Despite barely being able to bake boxed brownies let alone anything fancy, something Rory often found herself doing was helping out her dad in his bakery.
Whether it be up front dealing with customers and boxing up orders, or out the back, nervously adding the finishing touches to some pastries and praying she didn't ruin them. Or even just wiping down tables and cleaning the coffee machine. Wherever she was needed, Rory was always willing to help out.
And now that she knew that a certain someone, someone who she couldn't get off her mind lately, often frequented her dad's bakery, she found herself helping out at lot more than she normally did.
"Can you take this to table two for me, please." Scott said as he handed Rory a tray of coffee and scones, finding himself in a fluster over all the things he had yet to get done.
"Yep." Rory nodded, carefully taking the tray and just barely gripping the edges of it before her dad let go and shuffled away into the back again, in a panic about his cannoli shells.
Thank God Rory had good balance when it came to waitressing otherwise the poor couple at table two would be getting half empty drinks and soggy scones as the coffee had almost sloshed over the edge of the cups.
Weaving her way past a few customers waiting on the aforementioned cannolis, Rory managed to reach table two without spilling a single drop of the coffee on the tray. The benefits of steady hands. Honestly, she could be a surgeon if she wanted to.
"Give me a shout if you need anything else." She said with a polite smile as she set the last plate on the table before the young couple, who nodded a thanks her direction as she tucked the tray under her arm.
The melodic jingle of the bakery door opening could barely be heard over the overlapping sounds of hushed conversations, the loud hiss of the coffee machine and the thick Scottish accent of Rory's dad coming from the back.
His accent got thicker the more stressed he was, which given how unintelligible his words were right now, he was pretty stressed. The usual waitress had called in sick this morning, leaving Scott incredibly short handed, but luckily for him he had a absolute miracle of a daughter who'd literally saved the day.
"Be with you in a sec." Rory called over her shoulder towards whomever just walked in. She was too busy cleaning up a table of a group who'd just left so she couldn't exactly see who had just entered the sweet smelling bakery.
"Take your time." Replied an all too familiar voice. A voice that had Rory stop what she was doing for a brief second, the empty cup in her hand suspended in the air as she felt a slight tingle in her chest and a warmth creep up onto her cheeks.
Thank God she'd decided to dress nicely today and make an effort with her make-up.
Subtly clearing her throat, Rory continued to clean up the table in a slightly quicker pace than she'd started. Only not too quickly as she didn't want to a) come across too eager or b) drop a mug in her haste to finally see the one person she hadn't stopped thinking about all day and end up making a fool of herself.
Setting the last mug onto her tray which she held against her hip, Rory pulled a cloth from her apron pocket and gave the table a quick wipe before turning around, and praying to God that she didn't have any flour or icing on her face from earlier.
"Fancy seeing you here." Rory said a touch playfully and with a smile as her eyes found the cute, smiling face of Otis who stood just off to the side of the door.
"What can I say? I had a craving for pastries." Otis replied in a similar tone, the flirting between the two of them not exactly subtle to anyone around them. But luckily for them no one seemed to be paying attention.
"And here I thought you just came here to see little old me." Rory joked as she tilted her head a little before she bit the inside of her cheek in regret as a small rush of embarrassment crept up inside her as she thought she seemed a little too obvious in her attempts at flirting with him.
Rory guessed she felt a little more brave now that she was out of the firehouse and didn't have to worry about making a fool of herself in front of any of the guys. She'd never live that down if they caught her trying to flirt with Otis.
"Well, that too." Otis added quietly, unaware that he'd just made Rory's heart do a somersault in her chest. He knew he shouldn't be flirting with her or potentially leading her on, given his decision to try and get over the crush he'd quickly developed on her as he still believed she deserved someone better than him. But he just couldn't help it, not when she looked as pretty as she did right now.
Otis wouldn't lie and say the only reason he went to the bakery was for something sweet as that was not at all the reason. No, the reason he'd fought with himself outside for twenty minutes was because he saw Rory's smiling face through the window and desperately wanted to see her, despite his better judgement.
Although even if he didn't leave with a pastry or two, he'd still get something sweet when he spoke to Rory as she was literally as sweet as they come.
"I thought you couldn't even bake boxed brownies, what are you doing working in a bakery? Even if it does have your name on the sign." Otis asked curiously as he walked slowly behind Rory, following her towards the counter where she set her tray down on the back counter with a gentle clatter.
"Ah, you'll find that I stay well away from the back when I can help it." She chuckled lightly, subtly wiping her hands on her apron as not only where they a little sticky from the glaze and whatnot of things, but they'd also gotten a little sweaty when she realised Otis had flirted back at her.
Or had she imagined that he did? Rory wasn't too sure what Otis was feeling towards her as there was still a lingering tension between the two of them over how he'd treated her in the beginning.
