Hello everyone, and welcome back!
We're going to slow it down a little bit this chapter and spend some time getting to know what everyone is thinking.
Chapter 6: Conflict
"I promise you, I'm not usually this terrible in the kitchen."
Corona's laughing remark triggered a series of stories that centered around failed baking projects, of which both she and Maya had plenty. Maya was just finishing an animated retelling of the time she'd substituted an entire bottle of prosecco for the wet ingredients in a chocolate fudge cake when the oven timer interrupted her big finish.
"Oh, let me get that quickly." Corona rushed to the stove, slipped on her oven mitts, and produced what appeared to be a perfectly acceptable cake.
The two women were spending the day together while Gunther was out on a job. Corona decided that this year she was going to bake Gunther's birthday cake and cater his party by herself, inspired by Maya's plans for Raeger's birthday the next night.
"I hope it turned out okay," Maya added, coming up behind Corona to have a look. Gunther liked sweet things, but he'd been trying to watch his figure as of late, so Corona resolved to compromise with an angel food cake topped with strawberries. Maya attempted to point out that adding fruit wasn't much of a compromise if he still ate the cake, but Corona dismissed her concerns.
"The last one was a bit too hard," Corona hummed, pursing her lips. The failed cakes that the women previously made were piled up on the counter, with no intended purpose other than to be discreetly thrown out when the opportunity arose. "I think this one already looks promising."
Maya agreed. She wasn't as baking challenged as Corona was on occasion, but she'd been nervous enough about Raeger's birthday to accept Corona's invitation to practise.
After Iris left the restaurant the other day, Maya got to talking with the other guests. One offhandedly mentioned that Raeger's birthday was coming up, and Maya immediately jumped on the opportunity. She loved birthdays, always had, and she was more than excited to celebrate Raeger's. Especially considering how little he usually celebrated it, judging by the few comments he'd made to her after she berated him for not telling her when it was.
'What? Oh yeah, I guess it is soon, isn't it?'
Maya couldn't stand his nonchalance and immediately changed the subject, choosing not to mention her already forming plan.
And so began a rushed party planning endeavor, ending with a perfectly baked cake. Once Maya and Corona nailed down the correct balance of ingredients, they began experimenting with flavours.
"I'm sure Gunther will love it," Maya squeezed Corona's shoulder encouragingly. Raeger's cake was already finished, cooling on a rack near the stove. Maya had determined what kind she was going to bake almost immediately, when the idea to throw him a party had struck her.
It was a butterscotch cake with whipped brown butter frosting, caramel drizzle, and walnuts for garnish. It was by far the most lavish cake she'd ever made, but she'd be way too nervous to present a chef like Raeger with something as simple as chocolate.
The cake was bare for the moment, still too warm to add the frosting. So, in the meantime Maya prepared to help Corona, who was contemplating the use of meringue.
"What do you think?" She pursed her lips, sizing up the angel food cake. It was still in the pan, the carpenter's wife hesitant to flip it over. Cake number four stuck to the pan pretty badly, coming apart in clumps. "You spend more time with Raeger than anyone, I trust your palate."
"I haven't picked up that much from him," Maya laughed, pausing to think anyway. "Meringue would be fine, but I think whipped cream would be better. You could even flavour it."
Corona smacked her fist into her open palm, an excited squeak coming from her throat.
"That's a wonderful idea!" She agreed, moving to the fridge to look for cream. Maya watched on in amusement, picking up a cloth to begin cleaning up after their baking adventure.
"Does Raeger know about the party?" Corona asked, her face just out of view behind the fridge door.
"No, not yet." Maya started to fill the sink, squirting a generous stream of dish liquid into the hot water. "I actually managed to keep something from him for once."
Corona laughed, finally emerging with a carton of cream and a bottle of lemon juice. Maya opened her mouth to comment on that, but thought better of it. "He's pretty observant when it comes to you," Corona winked, nearly dropping the carton. "I think he likes you."
Maya choked out a laugh, scraping some crumbs out of a circular cake pan before dropping it into the filling sink.
"You and everyone else in town," Maya dismissed nervously, praying that the conversation would end there. She'd been too confused as of late to have an intelligent discussion about anyone's feelings, especially Raeger's, and especially now following Iris's revelation at the restaurant.
Unfortunately for her, Corona caught the hesitation in Maya's tone. She frowned, pausing in her measurements to catch the young farmer's eye.
"Is everything okay, honey?" Corona prodded, placing her palm gently against Maya's arm. "It's like the wind just got knocked right out of you."
