Page 60 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“Well, if he does like me, then he has to do something about it,” Saphira replied, with more bravado than she necessarily felt. Lavinia pouted.
“Boo!”
Saphira held up her hands. “I’m sorry, but my feminism only goes so far. I will simply not be making the first move.”
“Okay fair,” Lavinia conceded. “Fair.”
They both giggled. Saphira felt giddy. They took another moment to squeal, then went back to the front, where a few people were waiting to place their orders. Saphira and Lavinia handled it, working together. Until Aiden arrived, and Lavinia disappeared to the kitchen, but not before giving Saphira a wink.
“Hey,” Saphira said to Aiden, heart beating quickly.
“Hiya,” he said, ordering a cup of jasmine green tea. He hung out while she made his order, leaning across the counter. She relished the simple intimacy of being near him, inhalingthe scent of mint on his skin, so sweet she wanted to lick his neck and taste it.
Saphira handed over his drink and gave Sparky a snack, smiling to herself when she saw Aiden heading straight for the corner to grab a table. While she had been teaching Sparky social skills these past few days, she thought it was time she made Aiden try his hand at them as well.
Saphira went over with a to-go cup, and he looked up, surprised. “Am I getting thrown out?” he asked, confused. She grinned, shaking her head.
“No, silly.” She poured his drink into the to-go cup, then handed it to him. “This way it’ll be easier for you to walk around. You need to be better at socializing, too, or what are you teaching Sparky?”
He released a long breath. “Ugh, I know you’re right.” He stood up, rolling his shoulders. “Alright, I’ll try.”
She was glad that he listened to her so readily, even if she was telling him to do something he wasn’t comfortable with. It was so different from the beginning of their partnership, when she would ask again and again for him to stay for Sparky’s training and he wouldn’t. He was so different now. She felt she could ask him anything, and he wouldn’t refuse her, which pleased her greatly.
“Good.” She squeezed his arm, then retreated back to the counter.
The rest of the day, Saphira watched as Aiden attempted to walk around with Sparky in tow. He was hesitant, awkward, but most of the people in the cafe already knew Aiden, so it was just a matter of saying hello to start off a little bit of small talk.
He got better at it as the hour went by, and she could see it was having a positive effect on Sparky to watch Aiden putting himself out there. Saphira was proud of him.
After everyone had gone, Aiden looked around, checking to ensure there were no patrons left before he let out a big sigh.
“Thank god,” he said, sitting down at the bar. He bowed his head, being dramatic, and Saphira laughed.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” she asked.
“It really was,” he replied, looking up at her. “I don’t like being around people.”
“Oh, come on,” she said. “You’re perfectly fine around me.”
He paused, eyes growing intense as he regarded her. Her skin felt warm as his dark gaze continued to pierce through her. Something stirred low in her stomach.
“You’re not people,” he said, voice ragged. “You’re … you.”
Chapter 17
As May came to an end, things were going remarkably well.
Sparky was well trained now, and there was not much else left to teach him except flying, which should have made Aiden happy, but instead caused him a great deal of stress.
The baby dragon was learning a bit on his own as he grew, just like toddlers learned to stand and take steps on their own, even if it resulted in stumbles and falls. Sparky was keen to climb up high onto things and jump off, fluttering and flying a little farther each time, but as yet he had not properly taken his first flight.
Saphira seemed excited by the prospect, but Aiden was simply scared.
They were at their latest family dinner, which Saphira was attending—she had been to a couple since her first visit, and everyone always liked having her around. Aiden especially did, perhaps a bit too much. At dinner, his father asked how things were going with Sparky.
“They’re going well,” Aiden replied, cutting into his steak.
“Lovely. When are you going to Mount Echo?” Edwardasked, and Aiden paused, a pit in his stomach. It was precisely the question he had been dreading. Saphira turned to him, confused.
