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icejello · 5 months

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Anyways svsss au idea but it's The Little Mermaid, it's not gonna follow the original story per se. Who's the little mermaid? Luo Binghe ofc, he's been BEGGING his dad (yes it's tianlang-jun) to let him go up to the human world but his dad said noooo bcs humans are dangerous (is it bcs binghe's mom was actually human and they killed her with the reasoning that she betrayed humanity by being with mermaids? Um sorry Su Xiyan but you will have to be dead in this one).

It's not like life is that dull for little binghe, there's his older cousin zuzhi-lang and there's also his friends mobei-jun and sha hualing but none of them seems that interested in exploring the human world and he's just so CURIOUS.

And on his 17th bday he practically begged his father to just let him take a peek and he promises he won't go alone, he'll bring his friends and his cousin can join too for extra measure! Surely it won't be that dangerous, right? Tlj finally gave in but on the one condition that binghe must NOT interact with any of the humans.

Binghe is thrilled! He went up and the sun was just setting and the sky was such a beautiful color. And then he noticed the ship. It was majestic, huge, he's seen wreckage of them on the sea bed but he NEVER saw them actually sailing on water and he was awed. He didn't expect a more breath taking sight could ever appear in that same moment but it happened and he saw a young man standing on the ship. He was beautiful with a smile on his lips as he stared out into the ocean.

But then disaster strikes! A sudden storm appeared and the ship somehow got damaged. There was yelling everywhere and binghe wanted to swim over and help but his cousin held him back bcs he promised his father he would not interact with the humans. But then he saw the pretty man fall from the boat and he ignored everything else to go and save that stranger. He managed to save the man and laid him at the beach where he hoped someone would find him.

Zuzhi-lang immediately dragged all of them back as soon as binghe was satisfied that the human would be safe. He didn't hesitate to report it to his uncle and his father got angry (he was worried). Binghe argued that it wasn't just him! He saw mobei save a man too! But mobei never made any promise to not interact with a human so that excuse did not work.

As soon as he could get away, he immediately went to the beach where he had left the man but he wasn't there! Binghe was stressed, did something happened to him? He was tempted to go on land to check it out but someone pulled him back and he's surprised to see mobei glaring at him. His friend asked him what he's thinking and binghe admitted he was worried about the man that he had saved. After having to watch binghe continuing to look increasingly and obviously nervous, mobei could not stand it anymore and asks him why he didn't just use his power to disguise himself as a human.

This surprised little binghe ofc bcs what? Power to disguise himself as human? That's the first he's heard of it. Mobei just explains how the mermaids from the royal blood line all have a special power to turn themselves into human but it doesn't last long and they need to always return to the sea or they would turn to a sea foam and that the disguise can easily be ruined if they come in touch with water bcs scales would show up.

Binghe is intrigued, he's curious, he's excited, he's nervous. He begged mobei to teach him and he only agreed to it after binghe would not shut up about it the whole way back. Now binghe is a great learner, it didn't take him long to learn it and the next day he immediately went up to look for the pretty stranger. Mobei-jun pointed out to him a spot where some clothes are hidden bcs as mbj said "he can't walk around naked" and binghe has no idea how mbj knew about those hidden stash of clothes but he didn't question it bcs there are more important things at hand!

Walking with legs felt weird ofc, this was a first for him. He struggled and practiced to find his balance and when he was confident enough, he went deeper into the land to look for the stranger. It wasn't long before he reached a city and he was mesmerized. The buildings looks nothing like what he's ever seen in the sea, there's so many ppl walking around, he sees little children running around playing, there are writings that he's never seen of and he momentarily forgot what he was there for. Binghe reminded himself that he's there for a mission and he shouldn't stay there too long.

He walked around, he didn't know where to start, there's so many ppl and it's such a big place, where does he even start with? But then he passed by a group of ladies and they were talking about how handsome the young man they just passed is. Binghe didn't question it and immediately ran towards the direction the ladies came from. He almost ran pass but stopped dead in his track when he finally caught sight of the pretty stranger sitting under a tree. He had a slightly annoyed look on his face and had a small frown as he listened to the young man sitting beside him ramble on.

Binghe watched, rooted in spot, as the stranger lightly smacked the other guy with a hand fan. He heard the guy call him something that sounded like "cucumber-bro" and the only thing he could think of was the sea cucumbers. Binghe must've made a sound in confusion because the both of them suddenly turned to look at him. It caught him off guard and he immediately turned to run away when he saw the pretty stranger opened his mouth to say something but instead he ran into another young man and fell down. The young man glared down at him and he heard the pretty man tell him to leave him alone. Binghe felt like his voice is as lovely as his face.

Binghe ran away as fast as he could but he managed to hear something about that newly arrived young man as the pretty man's fiance. It didn't make that much sense to binghe, they didn't look like they were a couple if anything it seemed like there's an air of awkwardness between them! That was when he passed by a few ppl talking about how lucky it is for Liu Qingge to save a pretty man like Shen Yuan and immediately got his hand in marriage as a reward. Someone interjected that Shen Yuan is the lucky one bcs Liu Qingge is obviously a very beautiful guy with great fighting skills. Now little binghe did not know who those people who was mentioned were but he could sense they were talking about the pretty stranger and that guy he ran into! Personally, binghe thinks that whoever marries Shen Yuan is obviously the lucky one, it's not like that guy Liu Qingge looks THAT good! But there were more important details from the conversation that he just heard! Lqg is marrying Shen Yuan bcs he saved him but he didn't! It was Binghe that saved the pretty guy! So if anything, it should be HIM that marries the pretty guy!

Binghe realized it was late and went back to the sea feeling annoyed. How could someone just CLAIM they did something they didn't?! He knew his father would be anxious at him disappearing for so long and would be angry if he knew where he actually was but now is not the time! Binghe escaped to the land every chance he can and sometimes he would find Shen Yuan there at the tree again but sometimes he would have to go home with nothing. Binghe ranted and complained to his friends. How is that fair? It was him that saved Shen Yuan why does someone else get to be rewarded for it! They're tired of his whining about someone else marrying his little crush and shl accidentally suggested that binghe goes visit the sea witch.

