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Chapter 3: Huff and Puff

After the third egg he'd cracked split into a warm yellow puddle, Raeger gave up.

He'd come across a new technique for frying eggs the night before and he was eager to try it out, but the method wasn't working particularly well for him. Sunny side up was always his specialty, but today he'd botched every one.

The unfinished egg slipped lifelessly into the garbage can he kept near his stovetop. Normally he'd finish them anyway, make them scrambled or turn them into an omelette, anything rather that waste product, but what was the point if there was no one here to eat with him?

Raeger clicked the stove off. Maya was usually his first visitor on his days off, so even though he had grown accustomed to eating cereal on those mornings to give himself a break, he'd taken to cooking full meals again so they could share. Today though, Maya was nowhere to be found.

It wasn't her fault, of course. She'd informed Raeger with plenty of time that she wouldn't be around until the afternoon, but he was disappointed nonetheless. The young farmer had plans to meet up with Klaus after all, and he could hardly blame her for jumping at a second chance to set things on the proper course with her love.

His mouth twisted into a frown, an uncomfortable knot forming in his stomach. Damnit, this crush on Maya was getting out of control. Raeger had never felt jealousy before, but he was most certainly feeling it now.

Maybe he should spend some time with Iris, see what-

"No," Raeger spat, fiercely shaking his head. He wouldn't go down that road again, not as long as he maintained some semblance of sanity. Iris was just beginning to come around him again after their horribly messy break up, and Raeger had finally stopped thinking about her every time he closed his eyes. If he opened that can of worms again, he may not be able to close it.

Or, maybe it wouldn't be as difficult as he thought.

It was true that Iris was Raeger's first love, and he'd convinced himself he'd never love anyone like he'd loved her. But was that true anymore? The thought of Iris used to make his stomach churn… now he barely thought about her at all, and when he did he felt… well, next to nothing.

Maybe he'd open the restaurant today after all, if he moped around all day he was sure to think far too hard about this.

Did he love Iris anymore? Did he ever love her? What about Maya? Did he love her?

Raeger was beginning to think that the answer, to the first to questions at least, was a loud and resounding 'no'.

"That may not be such a good thing," he sighed aloud, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. Maya's last text to him was still flashing across the screen, the punchline to some terrible joke she'd thought of in the shower. Raeger laughed in spite of himself, his smile pained as his heart thumped.

This was bad, he decided, very bad indeed.

.

Six hours.

Klaus had been bent over his desk for nearly six hours now according to the text she'd received this morning, toiling away at several of the orders he had to fill. Summer was a busy season for perfuming, with all the fresh and diverse ingredients, and Maya suspected it wasn't easy for him to invite her to spend time at his house. She'd offered to reschedule for another day, but that suggestion had been unsuccessful.

According to his message, Klaus hadn't seen anyone all day- he'd told Iris that he was spending the day working, so she hadn't bothered to come by. Marian had a full day at the clinic, and would only be getting a break around now, so he hadn't come by either. Maya's visit would be the first, and she couldn't stop the smile that sprang to her lips at the thought.

Still, she tried not to get her hopes up. Maya had come to understand that Klaus was a gentleman through and through; his exceedingly nice gestures and sweet demeanor were nothing special that he dedicated to her, it was simply him. As sweet as he was, the situation continued to frustrate Maya. It made determining his intentions significantly harder than it needed to be.

Despite that, she couldn't ignore the flutter of her heart as she approached his door.

Her strange, unprovoked guilt from the night before had finally subsided, and a bubble of excitement erupted in its place. She was nervous too of course, but that would pass.

She hoped.

Maya was never usually so unsure of herself. She'd had a handful of boyfriends in the city, and all of them had been fun, relaxed relationships that ended on relatively good terms. She knew she was lucky for that, but it still didn't explain why she was so torn up over her feelings now. It was maddening.

Lost in thought, Maya nearly let herself into Klaus's house without knocking.

She jerked her hand back in surprise, mentally chastising herself. Maya was nervous, sure, but she wasn't usually so thoughtless. Luckily, no one had seen her slip up and she'd caught it before actually turning the knob. With a slight blush, she raised her fist and rapped lightly on the wood.

"Come in!"

The door creaked open, revealing a still very hard at work perfumer bent uncomfortably over his desk.

"Morning!" Maya chirped, easing her way into Klaus's small house. She looked different today, she knew, with a much lighter dress than she normally wore- it was a sundress that she'd dug out of the depths of her closet for a much-needed change of pace. Klaus looked her up and down with a gentle smile.

