Episode 2 - "A Collection Worth Seeing" 3.1k Words
It had just hit 8:10 AM when Icarus unlocked the bakeryâs front door (She was 10 minutes late to opening but her regulars knew the last two weeks have been hard opening on time with Achillies), keys jingling softly in her hand as she slipped inside right after Achilles. The wind chimes above the door gave a light little ring before the silence settled back in.
The shop was dim, save for the blush of sunlight that was finally sneaking in through the blinds. Dust floats lazily through the golden light, catching on the tops of counters and the hanging chalkboard menu (Which she really needed to change to spring specials). Everything smelled cozy the flour, sugar, and distinct cinnamon smell almost like you were sitting in a coffee shop.
Achilles padded in before her, his tiny paws soft against the tile. He wore his little âTherapy Dog In Trainingâ vest a size too big for him but heâd eventually go into it. Of course this was his favorite place in the world, well second to Icarusâs lap. He let out a sneeze as he adjusted to the bakeryâs cooler air, then trotted to his little mat in the back corner, circling once before flopping down with a satisfied sigh.
âOof, bless you babycakes I need to get you some allergy medicine and I guess now youâre all tucked out huh you couldnât be this tired earlier?,â she said with a laugh , dropping her tote on the counter. âLetâs get these pastries done, I have an online lecture at 12:30 PMâ Icarus murmured, cracking her knuckles as she glanced at the clock 8:13 AM.
She moved her tote bag to be under the counter in a cabinet, kicking off her black converse switching to her kitchen shoes, then pulling out her chefâs coat from her backpack along with a cap to keep the hair out of her face. The crisp white fabric was soft with wear, and the golden embroidery reading âIcarus P.â shimmered faintly as she slipped it on over her orange tube top buttoning it up.
Her apron followed, it was obviously worn, slightly stained, sheâd need to wash it soon. Icarus rolled her coat sleeves to her elbows.
The fridge door swung open with a slight creek, she peeked inside with a grateful smile. âOh thank fuck I prepped a shit ton of stuff last night.â The muffin batter was chilled and ready to be put into the baking tins. The fruits were washed and chilled. Some of her dough was being chilled and the others were being proofed overnight in the proof box. Cakes were being chilled and just need to be decorated (Past her wasnât a complete bum)
She set the ovens to 375° to preheat, turned on the warmers and heat lamps, She was buzzing through the kitchen and display. It was years of practice. Sheâd connected her phone to a small bluetooth speaker she kept near the espresso machine. Icarus put on her shuffled playlist and Wanna Be (With Megan Thee Stallion) By GolRilla was the first song to pop on.
Icarus danced along following the rhythm as the song went on. She washed her hands and grabbed all her batters and doughs from the fridge. Along with all the pans and other equipment she needed.Â
âI guess I should start with the muffins and cupcakesâ She lines up six muffin tins each being able to hold 35. âChocolate chip, Blueberry, Bananaâ She murmurs the flavors as she scoops each into their designated tins. She glanced over at Achilles as she puts the tins in the oven heâd fallen asleep. âOlâ lazy ass,â she chuckled, putting on a timer for the muffins and cupcakes.
Icarus wiped the batter she got on her hands onto her apron looking up at the time 8:55 AM. âShit the signs been off this whole time?â She cursed walking over to turn on the Open sign and flip the sign on the door to say open.
She spun around heading back to the kitchen, but the soft jingle of the wind chimes on the door cuts through the music. (She canât be too surprised. She was almost 1 hour late to opening).