Maya thought about lying. She knew nothing for certain, and confessing to Corona, who already knew of her feelings for Klaus, could make things that much more complicated. But seeing the concern in the other woman's eyes, the kindness in her smile, Maya just couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Not really," she sighed, dunking the cloth in the dishwater to wet it. "Not at all, actually."
"What's wrong?" Corona resumed her measurements, just a bit more quietly than she had been before. "Is Klaus still texting you?"
Yes, as a matter of fact, he was. For the last few days Klaus had been trying to connect with her again, and Maya had been decidedly dismissive. She wasn't trying to be rude, she just wasn't sure how to act around him anymore. Not after the other day. But that wasn't what was bothering her now.
Maya shook her head.
"It's not Klaus. Well, not totally Klaus I guess," she amended, scrubbing some stubborn crumbs. "It's more me. I've been having some… new thoughts."
"Oh?" Corona raised an eyebrow curiously. "What kinds of new thoughts?"
Maya explained, as best as she could, everything she'd been feeling about the events of the last week or so. Corona listened intently to everything, a thoughtful frown on her lips.
"It's so strange," Maya huffed, another pan clanging into the second sink to dry. "Whenever I was around Klaus, I got butterflies, I blushed, I stumbled over my words, and now... I hardly ever think about him anymore! I'm always texting Raeger, or hanging out with Raeger, or thinking about Raeger. It's driving me insane!"
"And what Eda said didn't help at all?" Corona fought back a smile. As painful as she was sure it was, Maya was adorable in her confusion.
"No," Maya sighed, pulling the plug with a violent yank. "I mean, I understand you can like more than one person at a time. And as much as I hate to admit it, that's probably what's happening here."
"Then what's the problem?" Corona furrowed her brow, wondering at the sour smell that hit her nose after she added the lemon juice to the cream. "You have feelings for both Klaus, and Raeger. That's hardly unnatural."
"But which one do I have more feelings for?" Maya spun around, falling back against the counter. That had been the true problem, the one she had trouble admitting to herself. But after explaining her thoughts to Corona, and hearing them out loud herself, it was impossible to deny. Raeger had wormed his way into Maya's heart.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Corona laughed, proceeding to mix the cream with her handheld beater anyway. "That's something you have to figure out for yourself."
"That's kind of the problem, isn't it?" Maya pouted. "I don't know. I was so sure I wanted to be with Klaus, but now…"
Corona mixed steadily, letting Maya work through her sentiment.
The thought of abandoning Raeger filled her with sadness. Maya wasn't sure she'd be able to do it, if faced with the decision. But the opposite was also true; Klaus was may not be the sole person in her heart anymore, but he was definitely still there.
"I think you're just going to have to let this run its course, unfortunately." Corona shrugged sympathetically. "One of these crushes is bigger than the other. If you can't figure out which one right now, then you'll just have to wait a little bit longer."
Maya groaned. Cleaning the dishes had given her just enough room to begin mixing her own frosting and caramel sauce, so she set about gathering the ingredients.
"And if I do pick Raeger?" Maya continued, "Then what? No one says he likes me like that. And then there's Iris."
Maya heard Corona sigh, her breath weary as though she'd been waiting for that complication.
"Iris and Raeger had their chance," Corona insisted, whipping the cream with intensified vigor, "if you like him, and he likes you, she'll get over it. You deserve to be happy too, Maya."
"This just had to happen, didn't it?" She complained, fumbling with a measuring cup. "Nothing in my life can every be simple, can it?"
Corona laughed, tasting the lemon whipped cream with her finger. She pulled a face, discreetly moving to toss it.
"You'll figure it out," she comforted, earning a begrudging smile from Maya. "In the meantime, let's focus on making sure Raeger has a great birthday, alright?"
"What about Gunther?" Maya nodded to the cooling angel food cake on the counter. Corona shrugged again, pushing the hot pan aside with an oven mitt.
"He's had more birthdays than Raeger," she joked, handing Maya the sugar. "Your job is more important than mine at the moment."
.
She was definitely lying to him, Marian was sure of it now.
Klaus had been humoring him, fulfilling his random text requests in spite of his reservations. He'd done it enough times now, both when Raeger was present and when he wasn't, to know that something was up. Maya didn't want Raeger to know when Klaus was contacting her. Whether she was doing it on purpose or not was an entirely different matter.
Marian sighed. The clinic had been slow that day, slower than normal. He had way too much time to think, and that was always dangerous. At least according to Klaus.
