Loving Lyra

Chapter 7

Brandon

The picture Lyra took of Macie made me smile. And not just because of how cute Macie was, but because of how Lyra was thoughtful enough to do it and send me a picture. She was that kind of person, I'm coming to realize; always wanting to make people happy.

Macie was so excited to tell me all about her day at Lyra's with Hailey. I was a little surprised Hailey had helped out, but she said she had a lot of fun. She even mentioned an idea about franchising and wanted to ask what I thought.

Personally, I think franchising The Sweet Spot is a great idea, but ultimately it is up to Lyra. If she did it though, she would make bank. Her baking is delicious, the best I've ever had. I didn't used to be a sweets person, but since I met Lyra, I've started to develop a sweet tooth. At first I tried a cupcake to be nice since Macie had helped make them, but now I have to force myself to stay away from them.

Hailey is staying in town for a few more days and since it's a Tuesday and Lyra has the day off, I convinced Macie to stay home with her. I don't think Lyra just gets days off very often, but she deserves them. She works so hard already and she's watching Macie (which she tried to get me not to pay for). She's such a generous person, but I feel like she's stretching herself too thin and it worries me.

"I'm leaving," I called out as I tied my running shoes. I like to go for morning runs when I have someone here to watch Macie. It doesn't happen very often so I take advantage of the times it does.

My feet hit the pavement in a steady rhythm that matched the sounds of my breathing. I had taken this route through the park hundreds of times and I could probably run it with my eyes closed, but I'm glad I didn't, because if I had I would've missed the brunette sitting on the bench.

I slowed my pace to a walk and went to join her. "Hey."

Lyra looked up at me with tired eyes. "Hey."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Just tired. I ran."

I chuckled and took a seat next to her. "Running does tend to make people tired."

"I don't know why people do it," she admitted.

"Why did you do it?"

"Me?" She asked. "Because I ate like a million of Macie's cupcakes last week and I'm going to get fat."

I laughed at that one. Of everything she could've said, that was not what I expected.

"You are not," I told her. "I don't think it's possible."

It was true. Lyra had a slim figure. She had curves, but she was still pretty thin. And she probably has a high metabolism if she's still this thin after owning a bakery for years.

"Why are you running?" Lyra suddenly asked.

I gave a shrug. "I like it."

"How?"

I laughed and shrugged again. "I just do. I find it calming. My feet hitting the pavement and the sound of my breathing is pretty soothing."

Lyra nodded her head. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes. It was relaxing sitting here with her and just being.

I was about to ask Lyra if she wanted to grab a coffee with me when my phone rang. I stepped away from Lyra and held up a finger to show it would only be a minute.

"Hello?"

"Brandon where are you?"

It was Claire. "On a run...we didn't have anything planned today did we? It wasn't on my schedule."

"No, but I came to have breakfast with you and instead I was met with your sister and the kid."

"Claire," I warned. I hated it when she called Macie 'the kid' and she knew it.

"When will you be home?" Claire snapped.

"I don't know. Why don't you meet me for lunch today instead."

Claire reluctantly agreed and I was able to hang up. With a sigh, I turned back to Lyra. "Sorry about that."

"No worries. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah. Do you want to grab a coffee?"

Lyra nodded and stood and we walked together to a nearby coffee shop that I liked. I got my coffee black, the bitterness helps wake me up before the caffeine kicks in, and Lyra got some caramel drink.

She tried to pay, but my card slipped its way past hers and made it into the machine first. "Hey," she accused.

"Like I would let you pay."

Lyra huffed, but thanked me and we sat down to drink our coffees.

"So, how have you been doing?" I asked. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been a little bit worried about Lyra lately. Not just her busy schedule, but also her mental health. I keep remembering the night at the grocery store and how broken she looked. I never want to see that look on her face again. She's too sweet for that.

"Good," Lyra said. "It's nice having Macie around. And I met Hailey, she's super nice."

"I'm glad you like her," I chuckled. "So you're doing better?" I wasn't sure if that was pushing too far, but my gut told me it wasn't. Not with Lyra at least.

"Yeah. I'm doing a lot better."

I smiled at her. "Good."

Lyra and I finished our coffees and I walked her back to her place. I didn't want her walking alone even in broad day light. The streets of New York aren't the safest places to be and I would feel horrible if anything happened to Lyra.

Lyra unlocked the door to her building and turned back to face me. "Thanks for this," she said.

"Anytime."

Lyra flashed me a shy smile and disappeared into The Sweet Shop.

I waited until I heard the lock click before I turned around and started the jog home. I felt a lot more energized than before and something tells me it wasn't because of the coffee.