I do not own these characters but the story is mine.

Chapter Two: Lemon

When Lara Jean woke up the next day she had a headache. She had spent much of the night writing and then rewriting Peter's letter. Even after it was done she rolled around in her bed for hours, tempted to reach out to him.

How crazy would that look, she thought. Messaging a man who hasn't thought about you in years at 3 am. Not to mention he clearly has a girlfriend. Not like that stopped him from talking to other girls before, she thought, causing a pang in her stomach. She still hated thinking about that part, because she didn't understand it. How can someone who claims they love you so much hurt you like that?

So her letter wasn't a typical Lara Jean love letter, it was a hurt letter and then it was an angry letter and then it was a defeated letter. Luckily Kitty wasn't here to send this one out or Peter might get a restraining order against her. She thought writing it would help, but all it did was reinforce the fact that he was still, now more than ever, someone that she was not over.

"It sounds like you just need closure," her roommate Jeanette said as Lara Jean briefed her over breakfast. "I always need closure or else I never get over anything," she spooned cereal into her mouth. Lara Jean never thought she would meet anyone who was more of a hopeless romantic than her until she met Jeanette. All of the romance novels Lara Jean has, Jeanette had read them two or three times. She was deeply invested in astrological signs and compatibility and Lara Jean swore she walked in on her doing a love spell once. "What's his sign again?" Jeanette interrupted her thoughts.

"It doesn't matter. None of this matters. Peter was so long ago I seriously don't know why I'm even thinking about it this much."

"Closure." Jeanette simply said while putting her bowl in the sink "Get some. By the way, if I buy all the ingredients, do you think you can make your chocolate chip cookies again? The other teachers haven't stopped talking about them since I last brought them in."

Jeanette was a kindergarten teacher and begged Lara Jean to bake her cookies for their monthly all staff meeting last month.

"Sure. When do you need them?" She said gathering her things.

"Next Friday."

"Ok I'll set a reminder to bake them on Thursday night"

"Lara Jean, I love you. You deserve all the closure in the world!" Jeanette pulled her into a tight hug and then headed to her room. Her long brown hair was in a braid that swayed side to side behind her.

"Thanks. I guess." With that, Lara Jean headed to Footsteps.

Like every morning, she was stuck in traffic. At a stop light she plugged up her phone up to the car almost immediately it rang, and Margo's name appeared on the screen.

She sighed and answered it on speaker, "Hey Margo, listen I'm driving can I call you-"

"Lara Jean!" She heard another voice. "You cannot text us that you saw your ex in New York and not give any details!"

"Hi Kitty," she groaned.

"She's right LJ, put us on speaker and spill. Are you ok?" Margo chimes in.

"Guys it wasn't a big deal, I just overreacted."

"How did he look? Still handsome as ever? Did he ask about me?" Kitty asked.

"Kitty stop it." Margo scolded.

"Hey, Kitty don't you have class this morning?" Lara Jean tried to deflect.

"Cancelled." She said, "Shouldn't you have been at work 20 minutes ago?"

Lara Jean pauses, "Touché"

"Stop stalling tell us the details! You said he had a date right? What did she look like? I bet she's hideous," Kitty urged.

"No, no." Lara Jean sighed. "She was actually really pretty...blonde, skinny…"

"Ew" Kitty retorted

" Kitty that's not nice," Margo said again.

"Yeah, Kitty, I'm not trying to bad mouth his girlfriend." Lara Jean said switching lanes.

"Girlfriend? How do you know for sure?" Margo inquired.

"Well, she called him 'babe' and… 'Pete," Lara Jean shuddered slightly

"Ew. Pete?"

"Ok, that definitely deserves an Ew. But did he actually introduce her as his girlfriend?" Margo continued.

"Well no but-l"

"Ah Hah! That's probably just some random hoe!"

"Kitty!" Both of the older sisters yelled.

"What? You act like you've never said the word hoe,"

"Be quiet, Kitty or I'm hanging up on you" Margo warned.

"You guys do know I'm kind of an adult now right? I go out, I drink, I swear…"

"Yeah tell that to dad and Trina, while they feed you help you do your laundry every other weekend" Lara Jean replied rolling her eyes.

"Back to the topic at hand." Margo steered the conversation back on track, "Lara Jean, how do you feel? You haven't seen him in ages and the last time you guys really spoke he was."

"In bed with someone else…" Lara Jean sighed.

"You know if you want, I could still kick his ass," Kitty asserted.

"No I don't want that," she took a deep breath, "honestly guys, I'm over it. It's been years. Seeing him made me realize I am totally over this whole thing. So we really don't need to talk about it anymore. I am totally, totally over it."

"Insert five more totallys in there, and you'll convince us" Kitty snorted.

"Seriously guys, I think I was just surprised to see him, especially in New York. But it was fine I saw him we had small talk and I gave him free cupcakes."

"Wait wait wait, free? You gave him a reward for flaunting another bitc-," Kitty stopped and cleared her throat, "another woman in your face?"

"What? Is that weird? It was close to closing and I didn't want to have to recount the register." she lied

"Lara Jean if you're not ok you can tell us. Peter was your first...well everything. You haven't really been with anyone since," Margo said softly.

"I'm totally fine."

"Lara Jean."

"You know what, I really have to go guys. I'm at work and we have a meeting I need to prep for in 10. I'll call back. Love you!"

She hung up the phone before they could object anymore and before they could call her out for being a bad liar.

There was no meeting this morning, and even if there was she wouldn't make it to work for another 15 min. And she was absolutely, totally NOT over it.

