Page 29 of Dragons & Dumplings
I tilted her chin down and kissed those sweet words right off her lips.
Chapter thirteen
Plans & Platters
Mei
Myfingersreturnedtomy lips as I relived this morning’s kiss, my other hand idly stirring the stew. I had never felt like this about anyone before, and it scared me a little.
Last night sure had been one roller-coaster of emotions. Going from warm butterflies, to confusion and betrayal, then to an actual fight followed by relief and that steamy kiss… It was more whiplash than I got while flying, and twice as nerve-wracking.
At first, our kisses were meant solely to calm the other down. But now, they felt like so much more. They felt as thrilling as a dive through the clouds, as refreshing as bursting through a waterfall, and as warm as a cozy, crackling hearth.
And I loved every second of it.
Every moment I was withhim.
But…
It was inevitable that I was going to have to stand up to my parents when they returned—I had little doubt they would forbid me from seeing Yuri. But I was hoping that once they got to know him a little better, they might come to see all of the good in him, just as I had.
But what was I going to do if they refused to even give him a chance?
Was I willing to give up everything I thought I wanted to be with him if it came down to that?
“Mei-Mei, you’re burning the stew!” cried Pyra.
Startled from my thoughts, I immediately picked up on the faint scent of burnt meat. After turning down the heat, I began furiously stirring the stew, hoping to avoid catastrophe and save the batch. If I ladled out anything that was charred, I should be able to compensate with an extra pinch of flavoring and spice.
“Thanks, Pyra,” I said with a heavy sigh, as I turned off the burner and salvaged the stew.
“What has been going on with you lately?” Pyra arched an eyebrow at me without missing a beat on her stir-fry.
“I’ve been—distracted.” I groaned inwardly. “I have a lot on my mind.”
If I was too nervous to even tell Pyra about Yuri, how was I ever going to face my parents? Maybe confiding in her would be a good place to start.
“No kidding!” She rolled her eyes. “But can you afford to bethisdistracted? The Harvest Feast is in three days!”
“I know,” I groaned, rubbing my temples.
At least all of the food supplies I ordered had arrived on time. I had checked three times just to make sure, but everything was there—I hadn’t forgotten to order any of the ingredients, despite how busy I’d been.
“Have you decided on the new main dish you want to debut this year?” Pyra asked.
“Mostly?” I said sheepishly.
“Mei-Mei,darling, please tell me you did not just end that statement in a question mark.” She rubbed a hand over her face, sending a few errant sparks flying. “Is it a boy? Is that what this is?”
I bit my lip.
“So it IS a boy!Ha!I knew it. Pay up, Nalini.” Pyra held out her hand expectantly.
I gaped as Nalini, who had apparently been eavesdropping this whole time, slithered in with a sour look and handed Pyra twenty bucks.
“You werebettingon why I seemed distracted lately?!” My voice came out a little screechier than I intended.
“Sssorry, Mei.” Nalini shrugged. “I’ve run out of good sssoap operasss to watch.”