The perfumer popped into Marian's head, infuriating him further. When he'd returned from his visit with Iris yesterday, he'd been different. He was smiling like he knew something Marian didn't, and he hated that. No one ever knew more than him, and he wasn't about to let that change now.
Marian was almost positive that Maya was developing feelings for Raeger. It was difficult not to, with his charming personality and attractive features. Marian had spent enough time stealing his own glances when he could, so he hardly blamed Maya for her infatuation.
But what would come of it?
The entire town had thought that Iris was going to be the one to lock Raeger down. The two were together far longer than any of Raeger's other relationships, and the outlook was promising. They clearly cared for each other, more than simple dating required, and for a while it was accepted that they were the new couple.
Marian never believed it though.
He had a sort of sixth sense for these things. While everyone was cooing over what Raeger and Iris's children would look like, Marian was making his predictions on when they would break up. He knew that Raeger wasn't done just yet, and neither was Iris, and it was only a matter of time before he was proved right.
The sudden break up that shocked the town had barely made a dent in Marian's day.
Raeger only dated a few times since his breakup with Iris, and none of them had been promising prospects. Marian barely gave them a second thought. But Maya… now that could be interesting.
"Interesting indeed."
Angela had left for the day, so Marian spoke aloud with little fear. Klaus would be by in about an hour, but he'd walked in on Marian talking to himself many a time during their college days.
Klaus. He made things even more interesting.
Marian felt for his friend. The first woman he'd had feelings for in years and she was nearly ten years his minor, and now perhaps developing feelings for someone else. It was tragic, really. Klaus deserved happiness that he wasn't willing to pursue, so Marian generally took it upon himself to push in his stead.
This time though he wasn't sure if he should, and not just because of the incident at Klaus's house.
As much as it pained him to realise that Maya's heart had split, it would be far worse to pressure her to choose Klaus only to find that she was bitterly unhappy with the decision. Klaus would blame himself, and Marian would be right back at square one.
If only his friend had listened to him about Iris.
It was an age-old argument. Marian was convinced that Iris would be the perfect match for Klaus, but the stubborn perfumer refused. Something about how he didn't deserve to be with anyone, let alone someone as perfect and beautiful as Iris. Hogwash, in Marian's opinion. Klaus was complicated, sure, but he was far from beyond redemption.
Marian pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. If he was this confused, he could only imagine what Maya was feeling. He knew that if she were to choose Raeger, Klaus would happily step aside. It was in his nature. As a matter of fact, he would likely be relieved that she'd picked someone better for her than he was.
And maybe he was right.
Suddenly Marian was very much looking forward to Raeger's birthday party tomorrow. He needed to see Maya interacting with both Klaus and the man of the hour, and then he would be able to decide what team he was on.
If Klaus knew what he was thinking, he would probably be crucified. Marian fixed his mouth in a wry smile; gossip and drama were two of his most valuable skills, and he absolutely lived for scandals. Klaus would just have to accept that.
Besides, he was almost always right.
.
Raeger had a headache.
He didn't get them often, but when he did they were usually powerful and struck him with a wicked vengeance. Today was no exception; he wandered around the restaurant feeling like a hot knife had been shoved into his forehead.
Why did this have to happen now?
The restaurant was empty, Raeger already having closed for the night. It was a little earlier than normal, but he couldn't stand the pain anymore. His last customers had been Melanie and Lutz who, while charming on most days, set his teeth on edge. After they'd finished their ice cream, he quickly closed up shop.
I know I have some pain medication here somewhere.
Raeger winced as his boots stomped up the stairs, carrying his tired body less than gracefully to his bathroom. Shampoo bottles, cologne, toothpaste tubes, and various clusters of garbage cluttered the tiny room, but Raeger couldn't be bothered to clean it. Maya wasn't coming over today, so no one would be in there but him.
A wry smile fought its way to the surface of his lips. Raeger remembered thinking similar things when he was dating Iris; if she would be over that night, he would clean. He dismissed the thought as quickly as it came to him, unable to spare the mental capacity to worry over that tonight.
Iris had thrown him for a loop yesterday. She hadn't called him 'Chef' since they broke up, and he still wasn't sure how it made him feel.
Raeger yanked open a drawer on the vanity, rummaging through various cold and flu medications, dental floss, and combs. At last his fingers brushed a bottle of ibuprofen, and he plucked it out of the mess with renewed vigour.
