Matchmaker Mayhem
Chapter 43: The Big Match

Chapter 43: The Big Match

Ava had been lulled into a false sense of security. Her life was, for once, starting to feel like it was under control. Her relationship with Ryan—if one could officially call their sarcastic banter and occasional stolen kisses a "relationship"—was something she wasn’t overthinking (a minor miracle). Mei hadn’t orchestrated any outrageous matchmaking schemes in weeks. And business at the tea shop-slash-office was booming.

But Ava should have known better. Peace was always just the calm before Mei’s next storm.

Ava was halfway through reorganizing the tea tins (again) when she caught sight of the mob of cameras outside the shop. Flashes went off like fireworks, and reporters jostled for position, shouting unintelligible questions through the glass door.

"Why are there paparazzi outside the tea shop?" Ava asked, glancing at Ryan, who was lounging at her desk and flipping through client files.

"Maybe you accidentally matched Beyoncé with a barista," Ryan said without looking up.

Mei, seated nearby and knitting something suspiciously sweater-shaped, didn’t even pause her needles. "Or maybe it’s finally my turn for fame."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "You’re knitting. How would that warrant paparazzi?"

Mei smirked. "You underestimate the public’s fascination with my brilliance."

Before Ava could roll her eyes, the door burst open with such force that the bell above it jingled in protest. Two ridiculously good-looking people strode in, radiating chaotic energy and Hollywood-grade stress.

"Oh my God," Ava whispered, her jaw dropping. "You’re Chloe Hart and Jason Black."

"Yep," Jason said, taking off his sunglasses, despite the fact that it was definitely not sunny indoors. He tossed them onto the counter like he was making a dramatic statement. "And we need your help."

Chloe, equally dramatic in her perfectly casual hoodie and sunglasses-perched-on-head combo, pointed at Ava with the intensity of a courtroom prosecutor. "Fix us."

Ryan finally looked up from his file, squinting at the celebrity duo. "Fix you? Like you’re a broken lamp?"

"No, like our relationship," Chloe snapped, crossing her arms.

"But... you’re already married," Ava said, still trying to process the fact that two A-listers had walked into her tea shop unannounced.

"Not for long if we can’t figure this out," Jason said, collapsing into a chair and tossing what appeared to be a designer handbag onto the floor. "We’re on the verge of becoming Hollywood’s next tragic divorce story."

Ryan leaned toward Ava and muttered, "Do you charge extra for clients who come with tabloid baggage?"

"Guess we’re about to find out," Ava muttered back.

After listening to Chloe and Jason’s very dramatic list of grievances—which ranged from "he stole my idea for a TikTok dance" to "she sabotaged my cheat day by hiding the Oreos"—Ava clapped her hands in a valiant attempt to sound authoritative.

"Alright," she said brightly. "We’re going to start with a trust exercise."

Chloe perked up. "Like the kind they do at couples retreats? With ropes courses and team-building hikes?"

"Sure," Ava lied, glancing nervously at Ryan.

Jason, who was already scrolling on his phone, looked up with a smirk. "If this involves me falling backward and her catching me, I’m out."

Ryan, sensing Ava’s panic, cleared his throat. "No ropes courses. We’re keeping it simple. You’ll wear blindfolds and try to—uh—communicate while juggling fruit."

"Blindfolds!" Chloe exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Yes. Blindfolds are so in right now."

Ryan blinked. "Blindfolds are in?"

"Totally," Chloe said, pulling out her phone. "I saw a couple do it on TikTok while juggling pineapples. It was so inspiring."

"Pineapples?" Ava repeated, horrified. "That sounds like a trip to the ER."

Jason smirked. "Let’s do it."

Ava sighed, already regretting her decision. "Fine. Blindfolds and fruit juggling. But no pineapples."

From her perch in the corner of the tea shop, Mei knitted with a serenity that could fool anyone—anyone except Kelly, who peeked over the counter and caught the devilish twinkle in Mei’s eyes. Mei wasn’t just observing; she was scheming.

The basket of carefully chosen fruit—apples, oranges, and grapefruits—sat innocently on the counter, waiting for its role in Ava and Ryan’s carefully planned trust exercise. But Mei had other ideas. With the stealth of someone who had perfected the art of mischief over decades, she swapped the contents of the basket for her "emergency water balloons," kept in her personal stash for moments just like this.

"Grandma," Kelly whispered as Mei deftly replaced the fruit. "What are you doing?"

"Adding excitement," Mei whispered back, her grin widening.

"This feels illegal," Kelly said, raising an eyebrow.

"It’s called creative problem-solving," Mei replied, patting the basket like a proud scientist who had just completed a groundbreaking experiment.

"Uh-huh," Kelly muttered, grabbing a cookie and retreating to a safe distance.

When Ava and Ryan returned to the room, Mei resumed knitting, her needles clicking with the rhythm of innocence itself. The water balloons glistened in the basket, their shiny surfaces betraying nothing.

Ryan glanced at Mei, his eyes narrowing. "I don’t trust that smirk."

"Don’t overthink it," Ava said, brushing past him. "What’s the worst that could happen?"

Mei hid her laugh behind her knitting. Oh, they had no idea.

