Page 19 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
She got two spoons, then handed one to him, and they tasted it straight from the pot. It was good: milky, sweet, and warm. Usually, whenever he’d had seviyan before, they were cold, so it was a bit strange to have them hot now.
“We’ll let it sit overnight so it can chill,” Beena said. She added more milk to the mixture, then stirred. “It thickens in the fridge, so I always add a bit more milk before throwing it in.”
“Ah.” He wrote that down while she put some seviyan into a box for him to take back to his place.
“Thank you,” Theo said, taking the box. “Now I just need to think about how to make this into a fusion dessert for the cafe.”
“You mean the Baby Dragon Bakery?” Beena teased. It was what she called his contributions to the Baby Dragon Cafe.
“Yes,” he said, smiling. He recalled what she’d said about how, if it got too thick, it would be like a custard. He was struck with an idea. “What if I let it get thicker and use it as a filling for cream puffs?”
“Ooh. I’ve had your cream puffs, and they’re divine. That sounds delicious!”
“When I try it, I’ll let you know,” he said. He had a little sketchbook at home that he drew new ideas into, and he could already imagine how this could look. His gaze strayed to the time on his phone. “For now, I best get going.” It wasn’t too late, but they all had early mornings.
“Okay, darling,” Beena said. He swooped down to kiss Beena’s cheek, catching a waft of the familiar powdery scent of her perfume.
On his way out, he popped his head into Garrett’s office to say goodbye. Alfie was sitting on the floor, doing his homework, and Theo ruffled his hair.
He went up to say bye to Lavinia last. Her room was a mess of all the strewn clothes she had tried on: they hung off herbed and desk chair, different articles all over the floor. She had cleared some of them away to make space on her rug, where she was sitting cross-legged, her school things spread out.
Instrumental music played in the background, and he knew it was a playlist titled something bizarrely specific like “studying in an old library in the melancholic rain” or “you’re living a quiet life in the countryside.” Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and she was wearing her reading glasses, focused on the textbook in front of her with a notebook in her lap.
Theo stood in the doorway a moment, watching her. His chest felt tight for some reason.
Then she glanced up, noticing him. The serious studying expression on her face melted away.
“Save meeee,” she said, reaching for him. She was being dramatic, pretending to cry, and he laughed.
“Who told you to be so hard-working and go to vet school?” He leaned against the door frame, fondness warming through him. She made a face.
“When I’m rich and have a private island, you are so not invited,” she said. “Then you’ll be sorry.Sorry, I say!”
He snorted. “We made seviyan,” he told her. “Have some sugar, it’ll help your brain.”
“Ooh, yum,” she said. “I’ll get some in a bit. I’m almost done with my notes.”
“See ya,” he said. She waved, and Theo headed out.
He drove back to his place, though he was in no rush to arrive any sooner. When he did make it back to his apartment, he opened the door to a quiet and still space. Theo flipped on the lights, a strange sinking feeling in his stomach. It felt like going back to school after a long holiday.
He always felt this way after coming back from the Williamses’, but today he felt it more keenly. The largely empty apartment was such a stark contrast to their lively home full of love and laughter. And Lavinia. No matter how much time he spent with her, it never felt like enough.
With a sigh, Theo kicked off his shoes. He put the box of seviyan in the fridge, then went to his room. He should sleep soon; he always had to get to the Rolling Pin super early, and lately, he’d had difficulty getting up in the morning. He wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t getting enough sleep, or because he wasn’t as enthusiastic about his work anymore.
Theo brushed his teeth and shucked off his clothes from the day. He slept in his boxers. When he got into bed, he put his phone to charge on his bedside table but tonight, as he did, he saw that he had missed a call from his mom.
He knew he should call her back. He hadn’t spoken to his parents in a few weeks. He should probably visit them soon, as well. They still lived in Starshine Valley, in the same house he grew up in, and he visited them every other month or so, purely out of formality. On the other hand, he visited the Williamses almost weekly. If more than ten days went by without visiting Lavinia’s home—without seeing her family—he felt an acute sense of something missing in his life.
It wasn’t like that with his own parents. He would never be good enough for them, he knew, and he had made peace with that a long time ago. Even so, every time he went over there, there was some comment or some silently exchanged glance between his parents that made him upset.
No matter how old he got, it still hurt. He was still that unwanted kid inside.
It was worse that it still surprised him every time it hurt, because then he just felt stupid. He should have known the reality of his parents’ relationship with him by now, but his stupid heart wouldn’t accept it.
There was a part of him that believed that, like magic, one day he’d have what Lavinia had—parents who loved him, a healthy family, all of it. Nothing his parents could do now would undo the past, but if they were just nice, just once, he’d forget everything and be content.
They were never happy with him. Even though they didn’t scream or hit him, they were so negative. And always disappointed. When they were disappointed, they either berated him or they released long, exhausted breaths, as if they didn’t know how to get rid of him.