Binghe didn't understand, he's heard of the sea witch but he doesn't need powers to be able to turn himself into human. But when he heard about how he could try asking the sea witch for a spell that would let him stay longer on land without water ruining his disguise, he was determined. Mbj glared at shl for that suggestion and she realized her mistake when she saw the determined look on binghe's face. Luo Binghe is a prince and the only child of tlj, what would happen if he found out that they told his son to go make a deal with the sea witch? He would kill them! They tried to change his mind but he would no longer listen to them, he was set on being able to tell Shen Yuan the truth.

A deal comes with a price and binghe lost his ability to talk bcs of it. He's not mute, he's just no longer able to talk unless he gets true love's kiss. He rushes to land and as luck would have it, ran head first into Shen Yuan. He was kind enough to help little binghe up and he immediately recognized him as the boy that's always watching him but would immediately run away if he was spotted. Shen Yuan tried to ask him for his name but lbh despaired when he realized that he could not tell him. Shen Yuan thought Binghe was an orphan because he didn't respond when he asked about where he lives despite seemingly able to understand him.

Shen Yuan took Binghe under his wings and realized hey, this kid seems to not know that many things. He didn't seem to understand a lot of things at the house, even the most basic and simplest things. Shen Yuan tutors teens and kids in his spare time, either teaching them academics or some self defense skill, so it didn't bother him to have another new boy to teach. Though it seemed like the boy is not able to speak, he does learn quickly and it wasn't long before he was able to tell Shen Yuan who his name is through writing. Shen Yuan enjoys the times he spent with his new disciple, he seemed to get along well with the other 2 older kids that often gets tutored by Shen Yuan too. Actually, Luo Binghe seemed to get along with everyone just fine except for one person, Liu Qingge.

Shen Yuan's parents keeps pushing him to set the wedding date but he keeps pushing it back bcs he wasn't ready. He was grateful ofc that Liu Qingge saved him but it wasn't him that decided to get married as a reward! That was his parents! And some things doesn't make sense to Shen Yuan, Lqg claimed to only found him at the beach, he denies being the one to save him but if that was the truth then who saved him? But his parents took it as lqg only being modest and now they're both stuck in this engagement. Still, as stressing as everything is, binghe felt like a breath of fresh air to him. Truly, he never met a guy like that, he doesn't seem to understand a lot of things when he first arrived but he didn't seem dumb.

How long would it take little binghe to finally reveal the truth to shen yuan? Will he ever confess? Will Shen Yuan reciprocate his feelings? Well that will all be revealed if i actually do write this.

#svsss #bingqiu #svsss au #if you're wondering who the guy that mbj saved was and tried to guess it then you're right #it is shang qinghua #and the clothes were from him too #you might be wondering why I'm using the name shen yuan instead of shen qingqiu #well it's bcs the parents i mentioned earlier for shen yuan are actually yue qingyuan and shen jiu #you can try to take that away from me bcs i would NOT let that idea go #and ofc since it's me i would not hold back from sprinkling some angst in this #am i going to make bingyuan go through the same problem and tianxi back then? y-#long post #sorry for it being so long #i didn't expect it either #but here take it if it's anything

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leiawritesstories · 2 years

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Next Thing You Know, part 1

inspired by the song "Next Thing You Know" by Jordan Davis

turns out, this fic got a little out of hand and took on a life of its own, so i'll be splitting it into probably two parts.

Word count: ~8.2k

Warnings: little bit of language, references to abuse in foster care, depictions of a car accident, minor character death, little bit of angst but otherwise it's pretty much all fluff

Enjoy!

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Aelin Ashryver Galathynius was eight years old when the moving truck pulled into the driveway of the house across from hers.

The house had been empty for almost a year since the sweet older couple who’d lived there for decades had moved away to be closer to their children. When she was very little, Aelin had often spent time with Sam and Philippa, the couple who’d lived there, since both of her parents worked full time and she had to have somewhere to go after preschool. Philippa was very much like a grandmother to her, and she’d grown to love the older couple’s cozy house. After they moved away, though, Aelin had to come home after school, but she was old enough to stay home by herself for a little while until her mom or dad came back from work.

So when the “For Sale” sign in front of the house changed to “Sold,” she could hardly contain her excitement at getting new neighbors. And when the silvery-haired couple climbed out of the SUV that parked next to the house, she all but pressed her nose to the window of her living room, eagerly waiting to see if the new neighbors were going to be like Philippa and Sam.

To her surprise, despite their silvery hair, Mr. and Mrs. Whitethorn were only about her parents’ age. And they had a son who was a year older than her.

His name was Rowan Whitethorn.

Aelin and her parents went across the street that evening to say hello to their new neighbors, bringing a small welcome basket with them. She found herself a little bashful and stood close to her dad’s side as he knocked politely on the door.

Mrs. Whitethorn opened the front door a moment later. “Hello!”

“Hello,” Evalin grinned. “I’m Evalin Ashryver.”

“Enna Whitethorn.”

“Rhoe Galathynius,” Rhoe introduced himself, offering his hand. “This is our daughter, Aelin.”

“We’re across the street from you,” Evalin explained, “and we just wanted to stop by and offer you a little welcoming gift.”

“Oh, how kind of you!” Enna exclaimed, accepting the basket. “Pyotr, darling, come say hi to our neighbors!”

Pyotr Whitethorn came to the doorway a moment later, his son’s hand in his. “Pyotr Whitethorn. So lovely to meet you,” he smiled. “Rowan, kiddo, you want to say hi to our new neighbors?”

The boy’s muffled voice mumbled a shy reply.

Pyotr chuckled. “C’mere, son.” Moving aside, he gently nudged the boy forwards. “Say hi to Mr. Galathynius and Mrs. Ashryver, Rowan.”

Rowan’s big, timid green eyes peered up at Rhoe and Evalin through the floppy, pale-blonde hair that fell over his forehead. “Nice to meet you,” he said softly. “My name is Rowan.”

“How old are you, Rowan?” Evalin asked gently, flicking a brief grin at Enna.

“I’m nine.”

“Well, isn’t that lovely!” Evalin turned to her daughter. “Fireheart, honey, he’s only a year older than you.” She stroked Aelin’s blonde hair. “Will you say hi to the Whitethorns?”

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Whitethorn,” Aelin said, her hand small but confident as she shook hands like her parents had. “My name is Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, and I’m eight years old.”

His hand on her shoulder, Rhoe subtly turned Aelin towards Rowan. “You should ask him if he’s going to your school, Fireheart,” he murmured.

Aelin turned her eyes to Rowan, finding–to her mild surprise–that she was a little tiny bit taller than him. “Are you gonna go to Brannon Elementary?”

