The bakery was her idea of paradise. It would be a cheerful place where families could come and enjoy their time together. They could sample the desserts, listen to upbeat music, and admire the murals she would have painted on all of the walls. She would have cute promotional events and team up with local organizations.

Families could have fun anywhere, even a little bakery, if they truly tried. It was reflective of what she wished she had experienced in her childhood, and she believed it would be healing to witness all of those happy families come into her bakery. She would be exposed to positivity and care, and maybe she could feed off of it a little.

Plus, she loved sweets. Her family harped on her to not eat too many or she’d gain weight and get cavities. Whenever the nanny wasn’t around, she would sneak snacks to her room so that she could munch on them for a late night snack. She just made sure to brush her teeth good so that she didn’t end up with any cavities to rat her out.

”Coming along a little slowly. The worst part is I know what I need to do, but it’s just so tedious putting it into words,” Ying Sheng explained to him. She wished that she could paste her thoughts onto the document, but it would still probably be a jumbled mess that would fail her.

”Hey, just take everything one little thing at a time. A point at a time. Then, it won’t seem like so much work,” Liam pointed out to her.

Ying Sheng knew that Liam had a much better work ethic than her. He was able to focus and break things down to get them done as effectively as possible, which wasn’t what she expected when she first found out he was a game developer. She expected him to be a little messy and chaotic, honestly. However, he turned out to be tidy and organized, while she was the one all over the place.

”Yeah, you’re right. I think I’m just letting it overwhelm me,” Ying Sheng murmured, a sincere smile creeping onto her lips as the weight on her shoulders slowly lifted. If he had faith in her, she figured that she could have a little more faith in herself. It was her passion project after all. It wouldn’t come true unless she brought it to life.

”You’ve got this. Stop thinking it’s too out of reach,” Liam lightly chided her as he reached up to pat her hand.

Ying Sheng felt warmth grace her at his kind touch, her smile brightening. She really didn’t know what she would do without him. Every day, she was reminded of her gratitude for him. He had given her more support and encouragement than her parents had ever given her. He was basically her only family.

”You should be a motivational speaker,” she teased at him. Her boldness soon disappeared when he reached out and started tickling her sides, making her writhe and laugh out as she tried to avoid his hands.

Liam grabbed at her hips to keep her from running away, laughter bubbling from him as she fought against him.

Ying Sheng suddenly tripped over the leg of his gaming chair, making her fall back against him into his lap. She grabbed at his shoulders to anchor herself to him so that she didn’t topple off of him.

When she finally settled, she turned to meet his wide eyes, her heart hammering against her chest. She didn’t mean to basically jump into his lap, but there she was.

”Oops,” she laughed softly, trying to break the tension. However, that was nearly impossible. She had never been so close to him for a while now, and she couldn’t help but pick up the nice smell of his shampoo.

Liam was tense beneath her, his hands gingerly touching her hips. His face had a definite red tint to it as he stared up at her.

”My fault… it was my fault,” he stumbled over his words.

Ying Sheng found his bashfulness cute. Though, she did know that he didn’t like how shy he could get. She didn’t think anything was wrong with being shy. He was more receptive to the world and to other people, and he was aware of his boundaries. She envied that and wished she didn’t throw herself into the storm so much.

”Yeah, you’re right. I get to crush you because you tickled me!” Ying Sheng smirked as she wiggled in his lap out of retaliation. She heard him grunt in response, making her freeze when she realized that she was basically grinding against him. Now, it was her turn to blush because she had only made the situation even more tense.

She knew that she could’ve easily just stood up to end this all, but she couldn’t help but like being in his lap. He was warm, and she could feel how firm his body was under his black T-shirt and joggers. Even if it was gentle, she liked how he was holding her. She wouldn’t mind if he didn’t let go.

Liam’s grip tightened on her waist, his lips parting briefly as his eyes squeezed shut for a moment. When he opened them back up, they almost looked a tint darker than normal.

”Yeah, maybe I deserved that,” he murmured lowly.

Ying Sheng’s eyes nearly widened at his tone. She had never heard him speak like that before, and she would be lying if she said that it didn’t make heat rush right between her thighs. Her eyes shifted down to his lips briefly, feeling a slight pull toward him. She couldn’t help it. He was right there.

But what would happen if she kissed him? What if he didn’t want that? She could’ve easily been reading into this too much. Typically, she would just dive headfirst into something like this, but she felt different when it was him. She didn’t want to rush. She didn’t want to risk what they had because it would destroy her to lose it.

”Well, I better get back to work,” she told him, letting her fear take over her desire. She wanted to kick herself, but she also wanted to be cautious. It was a furious game of tug-of-war in her head. She eased herself off of him and smoothed her university T-shirt down over her shorts.

Liam drew in a deep breath through his nose as he nodded. He adjusted his pants a little as he sat up in his chair, casting his eyes down away from hers.

”Alright,” he replied, his tone dipping down in volume.

Ying Sheng frowned as she slowly turned away from him, feeling like something was off between them now. Maybe she had gone too far. She wished she could take it back, but it was already done. Lowering her head, she started to head toward the door of his room, a dark cloud looming over her head. She was about to leave when he suddenly spoke up, stopping her in her steps.

”Don’t leave.”