Twelve Gifts

Chapter 1 Dylan Hughes sighed wistfully as he was looking out through the window. The snow had covered the entire road and it did not look like stopping anytime soon. He could only hope that it would not affect his business. He had already baked too many pies, cakes, and cookies earlier that day. The leftovers would not taste as good the next day. Sometimes he wished that he lived in a small town. Maybe there would be less competition and he could make a comfortable living off his bakery. His current place of business was in what used to be his grandparents’ bookstore. He had inherited the building after they had both passed away, so he did not have to worry about the monthly rental expenses. He was also fortunate enough that the building had been well-maintained, which was one less thing to worry about. He lived in the small apartment above the bakery. However, installing the ovens, adding a few pieces of furniture at the front of the bakery, and a few other necessary investments had drained his savings completely. It had taken him almost eighteen months before the business became profitable. It was a frightening period in his life. Back then, he honestly felt like a failure at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. Things had settled down enough now and he did not have to worry about money anymore. That was not the worst of it though. He had broken up with his boyfriend, Jonathan, when business was bad. It was a classic situation. He had been struggling to get his bakery off the ground so he did not have much time to spend with Jonathan. In hindsight, he should have seen it coming. That man seemed totally nonchalant about it, but he had been feeling guilty for neglecting the other man. Hence, he had paid Jonathan a visit at his apartment, wanting to surprise him on his birthday. The surprise had backfired on him. Jonathan was celebrating in his bedroom by f*****g around with four other men. He had left in utter humiliation. They broke up later that very same day. He did not even bother to listen to his ex-boyfriend’s explanation. He had packed up his belongings in a hurry and left the other man’s apartment. That was the last time he had seen Jonathan. Now he was almost thirty-four years old. He had been single for almost five years. He was not the weepy type, but today was exactly eleven days before Christmas day. For some unfathomable reason, this damn season of love and goodwill always made him feel much lonelier than on any other days. Maybe he should close the bakery earlier and hit the bar. He might find a nice man for a few rounds of s*x. It had been a while. The tinkling sound of the bell startled him and he looked up to see Aaron Tyler, one of his regular customers, shaking off the snow from his coat before walking into the bakery. He gave the gorgeous man a huge welcoming smile. He had had a crush on Aaron for almost two years now, but he did not know if the man reciprocated the feeling. Most importantly, he also was unsure of the man’s sexuality. It would be embarrassing to be rejected and possibly lose such a wonderful customer. “Hey, Dylan.” “Hey, Aaron. The usual?” “Yeah, but I need one more apple pie, two dozen donuts, and an additional dozen cupcakes,” Aaron replied. “You choose. You know what I like.” “Having a party?” Dylan inquired conversationally as he was boxing up everything into various packages. “To thank my employees. Their work at the last wedding had been truly amazing. It even got us four new clients.” “Weddings?” “Two Christmas Eve parties and two spring weddings.” “That’s great! No rest for the wicked, eh?” “Nope.” Aaron responded with a wink. “How about you?” “The bakery will be closed on the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth of December, and on the first and second of January.” “Any plans?” “None.” “Parents?” “They…my family is not exactly happy with my sexuality.” “Oh,” Aaron answered with a grimace. “Sorry about that.” “It’s fine.” Dylan waved off the apology. “It has been years. Anyway, did you send the customers my way?” Aaron was one of the most successful event planners Dylan knew and he had been sending the customers to the bakery. Dylan was grateful for the referrals. Not that he was a lousy baker. His baking skills had resulted in repeat customers. Some of them had even introduced their friends, colleagues, and relatives to his bakery. That was how his business had managed to grow to what it was today. “Of course. You’re the best baker in the country.” “Compliments don’t grant you additional discounts. You know that, right?” “A guy can try,” Aaron replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “Hey, I…” A loud boom interrupted whatever Aaron was trying to say. Dylan was flabbergasted at the sight of twelve uniformed people entering his bakery. They all had different musical instruments. One of them had a drum strapped across his shoulder. That must have been the origin of the booming sound. “May I help you?” “Are you Dylan Hughes?” One of the men had stepped closer to him and shaken his hand. “Yes, I am.” “Alright then. Guys, hit it!” Dylan was confused, but he understood as soon as the band started playing “Joy to the World.” The music had attracted plenty of people into the bakery, but they were only standing around, enjoying the entertainment. When the first song was finished, everyone clapped in appreciation. He was about to walk over to thank the band and offer them some pastries, when Aaron stopped him in his path. “I’ll handle them. You’ve got customers waiting in line.” He turned around and noticed that most of the people who had been there for the free entertainment were now queuing up to be served. He quickly ran behind the counter and took their orders. He was kept busy for the next forty minutes or so. By the time the last customer had left the bakery, he was exhausted. He then spotted Aaron sitting on a chair next to the window. The boxes of pastries were stacked neatly on the table in front of him. “Hey, Aaron,” he called out as he was walking towards the other man. “Thanks for helping me with the band earlier. Do I owe you anything?” “Nope, but the band left something for you.” His gaze was directed towards a small envelope on Aaron’s outstretched palm. “What’s this?” The other man shrugged his shoulders. “The band leader has simply said that this is to be given to you. Go ahead. Open it!” He accepted the envelope and pulled out a beautiful postcard from within. On one side, there was a picture of twelve drummers drumming. He turned it over and read aloud the message written on it. It is eleven days before Christmas, I hope you’ve enjoyed the band, Especially the drumming drummer… From, Your secret admirer “Hmm…” Dylan nodded thoughtfully. “Do you have any idea who it is?” “Not at all.” “Will it be too late to ask you out?” “What?” Dylan stared at the other man in shock. He had not expected this at all. “I like you, Dylan,” Aaron admitted and his cheeks blushed. “If you have no plans for tonight, maybe we can grab some dinner?” “As in…a date?” “I…yeah.” “Su…sure, di…dinner sounds perfect.” “Movie after? There’s a new horror movie that I’ve been dying to watch,” Aaron asked in a hopeful tone. “Or we can watch something else.” “Aaron, I love horror movies.” “Cool!” “Yeah.” “I…see you tonight, Dylan. I’ll pick you up at seven.” “Okay, see you later.” Once Aaron had left the bakery, Dylan whooped out in excitement. This boring day was turning into the best day ever. He had a secret admirer and the guy whom he was crushing on had asked him out on a date. He could not stop grinning for the rest of the day, desperately wishing that six o’clock would arrive soon. He wanted to look his best for his first date in a long time. Hopefully, one hour would be enough preparation time.