Icarus hopped the counter to get behind the register âGood Morning Welcome To The Golden Crumbâ She spoke in her customer service voice only to realize it was Meli. âOH DUCKSTER What are you doing here so early donât you have class?â
Meli seemed a little disheveled and slightly out of breath. âOh youâre late arenât ya Ducky?â Icarus smiled leaning against the counter. Once Ducky caught her breath she spoke âI am hungryâ Icarus laughed âI bet hang on Iâll get you a snackâÂ
Icarus grabs one of the to-go cups and scoops some fruit into it and she grabs a chocolate croissant from the fridge which she froze last night, throwing it in the toaster for three minutes. âNot as flaky as normal but the best I can do since everything is still bakingâÂ
âThank you!â Ducky eats the croissant and makeshift fruit cup trying to pay for what she was given. âDucky IF YOU DON'T PUT THAT MONEY BACK! You donât pay and you know that youâre like my little sisterâ Icarus hops the counter patting Ducky on the head sending her on her way. âDonât forget to do your homework and all that good stuff! SEE YA LATER YEAH!â Icarus yells with a smile as she sends her off Ducky waves and yells back âYEAH!âÂ
Just as Icarus was about to get behind the counter the timers for the muffins and cupcakes go off and she heads to the back glancing at the digital clock 9:30 AM. âFuck time sure is flying I have to be in that lecture soonâ (she had a good 3 hours).
She took all the muffins and cupcakes out leaving them to the side to cool. She then starts prepping the cinnamon rolls and breads. Once that was all in the oven Icarus set another timer.Time passes a little slower with a few customers wandering in new and old. Some kids come in with their parents to pet and play with Achilles and get a snack.
Icarus smiles at them all as they look around as she starts to frost the cupcakes and put the muffins in their displays. After some time passes and the flow is steady since normally everything slows down around this time only picking up again when the local high school gets out, Icarus pulls her laptop from her backpack, opening up her online lecture to play in the background as she works.
Alhaitham stepped inside casually, the faintest lift to one brow as his eyes scanned the cozy interior. He looked a little out of place since he rarely ever came to the bakery. Icarus looked up from her lecture at the sound of the chimes. âAfternoon welcome to OH! Alhaitham, your morning lectures just ended?â
Alhaitham nods looking at the goods on display Icarus chuckles âI have a green tea and a chocolate chip muffin with your name on it~â She teased as she bags his chocolate chip muffin she knew what to choose for him something not to sweet that would pair with the hot tea. He rolled his eyes but accepted the muffin. âGreen tea's gonna take a few so give it a minute honâ Icarus turned away to make the tea.
Alhaitham feels the heat rise to his neck but his face remains neutral. Icarus often called him pet names she called everyone pet names there was no need to get flustered over a habit. âSoo whenâs your next class?â She asked while her back was facing him. His eyes never leave the back of her neck. âPsycholinguistics in about an hourâ he answered a bit stiffly (his Psycholinguistics class started 30 minutes ago but heâd lie to give himself time).Â
âOoh sounds cool and fancy. I am technically in an Accounting class right nowâ she turns with the tea in her hand and a smile. âGonna hang out til your next class then? I could use the companyâ Icarus smiled leaning against the counter Achilles barked offended as he made his way towards Alhaitham to lay at his feet. âThough Achilles is great and all! I need a human to talk to whoâs not a customerâ
âArenât I technically a customer?â He questioned âNo since you got it for free and youâre my friend plus Kaveh and Alexis wonât be here for another hour or so since Kavehâs classes donât end til 1:30 PM ish? At least I think he always strolls in around that time on Mondays.â She complained fully laying on the counter now.
His finger twitched at the word friend as he grabbed the tea from her. Though he loved how animated she was all her emotions were just right there. âI can stay a bitâ (He really couldnât but heâd already missed most of his class coming here already). All his attention is on her as he stands there drinking his tea listening to her as Achilles leans on his legs. Not once does his eyes leave her as she rambles on.
âOh and I watched Fight Club last night for the first time in a while. I've been watching so many movies since I got a DVD player againâ That catches his attention heâd known from Kaveh and Alexis that she had a deep love for movies. âReally?â He asked with a raised brow. âYeah sucks you can hardly find DVDs for cheap now especially older onesâ Icarus slumps into the counter leaving her lecture as it just ended.