He nodded. “Uh-huh. I’m gonna be in fourth grade.”

“I’m gonna be in third grade,” she replied. “We can walk to school together if you want, ’cause I know the secret way to get there.”

Rowan’s eyes widened. “There’s a secret way?”

“Yeah!” Aelin beamed. “Well, it’s kinda secret. Other kids know about it too. But just kids!” she promised, quick to defend the secrecy of the secret path. “No parents!”

A small smile curved across Rowan’s face. “Back at my old house, we had a secret path in our backyard.”

Aelin gasped. “Really?”

“Yeah, really!” Rowan’s timidity faded away the more he talked to Aelin. “It went down to the creek and we called it Narnia.”

Aelin’s mouth dropped open. “I love Narnia!” she exclaimed, clapping with excitement. “Did you read the books too?”

Rowan nodded. “Mhmm. Well, my dad reads them to me.”

Pyotr grinned fondly at his son. “And now you’ve found someone else who loves Narnia just as much as you do.”

“We started reading the Narnia books to Aelin when she was six,” Evalin added. “She’s been in love with them ever since.”

Watching the two children rapidly overcome their shyness and eagerly talk to each other, Enna beamed. “I think we’re going to be seeing our young ones in each other’s houses an awful lot.”

She couldn’t have been more correct.

Rowan Whitethorn was screwed. Completely and utterly and in all ways screwed.

Well, all ways except the one in which he would have liked to be.

Rowan Whitethorn was head over heels in love with his best friend, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, and he didn’t know how to express it.

And, of course, there was the very small matter of the guy she was dating.

A guy who wasn’t him.

Sometime over the summer, Aelin had gone out on a date with Chaol Westfall, a guy in her class. She’d come home wearing a small grin and had later informed Rowan–as best friends do–that she had said yes to going on another date. Which turned into another, and another, and eventually, she’d become Chaol Westfall’s girlfriend.

Every time Rowan saw them together, he wanted to punch the shit out of Chaol.

It was a strange feeling, really, because there was no legitimate reason for him to want to beat Chaol’s ass. Despite what Rowan irrationally feared, Chaol was a complete gentleman to Aelin, and she was always telling her parents how sweet he was to her. Any time he passed the two of them in the halls, Rowan couldn’t help but notice their linked hands, their shared smiles and laughter, their little happy bubble that made him irrationally, impossibly jealous.

But Aelin was happy, so he forced his impossible jealousy down deep in his mind, burying it beneath a heap of happiness for his best friend.

Until the day he came over to Aelin’s house for their usual Thursday night homework session and found her sitting alone at the kitchen table with a lost look on her face.

He dropped his backpack and rushed to her side, stopping himself before he could do anything idiotic like–like kiss her. “Aelin? God, are you okay?!”

She turned her head, meeting his worried eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She shook her head, clearing the pensiveness from her face. “I…never mind, you wouldn’t really care.”

“Ae.” Rowan dropped into the seat next to her and instinctively laid his hand over hers. “You’re my best friend, of course I care.”

She sighed. “I broke up with Chaol.”

He smothered the joy that swelled within him. “What? Why? Was he doing something bad to you? I swear to the gods, if he was hurting you, I–”

“It wasn’t like that,” she interrupted, squeezing his hand. “Really, Ro. Thank you for…for asking, though.” She swallowed. “It’s just…no, never mind, it’s stupid.”

“Ae, please.”

She looked up, faltering, her usual brazen confidence nowhere in sight. “If…” She cleared her throat. “Rowan, if I tell you, will you promise not to laugh at me?”

“Aelin,” Rowan breathed, squeezing her hands. “I will never, ever laugh when you tell me something this serious.”

“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Ro, I broke up with Chaol because he, well–it wasn’t right. We didn’t have any spark, any fireworks, nothing magical–and I’m not being silly and shallow and overly romanticizing my life, Ro, I’m not that kind of girl–I just…gods, after almost a year, you’d think there would have been…something.” She sank backwards into the couch, her eyes going distant, misty. “I almost wonder if there’s something wrong, if–”

“No.” Rowan’s response was whip-quick.

She blinked. “You sound so certain.”

“I am certain.” His gaze, deep and calm as the forest, steadied her. “I am one hundred percent certain, Ae.”

“You’re too good to me,” Aelin mumbled. “Ro, I just–it was almost a year and I felt…nothing. He checked all the boxes, he was a gentleman and he was sweet and he was never too cloying or too demanding or anything and I can’t help but wonder if my standards are too high?” She released a short, dry bark of a laugh. “Am I just fooling myself thinking I’ll ever find a real-life guy who makes me feel the way all the lead females in my favorite books do?”

“Don’t ever feel like you need to lower your standards,” Rowan whispered. “So Chaol was everything you wanted except the…what did you call it, the spark?”

“Yeah. Everything but the spark.” Her voice was faint. “Which I’m coming to realize really is just something from fantasy books that I was stupid to even expect in reality.”

“Hey.” Before she could talk herself down any more, he leaned down to peer up into her downcast eyes. “You can and should expect real-life guys to treat you just as well as your favorite fantasy ladies get treated by their love interests.”

She sniffled. “You’re just saying that ’cause you’re sorry I won’t let you beat Chaol’s face in.”

“True,” he grumbled.

A soft, watery chuckle. “You boys and your testosterone, always needing to beat each other up over the stupidest things.”

Before he could really process what he was doing, Rowan wrapped his arms around Aelin, pulling her into his embrace. “Not being the right guy for you isn’t stupid, Ae.”

She sniffled, leaning into his chest. “Maybe not. But still–you can’t beat him up, Ro. He didn’t hurt me, I promise.”

“I trust you,” he promised, relishing the way she was letting him hold her. “Still not completely happy, though.” Because I could be everything for you, he added silently.

Words he couldn’t–wouldn’t–say.

“Thank you,” she mumbled after a long moment, lifting her head to look into his eyes. “Thank you, Ro.”

“Anything,” he whispered, his lips quirking. “What else are best friends for?”

Three years later, when Rowan unexpectedly ran into Aelin late at night at the University of Terrasen’s west campus gym, it was like time froze still, the frame stuck in a long lingering endless moment until he blinked and the clock restarted and he recognized her.

During her sophomore year of college, Aelin made a vow.

She may have been a little tipsy, may have been more than a little emotional, but a vow was still a vow, and she meant this one with all her being.