Not so much from Rory herself, as she'd forgiven him for all of it and had quickly put it behind her as she didn't like to dwell on the past. But it was more so from Otis, who Rory could tell was holding back a little when it came to talking to her or even being around her, which is honestly why it came as a surprise to see him standing in front of her right now.
But Rory wouldn't lie and say she hadn't spent the entire morning hoping and praying that Otis would show up at some point during the day. After all, why do you think she'd made more of an effort with her appearance than she usually did for her bakery helping days?
Normally she'd just clip her hair up lazily with one of her many themed claw clips and be done with it, not even bothering with make-up either as she often ended up covered in flour. But today she'd went all out on her hair and make-up in hopes that it would impress Otis had he shown up. And by the look on his face when he first saw her through the window, it had worked.
Only Rory didn't get to see that look as Otis had quickly composed himself before entering the shop, so she wouldn't get to find out if her efforts had worked.
"So, what can I get you?" Rory asked around a deep breath, one she'd desperately needed to take as the smile Otis had given her in response to her last comment almost had her weak at the knees. "Actually, let me guess... Cream puff?"
"You know me so well." Otis said softly with a never fading smile, feeling his heart hammer against his chest. Honestly, had this been a cartoon you probably would have been able to see his heart pound out of his chest.
"Coffee?" Rory questioned, over her shoulder as she'd turned her back to him so she could wash her hands before she begun working with the food again.
"Please." Otis nodded, hearing the light taps of water against the sink as Rory shook off her hands before drying them.
"Rory, here are the cannolis everyone's been waiting on." Scott's slightly breathless voice reached Rory's ears and snapped her attention away from Otis as she caught glimpse of her dad exiting the back with a large tray in his arms.
"Right." Rory mumbled, having forgot about the line of people waiting on their cannolis as she'd been too busy flirting with Otis, who she'd now have to ask to wait a moment before she served him.
"I can come back, if you're busy or whatever." Otis said casually, or at least he hoped, as he gestured towards the tray of cannolis, as if having read Rory's mind.
"No, it's fine." Rory replied a little quicker than she would have liked as she began assembling small boxes for the customers, but she just brushed that off as she didn't have time to feel embarrassed about that right now. "Just give me a minute to box these up and then I'll be with you."
Otis just nodded his head in response before he took a step back from the counter, not wanting to get in Rory's way or in the way of any of the customers waiting for their orders. He couldn't help but watch as Rory began boxing up the treats, greeting each customer again with an apology for the wait and a smile that made Otis's heart clench every single time.
He really shouldn't be here, he thought to himself. It wasn't right. In fact, it wasn't fair for him to potentially get Rory's hopes up in terms of where their relationship would go. Otis could tell Rory liked him, or at least he thought he could as he wasn't always good at picking up on those kinds of things, especially when it came to himself.
But he could tell by the way she looked at him, by the way her smile was anytime she saw him. It was different to how she looked and smiled at everyone else, which is something Otis just couldn't seem to wrap his head around.
How could she like him after the way he'd treated her? How could she want to be more than friends with the guy who'd called her insufferable, even if he hadn't meant it, and made her run out of Molly's in tears? How could she have feelings for someone who was almost responsible for her giving up a job she loved so much just because he had made her miserable enough that she couldn't stick staying at fifty-one a second longer?
How could she forgive him for any of it?
It was because of all that, because of all the guilt that suddenly built up inside him as he realised that coming here had been a mistake, that made Otis quickly leave the bakery, something Rory hadn't noticed as she was too busy serving the customers.
And it wasn't until the last customer had thanked her for their order did Rory realise that Otis was no longer in the bakery and if she was being honest, it broke her heart a little.
"Where'd your friend go?" Scott asked her now that the stress of the backlog of orders had faded from within him, but even during all that he always paid attention. Especially when it came to Rory.
"Not sure." Rory mumbled, trying to hide her obvious disappointment and sadness over Otis's quick departure, something she didn't quite understand. He seemed happy to be here, happy to see her. She wasn't sure why he suddenly changed his mind.
"Is he the one?" Scott asked playfully as he nudged Rory's side with his elbow, making her arch herself away and gently smack away his arm, but not without a small smile trying to creep up on her face.
Rory never was good at hiding her feelings from her dads, so it was no surprise that Scott knew about her crush on Otis.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Rory said casually as she grabbed a tray full of dishes and began walking them into the back now that she had a spare minute.
"Mhm." Scott hummed out as he followed Rory into the back, leaning against the counter as she purposely avoided eye contact with him. "I recognised his voice... From those podcasts you used to listen to-"
"Dad."
"I would have guessed he'd be cute too."
"Dad." Rory chuckled out, finally turning to her dad who just grinned at her, having called Otis cute just to get Rory's attention. And watch the blush that crept up on her face.
