Page 15 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
Lavinia loved romance movies and he loved fantasy, so they always flip-flopped between the genres. Though he wouldnever openly admit it, she knew that secretly a part of him liked those romance movies too even if he thought they were as far-fetched as his fantasy movies.
“Hush,” she ordered. While she could be hopeful to a delusional extent, Theo could be realistic to a pessimistic extent. “Back to my earlier point: makeover.” She jumped off her bed, landing on her feet, then went to her closet. He sat up, giving her a look.
“Back tomyearlier point,” he said. “You don’t need one. You’re gorgeous.”
A riot of butterflies fluttered around her stomach. “Shut up,” she said, trying to sound normal. “You’re my best friend. You have to say that.”
He frowned. “I still mean it.”
She ignored him, throwing open her closet doors. She cleared her throat, then grabbed her hairbrush from her vanity.
“While her style can ordinarily be described as trendy and artsy, fun and fresh, we are now about to witness outfit combinations the world has never before seen from Lavinia Williams,” Lavinia narrated, speaking into her hairbrush as if it was a microphone. “Brace yourself.”
“Oh god,” Theo lamented. “Please don’t tell me this is going to be as bad as picking a graduation outfit.” Lavinia had in fact spent six months curating the perfect graduation outfit for her university graduation, only for it to barely be visible under her gown, but that was not relevant at this moment.
“I’m hearing some background noise, we’ll need to clear that up before rolling,” she said, ignoring him. Theo flopped back onto the bed, making her mattress shake, and she rummagedaround her closet, throwing clothes off hangers and out of shelves.
Lavinia had many pieces that were many years old but that she loved and didn’t want to let go of, even if the sweaters from middle school had tiny holes or the jeans from high school had patches. She had headbands from high school, belts she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anymore, infinity scarves (which she would argue were still practical!), and printed palazzo pants.
Lavinia began trying on outfits while Theo was on his phone, not paying attention except for when she prompted him to take in the final look, at which point he gave her a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down.
She didn’t have work at the cafe until Saturday, which would give her all week to marinate on a show-stopping outfit for the next time she saw Calahan. Though perhaps it was also time to plant a little seed. In high-waisted jeans and a cropped sweater, she grabbed her phone, taking a break from the makeover to search up “professor memes” on Instagram. She found an adequately funny one, then direct-messaged it to Calahan.
Was she being messy? A little chaotic? Possibly. But she was on a time crunch, and maybe this was the path that was best for her.
It was the end of September, and she needed to find the love of her life before the winter. The clock was ticking! Calahan was a perfect candidate. If they started dating in the next few weeks, she’d have plenty of time to suss whether or not he could be The One.
If he was, she would perfectly follow in her mother’s timeline forA Successful Life. If he wasn’t . . . well, Laviniadidn’t want to think about that. Failure was not an option she ever entertained or planned for.
Theo sat up and gave her a suspicious glance, noticing she had stopped her frantic outfit changing and was instead focused on her phone. “Who are you texting?” he asked. For a moment, she thought about not telling him, but then she pushed past the feeling and said, “Calahan.”
A flicker of change came across Theo’s face, something like displeasure. He was probably still annoyed she hadn’t told him about her feelings earlier. With a sigh, he lay down again.
Lavinia was a big believer in fate, and she jumped onto her bed, looking over him. “You know, maybe Calahan is who I’m supposed to be with,” she said. “He’s the first person Saphira hired after me, and he’s also been there the longest out of everyone else.”
Theo was skeptical. “You’re reaching, Lav,” he said. Avoiding her gaze, he played with the edge of her sweater sleeve from where her hand rested next to his torso.
“But what if I’m not?” she said.
“I really think you are, though.”
“ButmaybeI’m not!”
He finally looked up at her, letting go of her sleeve. “Okay, well, then why haven’t you ever noticed him before?” he countered. The answer was lying on her bed in front of her, but she couldn’t tell him that.
Instead, she said: “Timing! Duh! It’s always about timing.Now, the timing is right.” She fluttered her hands in the air. “The stars are aligning.”
“Can we please calm down?” he asked, exasperated. Theowas not a believer. Lavinia frowned at him, then grabbed a pillow and hit him.
“Ow!” he cried, clutching his side. She got up and went back to her closet. With a groan, Theo put the pillow over his face.
“We’re looking for a show-stopping ensemble,” Lavinia narrated. She already knew that Calahan noticed her; she simply needed to amp things up. She also knew that she was cute; she just needed to find an outfit that would attract the attention she wanted.
She usually wore little tops with high-waisted bottoms, which helped to make her look a bit taller, since she was very short. On her feet, she wore heels or platform shoes to help with her height, as well. Overall, this always led to a cute outfit, but she wanted something that would immediately stand out.
Lavinia looked out the window, where the sky was a mix of burnt orange and red. Leaves swirled in the air, dancing. Inspired, she went back to her closet, looking for something suitably autumnal.
For fall, she loved miniskirts with heeled boots, or tweed shorts with platform loafers.
