

There were plenty of tables dotted around and instead of plastic chairs, there were armchairs. The lighting in the seating areas was soft and made it look very cosy. The floor was marble and the cream colour went well with the wooden countertops.

“I like the interior design,” he said. “It’s good.”

“Thank you,” Flynn replied and stopped in the centre. “There was a lot of planning that went into this. It’s good to see it come together.”

Lucas pictured how it would operate when open. It looked cosy enough for people to want to return and it would definitely attract tourists. There was also plenty of potential for it to become very trendy.

“I can see this working out- you’ve made it traditional enough to attract tourists, but not too over the top to alienate people from the UK.”

Flynn gave him a small smile.

“I said a lot of planning had gone into this,” he said and started walking again. “We’re missing the most important place.”

Flynn had finally smiled at him. He had produced a smile.

Lucas cheered internally and followed him across the room and behind the counter before stopping at a door. It had to be the kitchen area.

Flynn pushed open the door and he saw a much different room to the one he had just left. The lighting was harsher, there was stainless steel everywhere and it felt clinical which was ideal for food preparation. He took a look around at the equipment. It was all top of the range and there was everything he could need for his job.

“You really did choose it all well,” he commented. “There’s nothing missing.”

Flynn’s cheeks flushed and Lucas smiled. The love of his life did like to be complimented. His mind filed that fact away for future reference.

“I had to make sure everything was here long before opening,” he replied. “There’s plenty of stock in the fridges and storage. You can have a look around.”

Based on what he had seen before Lucas was willing to believe him. Looking at the stack of pans in the equipment area sparked an idea in his mind.

“Would you like me to make you something?” he asked. “It will help me get acquainted with the kitchen and you get a second breakfast out of it.”

He knew he had caught Flynn’s attention from the intense stare.

“I don’t like cake too early in the morning,” Flynn replied. “I do have a limit.”

Lucas gestured at the crepe pan.

“Crepes are a suitable breakfast item,” he pointed out. 

“That’s true,” Flynn said. “I’ll see you in the dining area when it’s ready then.”

Flynn walked out the kitchen looking a lot happier than he had looked the previous day. His plan of complimenting him and flirting appeared to be working.

***

Flynn chose the table that was close enough to the window so he could see people walking by, but far away enough for people not to notice him. He wanted to reassure himself that he had chosen an area with lots of potential footfall.

He took off his coat and put it on the back of the chair before getting his laptop out of his bag. There were still plenty of things to be worked on and it was getting close to opening day.

The patisserie manager had been hired a while ago so it was time to get him and Lucas friendly. There was the matter of training all the regular staff with chocolate and cake knowledge so they would be able to answer questions. Most importantly he needed to check on the status of the opening event.

The event organisation team had been put to work on it a while ago and Sarah had put herself in charge of leading it which he had been content with. The public face of the company was Sarah who was actually the COO rather than him as she was much more confident and breathed perfect public relations.

He logged into his laptop and took out his phone to call her. There hadn’t been any meetings planned so she should be available to talk.

“Could you send everything you have concerning the opening event?” he requested when she picked up.

“I’ll get it emailed over,” she assured him. “...How’s Lucas and the patisserie?”

“...He’s getting settled in,” he replied. “He’s making me breakfast right now.”

It sounded like Sarah was having a choking fit.

“Why is he making you breakfast?”

“He offered and I don’t mind,” he replied. “Is it strange?”

“...It just sounds very domestic, that’s all. He seems to know food is the way to make you happy,” was all she commented. “I’ve sent you the email now.”

She hung up and Flynn was left frowning. What did she mean by domestic? He didn’t live with Lucas and neither were they dating.

It probably wasn’t anything worth bothering about. Sarah did enjoy making random comments. He started his work for the morning with that focused minset.

The plans for the opening event were all arranged and all he needed to do was give final approval to them. As Sarah had been involved and he trusted her judgement, he just checked they hadn’t gone over budget and signed the documents electronically.

As he had sent off the last signed document Lucas arrived with a plate that smelled highly appetising to him. There was nothing like the smell of fresh crepes.

“Breakfast is served,” Lucas said and laid the plate in front of him. “I’m going to start practising chocolate making with your equipment. I’ll be in the kitchen if you want me.”

He winked in a way that made Flynn guess there was a double meaning to that line.

“I’ll come by and sample some chocolates when I’ve finished my work,” Flynn said and turned his attention to the plate of crepes.

It was easier to speak to Lucas without blushing when he had an excuse not to look at him.

Lucas walked back in the direction of the kitchen and Flynn’s attention was briefly drawn to checking out his assets. Lucas definitely had an attractive physique. He was toned with a hint of muscle which was his preferred type. He shook his head violently to clear those impure thoughts and picked up the knife and fork Lucas had put with the plate.

The plate of crepes was a visual masterpiece. Hiring Lucas would mean lots of mental confusion and other feelings, but he had definitely hired someone with a good eye for visuals. The crepes were folded into perfect triangle shapes and each was topped with a dollop of cream and a fancily cut strawberry. There was also strawberry syrup drizzled around the plate.

His stomach rumbled and he hesitated over taking a photo as it was a highly attractive plate. Occasionally he took a look through social media for product inspiration and found attractive photos of food satisfying for some reason.

He took a quick photo and sent it to Sarah with the idea of making her jealous. Due to being adopted by his aunt after his parents’ deaths, he knew Sarah’s preferences and she had always wanted crepes. Her mother had always been quite strict about sugar and sugary foods which was probably why he liked cake so much.

The first bite was pure heaven and he smiled to himself. All the feelings of confusion and guilt in his mind seemed to temporarily disappear. The plate was finished very quickly to say the least.

The future for the patisserie did look bright if Lucas was leading it. He was beginning to feel more optimistic about its chances for success.

It seemed like he had done the right thing to keep the company afloat. He wasn’t going to let the company fail whilst he was in charge.

Flynn returned to his work with a more resolute mind. He was feeling more at ease now.

His phone rang after he had finished approving a project proposal. According to the caller ID, it was Sarah.

“Hello,” he said when he picked up.

“You’re so mean, you could have invited me around for crepes,” she told him immediately.

He guessed that she was feeling envious of his second breakfast and sought to appease her. Sarah had been forever bitter about her mother’s attitude towards sugar consumption.

“You can come next time. Aunt Betty won’t know.”

“I swear she will find out…” her voice trailed off. “I liked his touch with the hearts and the strawberry syrup. It’s quite cute.”

Flynn frowned and took a moment to check the photo he had taken. The strawberry syrup that he had assumed was randomly drizzled, was actually in the shape of interlocking hearts. 

Lucas had found another way to flirt with him.