The Pie maker was on his way back to the Pie Hole when suddenly he stopped. For through the window, what he thought were two random lovers were not so random at all. In fact, in his favorite booth, by his favorite window sat his beloved Chuck and an unknown man. An unknown man who looked at Chuck in a way that the Pie-maker did not enjoy. The man then reached out to touch Chuck's hand. This was something he could not provide her with, physical contact. He thought his love was enough, but suddenly he felt as though he was drowning in doubt. The Pie-maker then removed himself from Chuck's line of vision. He ran towards his apartment unaware that Chuck had already noticed him.
"I am so very sorry for your loss." Chuck said.
"I just want to thank you, and Emerson for all your help in my wife's case." the man said gratefully.
He was gracious and kind, a few years older than Chuck, but not too many. He sat straightened with his short cropped, dark blonde, hair and glowing green eyes. He dressed neatly and in warm colors, representative of his warm nature. Any woman would have been clay in his hands, but Chuck had eyes for only one.
"Of course, we just wanted justice to be well served." She smiled.
The man reached out and held Chuck's hand as a way to thank her without using words. Her first thought was to pull her hand back. Her second thought was how nice it was to have a hand to hold. She closed her eyes, imagining for a single second that it was the hand of the Pie-maker.
In the moment her eyes had opened, she had seen the Pie-maker, outside of the window with a look of confusion and disdain. With a single blink he had disappeared from sight.
She squirmed nervously and visibly tensed as her mind raced with unthinkable thoughts.
"Ugh..I'm sorry I have to go. But thank you for...the pie" She said, quickly stealing her hand out of his grasp and making her way out of the booth, stumbling awkwardly as she did so.
"Are you sure?" The man said.
"Yes, I'm so sorry. I really have to go." She spread her hands over her floral dress, as to flatten out the wrinkles and made her way towards the door.
She left the Pie Hole and ran, knowing exactly where her beloved Ned was headed: home.
Chuck banged on the door, fists clenched and heart racing.
"Ned, please let me in." She pleaded. She knew exactly how his mind worked, and she needed to set things straight.
The door suddenly opened.
"Ned..I" She was abruptly cut off.
"What was that? Who was he? Why were you holding his hand?" Ned spoke with a frantic and firm tone.
"Maybe you could give me a minute to explain. He is a client of Emerson's who was in need of someone to talk to. He held my hand for support while he was discussing the death of his late wife. In fact, if you must know, while I was holding his hand I was imagining it was yours"
She released a breath, thankful that she was able to explain. Ned however, was still not at ease.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" He said, anger still in his words.
"Well.. kinda! In my mind, it was you. In my mind I was holding your hand, and if only for a second I could imagine that I was able to touch you; I'm sorry but I'm going to enjoy that moment. He was only a proxy." She felt that he was being absurd, and she was growing impatient with his child-like jealousy.
"Yes, but it's the proxy that I'm worried about." His anger was dissipating,but he was still unnerved.
"You're being ridiculous! Making a mountain out of a mole hill." She gestured her hand towards the inside of his apartment, a silent way to tell him to let her in. He obliged, and she moved towards the kitchen. She turned around to face him again, hands on her hips.
"I never liked that saying." His right hand lifted to the back of his neck.
"Well none the less it's what you're doing, so knock it off!"
"I know, I know" He smiled guiltily realizing his foolishness.
"I love you" She said with a smile that reached her eyes. The Pie-maker would never grow tired of seeing her smile, nor the way her whole face lit up when she did so.
"I know" He said, sorry for his behavior of the past few minutes.
The look in Chucks eyes convinced the Pie-maker of her sincerity, but still left him feeling as though something was missing. More so, he felt that he was holding the girl he loved back from the life that she deserved. It was a feeling that in the moment he decided to ignore, but a feeling that none the less would not be ignored forever.
Olive Snook worked the same job everyday in a similar fashion with a similar smile. She served pies and dreamed of a life with the man who made them. These dreams always seemed out of reach, or so she thought. What Olive perceived to be an unrequited love, was in-fact slightly shared, but never spoken. She gazed out the window reminiscing in that moment, dangling from a cliff; the moment when perception changed and gravity had been defied. Olive Snook had learned three things that night. The first being that, when someone says "dead end", it could be because they actually mean they are coming upon a dead end. Second, without her naturally clingy nature, Olive Snook would have never been able have heard the the third fact. Ned, the man she had yearned for what felt like a lifetime, had in-fact, at some point, gazed upon her with the same affection as she did him. Her mind told her that nothing would occur between them as long as he loved another, but her heart continued to hold on just a little bit longer.
The Pie-Maker stared restlessly at his ceiling. It was late but he couldn't sleep. He knew that the situation he had witnessed earlier had been nothing, but it lingered in his mind. He kicked his legs out, stretched his arms, and craned his neck. Nothing would release the amount of tension that had been building slowly for the past few hours. He turned over and looked on the floor at the large lump of copper fur curled up in a ball. At hearing the sound of his masters voice, he slowly lifted his head and looked at his face in the darkness.
"What if she is missing out on everything because of me? What if there is someone out there who could offer her everything that I can't, a normal life. I love her, but I need to be sure that I'm not holding her back. This is confusing, and you, you have no clue what I'm talking about. I wish I were a dog right now, so much simplicity, no need to worry. So no words of advice?"
Digby tilted his head and whimpered unable to comprehend what his master needed in that moment. He simply played back into the position he had woken from and drifted back to sleep. The Pie-maker envied his ability to rest.
"Look at me I'm talking to a dog and half expecting him to answer." Ned said.
The Pie-maker knew deep down that he did not need an answer from anyone else. He understood that , although he loved Chuck and she loved him, there were some things he would never be able to provide her with. He understood that it would be unfair to keep her from experiencing a normal relationship. One with intimacy that he could never provide. One with the prospect of children perhaps. One where she could share a living space with her significant other without faring for her life if she were to bump into him.
There was no changing his mind. He was not excited about the day that was to come. Tears, that he had been holding back, began to release into his pillow. After hours of waiting, sleep finally greeted him and welcomed him into it's waiting embrace. His dreams that night were bitter sweet.
Morning had broken, The Pie-maker entered the kitchen and stopped. He took in the picture of Chuck preparing coffee and making her breakfast. She was beautiful, she was amazing, she was his, but not for long.
"Good morning" She said with a cheeky smile.
"Morning" He said, dreading what was to come next. A weak smile presented on his face as he took a seat at the kitchen table.
"I made coffee, and ohh, I thought today we could go over to Emerson's and.."
"Chuck" He said as he felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach.
"Yes?" She asked, concerned with the serious tones in his voice.
"We need to talk"