No matter what may arise, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius swore she was staying single.

There were…too many reasons why she couldn’t let anyone else into her life, into her home, into her heart. Beginning and ending with I’m still in love with my best friend even though I know he doesn’t reciprocate or he would have said something a long, long time ago.

Not to mention, Sam Cortland. A name she’d sworn to put away, along with all the…memories that name inspired.

She shook her head, clearing away the reminiscing, and tapped her student ID against the card reader of the west campus gym door, letting herself in. Since moving into an on-campus apartment with Lys and Elide, she’d grown fond of going to the west campus gym for her nightly workouts, finding it usually pretty empty at night. And she preferred an emptier gym–fewer people to potentially stare at her ass or her boobs or just flat-out ogle her while she worked out. Gods, it was like none of the gym-bros had ever seen a girl before. Though maybe that was true–they spent so much time in the gym, they probably didn’t see anyone other than the other gym rats.

Music pumping through her headphones, Aelin focused her attention on her workout, tuning out her surroundings until she was walking on the treadmill as a cooldown, pretty damn exhausted but giddy with the serotonin rush that came from a good workout. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the door open and a figure step inside. Someone else who liked the west gym when it was emptier, apparently. Not really paying attention to who’d walked in, Aelin turned the treadmill down a notch, stretching her arms over her head as her body cooled off.

It wasn’t until she climbed off the treadmill that she realized the guy who’d just entered hadn’t moved from his spot by the door. Faintly concerned, she glanced over towards him.

And time screeched to a halt.

Her eyes widened in shock. “Rowan?”

His hands shaking, Rowan Whitethorn carefully placed his water bottle down on the floor before he dropped it on his foot. “Aelin,” he breathed, just as stunned as her.

She huffed an incredulous half-laugh. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages, Ro, how are you?”

“I…” He ran a hand through his messy, pale hair, the movement drawing her gaze to the tattoo flowing down his sculpted arm. “Gods, I’ve missed you.”

Not what she’d been expecting.

Despite the iron chains enveloping it, her heart fluttered. “We literally go to the same college, Ro.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, “but we’re in such different fields, and I live halfway across campus and have to deal with hockey and all that other fun stuff.”

She chuckled. “Remind me again who was oh so elated to sign to UTerr?”

“All right, you win,” he grumbled playfully.

She flashed him a little grin. “Night, Ro.”

“Hey.” He touched her shoulder before she headed out the door. “We should grab food or coffee sometime, it’d be…um, I mean–I want to catch up.” Was he…blushing?

“You’re cute when you blush,” she teased.

His flush only deepened. “Please, Ae? I know I’m babbling like a freshman, but I–I’ve really missed you.”

She couldn’t control the soft smile that broke across her face. “I’d love to. You have my number, text me when you’re available.”

His “I will!” rang in her ears for the rest of the night, leaving her with a giddy little grin when she returned to her apartment.

Sprawled on the couch with whatever show she was watching this week, Lysandra glanced up when her roommate came in. And smirked. “Well, well, someone met a hot guy at the gym.”

“Shut up,” Aelin laughed, shrugging off her light jacket and hanging it in the hall closet.

Lys paused her show and sat up, grinning like a fiend. “You did?!”

“No comment.” Smirking, Aelin made to head down to her room.

“Oh hell no!” Lys caught her arm. “Details, babes. I need details!”

“There aren’t any details,” Aelin chuckled. Lys arched a dark brow, folding her arms across her chest. “Really, darling. Nothing happened. It was just Rowan.”

Lysandra’s jaw dropped so far so fast Aelin was half afraid it would break clean off. “JUST ROWAN?!” she squealed, gaping at her roommate.

Aelin smothered a very satisfied grin. “Mhmm. What, is there something special about that?”

“You tell me, babes,” Lys smirked, eagerly awaiting the details she craved.

“Calm down, Lys,” Aelin laughed, heading down the hall towards her room. “We just ran into each other at the gym, it wasn’t like anything actually happened.” Not like I've dreamed that he kissed me like I’ve never been kissed or anything.

“Boo!” Lys frowned. “C’mon, Ae, please tell me he at least said hi?”

“Oh yeah, of course. We talked for a little bit, but he was coming to the gym when I was close to leaving, so we weren’t both there for too long.”

“Boring!”

Aelin flipped her roommate off over her shoulder, giggling at Lysandra’s screech of protest. “Told you there weren’t any details!” Well…perhaps one detail. She poked her head back out of her room, waiting until she heard her roommate grumbling to herself in the kitchen. “Oh, Lys, one thing?”

“Yeah?” Lys stuck her head around the corner. “What?”

“We might have a date for coffee in a few days.” Cackling like a madwoman, Aelin closed her door, cutting off Lysandra’s squeals of shock and excitement.

“BITCH!” Lys shrieked, glee making her voice rise about three octaves. “You can’t just LEAVE like that!”

Oh, but Aelin could.

“Hey.” A small, warm grin curled Aelin’s lips as she opened the apartment door for Rowan. “I’m just about ready, you can come in while I grab my shoes.”

“This is a really nice place,” Rowan commented, his own little crooked grin flitting across his face. “Not much you can do with a campus apartment, I know, but this feels like…like a home.”

“Thanks,” she grinned. “Lys and Ells and I spent like three weeks decorating the place when we moved in.”

He blinked. “Gods, that’s a, um, a long time?”

“Yeah, it is,” Aelin chuckled, “but we pretend it’s normal.”

“Bet all the home decorating stores in town just love you,” Rowan teased, taking a casual seat on the plush dark-blue sofa.

“Back in a minute!” She disappeared down the hall, taking just a moment to pull on her ankle boots, fluff up her hair, and grab her small purse before heading back out. “I’m ready!”

Rowan stood up, holding the door for her. “You look gorgeous,” he said softly, appreciatively glancing at her outfit.

She flushed. “Thanks.”

He led her out to his car, clicking the key fob to unlock the pickup’s doors. “Don’t tease, it’s a bit of a mess in here but I love this old hunk of rust.”

She chuckled as she swung herself up into the cab. “Hunk of rust, huh? Then why don’t I see any rust anywhere, Ro?”

“Cleaned it out just for today,” he beamed.

She giggled. “You did not. I know you, Rowan Whitethorn–you can’t live with a dirty car.”

“Fair enough,” he conceded, winking at her in the rearview mirror. And damn her, but that little gesture sent butterflies racing in her stomach. “So, coffee?”

