The next morning was routine again:
Up.
Shower.
Breakfast.
Work.
Repeat.
Until something unexpected broke the cycle.
A girl appeared in front of him—literally popped into his path.
“Hi!”
She was a lovely, dark-skinned woman, slim, wearing a bright floral dress, and absolutely beaming.
She looked like she had just stepped out of The Buttercup Bakery on his path home.
“Uh—hi,” Levi said, confused.
“I’m Teyana!
Sorry if I startled you, but we’re having a promo at the bakery today.”
He blinked.
“My boss just created some new recipes for our snacks,” Teyana explained.
“She wants people to try them and tell us what they think.
So, she’s offering two of our popular items for the price of one, but only if you also buy one of the new snacks and give an honest review.”
“Okay,” Levi said, still trying to process the sudden sales pitch.
“It’s only for ten people, and I actually saved the last spot for you,” she confessed, her cheeks turning a little pink.
“I see you pass by here every single day, completely focused on your own world, and I thought the last spot should go to someone who isn’t our usual customer—someone with a fresh view.” Visit novelping(.)com for the full chapter.
“Ah!
I’m sorry, but I really don’t think I need to buy any bread or cookies right now,” he said, trying to move past her.
She quickly stepped in front of him again.
“Oh, please come on!
It’s not expensive, I promise!
And I literally saved a spot for you!
If you don’t take it, who else am I going to find this early?” She looked truly concerned.
“Tell you what: if you don’t like any of the new snacks or anything you buy, you can come back tomorrow, and I will personally refund you from my own money.
I’m going to lose the money anyway if you don’t buy.”
She stood there, practically pleading.
Levi felt awkward, uncomfortable with all the attention.
He decided it was easier and quicker to just agree than to argue.
“Fine!” he conceded.
“Fine!
Like, okay!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement.
“Okay—” she said, running to open the bakery door and happily waving him inside.
This was completely outside his routine, an unexpected detour.
But as he stepped inside, he felt a sudden sense of ease.
The bakery was warm, beautifully designed with inviting colors and playful drawings that made your stomach rumble.
Everything was neatly arranged, —a little world made of cinnamon, sugar, and coffee beans, the whole place smelled deliciously sweet.
It felt welcoming.
The aroma actually reminded him, just for a moment, of the Maple Lane Diner back home where Elsa worked.
For the first time since he left Northwood, he felt a small pang of nostalgia, but it quickly faded as Teyana returned with a tray of fresh, warm pastries.
“Enjoy!” she whispered, stepping back toward the counter.
“Who is that?” Her colleague, Asha, a woman with confident eyes and a friendly smirk, asked as she walked out.
“I don’t know, he hasn’t told me his name—yet,” Teyana whispered back, her eyes still on Levi.
She was clearly smitten.
“Ohh!
Is he the one you saved the last spot for?” Asha teased.
“Well, I have to say, he’s handsome.
Definitely strong-looking,” Asha said, giving Levi a quick once-over.
“Hmm, the type of guy who’d look good on my bed.”—”
“Asha!” Teyana interrupted, both embarrassed and possessive.
“Relax, I don’t steal what belongs to other women… unless they let me,” Asha finished with a playful wink and went back into the kitchen.
Teyana clearly felt a connection to Levi.
He was the quiet boy who passed by every morning, lost in thought, incredibly good-looking, yet totally uninterested in anything around him.
He was exactly the kind of genuine, private person she wanted to know.
As Levi took his first bite of the warm pastry, feeling the simple comfort of the bakery, the biggest question remained unasked: After everything he’d been through, was Levi truly ready to let anyone new into his life?
He didn’t know the answer.
And that uncertainty…
was the beginning of everything that followed.