"Well, don't you look lovely," he complimented, pushing back his chair and stretching.

Maya blushed, she'd chosen this dress with him in mind. "Thank you," she murmured, taking a quick look around.

Klaus's desk was cluttered with all manner of supplies and half-finished bottles; it certainly didn't look like he was prepared for visitors. She frowned in concern, "Are you still busy?"

"I'm just finishing up here," He told her, gesturing to his desk. Maya peeked at the project in front of him but was trying to be subtle about prying. Klaus chuckled at her, giving her the impression that she'd failed miserably. "I'll be with you in a minute. Please, make yourself comfortable."

Maya flashed him a smile and nodded, shuffling over to one of the couches he kept in the main room of the house.

She'd only been inside Klaus's home a few times before. It was exactly what she would've expected his house to look like- antiqued, a little dusty, and full of interesting scents. Maya could recognise a few of them- cinnamon, mint, rose, strawberry- but many were mixed together in an amalgamation of smells that were impossible to pick apart.

On top of the obvious, Klaus also seemed to be a bit of a collector- or hoarder, as Maya had heard Marian observe a few times. His shelves were lined with a number of strange artifacts that she couldn't place; statues of foreign animals and people, vases with painted depictions of vicious battles and important events, many of which looked to be incredibly old. She made a mental note to ask about them later.

All in all, Klaus's house was small, but comfortable.

Klaus returned to his work for only a few moments, long enough to clean the ridiculous mess he'd made for himself as Maya watched. When he was engulfed in creating as he was that morning, organization rarely took a front seat, as he made very clear to her on many occasions. Maya always thought it was cute that such a refined man could be so messy.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," He announced apologetically, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. Maya noted the faint line of shadow sprouting along his chin. That was odd, he was normally so clean-shaven. Not that she particularly minded of course; it suited him. "Work kept me a bit longer than anticipated. I hope that's alright?"

"Of course," She answered easily, sliding to the other side of the couch in case he wanted to sit down. He did, though he perched far enough away from her that Maya worried she would have to yell to be heard. She suppressed a smile. "I'm just happy you invited me over. I was worried when I didn't see you at the river yesterday."

"Worried?" he quirked an eyebrow, "whatever about?"

A wave of embarrassment flooded through her, but she answered anyway.

"I thought you might be mad at me," she felt silly saying it aloud, but it was the truth. "After the Flower Fair, you seemed a little off. I thought I might've done something to upset you."

The silence following her words was deafening.

Klaus bit his bottom lip, chewing thoughtfully as her stomach dropped to the floor. When she'd asked, she hadn't actually expected him to confirm her suspicions. Maya slid her eyes away from the perfumer, staring hard at the wooden floor instead.

Marian had confirmed it, Maya had suspected it, and now Klaus was practically saying it. Somehow, the latter was the hardest to take, but Maya couldn't deny it now. She'd done something wrong by giving him that sketchbook, and now she had to deal with it.

Some date this was turning out to be.

A sudden shock of nerves made Maya squirm as the silence dragged. She wanted to be anywhere but here, their pseudo date more than ruined. The urge to run was nearly overwhelming. She was running through an extensive list of excuses when Klaus finally dispelled the quiet.

"I'm not mad at you," Klaus promised her, his voice gentle and soothing. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I haven't been myself lately."

His tone was hesitant, as though it held double-meaning, but Maya was too upset to try and decipher it. She took a deep breath as subtly as she could, steadying herself.

He wasn't mad at her. But he hadn't denied that she'd done something to upset him either.

Knowing Klaus, he was too much of a gentleman to say it outright, but the atmosphere was heavy with unspoken words. Maya chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to collect her thoughts before replying. The urge to turn tail and run was weighty and alive, but she forced herself to stay seated.

Klaus had invited her over here to spend time with her, he wouldn't have done that simply to dismiss her and ask her to leave. Whatever she was feeling, whatever her chances with him were going forward, she could figure it out later when he wasn't sitting next to her. Maya summoned her energy, plastering a smile on her lips.

"Well that's a relief," she laughed, ignoring the aching in her heart. "I missed you this morning. It was pretty boring out there by myself."

"I would think Fritz is enough entertainment to fight even the more stubborn case of boredom," Klaus chuckled. Fritz didn't frequent the river in the same way Klaus and Maya did, but he was often passing by on particularly sunny days like this one. On the first day of Summer, he was almost definitely splashing around in the crystal-clear water. Maya giggled, her hand coming up to hide her laughter and praying she didn't sound as fake as she felt.

