Aces [#NANOWRIMO2017]

February 27th [Part Two]

Tᴜᴇsᴅᴀʏ, Fᴇʙʀᴜᴀʀʏ 27

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"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," I said to Seraphine, looking directly at her. She looked even more radiant than usual, which I hadn't believed would even be possible until I saw it with my own two eyes. She was positively glowing.

Sera didn't seem to realize that I was talking about her. She stepped forward into the clearing, still enraptured by everything she was seeing around her, and sat down in a daze. The hundreds of fairy lights strung onto the tree branches around the forest clearing cast a dreamy, fairy-tale-like light onto her face. She took a moment to just take a deep breath and then turned to look at me. "Well?" she said expectantly. "Aren't you going to join me? You're supposed to be my charming date." She gazed adoringly at me, and it just broke my heart to see the trust and the love in her eyes. "As beautiful as this place is, it's nothing without you beside me..."

I felt a pang at the knowledge that I'd have to betray a girl like her, but I shook it off for now. Today was our last day, and I absolutely could not afford to waste it dwelling on the days to come. I crossed the forest floor to the table and chairs set up in the middle and sat in the other seat, looking at her with a frown. "You know, I just realized that I have some bad news for you," I announced.

Her eyes widened, suddenly worried. "What? What... do you mean?" she asked me nervously.

Solemnly, dramatically, I closed my eyes and shook my head. "I put so much time and effort into making this the perfect setup, and it's only just occurred to me that you're going to spend the entire date just looking at me, aren't you? After all, there's no way you could tear your eyes away from this handsome face."

She let out a squeal that was a mix of indignation and playfulness, and kicked me lightly under the table.

"Ow," I said. "I'm sorry, was it something I said? I was just saying it like I see it." She kicked me again, and I laughed. "I'll stop! I'll stop. I swear. No more teasing you."

"Promise?" she asked me, wagging a finger at me.

"Promise." Tentatively, I scooted my chair a little closer to her side of the table. When Sera didn't protest, I did it again. And again. Eventually, I found myself sitting right beside her. I could tell that Sera was blushing intensely, but she made no indication otherwise that I was making her uncomfortable. And then...

Then, as if something was occurring to her, she relaxed. "You know what?" she said. "Tonight is our night. And I'm going to make the most out of it."

"Actually," I corrected her, "Tonight is your night. I'm just an added bonus." I winked.

She looked me in the eye with a confidence that surprised me. "I'm glad you're here," she told me. Then, shyly at first but slowly growing more and more sure of herself, her hand inched its way towards mine. I took it without hesitation.

It was a perfect fit. I just knew that we were meant to be, from the way that our fingers interlaced, the way our hands just folded into each other, the way that her palms weren't sweaty or clammy or cold or any of the worst-case scenarios I'd imagined before coming to pick her up. It just felt... good. Right. Like I was a wayward ship and Sera was my strong anchor, holding me down and refusing to let me succumb to the waves that crashed against my side — even if that meant going down herself.

I felt my mind go blank for just a moment while I let myself just enjoy Sera's affection. I wanted so badly to keep holding her, but a little nagging voice in the back of my mind told me that I had to let go; for both of our sakes. It would make really letting go of her — for good, this time — that much easier.