Page 44 of The Baby Dragon Bakery (The Baby Dragon #2)

B ecause Theo hadn’t visited home for a few months, his mother kept calling, and Lavinia suggested that perhaps he should go for a visit.

“Just for a little while,” Lavinia said. “And I can go with you! For moral support.”

She hadn’t seen his parents in years, probably not since high school.

She didn’t like them because they always made Theo upset and because they didn’t appreciate Theo, which was unfathomable to her.

But she knew that Theo didn’t want to cut them off entirely, and if he kept putting off a meeting, he’d only get more agitated every time his mother called.

“I don’t know,” Theo said, rubbing a hand over his face.

It was late at night, and they were sitting on the couch in his apartment. She was wearing one of his flannel shirts and a pair of his socks. Her legs were draped over his lap. She had a drawer of things at his place, but she still liked stealing his clothes.

He was wearing fleece shorts and nothing else. He absent-mindedly drummed his fingers over her bare legs.

“I do have to visit, though,” he said.

“So I’ll go with you!” she replied.

He frowned. “It’s going to be miserable.”

“So we’ll be miserable together.”

That made him smile, though he still hesitated. Finally, he sighed. “Alright. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

So, the next weekend, at the end of November, she got ready at her place and he picked her up. When she got in his car, she noticed that he looked different. He was wearing a sweater and slacks, his hair combed neatly. She resisted the urge to run her hands through his hair and ruin it.

“You look nice,” she said, reaching over to kiss his cheek. He gave her a tense smile.

“You do, too,” he said. He squeezed her thigh. She was wearing a sweater dress and little heels, her hair pulled back in a fishtail braid that Beena had done for her. “Ready?”

“Let’s go,” she said.

He drove her to his parents’ place, the house he’d grown up in. It was strange coming back here after so many years, but it must have been stranger still for Theo. All those memories.

She thought back to the day he had fallen from the apple tree; all that blood, all those tears. She shuddered, holding Theo’s arm tighter as they made it to the front door. Theo took in a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

A moment later, the front door opened to reveal Amaya, Theo’s mother.

“Theo, hello!” she said, smiling. “And you must be Lavinia. Come in.”

She was a thin woman with warm brown skin, and she ushered them in. Her outfit was simple and elegant, a midi skirt and turtleneck sweater. Lavinia saw, when she entered the house, that it was similarly decorated in a clean and sophisticated fashion.

“Hey,” Theo said. Amaya squeezed his arm.

“Thank you for having us,” Lavinia said, wondering if she should hug Amaya or not. Probably not, since she hadn’t even hugged her own son.

“Of course,” Amaya said, taking their coats. “It’s been so long.”

She led them into the house, and Theo’s father, Rishi, appeared.

“Theo,” he said, shaking Theo’s hand. It was jarring for Lavinia to see; she was so used to Theo hugging her parents hello, yet his own parents were so cold. Rishi shook Lavinia’s hand next, then said, “Come, let’s eat.”

He led them to the dining room, the sound of their shoes clicking on the tile floors.

Amaya returned after putting away their coats.

The table was already set, the food in closed dishes.

Amaya must have set the food out just before they arrived because—when she lifted the lids—steam rose from the dishes.

It was a good thing she and Theo had been on time. Lavinia had prepared for tonight to be different than what she was used to at her own home, but that didn’t stop the experience from being unsettling.

“Please, begin,” Amaya said, gesturing to Lavinia. She nodded, plating rice and a beef curry onto her plate, which she thought was an interesting choice. Theo didn’t like beef curries; Beena never made them if she knew Theo was coming over.

After Lavinia had served herself, the others took their helpings as well. Theo’s plate hardly had any food on it, and Lavinia waited for Amaya to scold him, urging him to take more the way Beena and Garrett did, but Amaya was silent.

“Water?” Rishi asked Lavinia, holding up the crystal pitcher.

“Yes, please,” she replied, holding out her glass.

He poured her water, then asked, “Tell me, what do you do?”

“I’m in veterinary school,” Lavinia said.

Rishi’s eyes brightened at that. “A wonderful profession,” he said. “Quite competitive, too, from what I hear. You must be terribly clever.”

Lavinia didn’t know how to respond to that. “Oh, uh, thank you,” she said, smiling.

They ate dinner, and it was worse than she had expected, though she did have low expectations to begin with. His parents were normal, polite and nice, even, but they were just so quiet.

She could hear the clattering of the utensils against the plates, and every little noise was amplified. It made her want to be quiet, too. She felt awkward. The room was almost stifling.

Worse, Theo was so drawn into himself. She hadn’t seen him like that, not for a long time, not since they were kids. It reminded her of the first day she had visited him after his knee injury, how depressed he had been.

