by Max Hudson
Charles scoffed. That couldn’t have been farther from the truth.
“Well, there’s a bit more work here to be honest, but I can handle it at least. If they gave me any more to do, I swear I would collapse on the spot. But you’re right- I do enjoy being here outside of work. It reminds me of my childhood and I’ve been able to reconnect with some of my family members I haven’t seen in a while.”
Rebecca nodded before taking another sip of the coffee in her hands. Peering over Charles’ shoulder, she suddenly let out a cry of relief. “Finally, Jones is here with breakfast. I’m starving.” The woman put an emphasis on her last words, gliding across the room before snatching a wrapped croissant from a suited man’s hands.
Walking back to where Charles stood, she opened the croissant and tore it in half. Sticking one half back in the bag, she offered the other to Charles. “You sure you’re not hungry? I doubt you ate so early in the morning. There’s no harm in getting something right now, especially since we’ll be in the meeting for a bit.”
Charles shook his head and put a hand up. Although he had not eaten anything all day, he remembered that there were a few leftover goods from Henrik’s bakery still sitting in his hotel room fridge. It would have been a waste for Rebecca to give him something that she specifically paid for.
“I could never take it from you. Don’t worry about me, seriously. I have something back in my own room.”
Rebecca shrugged before stuffing the bread into her mouth as quietly as she could. “Suit yourself.”
Before long, Charles and his coworkers had gathered together along with the rest of the company and made their way to the top floor to discuss business. Although he knew that the company would always come first, Charles was reluctant to go. The past few days in Zurich had somehow changed him, a feeling that was different from the days he had spent in the city when he was younger. Was it the fact that he was now more mature, more refined? Such feelings confused him to the point where if he thought about it for too long, Charles knew that he would not be able to stop himself from thinking about it all day. The best course of action now was to ignore the feeling. It would go away with time.
Charles and his coworkers filed into the meeting room. Unsurprisingly, everyone seemed to be tired, the general bleakness of the room a telltale sign to each person’s mood. Charles had to stifle back a laugh, glancing to his side at Rebecca. As they made eye contact, they both nodded at each other. It was going to be a long day.
After files were passed out, names were called, and order was restored, the head of the Zurich team cleared his throat. The man was a short and stout businessman, somewhere around his mid-50s. Charles was unfamiliar with who the man was and listened somewhat unattentively to the spiel that quickly flowed from his lips. It wasn’t until Rebecca very discreetly elbowed Charles in the ribs that he finally sat up in his chair and removed the hand from his cheek.
“I have received word from the headquarters that the NYC team will be staying in Zurich for another two weeks. All expenses will once again be paid. If there are any questions, I’m also told to redirect you to Rebecca, the lead coordinator and secretary.” Rebecca raised her hand as if to address the eyes that were now trained on her. The Swiss man continued on with heavily-accented English, while Charles had begun to think once more. Two weeks, was it? That was more than enough time to visit Henrik once or twice before he left. Suddenly, Charles didn’t seem to mind the business meeting.
Amid the commotion in the room as the meeting began to wrap up, Charles traced his finger along the rim of his coffee cup. Of course the announcement had not been too much of a surprise as Rebecca and a few other coworkers had teased at such an announcement, but was he disappointed? Two weeks was more than enough time, of course, but what if Charles craved more? It felt odd for him to be questioning so much but receiving little to no answers. Usually, it was the other way around.
Shaking his head, Charles went to stand up from his chair before he felt a slight push to his chest. Rebecca stood in front of him, a sixth cup of coffee sitting almost-nonchalantly in her hands.
“Something’s wrong,” She murmured, tapping a single index finger on her temple. “You always got this same look whenever we had an exam coming up that you forgot to mark down on your calendar. Spill it.”
Charles laughed dryly, placing a hand on his forehead in amusement. Of course, it felt very in character for Rebecca to mention something from their college days. Admittedly, Charles’ behavior in college was not necessarily one to be modeled.
Charles shrugged, a bemused grin upon his lips.