In the center of the tea shop, Chloe and Jason stood blindfolded, each holding what they firmly believed were oranges.

"Alright," Ava said, adopting her most professional tone despite the growing pit of dread in her stomach. "The goal is to toss the—uh—’fruit’ back and forth, communicating clearly and trusting each other to catch it."

"Piece of cake," Jason said confidently, tossing his "orange" into the air with a little too much enthusiasm.

Ryan leaned toward Ava, his voice low. "Five bucks says something explodes in under thirty seconds."

"Ten seconds," Ava whispered back, her eyes flicking nervously to the basket.

She was wrong. It took three.

Jason caught his first toss awkwardly, the balloon bursting in his hands and drenching him in a cascade of cold water.

"What the—?!" Jason ripped off his blindfold, holding the soggy remains of the balloon like it had personally betrayed him. "This isn’t fruit!"

"Why is it wet?!" Chloe shrieked, still blindfolded and reaching for her own "orange." Before Ava could stop her, Jason—acting on pure reflex and maybe a bit of pettiness—hurled a second balloon.

It hit Chloe square in the chest with a wet splat.

Chloe yanked off her blindfold, her face a mix of shock and fury. "Jason!"

Jason pointed at her, water dripping from his fingers. "You didn’t catch it! That’s on you!"

"Because it exploded, you idiot!" Chloe yelled, grabbing another balloon.

Ava stepped forward, hands raised. "Wait! Stop—"

Too late. Chloe hurled her balloon with the precision of a Major League pitcher.

Jason ducked, and the balloon hit Ryan squarely in the face.

Ryan froze, blinking as water dripped down his nose. He turned slowly toward Ava. "Why am I always collateral damage?"

Ava’s jaw dropped. "Grandma!"

From her corner, Mei burst into uncontrollable laughter, clapping her hands together. "Surprise! It’s a creative twist!"

Jason, now emboldened, grabbed another balloon and threw it at Chloe, who shrieked and retaliated. Within seconds, the trust exercise devolved into an all-out water balloon war.

"Catch this!" Jason yelled, lobbing a balloon high into the air.

"Catch what?!" Chloe yelled, dodging out of the way as the balloon smacked into the counter and exploded, spraying Kelly, who had been innocently snacking on a cookie.

Kelly froze, her mouth full, and glared at the battlefield. "I didn’t sign up for this."

Ava grabbed the basket and held it over her head like a white flag. "Alright! Enough! This is a matchmaking session, not a water park!"

Chloe, soaked but laughing, dropped her last balloon. Jason looked ready to lob another, but one glare from Ryan—still dripping wet—made him think twice.

Ryan handed Chloe a towel. "Maybe we should try something less... messy."

Chloe huffed but accepted the towel. "Fine. But for the record, I was winning."

Jason smirked, grabbing a towel for himself. "Sure you were."

"Okay, new plan," Ava said, clapping her hands to get their attention. "We’re moving on to verbal exercises. No blindfolds. No throwing things. Just talking."

For the next hour, Ava and Ryan guided Chloe and Jason through a series of conversation prompts and reflection exercises. To Ava’s surprise, the couple actually started to open up, laughing as they reminisced about their first date—a disastrous hiking trip where Chloe got lost and Jason sprained his ankle trying to find her.

"You’re a terrible navigator," Jason teased.

"And you’re a drama queen," Chloe shot back, but her tone was warm.

By the end of the session, Chloe was leaning against Jason’s shoulder, and Jason was smiling at her like she was the only person in the room.

Ryan leaned toward Ava, his voice low. "You’re really good at this."

Ava smiled, her cheeks flushing. "We’re really good at this."

Ryan’s grin widened. "Yeah. We are."

As the celebrity couple left the tea shop arm in arm, the room finally fell silent. Ava and Ryan collapsed onto the couch, soaking in the aftermath of what could only be described as "productive chaos."

"Well," Ava said, sipping her tea. "That could’ve gone worse."

Ryan wrung out his still-damp shirt. "I think I’ll need therapy after this, but sure. Let’s call it a win."

Before Ava could respond, Mei waltzed into the room, still holding her knitting needles. "I’d like to point out that none of this would’ve happened without me."

"Grandma," Ava said, narrowing her eyes. "No more water balloons. Ever."

"No promises," Mei said, her grin as bright as a supervillain unveiling their master plan. "But admit it—this was my best work yet."

Ryan chuckled, shaking his head. "I hate to say it, but she’s not wrong."

Ava groaned, leaning against him. "You’re both impossible."

"And yet," Mei said, raising her knitting needles like a toast, "here we are. Matchmakers to the stars."

Kelly poked her head in from behind the counter, holding up her phone. "Just so you know, I recorded the entire thing. We’re going viral."

"Kelly!" Ava groaned, burying her face in her hands.

Mei smirked. "Publicity is good for business, dear."

Ryan laughed, draping an arm around Ava. "Well, at least you can’t say your life is boring."

Ava sighed, smiling despite herself. "Nope. And I wouldn’t change a thing."

Mei grinned, holding up her knitting needles again. "To love, chaos, and water balloons!"

"Please stop," Ava muttered.

But deep down, she couldn’t deny it: chaos, with Mei at the helm, was starting to feel like home.