by Max Hudson
“Oh, I’m sorry Charlie. I didn’t wear my contacts today- that was my fault.” Henrik sighed, a palm on his forehead as he shook his head. As soon as the man had realized who Charlie was, he quickly switched back to English. Truthfully, Charles was relieved. He felt eons better whenever he spoke in English, embarrassingly enough.
After the dropped items were gathered and Charles was back on his feet, the American man extended a hand toward Henrik. With a sweet smile, Henrik put his hand in Charles’ and allowed himself to get hauled up. The man was surprisingly light for his weight, but Charles mused that it might have just been his own strength.
Henrik dusted himself off, squinting as he did so. “Damn contacts… Of course the one day I leave them at home…” Charles heard Henrik mutter under his breath in his native tongue, a slight scowl lacing his lips. “How have you been, Charlie? I did not realize you missed me so much. If you had just told me, I could have met up with you somewhere.” Henrik laughed at his own joke before giving a light push on Charles’ chest. “I’m kidding.”
In that instant, Charles felt his own heart skip a beat. How had he been reduced to the mindset of a schoolboy who had just fallen in love for the first time? Charles felt vulnerable, but still didn’t know any better. Unconsciously grasping at the place where Henrik had pushed him, Charles smiled.
“So, you’re still here? I thought you would have left for America already. Not that it is a bad thing. I’m very happy you are still here.”
Once Henrik’s belongings were all taken care of, the man continued on his way, assuming that Charles would follow. “Would you like to come back to the bakery? I’m actually quite busy today. I don’t think you have ever seen it this busy… But honestly, this reflects a very normal business day for us. I hope Maria is able to handle all this by herself…” Henrik trailed off, obviously lost in thought.
“Of course. I have nothing better to do, as you could probably tell.” Charles chuckled, a light flush spreading over his cheeks. “Busy you say? Well, I suppose I could check it out. You’ll have to get me some more of that strawberry shortcake though. It’s way better than what my cousin could ever do.” With a flick of his wrist, Charles snorted. If Andrea were there, he would have certainly gotten an earful from her. But that was their dynamic- they couldn’t survive without teasing each other.
“Cousin? Do they live here?” Henrik tilted his head in surprise. He hadn’t recalled Charles ever mentioning a cousin, although he had known about family living in Switzerland.
Charles hummed in agreement.
“Perhaps you know her. Her name is Andrea, Andrea Beyer. She co-runs a restaurant a bit close to your own bakery.”
After a few seconds of thinking, Henrik quickly snapped his fingers together. “Ah, Andrea! Yes, I think I know her. I’m quite sure we went to the same culinary school, actually.” Henrik nodded enthusiastically, his smile still as bright as it had been when they first met. “She’s very sweet. I see that you two really do share the same genes!”
Before Charles had the opportunity to retort to the comment, Henrik shrugged to himself. “Let’s hurry- I don’t think Maria can handle the shop when it is this busy, though I appreciate her efforts.” With a swift flick of his hand, Henrik gestured for Charles to pick up the pace. The two walked through the streets of Zurich side by side. It felt very domestic, though Charles knew this was probably wishful thinking.
Although the bakery was still a distance away, Charles could tell that Henrik had not exaggerated when he said that the bakery was busy. Despite it being the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, a small line had formed around the bakery, visible from further back down the street. Charles blinked twice as if he could not believe his eyes. Perhaps he had truly underestimated how popular the bakery was.
When the two arrived at the bakery’s front door, handfuls of guests and customers greeted Henrik with cheerful smiles, each of them spouting sentences in the Swiss German dialect that made it slightly harder for Charles to understand. As Henrik was not done with work for now, Charles opted to sit at the only empty table in the entire bakery. It just so happened to be the same table that he and Henrik had been sitting at a week prior.
