"Oh, Aspen," I breathed, dropping the plant in the closest open space as I headed for her.
But a burst of bubbles appeared in front of my face. Pink ones, baby blue, and mint green. Well, the iridescence of them were those colors. The bubbles were clear, but still. There had to be a few dozen, and each of them was bigger than a silver dollar, acting like a curtain between us.
"What the..." I asked, unable to even finish the thought.
Aspen giggled. "It's an Elysian Burst! They do that when jostled!"
I tried to wave away the curtain of bubbles. The air from my hand sent some up into the trees where Jack was hiding. Others drifted off between the plants. A few in front of me popped with an audible little burst.
The smallest laugh slipped from my lips. I turned, trying to see the rest of the bubbles this plant had made. Sure enough, the things were wafting high into the atrium. A few were as high as the third floor already!
"I like that one," I decided.
Her fingers slipped between mine and Aspen pressed up against my back. "I like you," she breathed against my neck.
I turned to find a smudge of dirt on her cheek and her eyes just a bit too wide. "Aspen, I..."
"I've never felt like this with anyone," she broke in. "I wasnottrying to chase you off, Rain. I was not hiding from you like that! I was trying to keep from hurting you. To make sure you wouldn't hate me because of it, not to get away from you!"
"I know," I swore. "I know that now, but I didn't when it was going on, and it hurt. It made me feel..." I paused to lick my lips. "In my whole life, no one has ever wanted me around. I've always been the extra, and the court makes me feel like I'm important. Like I'm really a friend! But then I was cut out, and everyone kept giving me these half-assed answers, and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself they couldn't lie, it still felt like they were hiding something!"
"They were," she admitted. "We can talk around things, but there aresome issues we just can't share. We made a promise to some of the strongest fae here at school, and breaking it?" She shook her head.
"But we're ok?" I begged, reaching up to wipe the soil from her beautiful cheekbone. "Do you still - " I stopped hard.
"Love you?" she asked, a little smile curling her lips.
"Like, at least?" I tried.
"I think I'm falling in love with you," she blurted out. "I'm sure I'm going to mess this up, but I think about you all the time, and being in the same room makes me so happy - even if we aren't talking. You even like my plants! I mean, how much more perfect could you get?"
"I might be doing the same," I admitted.
Which made her eyes snap right back to mine. "Yeah?"
I shrugged, feeling every twist in my guts. "Yeah." And then I leaned in.
The smell of fae plants around us was like sugar in the air. The touch of her mouth was just as sweet. Our first kiss was soft and careful, but it didn't stay that way for long.
Two weeks without Aspen in it had felt like an eternity. This wild pixie of a girl had become my best friend, my crush, and the one place I always wanted to be. Whatever this thing was we were building between us felt so fucking good - and different from every guy I'd ever dated.
It wasn't only the delicate way her mouth moved. Nor was it the tender grip of her fingers in my hair. Part of it was the soft sounds she made as our tongues collided and swirled, but mostly it was just her. Aspen Fox was beautiful. Not only sexy, but also that. Definitely brilliant, certainly magical, andmine.
"I don't ever want you to hide from me," I whispered against her lips before kissing her again.
She moaned softly. "Yeah, that was a dumb idea. Pretty sure it was Torian's."
"Next time..." I pulled back to see those glacial eyes again. "Let me help protect you? Maybe I'm still learning this whole Morrigan thing, but this is why I have the power. To help the fae, and you are definitely fae in the best way."
"Shut up and kiss me," she demanded, pushing into me hard enough I was forced back a step.
My leg brushed a plant, and I heard the little sound again. It reminded me of a kid making a raspberry noise, but when I lifted heavy lids, I saw them. Dozens of bubbles filled the space around us, making my lips curl in the middle of our kiss, but I didn't want to stop.
"Ireallylike that plant," I decided.
"Then it's yours," she said, stepping back slightly.
Without releasing my arm, she lowered herself to the ground, all but pulling me with her. The dirt was soft. The moss acted like a carpet, and when it was Aspen lying among it, the plants shifted to give us all the privacy we needed.
