The Last Pastry at the Bakery
A free A2-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Nour and Tomasz both reach for the last chocolate croissant at the bakery and decide to share it.
Nour walks up to the bakery counter. She looks at the last chocolate croissant on the shelf. At the same moment, another hand reaches for it too.
"Oh, sorry," the man says, and pulls his hand back. "You go ahead."
"No, please," Nour says. "You were here first."
They both step back and look at each other.
"Let's split it," the man says. "I'm Tomasz."
"Nour," she says. "That sounds fair."
The woman behind the counter smiles and cuts the croissant in half. She wraps each piece and hands them over the counter.
Nour and Tomasz sit down at a small table near the window. Each holds half a croissant and a cup of coffee.
"I almost never come here this early," Tomasz says. "I had an early meeting today."
"I usually come at noon," Nour says. "Today I woke up early for no reason."
They talk about the bakery's other pastries. They agree the chocolate croissant always sells out fast.
"Next time, I'll come early and buy two," Tomasz says.
"Or we can just share again," Nour says with a smile.
They finish their coffee. Tomasz asks for her number before they leave for work.
