Lily dropped Mia into the comfortable seat, and sat down beside her. As soon as she did, Mia's hands were on her hips and she was reaching in for another kiss. Lily wasn't sitting idle either, and as they embraced, her hands began roaming her girlfriend's body. The days of caution and hesitation only made their passion burn brighter, and now that they gave in, there was no holding back.

Eventually, Mia broke their kiss to recover her breath, and she let out a deep sigh as Lily's hands worked their way down her back and onto her thighs. Not to be outdone, Mia reached in once again, this time kissing the taller girl on her neck. This elicited a moan, which only encouraged her further. At that moment, Lily wasn't sure if she was supposed to curse or thank Dahlia for her gifts. Her enhanced senses included the sense of touch, causing her to melt under Mia's caress much faster than normal. Her girlfriend's short ragged breaths felt like gusts of summer wind on her exposed skin, sending shivers down her spine. Mia moved lower and lower, placing each kiss slowly and deliberately, until she reached Lily's chest, where she stopped. She looked up at her girlfriend, asking for permission to continue exploring her body.

Lily hated feeling like a high school girl who was making out for the first time, but the intensity of the experience in the new body surprised her, but she needed time to recover her breath and collect herself.

"Before we continue, I wanted to ask you about something," Lily said, which made Mia pause.

"Sure thing, you can ask me anything," a slightly confused Mia answered, still looking up at her girlfriend.

"I wanted to know what gave you the idea to use the bet to ask me out on a date? Did you know I liked you, but was too cautious to make the first move?" Lily asked. It was something that she genuinely wanted to know, not just a way to stalk time and get her nerves in order.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure if you were into me or if I was just projecting my wishes. You kept giving me compliments and teasing me, but you grew up on a different world, right? So maybe things like that are normal there, and not a sign of affection," Mia answered after a brief pause. "Besides, with the whole Soul Link thing and you being the Avatar, I didn't want it to look like I was taking advantage of the fact that you were stuck with me."

She looked down, seemingly still a little embarrassed about the whole situation.

"I was just overjoyed to be a part of your party, and I didn't want to jeopardize that by trying to become something more."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"So what changed?" Lily asked as she gently touched Mia's face, forcing the smaller girl to look up.

"After we came back from the temple and had that whole sparring match, my head was spinning with all the possibilities. I decided I needed some advice from someone more experienced than me, so I went and talked to my stepmom," Mia said.

"I asked her if I should ask you out or wait for a better opportunity, and she told me that she was in a similar situation years ago, when she was adventuring with my father. She always fancied him, and thought the feelings were mutual, but in all the years they spent together she never made a move, always waiting for that one perfect moment that never came. By the time she realized she was being a fool, the party had split up, my father was married and it was too late. Years later, when their paths crossed again and she learned that he was now a single man again, she knew she wasn't going to let him slip out of her hands again." That got a chuckle out of Lily, and Mia smiled as she continued.

"She was right about that, not that my father had any intentions of 'slipping away', for he always liked her, but never made a move himself, out of respect for the party. So, the advice she gave me was not to wait around for some fairytale moment that might never come, but to take destiny into my own hands and go for it. Yes, my heart could have been broken, but better that than living your whole life in regret. Never knowing one way or the other, spending countless nights wide awake wondering what could have been if only you mustered the courage to try."

As she finished speaking, she swung her leg around Lily and sat in her lap. Now it was Lily's turn to look up at her girlfriend, and the change in perspective only made her appreciate Mia's beauty more.

"Remind me to buy her a gift next time we are in town, because that was some good advice," Lily said as she stared into Mia's eyes. The dim lamplight made their emerald sheen stand out even more, and Lily knew she could get lost in them for hours. She wondered if that was because of their elven heritage that made them seem alien to her, or because of her feelings for the person they belonged to.

"I don't think I would have made the first move," Lily said, never taking her gaze away. " I was always cautious, and the whole new world thing made me even more uncomfortable. I didn't want to take advantage of my power over you due to the Soul Link or my Avatar status, so I was just content to wait."

"Well, there's no need to wait now," Mia said, shifting slightly in Lily's lap, as if she was reminding her of something.

Oh right, I've really been an awful partner tonight, Lily thought as she finally looked away from Mia's eyes. She reached in, kissing Mia on the neck as her arms started roaming all over the smaller girl's body.

"Took you long enough," Mia whispered through soft moans as it was her turn to melt in her lover's embrace.

———

By the time the carriage reached the manor, the girls were a mess of ruffled clothes and hair. Luckily, the driver was a smart woman who knew where the night was headed, so she dropped them off in front of the side emergency staircase that led directly to the top floor where their rooms were. They flew up, their passion carrying them up faster than any elevator, and Mia basically shoved Lily into her room. Lily sat down on the edge of the bed as Mia locked the door behind them.

"Our souls are already joined, I think it's only right that our bodies do so too," Mia said cheekily as she approached the bed.

That logic seemed flawless to Lily, especially when her girlfriend started peeling off her dress.