“Please,” Aelin announced dramatically. “Me without caffeine is a sight you never want to see.” She flashed him a grin. “All right, the place I love is pretty close, but it’s also really popular and you might not be able to park in front. Just a warning.”

“Damn weekend coffee drinkers,” Rowan grumbled playfully. “Thanks for the warning, Ae.”

“Yeah, of course.” She directed him down the streets, pointing out the coffee shop as they drove past. Sure enough, the handful of parking spots by the building were already taken, so Rowan drove a few blocks down to the public parking lot and parked there. “Hope you don’t mind walking.”

“On a day like this?” He shook his head. “Not at all.”

They fell into step together, their hands completely coincidentally linking as they walked the short distance to the coffee shop, the building’s brick exterior slightly faded by decades of weather. Rowan pulled open the front door for Aelin, flashing her another of his little half-grins that made her belly do funny flips, and followed her inside, both of them deeply inhaling the warm, welcoming aroma of the place.

“I come here all the time,” Aelin chuckled, waving quickly at one of the employees.

“Obviously,” Rowan grinned. “Half the staff’s probably back there running around in a frenzy because that damn Galathynius girl is here to buy out their whole stock of pastries again.”

“Rude!” She swatted his shoulder, lips puffing out into a dramatic, feigned pout.

He just smirked. “Am I wrong?”

“Shut it,” she muttered, poking him in the ribs.

His soft, deep laugh rumbled against her back. “Don’t worry, Ae, I’ll get you a pastry. Even two. Three is a stretch, though.”

“Such a gentleman,” she crooned.

“Just trying to impress you enough to wheedle a second date.”

“Ah, Ro.” She squeezed his hand. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this before you buy me food, but you don’t need to wheedle me with pastries.” She winked. “I was already planning to ask you for another date.”

“Jumping to conclusions before the first date?” he teased.

She swatted him again. “As if you hadn’t already envisioned the next three to five years in that lovely little brain of yours.”

It was his turn to flush.

She snickered and tugged him up to the counter. “C’mon, Ro, ready to order?”

They ended up taking their drinks and two chocolate croissants over to a cozy little table by a window, which Aelin spotted and immediately claimed. Lucky to find one indoors, she joked, since it was so busy in the coffee shop.

Rowan eyed her drink dubiously. “You sure that’s not going to kill you?”

She rolled her eyes, taking a languid sip. “It’s my usual order, Ro, of course it’s not going to harm me. Not all of us drink boring black coffee, you know.”

“Menace,” he teased. “Not that I want to know, but…what in all things holy is that, Ae?”

“Iced mocha with oat milk and a pump of hazelnut.” She rattled it off with practiced ease. “Oat milk because I’m lactose intolerant and dairy will not be kind to my apartment’s plumbing, and hazelnut because chocolate and hazelnut is the best combination ever created.”

Rowan blinked rapidly, processing her order. “So, caffeine and sugar and more sugar?”

“Exactly!” She beamed.

He barked out a laugh, shaking his head. “Here, have even more sugar, then, gods know I can’t control your eating habits.”

“Glad you’re learning,” she laughed, accepting the plate. “And yes, you will be eating one of these.”

“But I–”

“No but,” she interrupted. “Indulging yourself every once in a while doesn’t mean you’re abandoning your meal plan, Ro. And besides, Emrys would be horrified if he saw me bring someone who won’t eat pastries into his beloved coffee shop.”

“All right, all right, I yield.” Rowan took his plate, cut the pastry in half, and took a bite, his eyes closing at the taste. “Gods, this is incredible!”

“Told you so,” she smirked.

“Fine,” he grumbled, pretending to look affronted.

She snickered. “See? Drinking sad, boring black coffee does have negative side effects!” She bit into her own pastry, not even bothering to mute her soft, appreciative moan of delight. “Emrys, you are my favorite person.”

“Ouch,” Rowan teased. “What a thing to say on a first date.”

Aelin huffed a laugh. “So funny, aren’t you?”

“It’s why you agreed to go out with me,” he grinned, giving her a theatrical dip of his head.

“Mmm, yeah, me agreeing to go out with you had nothing to do with years of pining, not at all,” she deadpanned.

He froze, coffee cup halfway to his mouth.

Shit.

Think before you speak, dammit! she berated herself, cheeks blooming bright pink. “Gods, I didn’t mean for that to just slip out, I’m–”

“Years of pining?” he breathed, shakily setting his coffee down. “Aelin…Fireheart, I’ve been head over heels for you since we were kids or something.”

It was her turn to muffle a gasp. “Are you…are you serious, Rowan?”

“Completely.” He reached across the table and laid his hand atop hers. “I can only say I’m sorry it took so damn long to admit it.”

“Gods.” She laced her fingers with his, a smile brighter than the morning sun breaking across her face. “What took us so long?”

“Gods only know,” he chuckled, his joy matching hers. “Gods only know.”

They had a month until graduation.

Aelin honestly didn’t know how the time had flown so fast. It seemed like just last week that she was a terrified freshman moving into the dorms for her first semester of college. She felt like she’d blinked and four years had flown by, like it had only been a day instead of just over a year since she and Rowan started dating.

Which meant that it was now nearly two and a half years since the incident–the main reason she kept evading Rowan’s gentle urges that they move in together after graduation.

The last time she’d moved in with her boyfriend, things hadn’t exactly gone according to their youthful dreams.

“Fireheart.” Rowan trailed his fingers through Aelin’s loose hair, pleading with her to offer him some kind–any kind–of answer. “Please, Fireheart, I’m freaking out, did I say something wrong?”

She raised her head slightly from its comfortable position in his lap. “No, buzzard, you didn’t say anything wrong, I promise. I just…” She closed her eyes, the memory almost too much. “Ro, I don’t know if I–if I can.”

He shifted on the couch, moving so he was lying down with his head against the throw pillows she’d all but forced him to buy for his apartment, and settled her back against his chest, knowing how much the closeness calmed her. He didn’t say anything for a good long moment, spinning words around his mind until he finally figured out the phrasing. “I don’t want to pry, Fireheart, but you know how my mind is, and I’m imagining some fuckin’ terrible things right now.”

Her hand rose up to curl against his jaw. “Ro, love, I promise I’m okay.” She sighed, long and soft. “I…I need to tell you something.”

“Anything,” he murmured.

The next words out of her mouth just about made his brain stall, though.

