Matchmaker Mayhem
Chapter 38: Happily Ever After

Chapter 38: Happily Ever After

Ava wasn’t sure what "happily ever after" was supposed to look like, but she was absolutely certain it wasn’t this: standing in the middle of her tea shop, watching Ryan attempt to restock the shelves like it was some sort of Olympic event.

"Are you really putting chamomile next to chai?" Ava asked, arms crossed as she leaned against the counter, her tone dripping with mock disbelief.

Ryan paused mid-reach, a tin of peppermint tea in one hand, looking genuinely puzzled. "Is that... bad? It’s all tea. It’s not like they’re going to fight."

Ava groaned, walking over to snatch the tin from him. "Chamomile is calming. Chai is energizing. They don’t belong together! Do you even drink tea?"

"Not really," Ryan admitted with a smirk. "I’m more of a coffee guy, remember? You used to yell at me for bringing lattes into your shop."

"And yet here you are," Ava muttered, setting the tin in its proper place. "Destroying my carefully cultivated system."

Ryan took a step back, holding up his hands. "Fine. I’ll leave the tea-stacking to the professional lunatic."

"Excuse me?" Ava shot him a glare.

"You alphabetize tea by mood," Ryan said, gesturing toward a shelf labeled "Crisis Comforts." "What’s the category for this one? Existential dread?"

"Close," Ava said, straight-faced. "It’s called ’Peppermint Panic.’ For moments like this."

Ryan shook his head, laughing under his breath. "I’m starting to think you have a deep, unhealthy relationship with tea."

"And I’m starting to think you have a deep, unhealthy relationship with chaos," Ava shot back.

"Oh, come on," Ryan said, leaning closer with that trademark smirk of his. "You love my chaos."

Ava rolled her eyes, but her smile gave her away. "Debatable."

---

Just when Ava thought she’d regained control of the situation, Ryan decided to "help" by reorganizing the kitchen shelves.

"Careful with that top shelf," Ava called from across the room. "The flour—"

"I’ve got it," Ryan interrupted, already reaching for the bag.

"Ryan, don’t—"

Too late.

The bag of flour tipped, burst open like a piñata, and exploded over Ryan in a white, powdery cloud.

For a moment, there was silence.

Ryan stood frozen, his hair dusted with flour, looking like a cross between a ghost and a very confused baker. Slowly, he turned to Ava, blinking through the haze. "Well. That happened."

Ava stared at him, her lips twitching. "Are you—are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" Ryan deadpanned, brushing flour off his shirt.

Ava bit her lip, trying desperately not to laugh. But when Ryan shook his head and muttered, "This is why I don’t do domestic," she lost it.

She doubled over, laughing so hard she had to clutch the counter for support. "Oh my God. You—" she gasped between fits of laughter. "You look like a failed Christmas cookie."

"Glad to be your personal comedy show," Ryan grumbled, though the corner of his mouth twitched.

Before Ava could recover, Ryan grabbed a handful of flour from the counter and tossed it at her.

"Ryan!" Ava shrieked, dodging behind the counter.

"You started it!" Ryan called, advancing with another handful.

"I did not!" Ava protested, grabbing a dishtowel and swinging it at him.

The fight escalated quickly. Flour flew. Tins rattled. At one point, Ava slipped on a stray teabag and nearly fell, only to be caught by Ryan, who promptly dropped her when she tried to rub flour in his hair.

By the time they called a truce, the kitchen looked like a war zone, and they were both covered in flour from head to toe.

"You’re a menace," Ava said, brushing flour off her sweater.

"And yet," Ryan said, leaning against the counter with a lazy grin, "you still put up with me."

"Barely," Ava said, though her smile betrayed her.

---

That afternoon, Ava’s grandmother, Mei, arrived at the shop for her much-anticipated "retirement ceremony." Ava had expected something small and low-key, but she should have known better.

Mei swept in like a queen entering her court, Harold trailing behind her with an ornate lantern.

"What’s this?" Ava asked, eyeing the lantern suspiciously.

"It’s a symbolic gesture," Mei said, setting the lantern on the counter. "Every legacy needs a proper handoff."

Ryan peered at the lantern, raising an eyebrow. "Did you steal this from a museum?"

"Don’t be ridiculous," Mei said, brushing him off. "It’s a family heirloom."

Ryan leaned toward Harold. "How much you wanna bet she made that up?"

"Ten bucks," Harold whispered back.

Mei cleared her throat loudly, silencing them both. "Ava, dear, this lantern represents the light of love and the wisdom of our family’s matchmaking tradition."

Ryan snorted. "Does it come with a user manual?"

Mei ignored him. "Ava, I am officially passing the torch to you. You are now the captain of this ship."

"Captain?" Ryan whispered, smirking. "Does that make me the first mate?"

"No," Mei and Ava said in unison.

---

The ceremony had wrapped up with a final round of applause, a few overly sentimental speeches, and Mei’s triumphant declaration that she was retiring "with style." Ava, of course, had her doubts.

"Mei Lee doesn’t just step away," Ava muttered to Ryan as they stood near the tea shop counter. "She pivots. This ’retirement’ is probably the setup for something even bigger."

"She’s probably already matchmaking someone in the parking lot," Ryan said dryly.

And sure enough, as if summoned by their words, Mei waltzed over, clutching an envelope with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"For Ava’s eyes only," Mei said, holding the envelope out like it was the sacred scroll of matchmaking wisdom.

"What is this?" Ava asked warily, taking the envelope and inspecting it like it might explode.

"Just a little something to help you on your journey," Mei said cryptically.

"Journey? You mean cleaning up the messes you’re leaving behind?" Ava teased, though her fingers were already itching to open the envelope.

