Chapter dedication: Kimberley87

Song of recommendation for the chapter: Breathe - Solaris 🎶 🎶

"Thanks," The girl said, brown eyes smiling sweetly as she took the tea, the potato and artichoke pull apart Lee was handing her.

Lee's fingers were still stained from the tumeric, coconut and apricot truffles that she'd been making earlier, and the colour kind of matched the fresh henna the girl had trailing down her hands.

"Say hi to your mom for me, Emily." Lee returned the smile. "Try not to trip down the aisle."

"I'm not you, Lee," Emily said with a wink before the door chimed shut behind her, leaving the bakery at peace for the first time that afternoon.

It was just after three and the lunch and elderly shopping crowd had died down, taking with them majority of the afternoon stock. Display cases were a left empty of croissants and muffins and scrolls.

Ruthie had ducked outside for her break and most likely with her daily salt beef bagel, and for a moment Lee was able to adjust her sloppy bun and rest her head against the counter groaning as her pounding head subsided and her aching back clicked into place.

Lee knew that owning a bakery was going to be hard work —God knew she'd been told often enough— but, sometimes, it felt like there was always a part of her eyes had dug a permanent home for themselves there and that the profit she did made just ended up being put back into repairs and better equipment. Owning a bakery had been her dream for so long from when her father first helped her take Sutton's, her younger sister, birthday cake out of the oven when she was six. The cake had been burnt at the edges and perfect. Yet, sometimes. . . sometimes, it was a lot.

And sometimes, she just needed to close her eyes and pretend she had the money to book herself a reservation for a back massage or find her self an accountant. She barely had enough to keep the business going as it was and the last thing she wanted to do was ask her sister for money. If she had been given the money to sign herself into that dating agency Rainy signed her up for, Lee would have used the money for something else in the bakery.

The bakery was all she had left of her mother.

She must have dozed off for a second, because she didn't even hear the bell or the muffled footsteps approaching the counter.

"Uh, Lee? You alright there?"

She opened her bleary eyes to see Millie leaning against the counter with her head propped up on one hand, looking down at her with an amused expression on her face. Lee's eyes darted behind her for the rest of the gang and she found them already seated in the far corner of the room.

"Yeah, um," Lee lifted her head slowly. The counter space wasn't very big to begin with and Millie was close enough that Lee could see the faint freckles that lined the cut of her cheekbones and the tiny reddish spots that littered her chin.

Millie smelled like chips and strawberry pop—her favourite—which reminded Lee of going to the beach with her father and Sutton when she was ten and was being chased by frenzied seagulls.

Millie blinked ocean coloured eyes at her, still so close and Lee thought they were the clearest aquamarine she'd ever seen. Although she wasn't very beautiful, Millie had the most beautiful eyes and the brains amongst them. Her hair was dyed purple and it hung down to her mid-back in a single French plait.

"Must have nodded off for a minute," Lee said, when she remembered that there was a question still left hanging.

She pushed herself off the counter slowly, and Millie did the same, slowly, like a mirror image. Lee had too look for something to do with her hands before they did something like imitate a mime box. In lieu of finding something useful, she clasped her hands behind her back. She noticed that Millie was also shoving her hands into the pockets of her oversized denim jacket.

"You be tired after all that activity last night." There was a little dent in the corner of Millie's mouth, but it looked more kind than mean.

Lee shrugged as her cheeks heated up in embarrassment. "Yeah. I was pretty much hungover this morning and all that. I can't close the shop because of that seeing as people always come around on Sundays after church service. Wouldn't want to disappoint."

"I understand completely." Millie said with a nod. She took a step back to survey the displays. "'We'll have one of everything' is what I would have said if I had more than what I have in my purse."

"We take credit," Lee said through a laugh, and it was only slightly wet around the edges.

Millie raised her eyebrows. "I didn't bring it along with me."

"How about you take a seat with the others," Lee said, reviewing the selections. "And I'll pick something for you all?"