“His name was Sam. Sam Cortland. And he…he’s dead.”

Rowan felt the weight of those words, the heaviness of the sorrow woven into that name. He stayed quiet, giving Aelin time to form her thoughts, just holding her close and offering whatever wordless comfort he could give.

She exhaled slowly. “I met Sam the first week of classes here, he was in a few of mine. Well, actually, I met Sam in middle school; I was one of the student leaders, so new students got to shadow me. He was all scared of his own shadow because his former foster dad beat him. I’ll get to that…later. We started talking pretty soon, and he asked me out before the end of September. And I, well, I really liked him. He was sweet and funny and made me laugh at his stupid jokes and stayed up with me whenever I needed company at two in the morning because I had an assignment due the next day. He had to stay in the dorms for that first semester like we all did, but he told me he was getting an apartment for the next semester, and he asked me if I wanted to live with him.”

“His foster dad what?” Muted violence laced Rowan’s tone.

Aelin pursed her lips. “Arobynn Hamel was…a piece of fucking work. Somehow, he stayed in the foster system, but almost every time the agency gave him a kid, that kid transferred within six months. Sam was one of the only exceptions, and he, well, he told me it was because he was too damn terrified to say anything to the caseworker.”

“That monster,” Rowan growled.

“So violent.” Aelin traced her thumb along his jaw. “Arobynn’s been dead for two years, Ro, so your violence won’t get you anywhere.” She shook her head a bit. “Anyway. Sam finally got transferred when he was sixteen, and Philippa–his foster mom–is the most wonderful woman ever. Arobynn was not happy about the transfer, of course, and he spent an alarming amount of time basically stalking Sam. Which is why Sam came to UTerr. It’s so far from Rifthold that he knew he’d be safe, plus he was a legal adult and he could file for a restraining order, which he did.” Her eyes went distant. “Gods, we thought we were safe from that asshole.”

“Thought?”

“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “Sam and I moved into an apartment together for the second semester of our freshman year, and it was…really great, actually. I loved the independence of living off campus and feeling like a real adult, and I loved living with Sam. And we really thought we were safe from his horrific foster dad, we really did. Gods, we were so stupid. People like that–you can go to every extent of the law, and they’ll still defy it.” Tears clogged her throat now, choking her words.

“Fireheart, don’t feel like you’re obligated to tell me,” Rowan murmured, smoothing his hand down her spine.

Aelin sniffled. “I want you to know, Rowan.”

“Okay.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m right here, then.”

She took another deep, steadying breath. “Not quite a month after the semester ended–we both decided to stay in the city and work for the summer, so we were still there–I got home from work late and Sam wasn’t home yet. It didn’t surprise me, I knew he usually worked evenings and his some of his coworkers were the ‘give all the sidework to the newest employee’ type, so I just went about my business like normal, expecting him to get home later.” She swallowed. “It was maybe ten or ten thirty when I started to get concerned. And we didn’t exactly live in the most pristine of neighborhoods; our place was low-cost but pretty clean, it’s not like we were in the worst part of town. But hearing road racing and finding the occasional drunk passed out on the sidewalk was…not uncommon.

I decided to go check on things a little after eleven. I locked up and headed downstairs, hoping I’d run into Sam on my way down. I didn’t. So I walked out of the building, headed down the street in the direction he’d be coming from, and I just…walked and waited and hoped. I convinced myself he’d just had a hectic shift and he’d be coming down the street at any minute, complaining about how much he hated working with these two servers because they always left early and made him do their sidework. Gods only know what time it was when I saw him coming down the street. He raised his hand to me, and I swear I could see the way his face lit up when he saw me. He checked the crosswalk, because he always did, he was that one person who’d always check for traffic even late at night when nobody was around, and started across the street to me.”

Her whole body shuddered.

“And then that godsdamned black car came screeching out of fucking nowhere and fucking slammed into him and just sped right the fuck on past like nothing had happened and I swear I hear the way his yell cut off in my nightmares.” Aelin sobbed, her body shaking, tears pouring down her face. “I don’t even remember what happened next–I was by his side, he was bleeding out all over the road, he was barely even alive, he–he just–he told me–” She broke off, burying her face in her hands, the salty heat of her tears soaking into Rowan’s shirt.

Rowan wrapped his arms tighter around her, wishing he could take away her anguish.

Her breath came shuddering out. “He told me to live. He–he could barely even whisper, I could see the way the light was leaving his eyes–and he told me, ‘You have to live, Aelin. Don’t just survive or exist. Live.’ I swear I felt like I was bleeding out right next to him.” She went quiet for a long moment, her tears steadily dripping into Rowan’s shirt. “Someone on the other side of the street got a picture of the car’s license plates and a short little video clip of the driver, and it was enough to identify the driver. And if you’re thinking of a certain Arobynn Hamel, you are correct. Bastard didn’t ever give a shit about the restraining order, he just wanted to get after the one man who had stories to tell the world about his cruelty in the foster system.” Aelin closed her eyes, breathing slowly. “The police arrested Arobynn maybe a week later for violating a restraining order, aggravated murder, vehicular homicide, and some other charges. He went to trial relatively fast, was found guilty on all counts, and got sentenced to life without possibility of parole. I was a witness, and gods, it might make me an awful human, but I felt so fucking vindicated when the judge pronounced the verdict.”

“As you should,” Rowan mumbled.

“Yeah.” Aelin wiped tears off her cheeks. “Just over two years ago, the news ran a little article mentioning that Mr. Arobynn Hamel, a convict in the state prison, had been found dead in his cell. They couldn’t find any evidence of who or what did it, but the coroner’s report mentioned that his autopsy indicated trace amounts of some pretty goddamn fatal drugs. And gods, it was the biggest load off my shoulders to hear that the filthy bastard was dead.”

“As it should be.” Rowan’s voice was firm with conviction.

She sniffled. “Really?”

“Really.” He traced his thumb over the slope of her cheekbone. “He deserved it.”

“Yeah he fucking did.” Aelin brushed the last stray tears from her face, moving so she could tuck her head into the crook of Rowan’s neck, meeting his soft gaze. “Stop looking at me like that, Ro.”

“Like what?” He tucked a loose strand of hair away. “Like I love you and wish with everything I am that I could take away your pain?”

The tiniest of smiles flickered across her lips. “Like that, yes.”

