Page 78 of The Soulmate Bakery

‘It’s hard for my dad, and for my mum,’ Orion began, exasperated, but with understanding in his voice. ‘They’ve always had a such a set vision for me. They’re hung up on tradition and legacy. Like all dragons. They’ve groomed me for the role I was supposed to play, but I never really had space to dream. To want.’

‘So, what changed?’ I questioned, genuinely curious. ‘You left for MAC. You were planning to follow the path that they set for you. But, since you’ve been back, you seem … different.’

Orion was quiet for a moment; so quiet that I wasn’t sure he was going to respond. But then he did, his voice low enough that I had to strain to hear him.

‘I came back, and I saw you.’

I shifted entirely on to my side to look at him. ‘What?’

He turned his head to look at me, his hands laced tightly over his stomach. ‘I saw you,’ he repeated, and then he added, ‘at the Treasure Trove. Running the kitchen. Doing whatever it took to make it succeed. You looked so happy, and I just couldn’t help but think, was there something out there that would make me that happy and I was just ignoring it?’

A tightness wound itself around my throat, a sudden ache that I had to swallow against. It was that feeling I always got when I felt so utterly seen by him.

‘I never dreamed about running the Treasure Trove, or any bakery for that matter,’ I said around the emotion in my voice.

Orion gave me this contemplative look, his brows furrowed slightly. ‘But if you did,’ he said, ‘get to dream. What would it be?’

‘My dream, Hawthorne, is to finally graduate, with no more points on my licence. Then maybe I can finally negotiate a salary increase with Ivy alongside my apprenticeship.’

A smile twitched around his mouth, but then he repeated himself. ‘Come on, Reverie. The truth. You must want more than an apprenticeship. Dream with me.’

When he said it like that, his voice soft and coaxing, I felt my defences fall. I couldn’t help it; it was like Orion’s command made a part of my mind unlock, and the dream was painting itself in my thoughts.

‘You’re right. I’d like to own my own bakery,’ I began, softly.

‘What would it look like?’ Orion prompted, looking at me more fully now.

‘No dark interiors. Lilacs and violets, the colour of wisteria.’ I let my eyelids close, as the phantom bakery, which looked too much like the Wishing Well and the Treasure Trove merged together, came alive in my mind. ‘A test kitchen of sorts, with experimental bakes every week, and your standard bakes, of course.’

‘Of course,’ he echoed, quietly.

‘I’d keep the little comment box you got for me. I’d make sure there was a sign outside that had a silly joke that changed every week. The display cases would always be full, but seasonal too.’ I hesitated a beat, and then added, ‘And I’d hold classes.’

‘Classes?’

‘For young bakers wanting to learn how to experiment. I’d teach them how to trust themselves.’ My eyes slid open, and I found Orion staring at me. Our gazes clashed, two strikes of lightning meeting in the middle. ‘I had a pretty decent teacher, so it’s only right to pass on the lessons.’

His smile was wide, so utterly pleased that I wanted to reach out and press my hand to it. I wanted it to imprint against my skin, so I’d never forget it.

‘Dreaming is dangerous. It makes you want things,’ I said, my heart racing in my chest, head full of whispers of a future I had never allowed myself to think of until now.

‘Dreaming makes you brave,’ Orion countered, gently. ‘And who says you can’t have the things you want?’

‘Our parents?’ I said, like it was obvious.

‘I think every parent has dreams for their kids, but there comes a time when we have to choose for ourselves. Like my mum said, if I choose teaching, that’s my choice. I can’t get mad at her for it later,’ Orion replied, wisely. ‘Guess you have to decide, Reverie – what do you really want for yourself?’

We stayed on the roof for a while longer, just sitting there. When we heard Raven pull up, that’s when we decided to descend. Orion went to his room, and I went to Raven’s.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

As much as Silas and I had joked about it, there was a very big chance he was going to lose the game today. I sat in the front row, clad in his jersey, my hands gripping the bench as I watched the scoreboard show that Maple Falls High was indeed down by several points.

‘Never thought I’d see the day that Maya Reverie was invested in a rugby match,’ Raven intoned beside me. She had a book balanced on her knees and one hand wrapped around a coffee cup.

‘I’m invested in the whole school not thinking I’m the reason that they lose this game. I’ve already heard Trent gossiping about how Silas has been “distracted”,’ I said, putting air quotations around the last word. ‘If anyone’s truly invested, it’s Sofia.’

We both looked at the faerie in unison; she was decked out in the school colours and watching the game with clenched teeth and random bursts of shouting that probably weren’t random to anyone else who was a fan of the sport and could actually follow along.