Page 6 of The Soulmate Bakery

‘What? What is it? Is it a spider, because you know I’m scared of –’ I said, whirling around and coming face to face with Silas Moon.

For a moment that felt like it stretched for eternity, I simply stared at him. He wore the Maple Mart uniform, which was a white shirt and a green apron that had MAPLE MART written in bright yellow on it. His blonde hair was windswept, and there was a light stubble growing on his face that was new. It made him look older. Dashing, even. I was afraid I was going to literally swoon.

‘Hi,’ Silas said, all dimple smiled. His gaze dropped to the doughnuts in the case. ‘I’ve been hearing a lot about these enchanted doughnuts. Think I could get one?’

‘Uh –’ I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Not until Raven stepped on my foot underneath the table with all her strength. ‘Yes – yes, of course. These ones are custard-filled with a sugar coating.’ The words bubbled out of me, and it seemed that, once I had started, I couldn’t stop. ‘They’re enchanted to soothe worries. And these ones are glazed but filled with a lemon jam for a brighter morning. Or I suppose, you know, an afternoon now. Or maybe, late morning? I don’t really – hi, by the way. I don’t think I said hi.’

From my periphery, I could see Raven staring at me like I’d grown a second head. But in front of me, Silas was still smiling.

He really was my dream guy. Funny in class, kind to others and non-judgemental (given the fact that he was always nice to me despite my many public embarrassments over the years).

‘I’ll take a custard one, please,’ Silas said, his voice light with humour. ‘We’ve got that potions test on Monday, and I’m already feeling anxious.’

Out of the three mandatory subjects I had to take for my MOEs (Magical Order Examinations), I shared one class with Silas Moon – potions. And I spent most of it trying really hard not to look at him for too long.

‘Same,’ I said, turning to look directly at the doughnuts in the case. When I wasn’t looking at him, the words came out a little easier. ‘I feel like Professor Malt is going to make it extra hard just for fun.’

‘He is one sadistic pixie, I’ll give you that,’ Silas agreed, and his gaze followed my movements as I used a pair of tongs to pull the doughnut from the case. ‘That looks incredible. Thanks, Maya.’

Now, I have no one to blame here but myself. Not my magic, not my spells, just plain old me. Because I know how to use tongs. I’ve used them to pull jalebis out of sputtering oil, to toss churros in cinnamon sugar, or the thousand-and-one times I’ve pulled a baked good from a display case for a customer.

Yet, when I heard Silas say my name, some part of my brain stopped working. And I – with more pressure and excitement than necessary – squeezed the tongs that held his doughnut and the bright, summer-yellow jam from the doughnut went splat against Silas’s white shirt.

‘I am so sorry,’ I said, horrified and still clutching the tongs in my white-knuckled grasp. I couldn’t decide whether I should put them down, or offer him a napkin, or apologize again. So, I tried to do all three at the same time, and it only led to me making three abrupt movements that led nowhere.

Silas looked up from his shirt, a little uncertain, and I could tell he was thinking about THE INCIDENT. He was probably wondering if I had some agenda against his clothes, determined to ensure that he never wore a white shirt ever again. As Raven passed him some napkins to wipe himself down with, mortification flooded me, and I opened my mouth to apologize again, but I was cut off by shouting.

Silas’s head shot to his right, and I followed suit to see a crowd forming in the middle of the street.

Like magnets, the three of us went towards the crowd. Silas used his broad shoulders to push his way through, with Raven and I following in his wake. When we reached the middle of the circle, all we could see was Inspector Vale. Nothing unusual about that. Vale ‘monitored’ the fall bake sale every year. It was usually an excuse for him to get his hands on free goodies. Only, I wasn’t sure what he was doing on his knees. In front of Ivy. Raven and I shared a look that very clearly said: What is happening?

‘Ivy Blackthorn,’ Vale’s voice was full of unadulterated yearning, his face contorted like he was in pain. ‘You are the most beautiful jewel in all of Maple Falls; please allow me to hoard you, my treasure.’

‘He did not just say let me hoard you.’ Raven gagged beside me, but I was too busy looking at the inspector. He looked like himself but his eyes, golden with a silver slit down the middle of each iris, were glassy. Unfocused. Clouded.

‘Vale,’ Ivy murmured, looking entirely shocked. ‘I never knew you felt this way. But … but I’m sorry … I’ve never thought of you like that.’

Inspector Vale’s expression shattered, and even my heart lurched for the dragon shifter. But he didn’t hold our attention for long, because another loud sound cut through the air and made us all turn away in unison. There we found Frost – of Fable & Frost – waxing poetry to Granny Fable. Sofia stood beside her, looking unimpressed, and Granny looked ready to smack Frost on the head with her cane.

‘Oh, Fable, shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ Frost asked, his voice gravelly.

‘Shall I compare thee to an idiot?’ Granny Fable retorted. ‘Frost, if you do not stand up right this instant and stop this behaviour, I will smack you.’

‘But I love you, Fable, like the summer loves the winter,’ Frost cried. ‘Like two lone stars –’

Frost’s cries were cut off by another declaration, this time from much closer. Diya Jaan, a seventeen-year-old vampire from my culinary magic class. She quite physically threw herself at Silas’s feet, which was only a little triggering, and the werewolf stumbled backwards, holding Diya at arm’s length.

‘Silas! Silas, my heart beats for you,’ Diya said. She was looking at Silas like he was the sun in the sky. Was this how I looked at him? All doe-eyed and so … gooey? Surely not.

Silas looked more than a little stunned and then terrified when he heard the low hiss from behind him.

‘Diya!’ Dane Jaan, Diya’s brother, looked absolutely furious. ‘Let go of that werewolf now.’

The three of them fell into an argument – most of it being Silas vehemently denying being in love with Diya, which was, admittedly, nice to hear – and the commotion on Main Street grew louder.

I grabbed Raven’s hand and tugged her towards our abandoned stall. Well, almost abandoned. We found Ivy sitting on one of the stools, looking dazed.

‘What was that, Ivy? Are you and Inspector Vale …?’