The next day Lara Jean had the closing shift at Buttercream so she headed there right after her other job. When she arrived the line was almost out the door with the Friday after work rush and Sugar, who was supposed to be off on Fridays, was there manning the crowd.

"Thank God I can always count on you to be on time, LJ!" She said as soon as she spotted her.

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought Natalie was working today?" Lara Jean quickly put on an Apron and waved the next customer to the second customer, "Hi what can I get ya?"

"Hmm, I'm deciding between the Carrot or Lemon." An older woman said.

"Well both are amazing but the lemon is one of my favorites." Lara Jean explained and she looked over to the display, "It looks like we've only got a few left."

"I'll try one of each," she decided and pulled out her wallet while Lara Jean boxed the sweets.

"Natalie was a no show yesterday. Natalie was a no show today. Natalie is fired." Sugar said helping more customers.

"She didn't come in last night? You could have called me."

"It was fine. A slow night, so I just covered it. You deserve to have a life too Lara Jean." She teased.

Lara Jean gave the woman her cakes and smiled. "I love it here, and it's not like I was doing anything."

Lara Jean spent the previous night in her PJs, binge watching Grey's Anatomy. This was her way of not thinking about Peter. It worked for the most part until she got the urge to look at his Instagram again and see if the mystery girl appeared in any new photos. She didn't.

After what seemed like hours, the crowd had finally died down and Sugar and Lara Jean were left in the store.

"Whew, finally. Some peace," Sugar said leaning on the counter. , "I shouldn't complain though, business is great."

"You know, you don't have to stick around. I can handle it. I'm sure you've got plans tonight," Lara Jean said sweeping.

"Pshh. I did have a date tonight, but the guy ghosted me."

"Oh my god, I'm sorry. What a jerk."

"I'm not." Sugar shrugged "I don't want that kind of energy around me. Plus that means I get to hang with my favorite part-time employee who needs to quit her job and help me run this place." Sugar rested her head on her hands and smiled sweet causing Lara Jean to laugh.

"I actually did want to talk to you about something," Lara Jean started

"Oh god, please don't tell me you're quitting."

"No no, nothing like that. I just had a few ideas. I know we're a cupcake place, but I've been perfecting some recipe's and I was wondering if you'd consider selling cookies? They're kinda my specialty."

"Hmmm…"

"And we could maybe only sell them on certain days starting out. I can come in early and bake the batches for the day before I go to my other job. Lara Jean looked her boss hopefully.

"Ok, how about we start with a trial run after Thanksgiving? One day a week will be Cookie day."

"Cookie Mania Monday?"

"Oh, LJ you've really thought about this, haven't you?" Sugar said laughing. She walked over to the Radio and turned up the volume. Sugar always played oldies in the shop, which gave the sweet shop a retro vibe. "Stop in the Name of Love" was now blasting through the speakers. Sugar came from behind the counter and began to dance around the shop.

She held her hand out, "Stop! In the name of love, before you break my heart!" She grabbed the broom from Lara Jean and used it as a mic. "Come on Lara Jean dance with me! Let's celebrate Cookie Mania Monday!" She grabbed Lara Jean's arms and began to sway to the beat.

"I can't dance" Lara Jean laughed.

"Of course you can. Just feel the music." Sugar put her hands over her head began to twirl in a circle, "Just let go and feel it girl!" The song changed to something more upbeat and Sugar kept dancing in her own world.

Lara Jean began to loosen up while watching Sugar twirl around, She closed her eyes and began to sway to the music.

"That's it LJ, you got it!"

They danced around the shop together and Lara Jean forgot she was at work. She was so lost in the moment that she didn't hear the bell ringing to signify that the door was opening. She swung around in a circle and smacked right into someone.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" she moved her hands to cover her mouth, "Peter?"

He had one eyebrow raised and had an amused smirk on his face "Hey Covey."

She blushed and her stomach flipped hearing him call her his nickname, "H-hi."

Sugar went behind the counter to turn down the music, "Sorry about that! Sometimes we have too much fun in here."

Peter laughed, "No no, I like it. You get cupcakes and a dance routine. Sounds like a good time to me." His eyes returned to Lara Jean and his smile grew.

"What are you doing here?" Lara Jean asked still frazzled.

"Uh," He rubbed his hand over the back of his head nervously, "I actually was looking for you. I came by yesterday but your boss said you didn't work on Thursdays."

Lara Jean looked over a Sugar and she waved and winked. Lara Jean turned back to Peter, "You came here looking for me?"

"Yeah...I wanted to talk and maybe catch up a bit but didn't know how else to contact you, so I figured I would just come by until I found you…" Lara Jean looked at him strangely. "You know this seems more stalkerish the more I talk. So let me start over. Hi, Lara Jean."

"Hi, Peter," A small smile formed on her lips.

"Do you get like a lunch break or something?"

"I only work a few hours, I get a 15 soon."

"Take it now!" Sugar yelled from the counter, "Take 30. I can hold down the fort" She smiled and looked Peter up and down.

Peter, used to this kind of attention, just smiled back at her, "Thanks." He turned back to Lara Jean, "So, wanna grab a quick bite and take a walk?"

"Um, sure. That should be fine."

"Awesome! There's a hotdog stand down the street."

Lara Jean removed her apron and tossed it at sugar who caught it with ease and grabbed her jacket. " I'll be back soon."

"Take. Your. Time." Sugar replied.

Lara Jean looked at Peter as they walked towards the door. He held it open, "After you." and they walked out of the shop.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! Please continue to let me know what you think. I know I've only briefly mentioned it a few times, but One the story gets going a little more, I plan to dive into what really happened with Peter cheating and what everyone has been up to.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll be back with more soon!

Peace,

Pink