Page 90 of The Soulmate Bakery

Raven laughed a little incredulously. ‘You’re not serious, right? You thought you’d like my brother, and I would have no idea? I’m not sure if I should be offended or not.’

I spluttered. ‘But – but you never said anything.’

Raven took my hand in her own and squeezed it tightly. ‘It wasn’t my place, Maya. You and Orion, you’ve both been circling each other for so long, and I couldn’t be the one to push you two together. One of you needed to take the first step yourself.’

Her logic put some part of my brain at ease, and that sharp ache in my chest that I always got around her now bloomed.

‘I’m going to miss you so much when you’re gone next year,’ I confessed, because I couldn’t hold it in any longer. ‘I think that’s why I’ve been acting so intense about finding my soulmate.’

Raven’s gaze softened, and her throat bobbed. ‘You’re trying to replace me?’

‘No,’ I said, feeling choked up. ‘I just didn’t want to feel so alone.’ I glanced at Sofia next to me. ‘It’s why I’ve been so happy to have you here too, Sof. I can’t explain how much I value your friendship; you know that, right?’

‘Maya,’ Raven said, her words strained with the urge not to be too emotional. ‘I’m not leaving forever. I’m going to come back. You and I are always going to be best friends – you’re never getting rid of me. I don’t want you to get rid of me.’

I felt my chest tighten further, not realizing how much I needed to hear her say that. Sofia smiled, and even the corners of her mouth were trembling slightly. Raven huffed out a sound and pulled both of us into a hug. I let myself fall into the embrace, reminding myself that even when everything felt like it was going wrong, at least I still had them.

‘All right, all right,’ Sofia said, breaking out first. ‘We’ve got to get you to the portal –’

Her words were cut off by the sound of another knock on the door. This time, I didn’t untangle myself from Raven to open it. Instead, with the flick of my wrist, I swung the door open.

Only to find Orion Hawthorne on my doorstep.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

We stood outside my house, three or four steps apart, but it felt like eternity stretched between us. We were entirely alone – Raven and Sofia had gone back inside to give us some privacy. Not that I would’ve noticed them there. I was locked on to Orion before me. His silver eyes were gleaming like two lone stars, and his dragon wings were tucked behind him. He was wearing his favourite blue sweatshirt, and every inch of him looked perfect.

He had come back to Maple Falls.

That singular thought was running in circles around my mind, keeping me rooted in place. I didn’t bridge the gap between us – I didn’t need to. He did.

In two long strides, Orion was before me. He ran his gaze over my face like he was searching for something that had changed in me.

‘Did you cast the spell yet?’ he asked, quietly.

I shook my head, and the naked relief on his face made something spark inside me. ‘You’re supposed to be interviewing at Rose Glenn,’ I said, and I didn’t even try masking the hurt.

‘I got there, and I interviewed,’ Orion replied, shortly. Like this was unimportant information. ‘Then I hung around with my father for a bit in the town, refusing to go back to the festival in case I found you celebrating with Silas. My father and I talked at some café – really talked. He agreed to try and be more supportive. I think he thought I wasn’t serious about how much I wanted this.’

I was quiet for a moment; on the pavement, I could see people returning from the festival. The forest was still gold, the moon was still bright, but the allure was fading. The night was coming to a close.

‘So, you’re planning on moving if you get the teacher’s apprenticeship?’ I asked, chest aching.

Orion held on to my stare like I was the star he was following back home. ‘No. I couldn’t do it, Reverie. I was sitting in that café, finally hearing my father support my dream of being a teacher, and all I could think was that I was being an idiot.’

‘Orion Hawthorne calling himself an idiot?’ I asked, disbelievingly. ‘You sure you didn’t hit your head as you portalled back?’

‘I’m self-aware enough to know when I’m being dumb,’ Orion retorted, a small smile making his mouth tilt. ‘I could live all my dreams, but none of them would ever make me feel true happiness because you wouldn’t have been there.’

My heart was thundering in my chest; words clogged in my throat.

‘I knew it last summer. I knew it when I left for MAC. I knew it in the back of my mind, always,’ Orion continued, unrelentingly. ‘I knew it when I started helping you with Silas. I knew it with every step you took towards him that losing you was going to be the biggest mistake of my life. And I had already lost you twice in my life by my own hand, by my own stupidity. I am not going to do it a third time. I like you, Maya Reverie. A lot. We have never been just friends. We’ve always been destined to be soulmates.’

‘I annoy you,’ I retorted, chin jutting out slightly and unable to resist the chance to challenge him. I knew why I thought we were meant to be, but did he? ‘We’re complete opposites. How do you know we’re soulmates?’

Orion stepped closer, uncaring of the nosy onlookers who were slowing their walk as they passed by my house, or the ones currently stood inside my house. ‘Because we’re perfectly fitted to one another, and together we’re literally capable of doing anything. You like to act; I like to plan. You pushed me to follow my dreams and take more chances. You get protective over me; the same way I get protective over you. You get jealous over me; the same way I get jealous over you.’

A flush climbed high on my cheeks. ‘When have I ever been jealous?’