Chapter 16
Bastet
I smiled at the man sitting opposite me, glad we finally got an opportunity to have a redo of our restaurant date after we messed it up last time.
"This is good," I said, gesturing to my plate. "Thank you for bringing me."
"You're welcome," Ptah responded. "I thought you'd like it."
"I haven't been out to eat in a long time," I admitted.
"That has to have gotten lonely."
I frowned, thinking about how it had made me feel. "Is it weird to say that it didn't, but it also did at the same time?"
"I don't think it's weird, but I would like to know more." He picked up his glass of wine and took a drink.
"It's hard to explain. I think now that I'm starting to reconnect with the world again, I can see that I was lonely. But while it was happening, I didn't really think about it much. I had my cats, and I knew where there were people if I wanted them, I just didn't want them."
"Then I'm glad I get to help you reconnect with the world." The look in his eyes proved just how much he meant the words.
"Do you want to order anything else, or should we get the bill and go for a walk?" I asked.
"A walk sounds nice. Did you have anything in mind?"
I shook my head. "Not really. We could go down to Menhit's oasis though, maybe shift and do some running."
"That sounds good." He flagged down one of the servers and asked for our bill.
Not for the first time since reconnecting with him, I found myself smiling for no reason.
It was like I'd filled the parts of my life that had been missing before.
All I needed to do now was move the cats to the god realm and set up my new sanctuary here.
I wasn't sure whether anyone here would be interested in adopting cats, but even if they weren't, it would make me happy to be surrounded by them all the time.
It would just have to be a different set-up.
"Ready?" Ptah asked.
I nodded and pushed back my chair so I could stand. "Do we pay on the way out?"
"I already dealt with it. You can get the next one."
"Thanks." I liked the assumption that there was going to be another date after this one. And hopefully more after that. I supposed we weren't technically dating if we were already further into our relationship.
I looped my arm through his, and we left the restaurant. The air was the perfect temperature, and a light breeze ruffled through my hair. I leaned against Ptah, enjoying the warmth radiating off him.
I let out a loud sigh.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm just enjoying the company."
"I can understand that, the company is by far the best bit of the date," he said. "Though I'd happily eat a pizza while sitting on the floor of your sanctuary with you."
I laughed lightly. "Luckily, you won't have to do that. Menhit has set me up with a brand new sanctuary attached to her oasis, and it includes a big living space which includes a dining table. She said that I shouldn't be giving up so much space to the cats."
"That doesn't sound like something you'll be able to keep up."
"It's going to be different than the sanctuary on Earth. You'll see when we move the cats in next week." I was excited just thinking about it.
"So I take it I'm supposed to be helping you with moving the cats then?"
I reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "You don't have to if you don't want to."
"I'd help you do just about anything."
"Now that sounds like a challenge," I joked.
"What does?"
"Finding something that you wouldn't do for me." I tapped my chin and tried to think of something outrageous. "What about if I asked you to enter a ring with a matador?"
"In which form?"
"Bull form."
"It would be a challenge," he admitted. "Sounds like fun."
We turned into the oasis. The soft whistle of birdsong filled the air, and the leaves rustled in the breeze, adding to the peace and tranquillity of the place. It was hard to believe that this was going to be right outside my house soon.
"Okay, so I need something more extreme than bullfighting."
"There's a good chance you're not going to find anything," he warned.
"What about human sacrifice? That's got to be a hard limit."
He chuckled. "I suppose that's true, but I also know that there's no chance of you asking me for that, so it's a moot point. If you want to win the game, then you're going to have to find something you might actually ask for." There was a sense of triumph in his voice.
"I'll think of something," I murmured, though I wasn't convinced I would.
The lake at the centre of the oasis approached, glittering in the evening light.
"How are you feeling about moving here?" he asked. "You've never lived in the god realm before."
"It feels right to," I admitted. "Being here feels like home."
"I'm glad. I didn't want you to feel like you were compromising."
I shook my head. "Not at all. I want to reconnect with everyone." The decision had been an easy one, and not just because of Ptah. Reconnecting with Menhit had also played its part in the choice.
"I'm glad," he said.
"Besides, it's so beautiful here," I said with a deep sigh as I looked around me.
"It is."
I glanced at him to find him staring at me and not the oasis.
"Very beautiful," he said.
Heat rose to my cheeks despite how much I loved the compliment. Or maybe because of it. The words themselves weren't even the best part. It was the way he looked at me, how he touched me, and the tone he used. All of it added up to being his deepest feelings.
He pulled me to a stop and cupped my cheek in his hand, with his other pressed against the small of my back.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He leaned in and captured my lips with his. I lost myself in the way it felt to be held against him. The world around us faded away, and while we were in the oasis, we could have been anywhere and it would have felt just as perfect.
I melted into him, feeling connected to the depths of my soul. While there was nothing either of us could do about the time we'd lost by being apart, we could make up for it now that we'd realised we were meant to be together.
And as immortals, that was going to be a blissfully long time.