Page 25 of The Tea Witch’s Secret

"It was good."

"Do you want to kiss her again?"

"Yes." It felt good to say the word out loud and admit what I wanted, and even better to have both of them encouraging me.

"Then you should." Eva gave me a reassuring smile, and even though I'd never voiced any of these things before, I knew that she was taking them seriously. And when she said that our parents shouldn't have said it, she believed them.

I was sure it wasn't going to be as easy as just having a life of my own, but maybe Eva and Max were right, and it was time to start properly living life for me.

Chapter 14

Pepper

The lovely sweet smell of red beans and lotus seeds hung in the kitchen. After days of cooking the filling and making dough, it was becoming a familiar scent. The festival was only a week away, and I was determined to perfect the process. I wanted these mooncakes to be immaculate, and I wasn't even pretending it was to make Eva and Max feel welcome.

This was all for Lian.

I wanted her to know how much I appreciated her teaching me the recipe, and how much I wanted her to stay in Purple Oak.

My mind drifted back to our kiss and I touched my fingers to my lips. It had been short and sweet, and I'd been careful not to get carried away, but it still lingered. The touch of her and the taste of her, it had been consuming me ever since. A first kiss was never meant to come as a surprise, it was an answer to an invitation. I thought the invitation had been there, but it seemed like I misread the situation after all.

But if that was true, why couldn't I stop thinking about it?

I groaned. In truth, I was disappointed in myself. What if I made Lian uncomfortable? What if she was upset? I should've been more careful even when she had been standing so close, when her heart-shaped lips called to me and I'd been too weak to refuse the call. It was just Lian, she did things to me that I hadn't experienced since my last relationship, and it was hard to ignore.

A knock on the doorframe made me turn around, and there she was. Lian, looking so beautiful and graceful in her colourful and elegant silk dress. She was smiling, which was a surprise given the way we'd left things, but she did seem a little hesitant.

That was on me.

"Hey," I said, wondering if she had come to draw a hard line between us. That would be upsetting, but I would understand. I had made a mess of it when I knew better, especially considering these were esteemed guests. I couldn't let my heart, or other parts of me, ruin this for the village. I knew no one would really hold it against me, but I would. And I wouldn't be able to continue running the Town Hall's kitchen, because what kind of cook turned away her guests by kissing them?

Lian crossed the threshold of the kitchen, which felt like a good sign. "Hi."

"I didn't expect to see you," I said, remaining steady in my spot by the stove. I didn't want her to worry about me making another move on her.

She came closer. "I could smell the mooncake fillings, and I said I was going to help you make them." Her gaze fell to the table where the moulds were currently sitting.

My throat constricted. She was so sweet, and that made this whole thing worse. I couldn't even tell if she was here because she wanted to be or out of obligation. Lian was a hard person to read but our time together had made it very clear that she was dutiful and committed.

"You don't have to help if you're uncomfortable being around me," I said, wanting to give her an easy out.

Lian went to wash her hands in the sink. "I'm not uncomfortable."

"You sure?" I checked.

"I like the...vibes of your kitchen," she said, moving her hands through the air as I had. "Did I use that right?"

I felt myself smile. "Yes, you did, but you don't have to make the hand gesture."

"This?" she said, fluttering her hands again. "But that's how you said it."

"That's just how I said it at the time, it's not a requirement," I responded.

She moved her hands again, drawing attention to her fingers. "But it's a fun gesture. And a fun word. Vibes."

She was so adorable. Just looking at her was making my chest squeeze tightly and it was my own fault. I had let my feelings blossom and now there was no way to squash them back down without it hurting.

I drew a deep breath and turned around so I could stir the mooncake fillings, mostly because it was giving me something to distract myself with, but I also didn't want them to burn, especially when Lian had stressed just how important that was when teaching me how to make them. I was lucky she'd had the patience, not to mention the lotus seeds that I needed in order to make them properly.