Lei doesn't know how to use doors.
"Get up. We're going out," she said, bursting into the room with all her usual bluster and swagger.
"Aye aye, captain." Arid set his book down and slid out of his chair, resigned to his fate. Going along with these sorts of outbursts was part of his job description as Lei's partner. He eyed Lei's silk blouse, toying with the top button of his shirt. "Do I need to dress for the occasion?"
"Keep your clothes on."
They walked into town, past Lei's usual favorite haunts (taverns, distilleries, jewelers, etc.) and stopped in a tidy-looking neighborhood. Instead of the shouting and swearing and suspicious looking puddles Arid had become accustomed to in this city, wind chimes tinkled softly in the breeze, and the cobbled streets were swept clean.
"Where are we going?" Arid asked. Lei had refused to tell him.
"Here."
"Here?" Arid looked at the building they were standing in front of. The outside of the bakery was painted a clean white with a pale blue door and shutters. A small cake-shaped sign hung above the door. Arid couldn't believe that Lei was taking him anywhere that didn't have a nearby dark alleyway or convenient location for pickpocketing. This place had window-boxes full of flowers, for god's sake.
Lei shrugged. "I'm hungry, and Vinny said this place had the best cakes."
Now it made sense. Lei's insatiable sweet tooth had led them here.
The inside of the bakery was just as charming as the outside. And decorations aside, the smell was intoxicating. The headiness of the sugar and yeast and warm spices was enough to make Arid weak in the knees.
Lei had already spotted the baked goods, piled high on platters beneath glass domes. There were loaves of bread, sweet and savory, delicate pastries that looked light as air, cakes stacked high and dusted with sugar and icing.
But Lei had her eyes on a display of tiered cakes off to the side, every one a monstrosity of iced roses and spun sugar. If you could call something so beautiful a monstrosity.
"Those ones," Lei breathed. "We should try those ones."
"Lei, those are wedding cakes," Arid said patiently. "We're not getting married."
She tore her gaze away from the cakes and studied him for a long moment before a sly smile curled her lip. Arid groaned internally. He knew what that look meant: Lei was going to drag him into another one of her schemes, and he was helpless but to go along.
"But of course that's what we came here for. Isn't that right, darling?" she said, turning to the boy behind the counter. "My fiancé and I would like to sample some of your wedding cakes. I understand you provide those free of charge, correct?"
"Yes ma'am." He squinted at her suspiciously. "But are you sure you're engaged? You look awfully young—"
"Of course we are." Lei looked genuinely affronted. She draped her arms around Arid's neck. He stiffened beneath her touch.
The boy at the counter still looked unconvinced, but he turned away to find a list of cake flavors.
"You're ruining this," Lei hissed, withdrawing her arms from his neck.
"I'm fairly certain this isn't legal," Arid shot back.
"Oh right, since you're such a law-abiding citizen."
"We can't fake being engaged."
"Sure we can. It's easy. We just pretend to be hopelessly in love, and we get free cake."
"Pretend?"
Lei swallowed. "Yes, pretend." She faltered for a moment then smirked. "I know it shouldn't be too difficult for you."
The boy came back with the list of cake flavors and told them to choose six. In as many seconds, Lei selected her preferred varieties, and soon there were six delicate slices of cake and two forks set before them. Lei immediately shoveled nearly half a slice of chocolate cake into her mouth, sighing in delight. A second bite was halfway to her mouth when she became conscious of the bakery employee's eyes on her. She turned her gaze to Arid, sitting beside her.
"Um." She adjusted her grip on the fork, so it was pointed towards Arid. "You should... try this."
Eyes locked on Lei's, Arid only hesitated a moment before leaning forward and taking the cake off of Lei's fork.
His eyes went wide. "Vinny was right. This is good cake."
Lei's teasing smile was as sweet as the cake and filled Arid's stomach with butterflies. "And there's no one you'd rather share it with than your future spouse."
"You're right. There isn't anyone."
Lei's smile dropped, and she looked away, clearing her throat, embarrassed by the soft look in Arid's eyes. Now it was his turn to offer her a bite of cake off his fork, apple-flavored this time. Lei wasn't sure if he was being genuine or if he was just playing along in her scheme. She wasn't sure which was better or which she wanted more. No, she definitely knew which she wanted more as she closed her mouth around the cake.
A bit of frosting was smeared on her lip, and Arid gently wiped it away with a napkin, hesitating as if he wasn't sure if he were permitted such intimate contact with her.
They spent the rest of the afternoon smiling and laughing and feeding each other bits of cake and blushing more than either of them would care to admit. When they had finished the last piece, the boy at the counter cleared his throat.
"Did you decide on a favorite?" he asked.
"Strawberry," Arid and Lei said simultaneously.
"An excellent choice. Would you like to purchase the smaller size or the larger?"
Arid and Lei exchanged a look of confusion.
The boy sighed. "When you sample the wedding cakes, it's understood that you will purchase a full-sized cake for your wedding. Now, would you like the smaller or larger size?" He proffered a paper that listed the prices.
Lei's eyes shot up. "Erm. How much money did you bring with you? Darling?" she murmured.
"I didn't bring any money, my dearest, as you didn't tell me where we were going," Arid returned through grit teeth.
Lei patted her pockets. "Oh, silly me," she said brightly to the boy. "I must have left my wallet... outside." She grabbed Arid's arm and yanked him towards the door. "Come along, love, let's go fetch it, so we can buy our overpriced wedding cake."
As soon as they had left the bakery, Lei broke into a run, dragging Arid with her. They ran arm in arm for blocks until Lei slumped against a wall (much dirtier than any that would be found anywhere near the bakery), panting.
"We're never going to be allowed back there," she wailed.
Arid was quiet for a moment. "We'll just have to pretend to be engaged at a different bakery. Maybe I should buy you a ring to make it seem more legitimate."
Lei stood, and they began to walk back home, shoulder to shoulder. "Or I should buy you one. It's obvious that I would have been the one to propose anyway."
He bumped her shoulder with his. "And I suppose I'll wear the dress and veil during the ceremony as well?"
She bumped him back, grinning. "We will both look dashing in velvet waistcoats and trousers." They were back to their comfortable banter, but Lei could still feel the tenderness of his eyes on her as he held a forkful of cake to her mouth.