Millie nodded and said, "I'll take you up on that offer and don't forget tea. Twinnings English breakfast for me, black coffee for Rainy and—"

"Cappuccino for Lark, I know." Lee interrupted with an eye roll. "Shoo, go sit with them, I'll be there in a sec."

Millie walked toward the table and Lee took a moment to wonder about her slim frame before putting the kettle on and assessing what was left of the afternoon stock. She thought of the strength of the tea and coffee and the sweetness of muffins and chips. It was an easy choice, really.

When she had prepared their drinks and placed them on a flower patterned tray along with the snacks, Lee hung up her apron and flipped the sign on the door to closed, then rearranged the teapot, cups and three desserts, before bringing them over to set before them.

The rain had cleared up that afternoon, and it was sunny, although it was still cold enough that Lee could see the glass above them covered with fog. The filtered light had turned the flyaway hairs on Rainy's head golden and casted shadows underneath her artificial eyelashes which made her look a little rough and delicate at the same time. She was wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt and paired it up with white dungarees.

On the other hand, Lark looked like she stepped out of those classy motivational magazine; she was garbed in a blue silk shirt and dark palazzo trousers. Her strawberry blonde hair was cut so short that the right end of it brushed her chin while the other part rested on the top of her shoulders. Her lips were coated in a tomato red lipstick and she had light makeup on.

Lee sat down next to where Rainy was perched, Millie poured the tea, while Lark dished the desserts.

"Well," Lark said, picking up her fork and poising it over the cake with an expectant look on her face. "Tell us what you've got, Lee. Don't keep us waiting."

"This cake is called a hummingbird cake," Lee said, twining her fingers on her lap. "It's made with pineapples and banana, with cream cheese, lemon icing and salted pecan brittle."

"Never heard of it," Rainy said, immediately cutting herself a large chunk and stuffed it into her mouth. "But while we love to hear about your weird-but-delicious recipes, what—"

"Eww." Lark wrinkled her nose at Rainy and stabbed her fork in the air. "Stop talking with your mouth full, Raine Keaton."

Rainy rolled her eyes as she swallowed. "I'm sorry, miss-i've-never-spoken-with-my-mouth full."

"What these children meant to ask —" Millie rolled her eyes at Rainy and Lark. "—is the juicy details about what happened last night with the, according to Rainy here, hot hunk you left with last night?"

"Uh, we left the party early, and, uh, I took a shower," Lee couldn't control her stutter. "Then. . . Then. . ."

The other three girls leaned forward in their seat with their eyebrows raised expectantly for the other shoe to drop. It was almost comical and Lee would have laughed if not for the fact that she was battling shame about the one night stand she couldn't remember.

Who the fuck had a one night stand and forgets it the next day?

"Then what, Lee?" Millie, who had long abandoned her half eaten cake and was almost halfway across the table, asked for the rest of them.

Lee rubbed her palm against her temple in attempt to soothe the sudden ache that had begun to form there. "I-I don't remember anything."

The shop became so silent that one could hear the proverbial pin drop.

Lee groaned internally at the looks on her friends faces. Millie's jaw hit the table —quite literally— and her eyes looked so huge that she feared it would fall out of it's sockets. Rainy blinked owlishly as if she was unable to comprehend what she'd just heard. Lark just sat there with a blank face.

It was crazy how some people never change.

"Did he. . ." Lark trailed off.

"No! He did not."

Collective sighs of relief filled the air.

"Then how?" Millie was the one who asked this time around.

Lee sighed again. "I do remember snippets of what happened. It. . .it was mutual, of course. When I woke up the next day, all I could remember was following him to his home and taking a shower and something about candles and. . ." she tapered off when a snippet of a male voice filled her mind.

'Have you ever been made love to by air?'

Lee's cheeks flared up in a vibrant shade of red as those words stole across her mind. There was no mistaking that voice. . . but was that from last night?

"Uh oh," Rainy groaned behind her cup. "You do remember something, don't you?"

