Page 2 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
“It’s nice to see Saphira,” Theo said. “I feel like it’s been a while, even though it’s probably only been a little over a week.”
“I feel the same,” Lavinia agreed.
There was a time when Lavinia would see Saphira almost every day, as she worked at Saphira’s business, the Baby Dragon Cafe. Theo would also be a frequent visitor. He had a job at the Rolling Pin Bakery, which supplied Saphira’s cafe, and would come by every few days to drop off bakery deliveries.
But now that Lavinia had just started her second year of vet school—where she studied mythical animals such as dragons, griffins, chimeras, and phoenixes—she didn’t get the chance to see Saphira as much. She only worked at the Baby Dragononce a week, now, because she didn’t have any other time with classes and her internship at the Animal Hospital.
Because the cafe was doing so well, Saphira had hired a lot more staff and wasn’t there as much either; she oversaw things as the business’s owner and manager, but spent less time with her boots on the ground.
“I kinda miss how things used to be,” Lavinia said. Though it was fantastic that the cafe was doing so well and that she was in vet school, it had been fun to work with one of her closest friends, even when the busy routine had made her perpetually tired.
“I kinda miss it, too,” Theo agreed. “Early morning deliveries were hell everywhere else, but I loved swinging by the Baby Dragon and seeing you and Saph and the little draggos.” He smiled. “The free drinks weren’t bad, either.”
“God, I could go for a coffee,” Lavinia said.
Theo elbowed her. “It’s, like, four a.m. You don’t need a coffee, you need sleep.”
She ignored his comment, instead lamenting dramatically. “Now everyone’s growing up and gettingold,” Lavinia said. “I mean Saphira isengaged.”
Saphira was twenty-seven, and Aiden was twenty-nine, nearly thirty, butstill. At the age of twenty-four, Lavinia felt that none of her friends should have been taking such adult steps.
Now that Saphira was engaged, she had officially moved out of her apartment on Main Street and into Aiden’s cottage. For the past year, they had been back and forth between each other’s places, but Saphira had moved out of her apartment entirely now. It made sense for her to move into Aiden’s place,as the cottage was bigger, and his garden had space for their baby dragon, Sparky, who was turning two in October. Dragons matured after age two and continued developing until age five, at which point they were used for riding.
Lavinia was happy for her friend, but there was no denying that everything was different now, and it would only continue to grow more and more so as time went on. She knew she had two options: she could either resist it or embrace it.
She was attempting the latter, to be excited about all these new changes, but it was difficult. There were things to be positive about, but everything shifting in new and strange ways made her eye twitch.
“Come on,” Theo said, finishing off his drink. He set his goblet down.
“Where?” she asked, doing the same. Theo shrugged, giving her a smile. He stood, offering her his hand, and she took it. She didn’t need any plans when she was with Theo; they always managed to enjoy their time together, and they had done so since they were kids, spending hours and hours in each other’s company at her house. When Lavinia looked back on those days now, she could never quite remember what they had done to keep themselves entertained, but she knew they had never tired of each other.
As they grew older, the hours were more often spent in talking, and they would discuss every single thought or emotion they were having, and when they ran out of even those, they would find other things to talk about. Sometimes, Theo would explain the entire plot of whatever fantasy show he was watching, detailing every storyline and character, the deviations being made from the books and lore. Other times,Lavinia would inform him about the drama going on in her extended family, and describe what her distant cousins and aunts were getting up to.
It didn’t matter how much time they spent together, if they felt like chatting, there was always something to talk about. When they were tired, they didn’t need to talk; they could sit listening to music or in companionable silence.
Now, they walked around the outskirts of the party. The music changed from an upbeat dance tune to something slow and soft. Couples began slow-dancing, a romantic aura seeping into the environment. Lavinia shivered, biting her lower lip.
They continued walking, down a path under glowing string lights, until the music grew quiet. They were off to the side, alone, away from the party, its noises fading into the background. From here, they had a gorgeous view of the rolling hills and the mountains in the distance. It was a clear night, and the sky was studded with thousands of stars, twinkling and shining. It was where their home—Starshine Valley—got its name from.
Theo whistled. “Look at that view.”
“It’s stunning,” she said. She loved their hometown, the comfort and familiarity of it.
They sat down, content to admire the landscape. The night felt cooler now, away from the dance floor and the lanterns. When a sudden breeze ruffled the trees, Lavinia squealed, huddling closer to her best friend.
“I told you to bring a sweater,” Theo laughed.
“You know, instead of being a know-it-all, the gentlemanly thing to do would be to offer me your jacket,” Lavinia told him pointedly.
“I left it behind,” Theo replied, showing her his empty arms. “Come on—it isn’t that cold.”
“Do you see what I am wearing?”
She was wearing a corset midi dress made of maroon satin, and the thin fabric was doing nothing to ward off the night’s chill. She was short and curvy, and while in her teens she had been insecure about her weight, now it was something she embraced. She loved to choose clothing that accentuated and flattered her body shape.
Theo looked down at her outfit, and as his eyes traveled back up to her face, his gaze snagged on the bare skin of her collar and shoulders, courtesy of the strapless dress. Lavinia’s straight dark brown hair was held back with a stylish headband so there was nothing to obstruct her decolletage.
He clenched his jaw, and heat coursed through her.