âI have some DVDâs if youâd like to borrow themâ Alhaitham offered the tip of his ears dusting a light pink. âReally can I come over later to see what you have??â She smiled at him.Â
Alhaitham hesitated for a moment, not that it would be obvious he has self control. Heâd done mental hoops trying to figure out an excuse to say no: Heâd be busy studying (sheâd just suggest coming over after or studying with him), the state of his and Kaveh's place (she wouldnât care she just say its fine and come over anyway), the fact that he couldnât handle the idea of Icarus being in his room looking through his collections (he definitely couldnât tell her that last one).
Yet none of those excuses come out. âIf you want to,â He cleared his throat trying to make sure it wouldnât crack. Icarus lights up immediatelyâŠâHow prettyâ he thought as he watched her light up as if heâd given her the highest honor. Sheâd been over many times to see Kaveh since theyâve known each other since high school sharing a few classes. Alhaitham noticed how she only had one dimple on the left when she smiled.
âWait for real? Like I can come over and actually go in your room?â Icarus smiled. Every time sheâd come over to help Kaveh with something he needed help with (which more often than not was just her listening to his rambles about Alexis or helping him get materials).âI donât make a habit of offering things I donât intend to follow through on.â Alhaitham defended himself.
âThat sounded like a yes, and donât you literally back out of helping Kaveh with things all the time?â Icarus accused with a laugh âHe complains about it all the time.â
â...Thatâs differentâ âKaveh isn't youâ he wants to say but instead. âThats Kavehâ he defends weakly making Icarus laugh. âOkay well I hope you know I will definitely be taking advantage of this you never let me see inside your room before.â She grins as Alhaitham rolls his eyes.âI assumed as much and I donât see why youâre so interested in seeing my room outside of wanting to see all the DVDs.â He says in a slight teasing tone. âI donât know it's kinda like a secret camber or like an undiscovered part of the map in a videogameâ she tried to explain without sounding insane.
Achilles shifted at Alhaithamâs feet pressing himself further into his legs, his tail flicking lightly against the floor. Alhaitham places down his tea and muffin to bend down and pet Achilles but his attention never really leaves Icarus.
She rests her chin on her palm watching him as he pet Achilles. âYou know I never thought you of all people would have a movie collection. I always thought youâd like books over movies honestlyâ she said absently, watching him intently.Â
âI only keep physical media since paying for all those subscriptions to watch a few movies is idioticâŠand I like moviesâ Alhaitham weakly defended at the end making her laugh. âHonestly a fair reason I would love to have a collection so do you have more than just movies?â she smiled.
He looked up at her âYouâll just have to see when you come overâ Icarus rolled her eyes with her smile growing wider. âOh so youâre gatekeeping your collection are ya?âÂ
âIâm preventing you from making inaccurate assumptionsâAlhaitham exhaled through his nose, sounding almost like a laugh. âItâs too late for that, I already have assumptions.â
She huffed a small laugh, shaking her head. âYouâre so weird.â
âAnd yet youâre still asking to come over to see my collection.â
âYeah, well,â she shrugged, a little softer now, âyouâreâŠinteresting is the nicest way I can put it.â
Alhaitham froze, petting Achilles, just for a second. Interesting. It was vague, loose and completely unhelpful. He preferred when she just said exactly what she meant.
ââŠYou are terrible at describing things,â he said, quietly. She blinked, âHEY! IT'S A GOOD THING, a compliment if you will!â He rolled his eyes, âThat's dumb.â She laughed straightening up playfully pointing at him. âOkay okay here is a better way of describing what I meant youâre nothing like I expected. You always manage to surprise me, weirdly interesting and-â She stopped letting the rest of her sentence die in her throat.
It was subtle. Anyone else would miss it. But Alhaitham didnât miss things like that, especially not when it came to her.
âand what?â he prompted.