"Fritz can be a bit…" She paused, struggling to come up with the right word. Her mind was on a delay, as if her thoughts were moving through a thick fog.

"Annoying? Oh-!" Klaus slapped his own hand to his mouth, a blush colouring his cheeks. "I didn't mean to say that, that was rude."

But Maya's laughter had broken through her hands, "No, no, that's exactly it!" She chuckled, offering him a supportive smile and feeling a little encouraged. Even in this mood, Klaus had an ability to cheer her with the simplest of things. "My ability to handle Fritz has a daily limit. I much prefer your company."

Klaus looked as though she'd confessed to him, his wide eyes blinking in shock as a faint blush coloured his cheeks, surprising her.

Maybe she'd jumped the gun a little after all.

While a dark cloud clung to the back of her mind, Klaus had never reacted to her so openly before, and it was exciting. She didn't understand what had happened the other day, and maybe she never would, but perhaps it wasn't as terminal as she'd thought it to be only moments ago.

"Why on earth would you be happy just to see an old fool like me?" He stuttered a laugh, but his nerves shone through the cracks in his tone.

"What, you're not happy just to see a 'foolish' girl like me?" Maya teased him, though a note of genuine worry flit across her eyes. She hadn't been this blatant with her flirting before, and it almost didn't feel right. To her dismay, some of the ungrounded guilt she'd felt yesterday began to creep along her spine.

Klaus recognised her worry, placing his hand gently atop her knee and praying he wasn't overstepping, saying sincerely, "Of course I am. I always enjoy your presence, Maya."

Her expression mirrored his then, shocked at the honesty Klaus was displaying. He'd never said anything like that to her before, and while it made her heart skip, it also made her even more nervous. But, to Klaus's obvious relief, she didn't pull away from his touch.

"Then maybe we should spend some more time together," Maya smiled, struggling with the words as they left her lips. She ignored the guilt as best she could, treading carefully into this new territory. "Since we both seem to enjoy it so much."

It sounded like something she would say to Raeger, not to Klaus, and the odd sense of discomfort that she felt amplified to a wriggling anxiety. What the hell was the matter with her? Why did this feel so wrong? As she began to reel, Klaus's words tore her abruptly from her reverie.

"I'm not sure you should be saying such things."

Klaus's voice was low, barely above a whisper, and it drew Maya's attention with a start. Why was he speaking like that? Klaus's normally polite vibrato was now scratchy and almost… dangerous?

The sudden shift in demeanor made her pause- maybe she wasn't the only one feeling as though things were a little off.

"Why not?" She asked innocently, hoping to backtrack as quickly as possible. This wasn't how she'd expected the day to go- if she worked fast, maybe she could dispel the atmosphere, save their time together. Even with that thought in mind, Maya wanted desperately to leave.

Klaus raised his hand from her knee, instead placing a finger beneath her chin and tilting her head upwards to look him directly in the eye. Maya jumped- he'd never been so liberal with her before.

"Phrases like those can give some men…" His gaze drifted to her lips, making Maya's heart skip. "…ideas. If you blithely say these things to every man you meet, then someday you may very well be caught by a big... bad… wolf."

Maya's breath hitched. He'd been leaning towards her, his eyes on her mouth all the while, and it wasn't difficult to guess what he'd been thinking. His words had left him almost absently, a string of thoughts drifting from his tongue. Maya froze, her mind going completely blank.

"I…" she began, her voice trembling. His proximity unbalanced her; unease was coursing through her body, making her stomach churn. What on earth was he talking about? And why did it make her so uncomfortable? "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

All at once Klaus seemed to realise how he was acting. He dropped his hand from Maya's chin and pulled away so abruptly it nearly knocked him off balance.

"My apologies, Maya," A blush was clawing to the surface of his cheeks, but he viciously fought it down. "After a long day of work, my tongue gets far more loose than is proper. I'll have to work on that."

Maya blinked up at him, her own cheeks pinked and her eyes wide. She straightened slowly, still waiting for him to elaborate, although she was fairly sure she knew exactly what had been going through his mind.

He'd been thinking about kissing her, and it was the last thing she wanted.

"I only meant that you should take great care with your words," Klaus rambled, running a hand through his dark hair. "Luckily, I have some scruples left, but a less honourable man may not have… erm, stopped. Making such statements to young men runs the risk of stringing them along, and I would hate for you to be caught in a compromising position."

Maya listened patiently, her expression blank but her mind whirling.

"Do you understand now?" He pressed on, wanting nothing more than to erase this conversation from his memory. He suspected Maya wanted the same. "Promise me you'll try to be more careful from now on."