Lee shook her head, her lips pressed tight.

"I am traveling on Tuesday, girls." Lark said after emptying her own cup, too.

Lee sent her a look of thanks at the subtle change of topic. That girl was a lifesaver when needed.

Millie shot them a look that said she knew what they just did. "Where?"

Lark shrugged. "I haven't decided yet."

"Since Lee would be going to Soho tomorrow to meet her partner, I thought she might want to see what Cupid Match Agency is all about." Rainy reached for the black laptop bag beside her, unzipped it and withdrew her laptop. "Which is why I brought this."

"Typical Rain," Millie murmured with an eye roll.

Rainy pointedly ignored her as powered the system. While they all waited for it to complete the normal computer procedure, each of them busied themselves with their desserts and tea and coffee.

By the time Rainy opened the website, they were all huddled around the laptop in silence.

Lee spoke up first.

"I can't believe anyone would run something like this. Whatever happened to no sex before marriage?"

"Uh, hello?" Rainy rolled her eyes. "Have you heard of something called the twenty first century?"

"Some people still practice the no sex before marriage thing in this age?" Baffled, Millie asked.

"Some people still do, Millie," said Lark. "It's a good thing because if I had listened back then, maybe I wouldn't have given my daughter away when I did."

There was silence. Again.

This time, they were afraid to speak for the fear that it would trigger what they dubbed 'The Lark Meltdown'. The last time that happened it wasn't pretty. Lark had gone off the gird for a whole week and had refused to speak with either of them. But when she finally did, no one spoke of it again.

"Lee, are you sure you won't run away screaming when you get there tomorrow?" Was Millie's not-so subtle change of topic.

Everyone held their breaths.

"Something like that." Lark grinned.

Lee released a sigh of relief.

Disaster Lark averted.

"So this is the website?" Lee raised her eyebrows as Rainy pulled up the full site on her laptop.

"Yes," Rainy replied. "I know it looks a bit flamboyant, but, the results are all that matters. Look at the testimonies in the comment section. The Black's have been known to bring many couples together; even the heiress and heirs of prestigious companies. Plus, it's not unusual for people to come to them for similar reasons like Lee's."

Lark looked sceptical. "And you'd be prepared to give this a shot, Lee?"

Lee shrugged. "Kill or cure. I think it's got to be worth a try if it'll help me get over he-whose-name-shall-forever-remain-unspoken." At the girls famous gesture—whenever that name was mentioned— Lee grinned. "You told me to find a way to deal with it. I think this might be the answer."

Lark studied the website again, scrolling through it quickly. She clicked through to another page and raised her eyebrows. "The thirty days sex challenge?" Her voice was
dry, but the corner of her mouth twitched. "You're really prepared to try this, Lee?"

"I've not had the time to go through the details yet," Lee admitted. What the ever loving fuck would a thirty day sex challenge entail if not sex? "I thought it would be better not to know too much in advance, just go into it open to the experience, you know?"

"Well, that's very commendable," Millie looked at the laptop screen again, unable to mask the expression of disbelief on her face. "Right. Well, if you're sure then, go ahead. Lark will take you there tomorrow."

"Why me and not you?"

"Because I have an important appointment to attend with Craig in the morning." Millie justified. "Rainy can't go because she followed Lee to the wedding party, which leaves you out."

"But. . .but I'm travelling on Tuesday."

"You can go on Wednesday." Rainy pointed out. "Any other argument?"

Lark sighed. "Fine."

"It's settled then." Millie clapped. "Lark would be your official babysitter for tomorrow."

A/N:

Hello, lovely people.

For old readers, you would notice that I changed a lot of things in this chapter.  Just look closely.

For the new readers, well, you need not to fret, for I didn't change much in this chapter.

I hope we are all staying safe?

QOTC: Do you have a clique, or you're the type who knows everyone but doesn't have a best friend, or you're just a loner like me?

Please don't forget to vote 🌟, comment 💬, and share 📱.