He brushed a whisper-soft kiss against her forehead. “I’m so beyond sorry that all of…this happened to you, Fireheart. Hell, sorry doesn’t even begin to cover what I want to say.”

“I know.” She cupped his face, her fingertips trailing across the tattoo that flicked along the side of his neck. “You don’t have to try and put it into words, my buzzard. I know.”

Aelin fell asleep atop Rowan’s chest that night, curled close into his soothing warmth. When she awoke, still in his arms, she knew from the thrum of complete contentment that raced through her whole self that she wanted to spend forever with this man.

Something was up.

Aelin didn’t know exactly what it was, but lately, Rowan had been acting…weird. Anytime he was scrolling through his phone when she walked into the room, he’d inhale sharply and switch screens or just put down his phone entirely. Same with his laptop–he’d close tabs before she could see what on earth he was trying to hide.

And if she was being honest, that worried her.

What with her tendency to jump straight to the worst possible conclusions, Aelin was struggling to keep her imagination in check. No, Galathynius! she berated herself. Stop thinking about Rowan doing shady shit like that! Try as she might to force herself to think of happier things, her mind always found a way to slip in a sliver of uncertainty.

Gods, she hoped she was wrong.

“Fireheart, you okay?” Rowan’s hand rested atop her thigh, his brows wrinkling in concern.

“Yeah.” Aelin blinked herself back into the present moment, flashing him a quick half-grin. “I’m just thinking, love.”

“Mmm, having deep thoughts?”

She poked his side. “Smartass.”

“You love it.”

“Right.” She winked wickedly. “I do love your smart ass.”

He choked on his water, coughing deeply. “Aelin!”

She snickered. “What?”

“You’re a menace,” he grumbled, his cheeks flushing bright pink.

She gave him a quick peck of a kiss. “I love you too, buzzard.”

He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like a curse. “Remind me again why I let myself fall for all your little jokes?”

“Because you love my little jokes,” she beamed.

“I really do, love,” he agreed, chuckling. “Gods, I really do.”

Rowan was in mild distress.

Actually, he was in major distress, but he couldn’t just go around showing it, could he? He was a college graduate with a real adult job and a mortgage and a car and a girlfriend whom he loved more than life itself, a girlfriend to whom he was planning to propose.

Hence the distress.

He’d known pretty much since their first date in college that Aelin was the woman he wanted to marry, but he hadn’t wanted to rush into anything lest he destroy his dreams before they’d bloomed. So he waited, and he spent every possible moment with her, and he fell more and more in love with her each day they spent together. They had each moved into their own homes after graduation–Aelin leased a condo near the business district, conveniently close to her workplace, and Rowan signed the mortgage on his house using some of the funds he’d inherited from his stinking rich old auntie Maeve when she passed. Between his work schedule and her hectic work hours, they often went over to each other’s places to find nobody home, but they’d managed to carve out regular date nights and time together.

About six months ago, Rowan had opened up a secondary savings account next to his main bank accounts. Into this second account, he deposited a small percent of each paycheck, watching the numbers climb steadily up until there was a decent-sized chunk of money in the account.

Then, he started looking at engagement rings.

He’d nearly had a heart attack the first time he opened a jeweler’s website and saw the price ranges and how those prices changed based on the metal and the jewels and the design. And he had been utterly lost among the pages and pages of seemingly infinite ring designs, each new website and webpage he looked at screaming advertisements at him. All he wanted was a ring that Aelin would love, not some gaudy, tacky statement piece.

A few weeks ago, he’d deliberately come over to her condo before she got off work so he could quietly check her ring size. He knew there were a few rings she frequently wore but couldn’t wear at work and just about cheered when he saw one of them atop her dresser. Quickly, he placed the ring against the sizing guide he’d printed out, noting down what size it was.

The next day, he’d taken Aelin’s ring size and a few photos of the kind of jewelry she usually wore into the jeweler’s shop near the building where he worked.

When he walked in, probably a little wide-eyed and nervous, he’d been almost immediately greeted by a kind-faced older gentleman wearing a neatly pressed suit. “Good afternoon! How can I help you, sir?”

Rowan’s breath whooshed out. “I, uh, I want to propose to my girlfriend but I have no idea what kind of ring to get.”

“Wonderful.” The gentleman held out his hand. “You’ve come to the perfect place, then. My name is Malakai, and I’ve owned this palace for over thirty years.”

“Wow.” Rowan gazed around the shop appreciatively. “That’s wonderful!”

“Mmm, it’s nothing much.” Malakai waved him off. “I do it to see all the happy couples who come in here.” He led Rowan towards the back of the shop and gestured towards the simple table and chairs. “Have a seat, Mr…”

“Gods, I’m so rude.” Rowan took a seat. “Rowan Whitethorn.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Rowan.” Malakai folded his hands atop the table. “Now, what were you thinking your girlfriend would like?”

“I don’t know,” Rowan admitted. “I’ve spent weeks looking at pictures and ideas and hiding the evidence from her and I’m still stumped.” He placed the sizing guide and the few photos he’d brought along onto the table. “I do have a few things, though.”

“Excellent.” Malakai looked at the sizing guide first. “Oh, you’ve found her ring size! That’s a perfect first step, it means you most likely won’t have to get a whole different size of the ring.”

“Thank the gods,” Rowan huffed.

Malakai chuckled. “What else have you brought?”

“Just a few photos of the jewelry Aelin usually wears, I didn’t know if that would help at all.”

“It does help.” Malakai looked over the photos. “Hmm…all right, we can work with this.” The creases around his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Don’t worry, Rowan, it won’t be as terrible as you might be imagining.”

“Good,” Rowan laughed. “So…help me out?”

“Right.” Malakai grabbed a notepad and a pen. “From what I can tell, she typically wears white gold or silver jewelry, yes?” Rowan nodded. “Good. Then you will probably want to select a white gold or silver metal for the ring. The metals do look similar upon first glance, but white gold is one of our most popular materials, since it can work with both silver and gold jewelry.”

“Right.” Rowan considered for a moment. “I trust your judgment, let’s go with the white gold.”

“Excellent.” Malakai made a note on his page. “Now, the stone.”

“Any stone?”

“Any,” Malakai confirmed. “Most couples choose the diamond for the engagement ring, as I’m sure you know from looking at references, but any precious stone can be the centerpiece of a ring.”