“Nothing’s wrong, I’m just thinking. Two weeks is a bit of time, don’t you agree? I’m sure they wouldn’t keep us here any longer, any less. Very typical of my father if you ask me.” As if to make a point, Charles threw both of his hands into the air. “Yeah, I guess I’m just thinking.”
The look in Rebecca’s eyes seemed to betray her feelings as Charles knew she didn’t seem to buy his excuses. Still, it wasn’t as if Charles had been lying completely. He was thinking, just not about anything Rebecca would have guessed. The stone cold, often monotonous Charles Armstrong falling in love with a local Swiss baker? Now that was a story for another day.
“You know what, I won’t press you any further.” Rebecca shook her head and chuckled quietly to herself. How often had these sorts of conversations been exchanged between the two co-workers? Although Rebecca was never Charles’ first choice as confidant, the pair had their fair share of close experiences. Rebecca sighed quickly and composed herself.
“You should talk to Andrea if you have any concerns outside of my sphere of intelligence. Seriously, I don’t need you even more stressed than you usually are. Mr. Armstrong can be a hell of a chore to handle, I get it.” Offering Charles a weak smile, Rebecca placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’ve got to go catch another meeting really quick, but I’m always free to talk. See you!”
As soon as she had given Charles that pep talk, Rebecca had left the room, her styrofoam cup of cheap hotel coffee crushed in between her hands. Charles could only smile at her antics. Nothing had changed in the past years and he was glad for it. It made him feel a bit more normal, despite the fact that he was sure his mind was slowly going crazy, if not insane.
Charles stood up from his chair finally and looked behind him. The curtains were open and from the top floor, Charles could overlook the entire city of Zurich. To be honest, the view was breathtaking. Even on a day with bad weather, Charles was sure that the beauty of the city would never be detracted from. Suddenly, Charles felt a slight pang in his heart. It would hurt to leave, and he knew this very well.
Chapter Seven
“I really hope that this will not become a habit…” Andrea looked out into the town square, watching as shops began to open their doors. Soon after the meeting from yesterday, Charles had reluctantly called Andrea and asked to meet with her. It was unusual for him to be seeking advice so directly, but the few years that the two cousins had spent apart had actually served as a good medium for Charles to open up. After all, Andrea didn’t know Charles the way his family members at home did. In a way, Charles felt as if it was easier to speak what was on his mind.
“It won’t, trust me.” Charles muttered, eyebrows furrowed at this comment. “Let me blow off some steam, all right? It’s been a rough few days.”
Andrea bit back a laugh and leaned over the table to send a light punch at Charles’ shoulder.
“I’m sure you are. You always look so tired, you know? Surely, it’s not healthy to be this stressed. We’re in the beautiful country of Switzerland, it’s not fitting for someone to be this exhausted.”
Charles didn’t need someone else to tell him this. Surely, he understood this himself. If only his problems were easily solved, then perhaps he could focus more on his work. Yet, that didn’t seem too much like an option for Charles.
“Anyways, I’ve got to come clean on a few things.” Charles clasped bo
th of his hands together and leaned on the table with his elbows. Thankfully the small cafe they were at was bustling with activity, so any words exchanged between the two would probably be swept away with the bustle and chatter from the other tables and guests. “Promise not to make fun of me? I already feel horribly stupid just thinking about this.”
As if somehow offended by this comment, Andrea placed a hand on her chest. “Charlie, you’re my favorite cousin. Why would I ever do that?” Despite her joking tone, she seemed quite sincere about this statement. Charles was sure she wasn’t lying. It wasn’t like Andrea to do anything malicious, anyways. With one deep breath, Charles unfolded his hands and placed them flat on the table.
“You remember Henrik, right?” Charles began slowly, making quick glances at Andrea’s expression as if to gauge her reactions. “Well, I’m not sure about this, but I think…” Charles shook his head and laughed. There was nothing funny about the situation, so it was more of a self-pitying laugh at best. “I don’t know. I think… I like him? Is that weird to hear me say?”
