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"Okay, coming right up!" she said cheerfully. Lavender nodded and pulled out two teabags. One for each of them, put into the cups. She poured some honey into each (with a bit more into Sugar's), and then the boiling water. Lav carried it out to one of the clean tables and took a seat. It still needed to seep a few minutes, but it was steaming and smelled great.

Now, Lav wasn't the best at reading subtle emotions, even for her best friend. She thought she was getting better but... she didn't want to let anything get tense between them. All she knew was that Sugar seemed upset and she hated to see her sad, for any reason, but especially if it was because of something she said. Hurting Sugar Petal was the last thing she ever wanted to do. She looked down at her tea, a little embarrassed. "I think you did a totally great job today, and I really couldn't have done this without you, you know? I'm so proud of you, of both of us really! Today's been like a total dream come true for me. So um... if something is bothering you, you can tell me. Especially if it was something I like, said, or did?" Her wings fluttered anxiously. She thought, maybe it would be best to get this nipped in the bud right away, and try not to let bad feelings fester.

She looked at Sugar's face carefully, scanning for a reaction. The unicorn still seemed to be avoiding eye contact, which wasn't wholly unusual but still... She saw her smile, and her heart felt like it was being squeezed. She loved her so much! Everything about her seemed so lovely, her cute smiles and the way she liked her tea... Even her soft voice.

Oh, she thought when Sugar finally spoke. Well, it made her feel at least a little bit better that it wasn't something she'd done. She lifted her cup carefully and sipped it, trying to form her thoughts into something somewhat coherent. What did thinking mean? Thinking about... their new career? Their future together? Was she starting to regret it, already? That was a pessimistic thought, and she tightened her grip on her tea. She was not a pessimistic phony. Sometimes Sugar was just like this, wasn't she? Quiet, reserved, thoughtful. Not anything like her own loud, brash way of doing things. "What were you thinking about, then?" Lavender tried to sound casual, but she knew she sounded anxious and prying.

Lavender looked away. This was getting unbearably awkward, and the tension was making her feel uncharacteristically nervous. Some part of her hoped it wasn't that she was just making a big deal out of nothing. Another part of her thought she should drop it and just suggest leaving... "Aha, I didn't like, think you were much for silly thoughts, Sug," she said, gently ribbing the unicorn. "I'm kidding of course, like, you can be as silly as you want!" she amended, remembering some of their sillier moments together.

She fidgeted for a moment, wondering if there was anything she could say, really. Lav took another sip of her tea, relishing the warm, floral taste. Lavenders always made her think of when they first met. "We're best friends after all, Sugar, and nothing could change that. Especially now, since we're business partners too! So you don't need to worry about telling me something, even if it is totally silly." Working side by side with the one she loved the most, she felt certain that nothing could come between them. Maybe Sugar was just thinking something similar about working together, and she was embarrassed to admit it... A bit of wishful thinking, but it seemed as likely as anything!

What. What!? This was the least-expected reaction Lavender could have imagined. Her mind was reeling, trying to process what she just heard. She was totally, totally off base somehow. She was so dense. Sugar... she was jealous? Of Lavender potentially falling in love with someone? Did that mean... It had to mean she liked her too, right?

"Oh Sugar, of course I found someone I love," she said quietly, putting her tea down, mirroring Sugar's actions. "I already have, like, a long time ago."

She felt her face redden, finally admitting it. But she had to, the timing would never be more perfect. "I love you, Sugar, and I've been totally head-over-hooves in love with you for a while now. I didn't say anything because I... didn't want to totally mess up what we had, because like, you're my best friend and we just had our dreams come true with the Tilted Tulip..."

Lavender smiled. "You know, I was thinking today too, like, about how nice it was working with you, and how I hoped it could be like that forever," she said with a sigh, resting her head in her hooves. She could die from embarrassment but nothing in the whole wide world felt better than knowing Sugar Petal, her very best friend and her deepest crush, loved her too and was upset thinking about a future where they weren't together, because she'd fallen in love with some other girl. She almost felt ridiculous for all the worrying she'd done earlier.

Lavender's heart clenched again, but she felt so much better now. It was out there, and she knew, and she reciprocated, and it was so emotional it had made her cry. Lav wasn't crying yet, but seeing her best friend, her business partner, her crush crying made her heart ache. She'd wanted to avoid making her cry this whole time, but it seems she did that anyway. At least the circumstances were better. She wanted to make it better even now.

She reached over to brush the hair out of Sugar's eyes. Lav always thought it was endearing how she would do that, but she wanted to be able to see her face. It felt wrong otherwise... "I'm glad too, like, I was so worried about this, like the whole time we were working. But I love you, and I want us to keep being together forever, you know? I didn't ever want to lose you or hurt you," she said, glancing down.

Almost shy now, Lavender leaned forward to close the gap between them. She pressed her face against Sugar's in a soft kiss, before pulling away after a moment, her face red and her heart beating a million miles an hour. She actually did it, and now Lavender was tearing up. This was the best day of her life.

She loved her so much!