It was horrible to see him like this again, as if he was bracing himself for blows. She didn’t realize it would be like this, or she would have never suggested coming.

Amaya and Rishi didn’t seem to care about Theo much. They asked Lavinia questions about her work at the Animal Hospital, what courses she was taking for her veterinary degree, but she could tell it was because they were impressed by her career path.

“You’ve got such a good head on your shoulders,” Amaya said. “You could teach Theo a thing or two.” She smiled as if she was teasing, but Lavinia did not think she was.

“I don’t think Theo needs any tips from me,” Lavinia replied, her smile tight. “He does well on his own.”

Rishi chuckled, as if she was being silly, and Lavinia’s eye twitched. She tried not to show that she was upset or angry, but the emotions simmered inside of her. Clenching her jaw, she took a long sip of water, hoping to cool down.

She wanted to tuck Theo into her pocket and steal away with him, keep him safe forever. She didn’t say anything to his parents because she knew it would only hurt Theo. He did love them, in a way, and—in the end—they were his parents. It was why they were here at all.

Luckily, they all finished dinner soon thereafter. Amaya went to get dessert, and Lavinia set down her napkin. “Where’s the bathroom?” she asked, needing a breather.

“Across from the stairs,” Rishi told her. “I left the light on, so it should be easy to find.”

She nodded and excused herself, trying to take light steps because her footsteps sounded so loud in his big, empty house. She made it to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Looking in the mirror, she released a long breath. “Good lord,” she muttered to herself. She had brought her phone with her and checked the time now. It had only been forty-five minutes, but it felt like hours had passed.

Feeling unsettled, she texted her mom. Beena knew what Theo’s parents were like, and Lavinia needed to discuss this with someone .

Beena replied back and they texted a bit, though they’d have a full debrief later.

Right now, Lavinia needed to get back; she didn’t want Theo to think she’d abandoned him.

She washed her hands, dried them, then headed back out, a smile ready on her face when she entered the dining room. As she sat back down beside Theo, she noticed that he was deadly silent, staring at his plate with blank eyes.

Her smile dimmed. She wondered if his parents had said something while she was in the bathroom, but she couldn’t ask right now.

Amaya brought out the dessert, a fruit trifle that they ate in silence, and once that was done, Theo stood.

“Thanks for dinner,” he said, giving his parents a tight smile.

Lavinia stood as well. “Yes, thank you so much,” she said. “Everything was lovely.”

“Thank you for coming,” Amaya said, smiling at both of them. Rishi walked them to the door while Amaya grabbed their coats.

Theo and Lavinia slipped their coats on, then headed out; once they were outside, Lavinia released a long breath, glad that it was over. They walked to his car, the night chilly. Lavinia huddled close to Theo, holding his arm.

“Did they say something to you?” she asked. He shook his head.

He was being startlingly quiet, and it hurt her to see him like this. She didn’t understand how his parents couldn’t see how remarkable their son was.

In the fantasy shows and movies that Theo liked, there was always a character who was pure of heart and good, a shining light against evil, and Lavinia thought that Theo embodied that perfectly.

She loved him so much, and she had for so long, it was hard to discern when that love shifted to develop into something deeper than just friendship. He was so easy to love, she didn’t understand how his parents didn’t love him—but that was a fault in them, not him.

They reached his car, and before Theo could go around to the driver’s seat, she held him back.

“I love you,” she said, rising onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

“I love you, too,” he whispered, gathering her into his arms. She hugged him. He held onto her tight, and she heard the sound of his ragged breath. He was trembling, and her heart broke.

After a little while, he pulled back and gave her a weak smile. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, and she saw that he had retreated somewhere she couldn’t follow. She didn’t know what to say.

He opened the car door for her. She got in, and then he did as well, driving her back to her place.

“Do you want to come in?” she asked. He shook his head, staring ahead. Her heart sank. “Okay, get some rest.”

She knew he just needed some time, and then he would be fine.

But things weren’t fine.

The entire week, he was quiet and distant, not just as her lover but as her friend. He was moving farther and farther away from her, disappearing like a fading echo. They hardly touched or talked, which was devastating, especially after those days being entwined in every way.

Maybe he needs more time , she told herself.

But the next weekend, he still wasn’t doing any better, and suddenly, she was scared.

She could see that he was unhappy, and she didn’t think it was just the meeting with his parents that had caused it, because that was a week ago, now. She thought about what Beena had said, about not letting things between them go sour. How there was nothing wrong with being just friends.

It felt like there was something going on that Theo was too afraid to tell her.

Dread curdled her stomach as the possibility entered her mind: Was he unhappy with her ?