Icarus didnât say anything at first. âNah it's nothing I forgot.â Alhaitham raised a brow. She always said that as an excuse âThatâs not a real answer.â She rolled her eyes âToo bad, thatâs all I got for you.â
He exhaled quietly through his nose, standing at his full height brushing the dog hair off his legs. âYouâre not as composed as you think you are.â She huffed âAnd youâre not as unaffected as you pretend to be.â That was close. Waaay too close for comfort.
Icarus looks up, their eyes meeting for a moment, neither of them moving until Achilles shifts at Alhaithamâs feet. Icarus broke the silence first, pushing herself off the counter. âSooooo uhâ weâre still on for later, right? Your place?âAlhaitham nodded.
 âC-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-câc-c-cool cool yeah yeah uhm Iâll bring snacks.â She lingered for half a second too long, like she was considering saying something else but she didnât.
ââŠOkay.â Alhaitham said quietly his gaze not leaving her even as she turned away, busying herself with absolutely nothing, and Alhaitham stayed right where he was for longer than necessary. The silence was a little awkward.
âIcarus.â She looked back. âIf youâre coming over,â he said, tone carefully neutral, âtry to arrive on time.â
A beat. âWhyyyy you excited?â she teased,a smile creeping back on her face.
âNo.âhe said a beat too fast. Her grin widened. âSuuuuure youâre not.â
He didnât respond to that. He rolled his eyes before picking up his things along with the tea and the muffin, adjusted his headphones back into place though as he left, the faint color at the tips of his ears hadnât quite faded.
âSee ya!â Icarus waved goodbye as Achilles huffed from losing his pillow. âOh you big babyâ Icarus came out from behind the counter moving Achilles back to his bed. As Icarus was getting back behind the counter the bells on the door went off once again.
âWelcome to The Golden Crumb give me a second!â She says as she washes her hands from touching Achilles only to turn around and find Sam. âHey shouldnât you be in class still?â Icarus glanced at the clock 2:30âŠwoah sheâd been talking to Alhaitham for a while. âDid you hit your head or something?? Class ended 20 minutes ago or is it cause Alhaitham was in hereâ The younger boy teased.Â
âHow do you even know about that it takes you like 20 minutes to walk here from your school with your short legs? And Yeah a little earlier on the counter grabbing something for a customerâ Icarus scrunched her nose, her face felt a little warm..probably from the oven. "You HIT YOUR HEAD? Well no wonder you forgot about school.. wait.. my legs aren't THAT short I grew an inch like a week ago" Icarus looked unimpressed with his defense on his height.
âIf you grew an inch I grew a foot ya look even shorter than you were last week what are you now 4â8?â She cackled as she pushed muffins and croissants to the front with tongs. âI AM 5â0 OFFICIALLY NOW AND YOU KNOW IT!â Icarus cackled harder at his outburst. âOh I apologizeâ She laughed softer now, bagging him a plain croissant and pouring hot chocolate.
âHere what you came forâ Icarus tossed the bag on the counter and placed the hot chocolate right next to it. âCause you definitely didnât only come to see little olâ me not since you get this stuff for freeâ She snickered. âSide note, your little friend is waiting for you to go pet himâ She motions to Achilles who is now standing in his bed waiting for attention from Sam.Â
Icarus smiles as her little brother goes to play with the dog. âFunny how fast a kid will warm up to you when you offer them free food almost everyday and let them play with your dog.â She thinks, looking at Sam and Achilles before turning her attention to the door. âI wonder where Kaveh is, he was supposed to be here like 30 minutes ago..bet heâs gonna come in complaining about something tooâ She muttered watching the door waiting for her close friend from high school to walk in.
After a few minutes Sam leaves, taking his snack and giving Achilles a few farewell pats. Icarus smiles and waves goodbye. But of course the bells on top of the door ring one more time cause Icarus can never have a moment of peace. âYou will not believe what happened to me on the way over hereâ The blonde starts immediately, not even a hello or a how is everything of course.
âHey Kavehâ Icarus gives him a lazy smile leaning against the counter. âWhat happened now huh?â