Grasping a cup of complimentary coffee, Charles looked out the window. The weather seemed to influence the mood of the people in Zurich greatly. On a nice day like this, people were bound to come out of their homes and take breaks from work to enjoy the nice weather. Such was the benefit of living in a city like Zurich.
When the crowds had died down, Charles could overhear Henrik directing Maria to what duties she had for the rest of the day.
“Remember to close the shop properly. You forgot to turn off the oven light yesterday, Maria. Remember this time, all right?” Henrik continued to call out to the young worker as he approached the table that Charles was sitting at. In his hands was a singular plate of cake, this time, seeming to be of the vanilla variant. “We’ve run out of strawberry today, but I hope you will enjoy this instead.”
More than happy to comply, Charles picked up his fork and dug in. Was it impolite of him to do so? In any regular case, Charles would have waited a bit, taking only small bites in order to fit the “prim and proper” standard that had been built up for him over time. For some reason, in the presence of Henrik, Charles felt as if he could be himself, even if being himself was as minuscule of a detail as being able to eat cake without caring about one’s public appearance.
Henrik’s eyes suddenly cast downward and his voice became softer, a bit different than the bright and cheerful one he used when greeting the townspeople.
“I’m quite glad I got to see you again. I was almost worried that you had left without telling me, you know?” Henrik traced the edge of the empty teacup in front of him, once in a while looking up to stare at Charles directly in the eyes. “It’s very nice living here. Do you think so too?”
Charles nodded, too preoccupied with his cake to fully notice the sudden shift in mood. “I do. Personally, I applied to work in the Zurich sector of my company when I first got my job. As I climbed the social ladder, however,” Charles shrugged nonchalantly, “They ended up giving me permanent residence in New York. It’s not as if I can complain, though. My family is from there, so it wasn’t too much of a change of scenery.”
“I see. Then we both understand the feeling of staying at home, don’t we?” Henrik gazed out into the streets, watching curious tourists peer into the shop windows with hungry eyes. “Ah, I almost forgot. There is a carnival tonight downtown. They do this very often near the beginning of summer, it’s almost like a tradition now. Would you like to come with me?”
Charles stopped picking at his cake and instead looked up. Had he heard correctly?
“Go with you?” Charles swallowed as Henrik nodded enthusiastically. Was this a formal declaration for a date, or was Charles just overthinking the situation? Either way, Charles’ heartbeat had begun to pick up pace once again. How often was he going to act like an immature schoolboy…
“It will be fun! I think it is very similar to American carnivals too, so there is no need to worry.”
Henrik suddenly got up from his seat and stretched in the air, groaning a bit when a spot in his back suddenly made a loud cracking noise. “It is your decision in the end. If you would like to go, how about I meet you outside your hotel? It’s easier that way, since we both have been there before. All you would have to do is change into something nicer.” Henrik stuck an index finger out at Charles’ outfit and smugly grinned. Charles’ current outfit was definitely not casual attire.
“O-of course. I’ll be there.” Charles robotically nodded, still in a daze from the events that had happened. Shaking his head, Charles mentally chastised himself. He needed to think more on his toes.
Dramatically clasping his hands together, the corners of Henrik’s eyes crinkled together in a smile. “Great! I will see you around eight in the evening, if that is all right. Just remember to dress casually!”
/> Smiling to himself, Charles helped Henrik gather the dirty plates and utensils that littered the bakery tables. Like before, everything seemed so impossibly domestic. It would have been a shame to leave so soon, Charles realized. Muttering a quick prayer, Charles hoped for another week in Zurich.
Chapter Five
The two men had exchanged phone numbers hours prior, with Charles’ gaze lingering on the newly inputted string of numbers for a little longer than needed. Checking himself out in his hotel room mirror, Charles straightened his back and looked himself dead in the eyes. The American man took a deep breath and sighed. He had this. It wasn’t as if this was his first rodeo.
