Chapter 4 | Stodax

Chapter 4

Stodax

It was quite an evening.

I stare at the recipe Zoe sent me. It does look like log cake is pretty similar to other cakes I've been making. It looks... like a log. I don't understand what's so special about this, but if it makes money for the bakery, it is what it is.

It is still early. I'm still alone in the bakery. The key to the bakery sits on the counter, staring back at me. I don't understand her. She... trusts me so much, even with the key to the door of her shop.

This is quite a change from how life used to be.

My cock twitches, remembering the evening we spent together. more accurately, the sex we had together. We could have done more together, but she seemed tired, even though she refused to admit it.

Her soft body feels right in my arms. I want to hold her for longer. But...

Usually, she's in the bakery by now, but she isn't here.

She... isn't going to poof and disappear just like that, right?

Silly human, she makes my heart race, and this time, it's not for something good.

The timer beeps, so I head over to the oven, getting the dough that's ready to be made into shapes. What happened to her? Is she on the way?

I wash my hands again before I take the dough, setting it on the kitchen island. It is so early that the traffic can't be bad. Is she...

No one's at the door. Not to mention I better focus on making bread if I want to stay on target, but I keep staring at the door.

No one's there. She has her set of keys, so she doesn't need me to open the door for her. There's no need to keep staring at the door. She would be here when she's here.

I pull the balance and weigh the dough, separating them into the right portions. Usually, I'm pretty good at gauging the weight of these. But today, it feels safer to use a balance.

She's still nowhere to be seen.

I can make the bread and pastry to keep the bakery stocked, but she has the key to the cash register and the cashier system. So, if she isn't here, we can't open the door.

She didn’t leave a word on what to do when she didn’t show up.

Is she sick? Or is she just late?

If we aren’t opening the shop, I shouldn’t be making the bread and everything. But she didn’t tell me what to do, how am I supposed to know?

I don’t know where she lives, so it isn’t like I can go over and check her out.

Decisions... It was almost as challenging as figuring out what to do when I first made it out of the Empire’s factory.

Speaking of which, I hope she didn’t get into trouble because of me. The Empire could have captured her to try to get hold of me. But if they figured that she was helping me, it should be as easy for them to come after me.

I shake my head, focusing on making the dough into the right shapes.

The dough is soft, almost like her body. I mend the dough, getting it ready for the oven. I didn’t have the time to strip her completely naked yesterday, but I bet her boobs are soft like dough, or maybe even softer.

More importantly, where is she?

I just want her to be safe. She—

“I’m sorry!”

The silly bell at the door, which makes me jump every single time it sounds, kicks my ass. There are also rapid footsteps coming into the baking area. I turn around to see Zoe with messy hair that is barely put together. More accurately, she, her whole human, seems to be barely put together.

She gasps and pants as if heading from the parking lot to here is too much for her. I nod at her, not sure what to say, or whether I should say a thing.

“Stodax.”

“Yes, boss. How’re you doing?”

“Not dead.”

“You look half dead.”

She pulls out her phone and checks her hair. “Is it that bad? I’ve tried my best to get here as soon as I can.”

“Is everything alright?”

She nods. “Yeah, all is well. I just... woke up late.”

“I see.”

She watches me. I’m making bread, but her scorching gaze lingers on me. Maybe she regretted our time together. Maybe I’m too different from humans and she doesn’t like that.

I keep going, trying to ignore her. If she has something to say, she’ll say it. If she doesn’t, I hope she minds her business soon, if not already.

She lets out a soft breath. “How are you doing?”

Oh, fuck... That’s the dumbest beginning to a whole lot of useless chats. “Fine.”

She looks away, her face giving away nothing. I swallow with words stuck in my throat. Maybe I should be mindful of my words. Even though she won’t beat me up and she doesn’t have whips to punish me, she can always kick me out into the cold and fire my ass. I’m not sure whether someone else will be willing to hire someone like me who has no reference and no background to go off with.

I clear my throat. “I mean, I’m doing well, thanks for asking.”

She rolls her eyes. “That’s the most boring shit I’ve heard today.”

It’s merely been hours since the day started, so... I guess it’s not that hard to achieve that, not that I’m proud of that.

She continues, “Anyway, I know you’re not a talkative one. Let’s just get going with the bread and everything.”

“Sure, boss.”

Her words are like music in my ears.

I want to be alone, but if she’s going to be here, that’s not too bad. And... I hope she doesn’t hate what we shared. But it doesn’t feel like I should ask.

She heads to the storefront, probably activating the cashier system and checking everything. It feels like just another day in the bakery, but at the same time, it's definitely different.

My heart keeps hammering in my chest. I finish the piece of dough in my hand and head to the sink again. I think this is the day when I should put on gloves. I reach for the container with plastic gloves when Zoe comes in again.

She asks, "Huh? Is everything okay? Did you cut your finger?"

"With dough? No." I pull out a pair of gloves. "Hands feel sweaty today."

"Okay, as long as you keep everything clean."

She checks the list on her side, getting the ingredients ready for his portion. There's still time, we should be able to get everything ready for customers.

I wince when she starts her music. I hate that stupid pop music or whatever she calls it. It's a bit too happy for work. I can work in silence, and I prefer it that way, yet...

This isn't my own place, and I better enjoy it. At least it is better than someone screaming in the background when they got beaten up.

She hums along with the song as she gets her work in. While I don't like the music, I don't mind watching her. Maybe it is a human thing, or she's good at dance moves, she always amazes me with how she moves. She's good at music. I'm not and I don't care to get good.

"Stodax."

"Yes, boss."

"You seem stressed, huh?"

"What? I'm not. it's just another day."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Hm..." She doesn't seem convinced, but she keeps her hands busy with dough and the frying pans. "I don't know. After last evening, after we closed down the shop..."

"Well, apparently, someone woke up late."

"Yeah, I was tired and forgot to set my alarm. How about you? Sleep's fine?"

This woman... My cock twitches, and it's a bit too tempting to grab her again. Except I shouldn't. We have more important things to do. "It's fine. Nothing's special with me. But it looks like you are too tired."

She lets out a breath. "I think I am. Or maybe I just forgot to set my alarm."

I say nothing in return. It is one thing to tolerate the music and another thing to tolerate even more small talk. While I see her every day and it feels like we are close, we really aren't that close with each other.

She glances at me but gets back to preparing doughnuts soon enough.

I put the croissant into the oven, getting ready for the next lot of pastry.

Other than the music, the two of us usually do our own thing, and no one talks to each other. On the surface, it is the same way today, but the silence between us feels different.

It doesn't take long before she finishes frying the first batch of doughnuts. They smell amazing and my mouth waters. Even though I have made plenty for the bakery, I can count the ones I've eaten on one hand. They always look amazing. Zoe has amazing hands for decorating them. Maybe that's a skill only the happy ones can master.

When I was back in my old life, there was nothing like this. It was almost like those beings hated beautiful things, food included. Those beings never cared about snacks, let alone cakes.

Zoe is back to humming songs and moving around in the kitchen with a skip in her steps. Sometimes, I wish I could be as joyful as she.

It probably doesn't matter anyway...

She keeps spinning around, doing her thing, so I try to focus on work instead of her tempting body and mysterious footwork.

I hope she's not mad at me. When there's only her and me in the bakery, I can be intimidating to her. Do humans know how to fight? Maybe she's strong and she has been nice to me.

I wince when something cold tickles my nose. She grins as she keeps moving. She... she tapped icing on my nose. Maybe that means she's not firing me.

Do I ask her about that, or pretend everything's fine? She seems to be fine, but who knows whether she's actually fine with that?

Am I worrying too much?