Roan's Point of View

Chapter 26

I led Nyssa towards an ancient cave hidden away at the edge of a forest that I'd found on one of my adventures. It had a wonderful hot spring inside and beautiful crystals that I couldn't wait for her to see. She deserved a day of rest and relaxation before the festival tomorrow, but she was wound up so tight I wasn't sure if this would even help.

We'd finished all of the library repairs, decorated it beautifully, and were as ready as we could be for the festival. I'd asked if we could go somewhere together as a bit of a distraction, since she kept fiddling with things that were already set up and ready to go, but maybe staying at the library would have been better.

"What if the dragons cause their usual chaos," she asked, glancing behind us as if the library was somewhere back there, "and destroy all the decorations or something?"

She'd been asking things like that since we left, getting progressively more concerned about the library. The goal was for her to relax, not worry more, so maybe now really wasn't the time to share this hot spring cave with her.

"Let's go back," I said. "I think the library's in good hands with Oren, but I'd rather you feel comfortable today."

Her eyes softened. "But you have a whole surprise planned, don't you?"

"Yeah, but it can wait until after the festival." I smiled, taking her hand as a warm breeze drifted out of the cave carrying the scent of minerals and magic.

She frowned at the cave's entrance. "But now I'm curious. What's in there?"

"Oh, just the most luxurious hot spring you'll ever find," I said, keeping my voice light and teasing, "but we should really go check on those dragons."

Her eyes lit up at the words hot spring. I told her she'd need a swimsuit for this outing, but I didn't say what kind of water we'd be going in. She hovered at the entrance, gaze landing on a shimmering crystal flower that had almost managed to escape the cave.

"And that?" she asked curiously. "Is it some kind of magic?"

I grinned, knowing she was hooked now. "Those flowers were why I got called here a few years ago. A student had been experimenting with crystal magic and ended up creating living crystals that wouldn't stop multiplying." I leaned closer, whispering in her ear. "The whole cave's full of them, but we should really get back and help Oren."

"You're terrible, you know that," she said with a laugh as she tilted her head to look at me. Her lips almost brushed against mine, but she just smiled and tugged my hand. "Come show me this surprise of yours."

I'd set light stones up around the cave, which turned on as we walked by, guiding us to the hot spring and shining off the crystals just enough to make them glitter. The soothing sound of water bubbling from the spring bounced off the crystals, creating the perfect natural background noise.

This was one of my favorite places to hide away from the world, my own secret escape, and I was so happy to share it with Nyssa.

"This place is beautiful," she breathed out as she gazed at the shimmering flowers coating the walls and ceiling. "It's crazy to think this was all some big accident."

That look of wonder on her face made all the setup worth it. I pulled her close, hugging her from behind as she leaned her head back against my chest to study the ceiling. The crystal flowers were so concentrated there that they looked like a crystal chandelier, with light globes enhancing the effect.

Nyssa ran her hand along my arm. "You can surprise me anytime, Roan. This is perfect."

"I'm glad you like it," I said, kissing her on the temple. "My favorite cafe delivered dinner too. I figured we could eat and relax in the hot spring for a while, if you wanted to."

"A cafe delivered here?" she asked with a laugh. "How'd you convince them to do that? We're so far away from everything."

I shrugged. "I saved the place from a bunch of monsters once when they decided the cafe's food was a bit too tasty to resist."

"Seriously?" she asked as she turned to get a good look at me. When I nodded, she shook her head, smiling. "These adventures of yours would make an amazing story. You should really write them down one day."

"I'm not really good at that," I said, motioning for her to follow me to where the food was set up. "Maybe if a writer needed some inspiration, I could help, but I don't think I'd do the stories justice."

She glanced sideways at me. "I bet you'd do a better job than you think. I'm always interested when you talk about them."

My face warmed, not just from the humidity of the hot spring. "Maybe we should eat before it cools down."

Her laugh was warm, just like the hot spring we carefully walked around. Steam curled through the air, dampening her hair. I felt myself reaching out to tuck a strand behind her ear, but paused when I almost ran into a metal bowl on the ground. It looked like one of the domes the cafe used to cover plates so the food stayed warm.

I glanced up at the table in horror, seeing the plates uncovered and food scattered everywhere. Two small golden brown cookie slimes with chocolate chips speckled throughout their bodies bounced on the table, their mouths open wide to gobble up the rest of our dinner.

"Hey!" I called out, groaning as the slimes gulped down another chocolate chip cookie, which was the cafe's best seller and their favorite food. The slimes froze when they noticed me, jiggly bodies quivering as they avoided my gaze. The perfect guilty puppy act, but I knew they'd devour everything the moment I turned away. "I'm so sorry, Nyssa. They must have stowed away with the delivery man."

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"So...you know these slimes?" Nyssa pressed her lips together as if she was trying not to laugh.

"They live at the cafe. It's basically a slime sanctuary," I said, shaking my head at them. "You know you're not supposed to go on deliveries, right?"

The slimes glanced at each other, bouncing slightly as if they were nodding. They hopped off the table with the saddest sighs I'd ever heard. No, I would not be swayed by that. Not even a little bit. One of the slimes looked back at me, golden eyes big and shimmering.

"It's fine," Nyssa said, smiling as she leaned down to reach her hand out to a slime. "You're hungry, right? I'm sure we can share the meal."