She nodded, fiddling with the fabric of her skirt until her knuckles turned white. "I understand, and I promise. I'm sorry too, Klaus. I didn't mean to-"

He adamantly shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it. I was simply being my foolish old self. That being said, I do have a lot of work left to do. So perhaps it's time you head home."

Perhaps he was right.

Maya gathered herself as best she could, standing on wobbling knees.

"I think that's a good idea," she smiled, her lips strained. She could tell that her agreement hurt him, but she was numb to it. Every cell in her body was electrified, leaving her skin tingling in the most unpleasant of ways. "I'll… see you soon, won't I?"

Klaus nodded absently, barely paying attention to her. Maya gulped down the hard lump in her throat, taking long strides to shorten the time it took her to escape.

With the door safely shut behind her, Maya's breath rushed from her lungs in a painful whoosh. She stumbled, gripping the nearby fencepost for balance.

Klaus had nearly kissed her. And she hadn't wanted him to at all.

Her legs shaking, Maya began to walk towards town, unsure of where she was heading. This was a turn of events that she wasn't expecting, and now she didn't know what to think.

For weeks she'd been dreaming of the moment when Klaus would kiss her. It had been on her mind almost constantly, consuming her every thought while she was with him. She'd been flirting with him, leaning into the upcoming kiss with apparent enthusiasm, and when it was finally going to happen-

What, exactly, happened?

It was as though a strong flight instinct had taken over her, inducing panic that clawed at her throat. Why? After all this time, all this work, Maya finally had a chance to make a move, or at least make progress, and she'd bailed. Hard.

Tears pinpricked the backs of her eyes. What was wrong with her? She'd ruined any chance she was ever going to have of pursuing Klaus, and it was entirely her fault. Her brain felt clouded and swirled, like cotton had been shoved unceremoniously in her ears until she was filled to the brim. She certainly wasn't herself, and now she'd messed everything up.

Eda was wrong. Letting things run their course can't possibly be the way to go.

Maya wasn't sure exactly how she'd ended up at Raeger's restaurant, but the sight of the copper-haired chef standing there unleashed a faucet of emotions. Relief, anger, sadness, fear, need, everything coursed through her with reckless abandon, spilling out through her eyes in the form of massive, trembling tears.

Raeger looked up with a smile as he heard the bell chime, smiled wider when he recognized Maya, and immediately began to panic when he saw her face.

"Maya?" His expression fell into a deeply concerned frown, dropping the tray of dirty dishes he'd been carrying. In three strides he was in front of her, his palms gently gripping her arms. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Maya bit her lip, trying to quell her sobs. Customers were looking at her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Wasn't the restaurant supposed to be closed today anyway? She shook her head, unable to explain any further.

Raeger furrowed his brow, thinking as hard as he could. Was it something with her farm? Hanako? Eda? Did Marian say something? He was drawing far too many blanks, his own frustration building in his stomach-

Wait.

Maya's date with Klaus was today.

He'd been thinking about it for hours, and yet the sight of Maya's distress pushed it from his mind entirely. Maya had been with Klaus, at his invitation, and then she'd turned up at the restaurant like this.

"Did Klaus do something to you?" Raeger asked, his voice hard and quiet. He wasn't sure what emotion was tickling the back of his throat, but it wasn't pleasant. When Maya hesitated to answer, a spark of white-hot anger exploded behind his eyes.

"It's fine," Maya hiccupped, feeling the sudden tensing in Raeger's grip. "He didn't... it's not like that."

Her words calmed Raeger's racing heart, but only enough to keep him firmly in the restaurant. Without realising it, he'd had every intention of marching over to the perfumer's house and- and- well he wasn't sure exactly what he was planning to do but-

"Please."

Maya's whimper met his ears, and Raeger returned his eyes to hers. She was silently pleading with him- don't ask, don't try to fix it, just make the pain go away. Her sparkling eyes wavered, and he knew he couldn't leave her. Not even to stand up for her.

Raeger pulled Maya into his arms, holding her as she cried out her frustrations. He wasn't sure what had happened, but for now it didn't matter. Realising they were still in full view of the restaurant guests, Raeger guided Maya gently to the stairwell and embraced her as tightly as he dared, rubbing soothing circles on her back with his palm.

"It's okay," he whispered, resting his cheek on the top of her head. Maya's fingers twisted in Raeger's shirt, crying as hard as she could without making a sound. "I'm right here Love Bug, you're gonna be okay."

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