Page 86 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
“You know, my mom was saying that you should come over for dinner sometime this week,” Lavinia said. “She was complaining that I was hogging you! And I was like, well, yes, Mama, he is in factmyboyfriend? And then I got yelled at. I think she misses you.”
Theo laughed. “I miss Beena, too,” he said.
“Wow, so now I have to compete with mymotherfor your affections?” she joked. He snorted.
“Dinner would be great,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay, sounds good. Now I really do have to study,” she warned.
She wasn’t kidding. When he went over later, she was up in her room and only came down to give him a quick kiss hello before running back up the stairs. Theo walked over to the family room, where Beena and Garrett were on the couch, sharing a blanket as they did a crossword puzzle together.
Alfie was on the floor, playing with Biter, who was the size of a small dog now, no longer tiny. She spent most of her hours awake now, and he could see how mischievous she was getting, red eyes sparkly and alert.
“Hiya,” Theo said, entering the room.
“Hey, honey,” Beena said. Garrett gave Theo a smile, and Theo went to sit with Alfie on the carpet. Biter jumped over to him, crawling up his chest, and he hugged her. “Hi, angel.”
“Lavinia said that no one can bother her until at least seven,” Alfie informed Theo. “But that’s okay since I know you don’t want to hang out with her anyway.”
He hung out with Alfie and Lavinia’s parents until seven, when Lavinia came down for dinner. He was pretty much dyingto see her by then, even though they had seen each other this morning at his apartment before they had both left for work.
He shot up, going to hug her, not even caring as her parents dramatically aww’d at the display of affection.
“You guys are too cute,” Beena said, getting up. She walked past them to the kitchen, squeezing both of their arms.
After dinner, Lavinia disappeared back to her room, but this time Theo followed, closing the door behind him.
When he entered, she was already wearing her glasses and sitting on her bed with her laptop in front of her, jotting something down onto a flashcard. Instrumental music played in the background, and he went over, sitting down next to her.
“What playlist are you listening to today?” he asked, looking over her shoulder. She opened the music tab to check.
“A moody year at your elite boarding school,” she said, switching the tab back to her class notes. He brushed her open hair aside, kissing her neck.
“And where’s the playlist titled ‘my best friend is about to kiss me senseless’?” he asked.
She laughed, turning to him with an arched brow. “Is he?”
“If you give him the chance,” he replied, pulling her in for a searing kiss. She kissed him back, smiling against his mouth before pulling back.
She glanced at the clock, then took off her glasses before turning back to him. “You can distract me for twenty minutes,” she said, “and then I really have to study.”
“Mhm, sure,” he said, pulling her onto his lap.
Theo was happy, and when he was happy, he got stupid.
Home alone that evening, as Lavinia studied at her own place,he called Amaya, wanting to tell his parents about all the big changes going on in his life. For some reason, he thought they would be happy for him. That—finally—they might be proud.
But when he told his mother the news about his latest job, she was only confused.
“You’re working where?” she asked.
“The Baby Dragon Cafe,” he repeated, joy already fading. “As a managerial assistant.”
“You’re an assistant at a cafe?” she said, tone disdainful. Theo’s heart sank. This was a bad idea, but it was too late, now. He got up off the couch, pacing around his apartment.
“I’m not, like, a barista,” he said, feeling embarrassed. “I’m helping the owner oversee a possible expansion project. I’m managing the business side of things. You know, making use of that business degree?”
As Theo said the words to his mother now, he wondered why he ever felt proud of himself for his new job. It was nothing to be proud of. He could see that, now.