"What? I'm just saying... He seems nice and you deserve to be with someone nice. Unlike the last one." Scott added with a hint of distaste towards the end as he referenced Rory's ex-fiancée.
"Don't remind me." Rory mumbled as she folded her arms and looked down at the ground, feeling the disappointment of Otis leaving deep in the pit of her stomach again.
Had she came on too strong with the flirting? Is that why he left? She hoped not as she had been pretty sure he hadn't minded her flirting with him given that he reciprocated it.
"Princess?" Scoff said softly as he placed a finger under Rory's chin and lifted her face to look at him.
"I'm not sure he likes me like that." Rory whispered, her face falling into what could only be described as an actual frown, like one you'd see on a emoji. "I think he's thinks I forgave him too quickly for how he acted before."
"Well did you talk to him about it? Tell him you forgave him?" Scott asked, hearing the slight sigh that left his daughters lips.
Scott had been glad that Rory had finally been accepted into her new firehouse as he could tell that's all she had wanted. He didn't exactly hold a grudge against those within either as he too was one to forgive and forget, much like Rory was, which is why he hadn't chased Otis out of the bakery with a whisk or whatever piece of equipment he happened to be holding in his hand at the time.
Had it been Nick that had been there instead of him, well then that would have been a different story as he hadn't quite forgiven fifty-one yet for how they'd treated Rory. And he still wanted Rory to tell them about her attack that night they'd run her out of Molly's as he said they deserved to know what their behaviour had almost done to his daughter.
But Rory had shot him down, multiple times, and told him that she wouldn't be telling anyone about what happened to her as it honestly wasn't any of their business. Nor was it their fault either. The only one whose fault it had been was the guy who attacked her and since he was now dead, there wasn't any reason for Rory to bring up what happened to her again.
The bruises on her face had gone too so she just wanted to forget about the whole ordeal and move on.
"I did." Rory nodded, sitting down on the stool that sat up against the wall. "And he seemed relieved but I just... I don't know." She sighed, running her hands down her face and feeling so pathetic over how heartbroken she'd got that Otis had just left without saying anything.
"Give him time. Let him see just how great you are." Scott said softly as he approached Rory and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her a comforting half hug.
"Yeah." Rory just mumbled in response, her lips barely moving as her face was pushed up against her dads side and most likely going to end up with chocolate on it from his apron. She wasn't quite sure how she'd be able to do what her dad said if Otis kept leaving any time he was near her.
Rory wasn't sure whether she should ask him why he left once she returned to work tomorrow either. She didn't want to create an awkward tension between the two of them or embarrass Otis or even make herself upset during shift when she thought about it again.
So, rather than appease her own curiosity and possibly get her heart broken more, Rory decided not to bring up their interaction at the bakery at all during work, no matter how much it bothered her.
The next morning after dropping Domino off at her dads house, but not before the little pup absolutely smothered her in kisses, Rory found herself pulling up at the firehouse at the exact same time as a few of the guys.
"What, no pastries this morning?" Mouch asked curiously and with a hint of disappointment as he watched Rory walk empty handed up the apron to join them.
"Not today I'm afraid." Rory replied with a gentle sigh, the mention of pastries just reminding her of yesterday and it seems like it reminded Otis too as he chose not to look at her.
It was like the beginning all over again.
"Shame." Mouch mumbled, making Herrmann and Cruz chuckle a little as they all spun on their heels and began to move further up the apron.
Otis lingered for just a moment, his eyes flicking quickly from the ground beneath him to Rory, who was looking at him with such hope in her eyes that it broke his heart a little. He almost went to say something to her, it coming out as nothing but a breath before he decided against it and quickly turned on the spot to follow the others inside, leaving Rory to walk slowly and sadly into the firehouse by herself.
"Hey, Rory. We haven't seen you at Molly's in a while... What gives?" Herrmann asked the minute he saw Rory walking into the locker room, her attention locking quickly onto him before it found Otis who was staring into his locker and seemed to be in a whole other world.
"Oh." Rory said as she tried to come up with a quick answer. "I, uh... I've been helping out at my dads place lately while his other bartender is on vacation." She lied, hoping it came out as convincing as it seemed in her head.
Her words weren't a total lie as truthfully Rory had been spending her nights at her dads bar rather than at Molly's, only on the customer side of the bar rather than behind it. But she didn't want to tell the guys that as they'd only ask her why and she didn't exactly want to bring up that her attack the other week had made her a little scared to return to Molly's, despite it happening on a whole other block.
But Rory had no idea whether the guy had followed her from Molly's or if he just caught up with her outside it. Either way, she was still a little reluctant to return to the bar, even if she did miss seeing Otis's smiling face behind it.
