⤐ cafe.

@❛ baekhyun byun Sweet Escape.
The name tugged at Chanyeol’s memory, at the strings stitching his heart together.
He remembered the name, scribbled across Baekhyun’s wrist when Chanyeol had been bored during a movie, finding a stray sharpie in the folds of the threadbare couch his parents had given him for his basement party room. The design had been splotchy and rough, the harsh light of the television making Baekhyun’s skin glow blue and black.
“The name of the shop.”, Chanyeol answered without the other even having to ask when he felt Baekhyun’s gaze on him, tapping the design with three of his fingers, smearing ink on accident.

He had skirted around this shop for a long time now, always avoiding it like the plague no matter if he had to deliver a finished piece to a customer nearby and was practically starving. Human food would kill him, eventually, but he remembered the taste of Baekhyun’s baking, the warmth of the sugar and the smell of melted chocolate. He remembered the joy on the other’s face whenever Chanyeol volunteered to taste his newest creation. Even if they ended up horrible, Chanyeol would give an arm and a leg to be able to taste Baekhyun’s baking once more.

Well, a cup of coffee wouldn’t kill him on the spot, right?

He was just too curious not to go inside this time, to see for himself what his ex-boyfriend had created. To witness the fulfillment of Baekhyun’s dream.
The ear tasted of cinnamon and coffee beans when Chanyeol pushed through the door, the bell above it chiming sweetly to signal his arrival, a gush of cold accompanying him into the café.
“Hi-“, he started, only to break off mid-sentence, his eyes widening when he realized who exactly stood behind the counter, seemingly ready to close shop for the night. He had matured, at least from what Chanyeol was able to tell. Four years seemed no longer than a heartbeat for him by now, but how long had they been for Baekhyun?

His ex, standing there and looking back at him with eyes as wide as saucers, apparently ripped out of deep thoughts by Chanyeol’s arrival.
“Baekhyun.”, he exhaled, his shoulders sagging. “Seems like you made it, hm? You look, uh, good. Is it too late to ask for a coffee to go?”

@❛ chanyeol park It always been a dream of his to open a small pastry café since he was in college. Since he was a child, his mom always taught him how to bake and he instantly fell in love with it. Baekhyun remembered that the scent of fresh made bread and the beautiful aesthetically pleasing cakes on display brought some warm feeling within him. So he set goals to make business of his own and opened up his own place someday. He took business as his major to get him closer to his dream.

College was not all flowers and joy for him, he met someone that he fell in love with. He shared big part of himself with that someone, including his dream. They made a promise to do it together, thinking of a name of the café and imagined the future ahead of them. But it seemed that it was only empty promises since he disappeared without words. Few months of his disappearance he remembered that it was really hard for him, that person's family and friends.

He always thought that something bad must happen because there was no way he will leave him without words like that, he was not that kind of person. From months to years and he started to lose hope, moving on with a tiny bit of hope he will appear again right in front of him. Still, their dream did not fade away like the latter he succeed in opening the cafe with the name they thought about. Sweet Escape, in hope people to taste his food could escape from the hardships they were facing even for a moment.

The clock finally hit 7pm and he was getting ready to close since most of the pastries already sold as well, his co worker already left before him but he needed to do a little bit of cleaning before closing. He thought of heading to the supermarket later to buy some groceries since his supplies at his apartment ran out.