“Okay.” Rowan toyed with the band of his watch. “Well, here’s the thing. I guess I do kind of have more ideas than I thought, because I’ve…I’ve always dreamed of proposing with an emerald ring.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “See, it’s her birthstone and maybe her favorite and I gave her my grandmother’s emerald necklace for our first anniversary dating and I don’t know, I guess I just had the vision since then of giving her an emerald ring.”

Malakai scribbled down some more notes, smiling softly. “That’s a beautiful vision–really, Rowan, it is. We can certainly go with the emerald.”

“Perfect.” Rowan sat back in his chair. “Now what?”

“Now,” Malakai grinned, “we work on the ring’s design.”

Rowan went home that evening with his head spinning and a big bright grin on his face. After several hours spent with Malakai in the jewelry shop, the two of them going over potential designs and settings for Aelin’s ring until Rowan’s head was spinning, they’d finally settled on a few different designs, which Rowan had copies of. He would have to choose one design, yes, but just knowing that he nearly had a ring for the woman of his heart made him a thousand times happier.

One step closer to asking her to be his forever.

The midsummer evening faded slowly into night, the sunset’s pastel strokes bleeding into deep blues and violets flecked with silvery-bright sparks of stars. Aelin sighed contentedly from her position sprawled in Rowan’s lap, her head tucked against his shoulder and his arms around her bare waist, both of them a little salty and sandy from hours at the beach.

“Don’t wanna get up,” she mumbled, tugging at his arms when he tried to stand.

He chuckled softly. “Fireheart, don’t you want a bath?”

She shook her head, her blonde braid rustling. “No, buzzard. I just want you.”

Rowan swore up and down that he’d felt the hands of the gods themselves on his shoulder at that moment, as if they’d given him the perfect moment he’d been hoping for. “Ah, Fireheart,” he grinned, standing up despite her pretend protests and coming around in front of her. “I just want you, too.” Never once taking his eyes from hers, he lowered himself to one knee, reaching into the pocket of his shorts for the small velvet box he’d been carrying around for a month or so. “Aelin–Fireheart–will you marry me?”

Aelin pressed her hands over her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes. “Yes,” she breathed, dropping to her knees in the sand, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. “Yes, Rowan, yes, always and forever yes.”

“I love you,” he whispered thickly, his throat clogged with unshed tears of his own as he took her hand in his and slipped the ring onto her finger. “To whatever end, my love.”

“To whatever end, my buzzard,” she whispered back, flinging her arms around him and all but tackling him into the sand. Her fingers tangled into his wind-snarled hair, tipping his face up to hers as she pressed the sweetest kiss to his lips, all the years of her love for him poured out into the press of her slightly-salty lips.

When she pulled away, both of them were grinning like fools, young and in love and so beyond elated to be there with each other on the beach, basking in the cocoon of their joy.

They strolled slowly back to the hotel hand in hand, glancing over at each other and beaming like idiots every few seconds. Rowan’s thumb traced along the ring now adorning Aelin’s left hand, as if he could hardly believe it was real. Hell, she could hardly believe that it was real, that she was engaged to her best friend and dearest love, the man she’d dreamed of for years and years.

And the ring was stunning–a teardrop-cut emerald surrounded by tiny emeralds in a lighter shade of green set atop a simple white-gold band. Inside the band, as Aelin discovered, were engraved the very words they’d exchanged that night and so many other times.

To whatever end.

“Yes, Mom, we sent out the invitations weeks ago.” Aelin pinched the bridge of her nose, doing her utmost to keep from throwing her phone at the wall. “We spent a whole day addressing all the envelopes, remember?”

“Yes, I remember,” Evalin conceded. “I’m just going over the checklist I have and I needed to make sure the box had been checked off.”

“Well, according to my copy of the list, we’re all the way up to collecting RSVPs and doing dress fittings. You don’t need to be so worried, Mom, you’ve got it all planned out.”

“I know, honey.” Evalin paused. “I just…oh, Aelin, I want you to have the best day of your life, I really do, and–”

“And it won’t be any less beautiful if we don’t have the cake flavor picked out seven months in advance,” Aelin deadpanned. “Please, Mom, I’m stressed enough as it is.”

Her mother sighed. “All right, then. And it’s only ten weeks until the date, but I won’t bother you so much. I’ll be at the dress shop for your and the bridesmaids’ final fittings next week, okay?”

“Okay.” Aelin forced herself to put a smile in her voice. “Love you, Mom.”

“Love you too, Fireheart.”

Aelin flung her phone onto her couch and groaned, pressing the heels of her palms against her forehead. “Fuck!”

“Fireheart?” Rowan asked, popping into the living room. “Are you okay?”

She grumbled a string of unprintable words. “If everyone would stop breathing down my damn neck about this bloody massive wedding and all the bloody endless details, I would be.”

Rowan came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. “Need to rant?”

She leaned into his solid warmth, turning around so she could drop her head against his chest, the steady thump of his heartbeat soothing her heated blood. “I don’t–gods, Ro, every time I turn around there’s someone else with some form to be signed or some deposit to be made or some other detail I need to think about and have a decision within two days. It’s getting to the point where I’m almost afraid to answer the phone when my mom calls, because I just know she’ll be waving her godsdamned list at me and banging on about how we’re so behind when I know we’re not and gods it’s just so much stress I don’t fucking need!” She was panting by the time she ended, tears misting her eyes. “I don’t know how to handle it, Ro.”

“Oh, Fireheart,” he murmured, wishing there was some way for him to banish her stress. “Do you need me to handle your phone for you?”

She chuckled humorlessly. “I wish. Gods, Rowan, why can’t we just run off and forget about all this huge glamorous wedding bullshit?”

“Who says we can’t?”

She blinked. “What?”

He cupped one hand around her jaw. “Love, this ‘glamorous wedding bullshit’ is making your life hell. Who says we can’t just elope and not worry about it?”

“Rowan…” Aelin cleared her throat. “What about how everyone’s gonna get mad? What about–”

“No.” He placed his fingertips over her lips. “Aelin, this is your day.”

“Our day.”

“Our day.” He kissed her softly. “We get to choose how we want to get married, my love. We can have a huge glamorous wedding that’ll make us both so stressed it won’t be a day to treasure, or we can have a little wedding by ourselves and be in love with the day.”

She flicked a stray tear off her cheek. “You’re an old sap, buzzard.”

“So…”

“Hell yes.” Aelin rose up onto her tiptoes and kissed him. “I’m going to text Elide and pack some stuff. Let’s go get married, my love.”

~~~

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