"Red velvet, everyone likes that. I'm sure the little guy will love it too."  I smiled through the phone adding some heavy cream into a glass bowl.

"Why didn't I think of that! Oh Abby, what would I do without you." Gabi, my manager, chirps.

"You'd be useless." I giggled pressing my brick like phone closer to my ear.

"You're right, take out the ingredients for the red velvet cake then, we'll work on it when I get back. The meeting will start any moment from now I gotta go, g'bye!" she rushed before hanging up.

The smile on my face didn't wear off, it remained even when I stuck my phone inside my pocket, even when I when I added icing sugar to the bowl, even after I had whisked the cream to death and sat it in the fridge.  That was me, the girl who loves to pretend, always pretended that everything was normal behind that smile. The smile of a girl that was already lost.

I made my way to the main door and switched the 'close' sign to 'open' and soon enough my co-workers streamed into the bakery. Sugar ñ Spice, was the name of this bakery. It's more than a bakery, we do ice-creams and coffees too, I have no idea why the 'Spice' though, all we do is sugar. But oh well!

Noise. That was all my colleagues were doing.

I flinched  when they let out a bark of laughter making my heart pick up really quickly, I gulp heavily and just stand there fiddling with my thumbs. They weren't much, just 4 of them, they're best friends, always coming in with the latest gist and parties in town. I say they're social but they prefer I say they 'vibe' a lot. They're the only people that I think do not mind when I prefer to be alone or isolated or even when I keep stammering when I'm serving a disturbing customer.

And I like to think that the four in this room don't mind my business because they've learnt that I like being like this, an isolated, lonely introvert. A weird adult that hates noise.

"They think it was easy Heath! Please tell them it wasn't easy." Rhea whines tugging the sleeve of her bestfriend/boyfriend. Heath who looks like a 17 year old highschool jock but is actually 20 smirks and wraps his arm around her waist.

"We can show them if you want, right on this counter." he said tapping the marble and her cheeks flame up.

What do they wanna show us?

"Of-fucking-course not Heath, Little Baybi would not want to scar her virgin eyes, at least not on you two having sex." Kim said bluntly giving me a wink as my eyes widen a fraction and heat crawls all the way from my neck invading my cheeks.

Of course they wouldn't do that in here, right?  That was not an image I want to see.

I awkwardly push a strand of brown hair behind my ears and finally sit on one of the stools gingerly now that they've acknowledged me, well one of them. I just hope the topic to start with today would just not be me.

"I don't think Baybi would mind if they did, I mean, I'm sure you watch all those naughty videos when you're alone don't you?" Keith said drawing my name making my heart sink like titanic.

"I-i... I d-don't w-wuh..watch a-any of th-those." I stutter embarrassingly and quietly feeling my heart beat pick up very quickly again.

Keith had always been the mean one, he smokes at the back and keeps making me uncomfortable, too bad he makes delicious brownies and tarts.

Kim, short for Kayimna. She's half British and half Asian and does not have interest in boys, she's gay. She's most likely the straight forward person in the group and kinda the cool one amongst them.

I like her the most.

"Go suck a dick Keith and leave the girl alone. You're clearly making her lose it." Kim snapped smacking his arm.

"You know what they say, the innocent ones are the naughtiest in bed." he shrugs giving me a once over before sticking a cancer stick in his mouth and takes off to the back door.

"I'm sorry about that Abigail, he's being an ass again." Kim apologizes before heading to the pantry.

"Uhhhh we'll... go make ice-cream?" Heath said awkwardly dragging Rhea with him to the cold room.

I sighed deeply before taking my place behind the counter.

Things will be okay. That's what everyone says right?

But will it be?

Before I could find anything to keep me busy our first customer comes in and right on cue my anxiety starts eating me up.

It's a teenager, probably 15 or 16, her hair was dyed in scattered rainbow patterns, I visibly winced when I saw the piercing inside her nose. That must've hurt so bad.

With a lollipop stuck to her mouth she approaches me. I hesitated for a moment, not really good with first impressions.

"Hello, I uh... I l-like your hair." I mutter awkwardly trying not to make myself look like a freak.

The freak that you are. My subconscious self reminds me.

She gawks at me for a minute before mumbling a 'thank you' under her breath and then she goes ahead and orders an oreo milkshake. With a giddy smile, I finished her order and added some whipped cream and tell her it's on the house.

She gave me a small smile before she left which made my heart burst with triumph.

The morning started getting hectic and a random customer said that he smelt cigarette in his brownie which made Kim slap Kieths' nape.

Rhea and Kim worked on the coffee and milkshakes.

Keith with the pastries.

Heath with the ice-cream.

And I with the cakes.

It was better that way, no one has to bother anyone.

Mid afternoon, a very exhausted Gabrielle burst into the shop, lazily dragging her feet. I giggled helping her with the hefty loads of stuff she bought.

