Page 69 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
Her body pulsed, and his lips parted against her collar, his teeth skimming across her skin. A shiver ran down her spine.
More, she wantedmore.
Before she could see what else he might do with his mouth, the sound of sizzling filled the air: the hot chocolate boiling over.
Theo swore, pulling away from her. His face was flushed, but she only caught a glimpse of his pink cheeks as he ran to turn the stove off. She hopped off the counter, landing unsteadily on her feet. Her knees felt weak.
“I’m going to go call Mama,” she squeaked.
She grabbed her phone from the counter and ran out of his kitchen. She headed for his bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
Lavinia caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and her mouth fell open. Her cheeks were red, and there was a dazed look in her eyes. “Good god, get it together,” she hissed at herself, fanning the air around her face.
She had been right to stay away; she really couldn’t be trusted around Theo.
She dialed Beena’s number, holding the phone with one hand while she used the other to slap her cheeks, which did nothing for the redness. She switched tactics and started fanning herself, hand waving aggressively in the air.
“Hello, gudiya, are you done with your exam?” Beena asked. “How was it?”
“Hi . . . Yes, and I passed!” she replied.
“Oh, good, I knew you would!” Beena said. “Have you been running? Why are you so out of breath?”
Lavinia’s cheeks heated. “No reason,” she squeaked.
“Okay,” Beena laughed. “Where are you, with Calahan?”
Her mother’s words were like a splash of ice water on her face.
“Um, no,” she said, swallowing. “I’m with Theo.”
“Okay, well, I’ll see you later,” Beena replied. “Have fun!”
After Beena hung up, Lavinia mentally scolded herself. Why did she keep forgetting about Calahan? That couldn’t have been a good thing. But it wasn’t her fault that Theo was right there when she got the news, though surely she was responsible for how desperately her body had pulled him closer.
“You do like Calahan,” Lavinia reminded herself, looking in the mirror. “And he likes you!” She scolded her reflection.
Why couldn’t that be enough? Why did she always want more, more, more?
This was certainly no time for her to be messy. It was the first week of November; she was at winter’s doorstep! Her deadline was fast approaching, and she couldn’t jeopardize what she had with Calahan now. She would rather be with him than be alone for the rest of her life.
This was how things were supposed to be, she reminded herself—her and Calahan. It might not have been a grand love story, spun out of dreams, but it was better because it wasreal. It was solid. It wasn’t heartbreaking and confusing, like the ground would give out under her feet any moment.
“Get it together,” she snapped at the mirror.
With a final slap to her cheek, she went back out, to where Theo was pouring a newly made batch of hot chocolate into mugs.
“Marshmallows?” he asked, though he avoided her gaze. Embarrassment pricked at her.
“Yes, please,” she replied, trying to sound normal. She grabbed her sweatshirt from the counter, putting it back on, like a layer of armor. Then, she walked over to his couch, sitting down and grabbing the remote. “Let’s watch a movie.”
“Sure,” he replied, coming over with their mugs. He sat down next to her, leaving about a foot gap between them, then handed her a mug of hot chocolate covered with mini marshmallows. There was a spoon in the mug since she liked eating the marshmallows like soup.
He knew her so well, and yet, he didn’t know the most obvious thing. Or he did, and he acted like he didn’t. Either way, the result was the same.
They weren’t together because he didn’twantthem to be together.
Clenching her jaw, she put on a fantasy film, one they had already seen a dozen times and that was familiar. What wasn’t familiar was how they each kept to opposite sides of the couch. She felt the distance between them keenly, along with the lack of commentary, and it only furthered her mortification.
