It was a warm Sunday evening. Golden light slipped through the windows of the now-empty café. Madeline waved off his last couple of customers, flipping the open sign with a satisfied smile spread across his face. "Successful day today," he spoke out loud to himself, wiping off summer sweat and a hint of flour from his cheek.

There was a lingering scent of pastries and freshly brewed coffee as he wiped each booth, humming along to the vintage radio on the counter with packed up orders for tomorrow's morning rush hour. Despite doing his evening chores, his mind wandered to his husband.

Madeline glanced at the clock, knowing full well his spouse should be back soon. It had been a while since he had seen his love relax after getting the new job, and it made Madeline worried sick. He couldn't even remember the last time they cuddled for more than an hour rewatching favorite series!

Though during the hours his spouse napped or did extra work in their shared apartment upstairs from the café, Madeline had been planning a new recipe and wanted his beloved to be his usual taste taster. He stepped into the kitchen, seeing not a single flaw in his cleaning job. Perfect, he thought with a hum of approval.

Madeline suddenly heard the small jingle of a bell from the front door, a sign his spouse had just arrived home. Quickly taking off his apron covered in batter and flour, he took a plate of the new pastry from the fridge before stepping out to greet his spouse.