The cookie slime brushed up against her hand and then leapt into her arms. She fell back, laughing as she cuddled it. The way her smile lit up the cave made my heart swell. I could watch her play with slimes all day and be a happy man. She just seemed to make the best out of every situation, not letting things get her down. That must be hard to maintain though, which was why I'd wanted her to be able to relax today and not worry about anything.

"I really wanted today to be perfect for you," I said softly, kneeling down to pet the other cookie slime. "You always work so hard and I thought I could do something nice for you."

"You know, I think you're the one who needs to relax," she said, giving the slime one last pet before standing up and offering me her hand. "You brought me to a gorgeous cave with a hot spring, adorable slimes, and good food. What's left of it anyway. The point is that you cared enough to plan this whole day for us and that means the world to me."

I felt a big goofy grin stretching across my face as I followed her to the hot spring, my stomach fluttering as she removed the hoodie she was wearing over her swimsuit and stepped into the water. The light from the crystals glowed against her skin, reflecting off the water and teasing me into looking longer than I'd meant to.

She was beautiful and the fact that she was happy just being here with me, despite our ruined dinner, had my heart pounding in my chest. I wanted to keep making her happy for as long as I could.

"Are you going to join me?" Nyssa asked, a faint pink blush spreading across her cheeks. "Or just stand there all by yourself?"

"Sorry, got distracted." I pulled my shirt over my head and joined her as fast as I could, glad I'd worn my swim trunks here.

The water was hot as I sank into it up to my shoulders, resting against the warm rocks near her.

"Distracted, huh?" She smiled, scooting a bit closer until her bare legs brushed against mine and my pulse really started racing. I hadn't thought about the fact that we'd be alone in a romantic hot spring half naked. Not that I minded...

"So...," I said, pausing awkwardly as my brain refused to think of anything to say. I was too focused on the beads of water dripping down her skin or the way her eyes widened as she looked me over, her fingers running through the water slowly in a hypnotic motion.

"So," she said, smiling deviously, "is this what all your adventures are like? Finding cool caves and saving students in over their heads?"

"Sometimes," I said, "other times I've been sent to dispel wild magic, investigate strange occurrences, bodyguard merchants, or clear out some dungeons before they surge and overflow. I've even saved a few kittens from trees. It all depends what people post jobs for."

Nyssa grinned. "Oh, I can so picture that. Roan, savior of kittens."

"Hey, I do what needs doing," I said, shrugging. "Honestly, just getting to see the world and meet so many new people is what I really love. There's always something interesting happening if you look for it."

"Oh?" Nyssa asked, averting her eyes. "So are you sure you want to stay at the library and give up adventuring? Like I said before, you can always just come back between jobs if you want. I don't want you to miss out on something you really enjoy doing."

The air felt heavier with each word, like she was trying to give me a way out if I wanted it, but that was the furthest thing from my mind. This felt too important for her to misunderstand, so I shifted, taking her hand in mine under the water.

"Nyssa, I love being at the library. It's full of adventure all on its own, so I haven't missed going out on missions at all. So many amazing things happen there and there's tons of people to meet when they stop and visit. I really love being there."

Especially since she was there. Not only had I found a place I wanted to call home, but a woman I wanted to share it with. The words stuck in my throat, not sure now was the time to say them. There were so many things to love about the library, so many things that made me never want to leave.

"I'm glad," she said softly as she looked at me through her long lashes, "because I love having you there."

I swallowed hard. Was she...avoiding saying the same thing I was? We'd never really had the talk about where things between us were going or how we really felt. Maybe that was my fault since she'd been assuming I'd be on my way eventually, but I didn't want her to worry about that anymore.

"I was serious about staying," I said, shifting closer. "Meeting you changed my life, opening me up to whole new possibilities. I'd always thought that keeping my distance was the best way to protect myself, but you and the library showed me that even if you're hurting or abandoned, that there will be people who stay by you. People who care and will fight to show you how much you matter to them."

I rested her hand on my chest, right above my heart. "I'm willing to put in the work to get to know you better, to show you how much I care. I want to be a part of your life, a part so solid that there's no doubt I'll be there for you if you ever need it."

"You already are that," she said as her fingers pressed into my skin and her arm wrapped around my neck, pulling me to her. Her soft lips pressed against mine, filling me with a warm fuzzy sensation I never remembered having before.

Was this...what love felt like?

I deepened the kiss, wanting her to feel just how much this moment meant to me. How much her welcoming me into her life and wanting to keep me in it mattered. I never realized how much I craved a place to call home, but now that I had it with her, I never wanted to let it go.

She'd opened up a new world for me and I wanted to do the same for her.

My hands pressed into her back, anchoring her to me as she shifted to get closer. Nyssa surrounded me, encircling me with warmth and happiness. When our kiss finally broke, we were both rosy cheeked and breathing unevenly.

The light danced in her eyes, sparkling as she smiled at me. My heart felt so full in this moment that there was only one thing I could say.

"I love you."

Her fingers froze as she stared at me, her smiling growing bigger with each moment until it was like she was so full of happiness that she couldn't contain it anymore.

"I love you too," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Then she kissed me again as the steam from the hot spring curled around us, blanketing us in our own little space. It was just me and Nyssa, bound together by our own dreams and wishes. A moment so perfect it went beyond anything I could have planned.

My love for her was new and precious, but this was only the beginning. I couldn't wait to see how we'd grow from here.