Page 7 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
Theo laughed as he pulled a pan-sized piece of focaccia off the shelf. “Do you really think Aiden will believe you made this?” he asked. He knew Saphira wasn’t much of a cook, and every time he had eaten with Aiden and Saphira, it was always Aiden who cooked.
“Hush you,” Saphira said, holding up a hand. “I’ll distract him if he asks any questions.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and Theo cringed.
“That’s TMI, thank you very much,” he said. He considered Saphira like an older sister. Actually, since she was here—perhaps he should ask Saphira for her opinion?
“Hey, I was wondering,” Theo said, as he put the focaccia into a bread bag. “Has Lavinia mentioned being interested in anyone to you?”
Saphira gave him a funny look, surprised. She consideredhis words carefully, and for a second he thought she would say yes. Anticipation pulsed through him. He paused in ringing her order up, giving her his full attention, not wanting to miss a word.
“You’re the first one she talks to about anything, Theo,” Saphira said. “I’m sure you would know before me.”
He felt disappointed by that—but then he wondered why, exactly. Saphira watched him closely as he cleared his throat and handed over her focaccia and change.
“I just saw her at the cafe,” Saphira said. “She did seem a little off, but she didn’t say anything to me, even when I asked.” She nibbled on her lower lip as she glanced at Theo. “She’s your best friend. If there’s something you want to ask her, just ask her.”
“You’re right,” Theo said. He was being silly. It was Lavinia! They talked about anything and everything, sometimes to the point of knowingtoomuch about each other (she had explained the particulars of a decidual cast to him once and he was still low-key traumatized).
He could talk to her about this, of course he could.
He smiled. “Thanks, Saph.”
“No problem.” She blew him a kiss, then was on her way.
The door dinged as she exited, and he watched as she went over to where Sparky was tied to a lamp post, where the baby dragon had been waiting patiently while Saphira was in the Rolling Pin. Sparky had grown up; he was the size of a small horse now, and he would keep maturing and growing until he reached age five, when he’d be bigger than even the biggest horse.
It was jarring to see Sparky so big—Theo felt as if he’dblinked and Sparky had doubled in size! It seemed like only yesterday that Sparky had been small enough to fit in Saphira’s arms, his little paws pressed against Saphira’s cheeks. While the dragon was still adorable now, he was less chaotic, which was perhaps a good thing.
Saphira gave Sparky a kiss, and he licked her hand, then they were on their way. Theo genuinely loved seeing how happy Saphira was, the way she practically bounced and glowed. They had gotten closer in the past year, now that she had more time off from the cafe to relax. Theo and Lavinia had often hung out with Saphira and Aiden, and it was always fun.
Lavinia always got this wistful expression on her face when she looked at Saphira and Aiden. Theo knew it was because she yearned for a love like that, one that would make her shine as bright as the stars.
His stomach sank. He doubtedhewas the one who could give her that, but still—he wanted to at least talk to her.
He rarely ever had a thought without discussing it with Lavinia. No matter how small or inconsequential, or stupid or silly—he told her everything. It was how he lived his life; she was the air he breathed.
There was no way he couldn’t talk to her about last night. At the same time, he was scared. He didn’t want things to change between them.
Last night had gotten weird on the car ride back to her place, when he was dropping her home. It wasn’t that they couldn’t sit without talking; they often spent time in comfortable silence together. But yesterday felt different in a way that it had never been between them, and he hadn’t known what to do. Hestilldidn’t know what to do.
Lavinia was the one constant in his life; he couldn’t ruin that. He wouldn’t.
He sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes. He would talk to her and see how she felt, then go from there. This was all new to him, which meant that he didn’t know howhefelt yet, either, though he suspected it was something obvious he just couldn’t put his finger on yet. Either way, he wanted to know how Lavinia felt.
He wanted them to be in sync, the way they always were.
Chapter 4
Day One of burying her feelings was going exceptionally well for Lavinia.
She was still smarting from last night’s humiliation, so the memory of that alone was enough to convince her to let go of any romantic feelings she might have in favor of preserving her friendship. That was the most important thing, she reasoned.
The rejection still stung, and the pain of all those hopes dashed was a bitter ache, but as long as she didn’t think about it for more than half a second, she would be fine.
Shewasfine. She was always fine. Lavinia could tell when certain thoughts were leading down a spiral staircase, and she always closed the door on those thoughts before she fell and fell.
She needed to go onwards and upwards, which meant she needed to move on. She could be so delusional sometimes, and it was not healthy—it was childish and silly. She was twenty-four, so she needed to be a serious person now or she would just keep getting her heart stomped on again and again.
It wasn’t Theo’s fault, she knew that. It was her own, forletting herself get carried away imagining that just because she liked him, he would like her too. Whenever she liked anyone, she daydreamed about the ways it could play out like a perfect fairy tale, all the scenes bright and beautiful and perfect.