Raeger was used to taking care of himself. His mother, bless her, had tried her hardest to make things work when she moved her and her son to Oak Tree. Raeger was young, but he knew that things weren't as peachy as she led him to believe, so he did everything in his power not to make a fuss for her or his grandfather. That often meant he would hide his ailments from others, healing himself when no one was looking.
The last time Iris called him Chef, he'd gotten angry. Well, perhaps angry wasn't the right word. He'd been upset, and unable to look at her for the rest of the day. He couldn't even pretend he was alright, let alone be himself with her. Yesterday hadn't been nearly that bad, thank Goddess, but he wasn't sure why.
A swig of water washed the pills down his throat, and then Raeger collapsed on his bed. He didn't remember the last time someone looked after him while he was ill, so he had trouble missing the sensation. Even still, every now and again the urge to be soothed overtook him, and he longed for the warmth of someone's hand against his flushed skin.
An image of Maya's face flashed before his eyes.
Raeger groaned. He couldn't very well call her and ask her to come look after him, how pathetic would that be? Besides, a headache was generally the first sign that he was getting sick, and Raeger didn't want to pass that on to Maya if he could help it.
Despite that, the thought of her hanging around, comforting him, taking care of him, was nice. Raeger had never wanted that kind of attention from anyone, but he wasn't sure if that was true now.
Buzz!
When had he closed his eyes? Opening them, Raeger glanced at his illuminated phone screen, smiling in spite of himself at the name he saw there.
What's up, Love Bug? He typed, already cheered by Maya's simple hello. It wasn't long before he'd received a reply, reminding him of their plans the following day.
It's your birthday after all!
His birthday. Raeger had nearly forgotten all about it.
He didn't generally celebrate much, outside of using the occasion as an excuse to pick up girls in the city. Raeger usually spent his birthday at the restaurant, accepting well wishes as he served his customers. Tomorrow, however, Maya had other ideas.
How could I forget? He added a winking smile to the message and sent it off, a sudden worry taking root in his stomach. Headaches were an early sign for him, but what if he got sick tomorrow and ruined Maya's plans?
Raeger debated. He should tell her he's not feeling well, just so that she wouldn't be blindsided if he cancelled. But if he told her, she might worry, as she normally did. He chewed the inside of his cheek in thought.
You should've seen some of the cakes Corona made today… poor Gunther!
Raeger coughed out a laugh. He knew Maya was spending the day helping Corona bake, and he could've easily told her how it was going to go. Corona wasn't the worst person in the kitchen, but her ideas could get a little… out there.
Raeger thought for a moment, tapping out a reply before he lost the courage.
You wouldn't have wanted me around today… not feeling the best.
Immediate nervousness manifested in his chest, constricting his throat and heart. Raeger didn't know exactly how Maya would respond to that; she might wish him well, which is to be expected, or she might offer to come over, which Raeger wasn't sure if he preferred or not.
You okay? Do you want me to bring you anything?
"Ugh," Raeger huffed audibly, contemplating his response.
Yes. Yes, he wanted her to bring something. Her. Just her. Maya and her soft touch, her gentle voice, and her soothing warmth.
Inviting yourself over again, Love Bug? Is this just an excuse to catch me when I'm vulnerable?
Another wink.
Don't worry about me. I think I'm just going to get some sleep. Goodnight my sweet, caring, beautiful love.
He finished the text with a heart, dropping his phone on the bedside table without waiting for Maya's following text.
What was wrong with him? It was impossible to deny his attraction for Maya now, if he'd even been able to before. Raeger felt an inexplicable pull towards the farmer- when she wasn't around, he missed her. When she was around, he needed to be close to her, touching her, connecting with her in some way. When they talked, he only wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, bask in the beauty of her happiness. It was maddening, to say the very least.
Raeger couldn't help himself when Maya was concerned. He'd thought… well, he still thought that Iris was his one and only love, but more and more evidence was piling up to the contrary.
"Do I love Maya?"
Hearing the words aloud made his stomach twist so severely that Raeger had to shove his head beneath his pillow to find refuge. He didn't love Maya. Not like he loved Iris. It was different. It had to be.
Even thinking that made him frown. Who exactly was he trying to convince, anyway?
With a great mental heave, Raeger pushed aside all thoughts of Iris and love, and focussed instead on the coming day. Maya had promised him they were going to have fun but kept tight-lipped on the specifics. The ibuprofen had finally started to ease his pain, so Raeger prepared to fall asleep.
Whatever he was feeling, it didn't matter tonight. He could figure it out tomorrow.
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