With closed eyes and pursed lips, Andrea nodded. She didn’t seem too surprised at this statement, although Charles could have sworn a small smile had slowly begun to spread across her face.
“Oh yes, Henrik. How could I forget when you made such a cute face whenever I mentioned him last? I actually met with him yesterday afternoon, believe it or not.” Andrea turned to her drink nonchalantly, stirring the contents with her straw. The way she had said this was almost as if she had expected Charles to know, as if he was supposed to expect this. “What?” She tilted her head in mock surprise. “Didn’t you know?”
A few seconds of pure silence passed between the two as Charles stared at his hands. The words had yet to fully process in his mind.
“Ah, so you’re saying you met with Henrik. And you didn’t think to tell me?” Charles finally managed to get out, eyes blinking rapidly at the news.
“Well, it’s not as if you gave me much reason to tell you. The last time I had heard about him, you gave off the impression you were just very, very good friends.” Andrea smiled and leaned back into her chair. “But at least I’m not telling you a week later. We had a very nice talk. He is definitely your type, if I’m being quite honest. You were never good at hiding your emotions.”
Giving up on getting a solid explanation from his cousin, Charles sighed. “I somehow didn’t expect any less from you, Andrea. Thank you for the sincere compliments.”
“Of course! Where would you be without me?” She exclaimed, seeming to think that the sarcastic undertone of Charles’ comment was truly sincere. “Aren’t you curious about what Henrik and I talked about? It was purely coincidental that we met, really. Well, not quite. I went to visit his bakery and he seemed to be working at the time so we had a quick chat. Nothing out of the ordinary, I’d like to think.”
Charles nodded solemnly, head now in his hands. Upon seeing this, Andrea took it as a sign to continue. Charles knew that he would never get used to her constant positive force.
“Well, we talked about a few things. We discussed recipes, of course, because why would I not, but we also discussed you! Though, I’m sure you would have expected this. Oh, please don’t get that look on your face, Charlie. It will make me feel bad.”
Charles had immediately sat up and frowned, the frown then twisting into a grimace once Andrea had uttered the latter sentence.
“So, are you going to keep me in suspense or actually tell me why you talked about me? That’s quite unfair of you, considering I don’t have any blackmail material of my own to keep against you.” Taking a sip of his glass of tea for the first time that morning, Charles sighed against the porcelain cup. The comment was mostly sarcastic, if not joking. If he had to admit the truth, Charles wasn’t all that interested in what Andrea had discussed with Henrik. He was sure that nothing odd would have been exchanged between the two, or so Charles hoped.
“So impatient,” Andrea opened her purse and began to apply another coat of chapstick to her lips as if to prolong whatever it was she had to say. “But if you insist, I will have to tell you. From what I remember, we just talked about you and your family. Henrik was quite curious to know the kind of person you were as a teenager, and who better to tell him than me! Let’s be honest, you were a bit of a brat. I told him you were a bit stuck up, but of course that could have been the hormones.”
Charles rolled his eyes. Would he ever hear the end of this?
“Let’s see… Oh, we also talked about the carnival last night. Did you go? It was quite lovely.” Andrea tapped her bottom lip with an index finger. The cup that sat in front of her was almost empty. “Wait, how could I forget! Is it true that you two slept together?” Andrea leaned forward in the table, putting a hand up near her mouth as if to tell Charles a secret. Her tone had become hushed and her eyes widened to add to the dramatic effect.
“W-what?” Charles sputtered, almost dropping the cup of tea that sat in his hands. “Did he actually tell you that? Oh my god,” Shaking his head, Charles reluctantly set down the cup of coffee on the table and sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time. “It’s not exactly like I mind but isn’t that a bit too personal for a Monday morning…” Charles bit at his bottom lip, feeling the flush start to crawl from his cheeks and down his neck.
Sitting back into her chair, Andrea tilted her head. “Aha, so you did sleep with him! Henrik never actually told me that, but there was such a pure look of happiness in his eyes when we talked about you that I could only assume such a thing… Oh, Charlie, what have you got yourself involved in.” Although Andrea sounded disappointed, the grin that was plastered to her face betrayed her true feelings.