With one more swift glance at himself, Charles contemplated whether or not his outfit was appropriate for the occasion. Henrik had mentioned that Charles should switch into a more casual outfit, but Charles had not packed many casual outfits in the first place. Trying his best as he rummaged through his suitcase, Charles finally pulled out a pair of black jeans and an old rock band shirt to match. The outfit was quite reminiscent of his old high school days, especially when he had joined a garage band with his friends. Charles smiled to himself as he remembered those fond, yet long gone memories.
Without much fanfare, Charles traveled down the hotel steps and made his way toward the common area of the building where he and Henrik had agreed to meet hours before. As Charles nervously looked down at his watch to count down the seconds, a familiar voice called out to him from near the entrance. Charles looked up and was greeted with the ever-present laugh of Henrik, whose blond hair was now pushed back instead of its usual messy style.
Apart from his hair, the rest of Henrik seemed quite similar to how he usually looked during the day. The man had not changed his outfit from earlier in the day (minus the bakery uniform, of course), making it easier for Charles to spot him out of the crowd. With a wave of a hand, Henrik called out Charles’ name once more.
“You’re on time! And here I thought that perhaps I would be the first one here.” When Charles had met up with Henrik at the entrance, Henrik was quick to quip about the man’s appearance. “You look good. Oddly, this aesthetic fits you very well. It’s hot.”
Upon hearing this, Charles shook his head. He could no longer let himself fall for Henrik’s incessant flirting, even if he enjoyed it too much for his own good. Instead of standing in place like a babbling idiot, Charles knew that he would have to fire back. After all, always being flustered wasn’t Charles’ style.
“I could say the same about you. You did this just for me, didn’t you?” With a smug smirk plastered onto his face, Charles watched as Henrik’s expression transformed from one of pure confidence to one of a man who had just been caught off guard.
“Oh my, did my ears deceive me? It can’t be- the Charlie Armstrong, actually flirting back with me? Not all hope is lost.” Henrik dramatically called out, placing a hand on his forehead in a playful manner. “Thank you. I never do anything with my hair... Maria actually recommended I do this.” Henrik lightly laughed to himself, thinking back to how Maria had scolded him only moments after Charles had left the shop.
Charles hummed in delight, following Henrik’s steps as he directed them to wherever the carnival was. Thankfully, the hotel was near both tourist-attracting sides of town. The walk would not be long.
The two men continued their trip, exchanging light conversation about the town, their jobs, and basic things about their own lives. It all felt quite domestic, something Charles had not experienced in a long time. If he were being honest with himself, Charles hoped that the day would not end. Although he had come to Switzerland as a stressed businessman, he had somehow found this small pocket of happiness and freedom in the man next to him. Charles shook his head. If only it was that easy.
Turning his attention back to the present, Charles listened as Henrik continued to talk about his background.
“I started the bakery out of my own desire. My parents have always tried to make me become a banker like my older brother, but I’ve always wanted to pursue my own passions. That is why I enrolled myself in culinary school. I’ve been self-sufficient since I was seventeen, and I think it has worked out very well! Don’t you think so?” Henrik nodded as if he was discussing something with himself, mentally sorting out details and bits he wanted to include within his spiel.
“I like the feeling of independence. I also like the feeling of community. In a community, a lot of things are built on trust, are they not? Trust is very important to me.” Henrik suddenly slammed his fist into his other hand as if to make a point.
The conversation continued from there, although Charles found his mind kept returning to the points that Henrik had made. Before he could think any longer about what Henrik had said, however, the two men had arrived at the entrance of the carnival. To say the event was popular seemed to be an understatement- the entire area was bursting with people and energy.
“Oh, I know the perfect place to go! Come on,” Henrik suddenly grabbed onto Charles’ wrist and pulled him into a random direction, following a herd of people that had begun to head toward a large carousel ride. In seconds, Henrik had transformed from a mature business owner into a small child who was excited at the prospect of riding a fake pony. The thought of this made Charles chuckle to himself.
