WHO: Izzy MacDougal and Milo Vaisey WHERE: Sweetly Ever After WHEN: I don't know. Sometime in the past WHAT: A first meeting. STATUS/RATING: Incomplete/PG
Izzy took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of freshly baking cookies that had started to waft through the store. She wanted to try a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream that had fresh cookies in it rather than dough, though she also was adding bits of dough too. For contrast of texture and for everyone who loved actually eating cookie dough. She also figured the excess cookies could be used to pad the shelves a little bit, seeing as she’d had a group of children come through earlier in the day that had nearly bought her out.
And sure, she just wanted some cookies. So sue her.
Humming to herself as she worked, her apron was covered in various forms of ingredients that she knew would have to be washed off after today. It had been a little hectic earlier. Moving to the back, she groaned as the bell that indicated someone had come into the shop sounded. Of course it would now that she was not out there. Sighing, she tried her best to clear most of the flour from her hair, not taking the apron off in case they wanted ice cream. As simply as she was dressed, she still didn’t want to risk it.
Coming to the front, she smiled. “Hi! How can I help you today?”
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Milo wasn’t having a very good day. Although his business had gone under quite some time ago, it had been impossible to find a bakery he liked because he liked his own. He liked the way it had looked and the way it had been set up, he wanted The Crumb & Flake and nothing else. Of course, that was impossible because Milo was a terrible businessman and refused to ask for help. Maybe he could get it back but with help. Maybe The Crumb & Flake could still live!
Even the thought of starting up his bakery again was enough to put a pep in Milo’s step. Where he’d been hunched over and sad only moments before, he now stood tall and proud. Yes, he would get back his bakery and live happily ever after! Milo stopped to take a deep breath, relishing the beauty of the world for a moment when it hit him... donuts.
Other than Matthew, Milo’s one and greatest weakness was baked goods. It was a wonder he wasn’t more heavy set the way he ate cream puffs and croissants and cookies one after the other. Milo looked around for the source of the divine smell and laid eyes on it, the most beautiful bakery (rivalled only by The Crumb & Flake of course) across the street. He grinned to himself and ran over, throwing the door open wide and practically pressing his face against the glass to stare at the most delicate looking pastries he’d ever seen.
Milo twitched when he heard a voice, suddenly straightening up in a slight flailing action which he artfully (see: not so artfully) turned into readjusting his shirt-sweater vest combo. He ran a hand through his hair and grinned at the beautiful woman behind the counter. Milo felt a little flutter in his stomach but ignored it and instead awkwardly rested his elbow against the glass case.
“What did you say, I didn’t hear you,” he said, trying to sound too cool and slipping into something more sensual which he registered a second later and stood up straight again. “I-I-I uhhh, I’m Milo!” he added hastily, smiling at her and gesturing at the case between them. “Cookies... gotta love ‘em.”
---
Izzy waited as the young man had to tear himself away from where he was peering into a glass case longingly. She couldn’t help the way her lips twitched as he suddenly flailed as if he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. He was absolutely adorable, yet there was an underlying handsomeness that brought a slight flush to her full cheeks. She didn’t think anything of his response, at least not in the way others might. A lot of people tended to overlook her or write her off because of her size. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him not to be listening to her when she didn’t really register.
Before she could repeat herself, he was adding more, making her smile as a light laugh escaped her. “I do love them,” she acknowledged, not in a self-deprecating way like some with her body might. It was more enthusiasm than anything else. “I’m Isabel, but most people call me Izzy,” she returned, the smile never leaving her face as she looked in the case for a moment to remind herself what she’d made earlier to fill it with.
“Did you want one? I can let you try one as a sample,” she offered, expression sly and mischievous. Like she was doing something naughty. The chances of Milo realizing she owned this place were slim. Most people didn’t automatically think a pretty young girl could be so successful at such a thing. “I have an ice cream flavor that I just made that would go perfectly with the cinnamon swirl ones,” she added with a smile.
---
If anyone could have literal hearts in their eyes it would be Milo Vaisey, this was especially true if the thing before him was pastries. There wasn’t a pastry in the world that Milo didn’t like and if he didn’t it was probably because it had raisins in.
There was a sort of energetic buzz about Milo as if he’d had 5 espresso shots back to back and decided to greet the world. This was even more obvious when he was in the presence of something delicious. He was well aware of this fact, having been reminded many times by his peers but he just couldn’t seem to contain his excitement or energy about... anything under the sun really. It was exceedingly easy to please Milo. This woman seemed to take his louder than life personality in stride and it made Milo feel comfortable and at home in a world that didn’t often feel that way without Matthew. It made him excited, which on top of his excitement about the pastries left Milo absolutely beaming.
“It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Isabel slash Izzy,” Milo said enthusiastically. “And I think one would be a fool not to love a cookie.”
When Izzy offered a cookie, this was the time where one might actually see literal hearts in Milo’s eyes. “Like for free?” he asked incredulously. If this woman weren’t already the nicest he’d met to today, she was now. “Definitely!” Milo added, in case she were to change her mind. He tried to calm himself like Matthew had taught him and then continued. “I’d definitely want one, I mean.”
“You make ice cream too?” Milo was beside himself at this point, he might have found the best bakery in England. Better even than his own, which was saying something. “I believe I’ve found heaven, Izzy.”
--
Izzy couldn’t help but laugh, the sound light and airy, as she smiled at him. “The pleasure is all mine, Milo,” she returned with a playful wink. It felt good to have a customer finally, as today had been kind of slow. Not only that but Milo was like a breath of fresh air. She didn’t often meet people who were so easy with their smiles and so genuine in their demeanors. While it was true that she didn’t really know him, something about him just put a smile on her face. That was really all it took to make Izzy like you.
“Yes for free,” she laughed, this one less airy but no less light. The amusement was obvious in her eyes as they twinkled. “I would hardly be a nice person if I tempted you with having a cookie then made you pay before you knew if you liked it, now would I?” She winked at him conspiratorially, though paused as if something had occurred to her a second later. “Which you will. Like it, that is. Because they’re really good.” Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she realized she was rambling and probably should just shut up now. Instead, she moved towards the glass case, pulling a thin piece of tissue paper from behind the counter before she opened it. She smiled at Milo’s question, feeling like she didn’t need to actually answer it. Though she definitely wasn’t letting the second part go.
“Maybe that’s what I should have named this place instead,” she said with a giggle. “Heaven has a nice ring to it,” she hummed, then resumed her work to retrieve a cookie. “Do you want to try the cinnamon swirl then?” Some people had preferences that did not include cinnamon so she wanted to be sure.