"I feel like sleeping for a gazillion years." She groans when she sits on a chair in the kitchen.

"That's a lot of years Gabi." I chuckle sectioning out some stuff. "But guess what!" I hyped almost jumping from excitement.

"What Abby?" She asked making me pout involuntarily.

"I said guess Gabi, not ask." I whine placing my chin on her shoulder from behind the chair.

"Ok Ok, uhm you've finally gotten over your fears of using tampons?" The thirty-three year old lady said making my eyes widen and my cheeks flame up.

"Gabiiii," I whine again covering my face with my palms while Gabrielle chuckles. Honestly though how does it even go up and nestle inside your princess part.

I am never trying those things ever.

"I baked the cake." I mumbled, slightly embarrassed from her earlier words.

"You always bake the cakes silly." She laughs patting my hair.

"Nope, I baked the red velvet for you already." I grinned popping the 'p' at my first word. 

I hate it when I pop my 'p's.

"Really? Oh my goodness you're such a goddess Abigail, I mean it." She gushes hugging me from behind.

I didn't want to go back out there because there was yet another complaint from another random customer, but this time it wasn't about the smell of cigarettes in the brownies, it was because the weird girl at the back of the counter kept freaking out each time a round of laughter comes from people in the café or the sudden outburst of a loud ringtone.

But the honest truth is, sound scares me, it makes me feel weird and do even weirder things. I once had an anxiety attack in front of a customer, it was a lady and she ordered a frappe but her keys accidentally dropped on the marble top, that was what it took to make me lose it.

Middle school was plain torture for me and I didn't get to finish, never even made it to high school. I don't even want to know how it is in college, not that I'll ever go.

So when Kim offered to take over the counter for some time, I busied myself with the cakes and tried not to hate myself.

"I also have the icing ready and I have this perfect design in my head! Derrick will love it!" I smiled, the image of the little boy popping in my head.

"He won't stop talking about his birthday and I know he'll be even more excited when I tell him you baked it for him." She smiled too.

Oh and this boy we're talking about, he's Gabrielles' seven year old second son. He's turning eight tomorrow. So I baked him a four layered red velvet cake and prepared the perfect extra fluffy cheese frosting with extra sugar and even more extra cheese cream.

He has chocolate brown hair and blue eyes. He's just a cute little guy.

Before I could say anything the door creaked open and Kim pops her head in.

"Were running out of milkshakes, I need to go make some, can you handle the front?" She said jerking her thumb behind her.

I give her a weak yet appreciative smile.

"It's okay, thank you Kim." I said showing her two thumbs up. She winked at me before closing the door.

"I can handle the front if you want, you can bake more cakes here or even do the icing?" Gabi offers, taking an extra apron off the hook.

"No, honestly Gabi, I'm fine." I say with a small laugh. "I'll decorate Derrick's cake later when we close. We're almost closing anyway." I assured her.

"God bless you." She whispered and kissed my forehead.

"Amen." I whispered back.

Gabi always says God listens to us and answers most of our prayers. But maybe, just maybe he doesn't listen to mine, he probably thinks I'm a freak too.

But I still say amen anyway.

I walk out of the kitchen and take my place behind the counter once again. I smile to myself when I see a family arguing over the last piece of a chocolate cake. I take out the two pairs of my noise cancelling ear plugs and plug them to my ears, they always help.

For ten minutes straight no new customer comes in so I brace the moment and take my time in emptying gummy bears and Twizzlers in their respective jars.

Feeling idle, I place the jars on the marble and a pack of the goodies on each side. Pulling my hair up in a messy bun I start arranging the gummy bears in a jar, starting with the red colors first. I always arrange them in rainbow layers but it's never the same the next day.

The thought made me pout. Whoever finds pleasure in destroying other peoples work?

But maybe many do not like eating just one flavor.

I frown at that.

I love every single flavor, well except the green ones, please don't hate me green gummies!

I was now done with the red and I was working on the orange when one got stuck in the centre. I tried getting it out, giving it a fair chance but when it remained stuck, I grew frustrated and took the challenge.

Here comes the gummy buster!!

Haha, pun!

Methodically, carefully, with every fiber of my concentration, I pinched it and pulled it.

I'm. . . almost. . . ther–

But then I was interrupted when something or someone tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I froze. It lingered there for a moment before it gently took off the ear bud from my right ear.

"Hey," A deep masculine voice spoke.

My head immediately flew up, only to find a pair of very light grey eyes staring at me.

I never thought I'd see an angel before I die. I felt my heart pick up for the umpteenth time today, I'm staring at the most handsome opposite gender I've ever seen. Dark brown hair falls in soft curls, stopping just below his chin. His eyes so light they could've been white. Pinkish lips, smooth stubble, defined jaw lines. An angel.