“Let’s get on!” Henrik chided the other man, finally getting Charles to accompany him on the ride. Although it would have been incredibly embarrassing if any of his coworkers were to see him there, Charles didn’t mind it as long as he was in the company of the Swiss man. Shrugging, Charles followed Henrik in line and hopped onto a dark brown pony right next to Henrik’s choice of a snowy white one.
Though the sun had begun to go down and the town felt slightly colder than usual, Charles paid no attention to these details as all his attention was captivated by the man next to him. With a childlike demeanor, Charles watched Henrik laugh. His enjoyment was beautiful and Charles relished every moment of it. There was no denying this- Charles had fallen in love. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, his feelings seemed true, now more than ever.
“Charlie? Are you okay?” Henrik waved a hand in front of Charles’ face as the ride slowly came to a halt. “Earth to Charlie?” With a growing smile, Henrik giggled to himself. “You look so dazed. I can't imagine what you would look like after a rollercoaster ride. Speaking of which, we should try that next!”
Before Charles had the opportunity to respond, Henrik quickly dragged him to the next attraction. Charles could not lie. He enjoyed it, although his thoughts seemed to be too slow for Henrik’s fast paced decision making.
Surprisingly, the carnival had one small roller coaster attraction that held a line that spanned an entire block. Although Charles had tried to dissuade Henrik from waiting in line for what seemed like hours, Henrik had stood his ground and implored Charles to wait with him. So that is how the two men had ended up waiting in line for almost an hour and a half.
“Is it really going to be worth it? It’s almost...” Charles looked down at his watch. Thankfully, the setting sun had allowed the air to cool and so Charles did not have to worry about getting too sweaty while waiting in line. His watch displayed that the time was almost eleven in the evening. “It’s almost midnight. I don’t want you to get home too late.”
“Ah, I’m fine. I’m quite frankly more worried about you.” Henrik pushed a finger into Charles’ chest and looked up at the man. As Charles had noticed when they first met, Charles seemed to tower over Henrik a considerable bit. That was not to say that Henrik wasn’t tall, but Charles’ height certainly was taller than the average man.
A smile spread across Charles’ face. Although he knew he looked somewhat idiotic, it felt nice hearing that someone cared about him so.
As the two men continued to chatter on about useless topics, in no time, it was their turn to board the rollercoaster. As if Lady Luck were on their side, the employees had decided that the two men would be the last to use the ride, as
the carnival was now coming to a close for the day.
“Enjoy the ride!” The workers had cheerfully recounted in German before turning the switch that then powered the rollercoaster. In an instant, Charles felt himself swing forward in his seat, lurching back as the force of the air pushing up against him almost knocked the wind out of him. Out of the corner of his eye, Charles looked at Henrik. He seemed to be having the time of his life.
Henrik screamed as loudly as he could, though it was nothing of the terrified sort. Rather, it was one of pure joy and excitement. Charles was unsure how such a person could store so much positive energy within themselves.
The roller coaster car went through small loops and tunnels, each one growing progressively more and more uncomfortable for Charles to experience. He didn’t hate roller coasters per se, but it wasn’t as if he had grown a large tolerance toward them. When the ride finally came to a halt and the two men were unstrapped from their seats, Charles felt his legs almost give way. Catching him, Henrik smiled. He still seemed as lively as ever.
The two men thanked the employees and started to exit the carnival. The sun had long gone down, the main source of light replaced by streetlamps that seemed to illuminate each and every corner of the main street. As the two men walked side by side, it became increasingly more evident how late it was and how much they itched for the other to say something, if anything.
Charles opened his mouth to speak, finding that the two had just then arrived at the intersection where they would ultimately have to split up. Facing Henrik, he watched as the other man opened his mouth to speak too.
“You should come over to my place.” Henrik spoke plainly, something different about his tone of voice. His voice had grown a bit deeper, a bit more serious. There was something odd in the air now, a different aura from their time at the fair. “It’s close by. I live above the bakery, it’s more convenient that way.”