“Christ, you’re horrible.” Was all Charles could mutter before facing Andrea directly. “So? Are you absolutely horrified that your beloved cousin could actually do such a thing?”
“A bit. I’m a little traumatized, actually.” Andrea spoke cheerfully, going along with Charles’ now-joking demeanor. “Ah, but to be honest, I don’t mind. You two would be very cute together. But…” She trailed off, eyes cast off to the side as if avoiding Charles’ eye contact would somehow stop him from understanding what she wanted to say.
“I know, I know. There’s only two weeks left for me to stay here. I can’t possibly enter a relationship or anything. It’d be too inconvenient for me and I couldn’t do that to Henrik.” Charles had long accepted this truth, making it easier for the words to come out of his mouth than it would have been if he had not been thinking so much for the past few days.
Andrea downed the contents of her cup and shrugged. “At least you can accept this. If I were you, I’d visit him a bit more. It’s very obvious that you like this man a lot, Charlie. Do what makes you happy, all right?”
Before Charles could respond, Andrea had flagged down a waiter and was already asking for the bill. Once the waiter had come back with a receipt and the two fought it out over who would be paying, the pair of cousins left the cafe and began to walk their separate ways.
Although Charles had not planned what to do for the rest of the day, he now knew where he would be heading.
Chapter Eight
“Oh? Charlie? You’re quite early- the store has just opened.” Henrik stumbled out of the kitchen in a rush, wiping his dirtied hands onto his apron before looking back up at Charles. The businessman had just entered the bakery unannounced, although he had not realized that the store had just opened. Charles hoped that Henrik would not think that such an arrival was intentional, though he was sure Henrik was more than happy to see him come in.
“Please, take a seat. I know this isn’t a traditional place to sit down and eat but we still have menus for these sorts of occasions. Today is a bit slow so you can just be our honorary guest of the day!”
Henrik said this quite delightfully, clasping his hands together before making another beeline toward the area behind the counter to pull out a laminated sheet of paper. As he found Charles an
d placed it on the table he sat at, Henrik took a seat right across from him. It felt very reminiscent of their first meetings.
“Ah, I did not know you had so much on your menu. Serves me right for not coming in more often…” Charles furrowed his brows and stared intensely at the German words, trying his best to mouth them out before he spoke up and made a fool of himself. “C-carac…?”
“It’s all right, I should have given you a proper tour days ago. Oh, would you like a carac? It is similar to a sweet chocolate tart. You usually find these in Geneva but I couldn’t help but bring it back to Zurich. I love the taste of them- you simply must try it.”
Being more of an order than a suggestion, Henrik got up from his chair and headed back into the kitchen. Maria didn’t seem to be working, which only meant that Henrik would have to do the heavy lifting for the day. It was a bit endearing, watching as Henrik bustled from seat to seat, making sure that Charles was being treated like some sort of royalty. In a way, it made him feel bad. Charles wished to do something more useful with himself but didn’t seem to know how. After all, Charles’ expertise lay within the New York business sector- he had little to no knowledge of how to run a bakery.
Henrik came back before Charles could finish his own thoughts, placing a small china plate in front of him. On the plate was a simple tart with a mint green filling and chocolate dot in the middle. Charles hesitated for a moment, eyeing the pastry with doubt. It looked to be more on the minty side of things, one of Charles’ least favorite combinations of flavors.
“Don’t worry, it tastes purely like chocolate.” As if Henrik could read Charles’ thoughts, he picked up a knife and began to poke the top of the tart. “The green is fondant! The taste is a little dough-y, if you have not tried it before.”
“I see…” Charles muttered, still unsure of whether the taste would be as predictable as Henrik said it would. Choosing to trust the man next to him instead of doubting his words, Charles took a quick bite of the pastry. Almost surprisingly, the pastry tasted like a bittersweet chocolate, one that was harvested moments after its cocoa beans had turned ripe.