"You know, if you're handy behind a bar, we could use another set of hands." Herrmann suggested with a gentle shrug of his shoulders, his words finally making Otis look up from the very interesting bottom of his locker.
"We do?" He questioned, before he shook his head, cleared his throat and change his tone. "I mean, yeah, we do." He said this time in a statement, which he knew was a mistake as the last thing he needed was for Rory to work with him at Molly's too. He'd never be able to get over his crush if that happened.
"Oh, well that's nice of you both to ask but I'm okay for now." Rory said politely and hoping she wasn't disappointing them by turning them down. "I've got enough on my hands between here, the roadhouse and the bakery."
The bakery. God, there was that reminder again of what happened yesterday. And the feeling in the pit of both Rory and Otis's stomach.
"Fair enough" Herrmann replied casually as he tucked his shirt into his pants. "If you change your mind, let me know."
"Yeah." Rory breathed out with a smile as Herrmann closed his locker and left the room, leaving just her, Otis and the lingering awkward tension from yesterday between them.
"I'm sorry." Otis blurted out after a strangely long moment of silence, his sudden words and voice making Rory jump a little. "I'm sorry." He said again only this time in a respectable tone for indoors. "For yesterday... I didn't mean to leave I just- When I saw your dad, I kinda thought-"
"That he'd chase you out of there with a tray of cannolis?" Rory chuckled out, leaning against her locker door and watching the corners of Otis's lips tug upwards a little and it was clear he fighting against the smile that wanted to form on them.
"Honestly, yeah." Otis breathed out, finding that he was relaxing a little even though he was straight up lying to Rory about why he'd left. But how could he tell her it was because he didn't want to lead her on by returning her obvious flirting because he thought she deserved better than him?
Although, it wasn't actually all a lie as Otis had just realised that Rory had most likely told her dads about what had been happening within the firehouse during her first few shifts there, so it was more than likely that her dad might have actually chased him out of there once he figured out who he was.
"You don't need to worry about him." Rory said assuringly as she shook her head a little. "But had it been my other dad... Then you might have had a reason to be scared." She added humorously, making Otis gulp harshly when he remembered that her other dad was in a biker gang.
Trust him to have been the one who'd greatly upset a biker's daughter.
"That doesn't make me feel much better." Otis chuckled nervously but he wouldn't deny that he felt a touch of relief knowing that at least one of Rory's dads didn't hold a grudge against him or the others.
"Otis." Rory said softly, making Otis look up a little more and finally meet her eyes. Her utterly gorgeous light brown eyes that he could easily get lost in. "I told you the day you apologised that I forgive you... You don't have to worry about that anymore."
"I know." Otis sighed, his eyes drifting slightly from Rory's eyes as he was afraid if he kept looking onto them that he wouldn't be able to stop. Or worse, that he'd kiss her. "I just can't help but feel like I need to do more to make up for how I treated you."
"You've more than made up for it by just being who you are." Rory said sweetly as she hesitantly reached out to take Otis's hand, the feeling of which had both of their hearts skip a beat and Rory quickly pulled her hand back after a brief second of their shared touch.
"I'm not one to hold grudges." Rory continued, trying desperately to ignore the swarm of butterflies fluttering around inside her stomach. "And I've already moved on and forgot about all of it... Maybe it's time for you to do the same."
And with that, Rory left the room, leaving Otis alone to think over her words. She was right, he knew that. Maybe it was time for Otis to move on and forget about the whole thing so they could get over the underlining tension that always seemed to be present when they were together.
The tension that stopped Otis from being able to be around Rory alone without feeling the guilt of his behaviour crushing him. The tension that made him hold back on telling her that he had developed a major crush on her and would very much like to take her on a date.
But he just couldn't.
So he just had to pray that the crush he had on her would go away on it's own before either of them got hurt. Again.
-
guess who's back! it's rory!
god i actually missed this story so much
i reread the first few chapters while i was on holiday and realised that i desperately needed to bring rory back from the dead as i just missed her so much💔 she's like my little chicago fire baby
hopefully y'all missed her too and are glad to see her again!
anyhoo, i really liked this chapter even if it was a little light on actual characters and a little more heavy on OC's but hopefully y'all don't mind that
i had originally planned for this chapter to be pretty much like episode one of season four, with jimmy joining the firehouse but i think i'll keep that for the next chapter instead, which will be the shift after the one we just saw briefly
but yeah, if you liked this chapter then please don't forget to leave a vote and maybe even a comment? always appreciated
i've planned out how their first kiss etc is going to go and i'm super excited for that as it won't be long and it's gonna be angsty ;)
also i feel like i should say that this story isn't going to be overly long like my other otis stories are, and that once they get together it'll wrap up pretty quickly... maybe... who knows honestly when it comes to me but i just wanted y'all to know that i never intended for this go be a long book
okay bye!