Mei smirked. "Open it. You’ll see."

Ava tore open the envelope, pulling out a single sheet of paper. At first, it seemed harmless—a list of names, neatly typed and organized. But then one name jumped out at her like a neon sign.

Her stomach dropped.

"Ryan Kim?" Ava read aloud, slowly lifting her gaze to glare at her grandmother.

Ryan, who had been leaning casually against the counter, froze. "Wait—what now?"

"Seriously?" Ava said, brandishing the paper like evidence in a courtroom.

Mei’s smile widened, her expression the picture of serene confidence. "What can I say? I’m thorough."

Ryan groaned, running a hand down his face. "Unbelievable."

"What’s unbelievable is this," Ava said, pointing at the page. "Grandma, you gave him a compatibility score of 100%. A perfect score? Really?"

"Of course," Mei said, unbothered. She reached for her tea, taking a sip as though she hadn’t just dropped a matchmaking bombshell. "You two are a perfect match."

"Perfect match?" Ryan repeated, looking between Ava and Mei. "Based on what? Your magical tea leaves? The ’Matchmaker’s Intuition’ you keep talking about?"

"Exactly," Mei said with a smug nod. "And I’m always right."

"You know," Ryan said, gesturing to the paper, "this is exactly why I don’t trust algorithms."

Mei arched an eyebrow, her smirk deepening. "Relax, dear. It’s not the algorithm—it’s intuition. And if you haven’t noticed, I’m very, very good at this."

Ava rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the smile creeping onto her face. "Lucky for you, Grandma, this time you might actually be right."

Ryan turned to Ava, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and mild panic. "So... what does this mean for us?"

"It means," Ava said, folding the paper and slipping it into her pocket, "that my grandmother just got a little too invested in our love life. Again."

Ryan sighed. "I’m never going to win with her, am I?"

"Nope," Ava said, grinning. "But lucky for you, I’m worth the hassle."

Ryan smirked, stepping closer. "That remains to be seen."

Mei cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to her. "If you two are done flirting," she said, her tone playful, "I suggest you stop wasting time. Love waits for no one."

"Unbelievable," Ava muttered again, shaking her head.

"Brilliant, actually," Mei corrected, raising her tea in a self-congratulatory toast.

---

The Dance Under the Stars

By the time the chaos of the day had finally settled, the tea shop’s backyard had been transformed into a magical oasis. Twinkling fairy lights stretched between the trees, casting a warm golden glow over the garden. The soft hum of crickets filled the air, blending with the occasional rustle of leaves in the evening breeze.

Ava stepped outside, momentarily stunned by the beauty of it all. Mei had insisted on creating "ambiance," and as much as Ava hated to admit it, she’d outdone herself.

Ryan was already waiting for her near the center of the garden, his hands tucked into his pockets. He looked up when she approached, and for a moment, Ava felt her heart skip in a way that was both exhilarating and terrifying.

"Wow," she said, looking around. "Mei really went all out."

Ryan smirked. "You’re surprised? This has her meddling written all over it."

Ava laughed softly. "True."

Ryan stepped closer, his expression softening. "Dance with me."

"There’s no music," Ava pointed out, though her pulse quickened as he held out his hand.

"Who needs music?" Ryan countered, taking her hand and pulling her closer.

Ava rolled her eyes but didn’t resist. "You realize this is the kind of cheesy thing you’d normally make fun of, right?"

"Absolutely," Ryan said, grinning. "But you love cheesy."

"I do not," Ava protested, though the warmth in her eyes gave her away.

Ryan placed one hand on her waist and began swaying gently, guiding her into a rhythm that didn’t need music. The world seemed to fade around them, the chaos and noise of their usual lives replaced by the quiet intimacy of the moment.

As they moved together under the fairy lights, Ava rested her head on Ryan’s shoulder, letting out a soft sigh. "This feels... perfect."

"That’s because it is," Ryan said, his voice low. He tightened his hold on her, like he was afraid the moment might slip away.

From the porch, Mei watched them with a satisfied smile, her ever-present teacup in hand. "Well," she said to Harold, who stood beside her, "I’ve done it again."

Harold chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re never going to stop meddling, are you?"

"Of course not," Mei said, raising her cup in a toast. "It’s my calling."

Ryan caught Mei’s smug expression from across the garden and leaned down to whisper in Ava’s ear. "Your grandmother’s impossible."

"She’s a genius," Ava replied, tilting her head up to meet his gaze.

Ryan sighed, leaning closer. "Lucky for you, so am I."

Ava laughed, her breath warm against his cheek. "We’ll see about that."

Ryan smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess we will."

And then, without hesitation, he kissed her.

The world seemed to hold its breath as their lips met, the quiet hum of the garden fading into nothingness. When they finally pulled apart, Ava looked up at him, her eyes shining with a mixture of amusement and tenderness.

"So," she said, her voice teasing. "Does this mean you’re finally admitting we’re a good match?"

Ryan grinned. "I think I’m starting to see the appeal."

"About time," Ava said, tugging him closer.

As the stars twinkled overhead, Ava realized something she’d always known deep down: happily ever after wasn’t about perfection. It wasn’t about flawless fairy tales or perfectly planned moments. It was about embracing the mess, the chaos, and the unexpected—because with the right person by her side, even the chaos felt like home.

From the porch, Mei took another sip of her tea, her smile widening. "Well," she said to Harold, "my work here is done."

"For now," Harold said, chuckling.

Mei smirked. "For now."

And as Ava and Ryan swayed together under the stars, their laughter mingling with the soft glow of the fairy lights, one thing was certain: love, in all its messy, beautiful glory, was worth every bit of chaos.