Page 26 of The Tea Witch’s Secret

"It smells good," Lian said, her voice coming from much closer than expected.

I stayed facing the stove, gripping the edge. Keeping my distance was going to be harder than expected, especially when I could smell her floral scent again. She probably had no idea what she was doing to me.

Lian reached for a wooden spoon and gave the red beans a stir. "That looks a lot smoother than the first version."

"I made a trip to the Millers and used their grain mill to grind the beans and lotus seeds finer," I said, showing her a bowl with filling that I finished earlier. "Here, try it."

She tasted both, drawing my attention back to her lips. "That's great."

"Too smooth?" I asked, wondering if I had gone too far.

"No, this makes them taste really luxurious. Max is going to love this. Red bean filling is his favourite," she said, sounding genuinely happy.

It was making my stomach flutter. I put in a lot of time and effort to impress her, and I was proud of my skills as a cook. I wanted her to like my food. Even more so when it was food to make her feel comfortable and cared for.

"I was thinking I could make a lot of them, and maybe we can take some to the festival and share them with the residents of Purple Oak? I think everyone will love trying something from your homeland," I suggested, wondering if I was overstepping again. "You can say no if you think that's not appropriate."

Lian gave me a smile. "If it's not too much work, that sounds nice. Mooncakes are meant to be gifted, so it would be nice to share them."

"Then I'll be making mooncakes with all my spare time," I promised, determined to make this happen. Food was such a great way to connect people, and I didn't just want to share our food and customs with the Ju Fengs, I wanted them to feel like they could leave their mark on Purple Oak too. I wanted them to know that they and everything about them were welcome here and that they didn't have to lose important parts of themselves in order to fit in. That was the kind of place this town was.

"We'll be making mooncakes with all our spare time then," Lian corrected me, sounding very resolute about it.

I nodded, both elated and despairing about spending more time with her. I wasn't sure how I was going to manage being around her so much without slipping up and saying something that I shouldn't. Or touching her.

"Thank you for caring so much," Lian said, stepping closer and putting her hand on my arm.

My skin heated where she touched me, and I felt my stomach tighten. "Of course. I know it's soon, but I've come to care about you."

Lian wetted her lips, drawing my attention to them again. Being this close to her was making my thoughts slip away, and that was bad. Especially when she was stroking my arm and looking at me with those dark, alluring eyes.

"Lian..." I said, a warning of sorts. Or an invitation. I honestly wasn't sure. If this were anyone else, I would think she was giving me the signals to make a move, but with Lian, I wasn't too sure. Mostly because I thought she'd given them before, but then she'd shut things down after the kiss and made it clear that I'd been wrong.

She closed the gap this time, pushing herself up on her toes and holding onto me even more to bridge the distance between our lips. I melted into the kiss, the tension in my stomach flowing away and turning into a different feeling.

This was not what I expected, especially not after how we left things last time.

When she pulled back, my thoughts were spinning. I searched her face for any indications that she was upset or unwilling, but I didn't find any signs. She was the one who kissed me after all.

I touched her face, just to make sure I wasn't imagining it. "I'm not complaining but I'm a little confused. I thought you said we shouldn't do this again?"

"I know, but then I talked to my cousins and they assured me it was all right," Lian said.

Surprise sparked up in me, that was not what I expected her to say. "You talked to Eva and Max about our kiss?"

Lian nodded. "It was very helpful. They advised me to talk to you because we might leave."

Panic hit my chest. Had I already chased the weather witches away? That wasn't a good indication of me as a cook or as someone working for the good of Purple Oak.

"Someday," she clarified quickly. "In the future. Not now."

My breath returned. "You scared me. I thought you meant you were making plans to leave already."

"No, we're planning on being here for a while, but that could change. That's how it often is for weather witches. It's hard enough as it is, and it's much harder when I have ties to people. It's very painful to leave loved ones behind, or be the one who is left behind."

I nodded, not surprised she felt like that. "I know that very well, but there's no sure thing in life. I learned that when my dad passed away."

"Yes, so I don't want to move forward with you and then become a source of pain if I have to leave. Eva and Max said I don't have to go with them, but I can't imagine not living near them." Lian sounded pained. "I've been raised to look after them, to make sure they have everything they need. I don't know who I am without them or even what I would do."