The Tea Shop [mxm]

XXIII: Plans in Paris

The Tea Shop will now also be translated into German. For that version, visit @nelehorandos.

It wasn't what he expected, France. It was cold and dark, as it should be winter time, but Wren felt lonely. He wasn't sure how that was possible in a city so full of life and people, but there he was, silently trudging through the snow feeling lonelier than ever. His mind wasn't with him, though, his thoughts were way back at home, wondering what was going on with Elliot. He wasn't quite sure how Elliot was going to react to what was about to happen, but he prayed that he hadn't ruined everything by leaving without a word.

Wren wasn't stupid - he knew that he'd won Elliot's trust and that he compromised everything by doing what he was doing. Leaving without saying goodbye was incredibly stupid, not picking up the phone or answering the texts was even worse, but he had a reason. He couldn't talk to Elliot right now, that would ruin everything Wren had planned. He had a plan, believe it or not. He wasn't stupid enough to just leave Elliot for a year and hope he didn't notice, or that he wouldn't care - of course he would. But maybe this way everything could work out.

If Elliot trusted him for real that is. Wren prayed that Elliot would let things play out before he jumped to conclusions, because if everything went as it should, they wouldn't have to be apart for much longer. It was all up to Elliot now, and the outcome of this solely depended on how much he valued their relationship, how much he believed in it. Wren believed in it, he really did, and if it was up to him he would never have left to France all alone, but this was Elliot's call.

Wren prayed to every God known to man that Elliot felt the same way he did.

"Bonjour monsieur, vous désirez?" asked the lady behind the counter.

"I'm sorry?" Wren asked, his knowledge of French was nonexistent.

"Oh, pardon, I didn't understand you were not french. What do you wish to have?" she asked with a heavy accent.

"Just a coffee, please," he said with a sigh. Everything here reminded him of Elliot, somehow. Just ordering coffee made him think of all the times Elliot promised to convert him into a tea drinker, but failed miserably every time he tried.

"Oui, sit down and it's done soon," she said with a smile.

Wren did just that, after paying, and sank down as far as he could in the sofa. He hadn't even been there for a day, yet he was tired of the place. It was a lovely city, he couldn't say anything less, but there was something missing. He knew exactly what he'd left back at home that would make this experience so much better - Elliot. The man hadn't left his mind ever since he stepped on the plane, and quite frankly, Wren was getting tired of it. Not of Elliot, but tired of constantly being reminded of what he was missing.

It didn't feel right that Wren was in France but Elliot was still back at home, when it was Elliot's life long dream to go there and start up his own boulangerie. That was the first word Wren had learned in French, other than oui and merci. Bakery. Perhaps not exactly what Elliot wanted, his plans were more of a café, but Wren really wouldn't mind owning a bakery himself. He was, after all, a good cook and bread was somewhat a speciality of his. Any other kind of baking, though, he always managed to mess up somehow. Elliot teased him about it constantly, and Wren did feel ashamed. But really, why should he? Baking and cooking weren't as similar as you might think.

Just as Wren couldn't make a tarte au chocolat to save his life, Elliot couldn't make the perfect coq au vin the way Wren could.

Why in the world did Wren decide to become a financial adviser and not a chef at some fancy restaurant? Worst decision of his life. He had let his parents influence his life too much. He was a typical mama's boy, doing anything and everything o please her. That included getting a well paying, prestigious job and giving up his own plans.

His parents had never told him out loud that they didn't agree with the path he was planning on taking, going to culinary school and eventually work in a restaurant, but it was evident in the way they always talked about his friends who were all going to big, fancy law schools and similar. That's what they wanted for him too. Not to crush his dreams, but to ensure he'd have a stable future. Culinary art didn't do that for him, so he decided to change his plans and save his parents the worry.

In the beginning he really didn't mind, he liked the money that came with the job and he was good enough to gain respect among his coworkers, but after a while it got boring. Working a mundane job behind a desk wasn't the way he imagined life, and after the initial excitement wore of his life settled down into a grey everyday routine where he couldn't even tell days apart anymore. Every day was basically the same, and there was no way to remember to which client he spoke what day.

He'd been working like that for five years.

That all changed when he met Elliot. His work was boring as ever, but with Elliot's help he could remember which day of the week it was, and days could easily be distinguished by remembering what he and Elliot had done and when. His life that had previously been so dull, was in full colour after getting to know Elliot. There was a childlike excitement in him that seemed to affect everyone around him, and after spending several weeks in his company, Wren had gotten used to it.

Without his personal ray of sunshine around, life went back to being cold and gray. He genuinely hoped that Elliot made the right decision when presented with Wren's christmas gift, because he didn't know how much longer he could go on living life like a robot, going through the motions of living without paying attention to the world around him.

He knew that Elliot had deep troubles that he was hellbent on helping him with, but along the way he forgot about his own. Elliot had helped him unknowingly, not even Wren had given it a second thought. All the time spent together with Elliot made him feel better and less detached to the world. Elliot was the weight he needed to stay grounded, and now when he was no longer there, Wren could feel his mind drifting off into the atmosphere.

His body had long since learned how to function without his mind.

The coffee came, and Wren drank it and left. He walked home, he sat down. He turned on the TV, but didn't pay attention to it. Perhaps it was a better idea to go to sleep?

That's what he did.

The next morning wasn't any different from the one before, really. Except it was Christmas. Wren was well aware of the plans he had made, the promises. He was breaking them all. Elliot would be heartbroken when he finally realised that Wren wouldn't show up, and Wren was once again tempted to call. He punched in the numbers, as he had so many times the last couple of days, but he never made the call. He couldn't, he didn't know what to say.

He couldn't explain the broken promises, and he couldn't bear to hear Elliot's voice thick with unshed tears as he asked why Wren never showed up. It was better to stick with the plan. The plan would work out. Of course it would - it had to. There was no way Wren could continue his life in France if it didn't, it just didn't feel right.

As much as Wren had wished for a change, France was Elliot's dream. He couldn't just steal that from him, and create a life of his own there while Elliot was still stuck back at home. He needed Elliot with him, and in one way or another they would be together. It didn't matter where in the world they were, they needed each other. It might seem naïve to think, after only three months, that they would be together forever, but Wren truly couldn't imagine a future without Elliot being there with him. He wanted to help Elliot overcome his fears and then live a long, happy life together.

Elliot didn't know this yet. He would, soon, but for now it remained a secret.

As the clock grew nearer dinnertime, Wren grew more anxious. Elliot was going to receive the envelope now, if he hadn't already. Wren's heart would be bared for Elliot to see, completely. Wren could only hope that Elliot decided to keep it safe, guarded, instead of ripping it right out of his chest to throw it away.

But, after all that Wren put him through the last two days, who knew?

Wren would, tomorrow. Before then, he would just have to wait, scared out of his mind that he had ruined everything.

A/N: Another short chapter. I'm supposed to be studying physics right now (and maths and english), but since I'm a brilliant procrastinator I decided to write instead.

Okay, so not much happened but damn just the thought of writing next chapter scares me. Things will HAPPEN in next chapter.