Chapter 24
Luke hadn’t been surprised when he’d gone to the bookshop’s door to find his annoying brother and the entire Din clan, but it had certainly made him feel more stressed.
Farhan must have told them Luke was at the bookshop with Emmeline and, where one Din sister went, the other two usually followed. Them being “in town” was no coincidence. He could sniff out a Din sister plot from a mile away; they had come to spy on him and Emmeline.
“I can’t believe it’s finally happening!” Liliana, the youngest sister, squealed.
“Only took forever,” Jiya, the middle sister, added.
“I’m so happy for you, Luke,” Hira, the eldest sister, said with a fond smile.
“Finally,” Basim agreed, and Farhan grinned.
It was the stuff of nightmares. They were all acting as if he’d proposed to Emmeline and she’d said yes, not that they had simply agreed to stop fighting. The girls had wanted to come in and chat with Emmeline, and he’d had to physically bar them from entering.
“Will you guys shut up?” he hissed, hoping Emmeline couldn’t hear.
“You’re being no fun,” Lilliana pouted. “You finally get a girl, and now you won’t even let us interrogate her? You guys harass every guy I’ve ever been interested in!”
“Every guy you’re into deserved to be harassed,” Basim said with a scowl. Lillie matched his scowl with one of her own.
“You guys never let me live anything down,” she snapped.
“Yeah, and do you ever learn?” Jiya asked with a snort. Lillie geared up to respond when Hira held up her hands.
“Bas, bas, we cannot get into this right now,” Hira said, ever the peacemaker. “You guys are derailing the focus, which is Luke and—”
Emmeline had chosen that moment to enter, and he had gone into full panic mode. Any second now, one of them would say something stupid and embarrass him. Then, Lillie invited Emmeline out with them all, and he had to intervene before the situation got out of hand.
All’s well that ended well—he had finally gathered the courage to ask her out himself, and she’d said yes.
He had meant what he’d said: he didn’t want to share.
Not before he’d even had enough of her to himself.
Even the barest brush of her lips against his had felt as magical as somehow traversing realms to enter the world of his favorite book, and he was keen to pick up where they had left off.
After packing up at the bookshop, they both went home and agreed to meet up again in the evening.
Today, he wouldn’t be late. Which was why he was already down by the lake.
Sharptooth had dropped him off, and he was waiting for her ten minutes before she was meant to come. The sun had set about an hour ago, and the sky was a deep shade of navy blue, studded with stars that sparkled bright.
There was a layer of snow over his surroundings, and every storefront was covered with string lights and wreaths and ornaments. The entire town looked like it belonged on a postcard. It was the perfect romantic background to their first date, and he was keen to spend the evening with Emmeline.
Nerves skittered through him as he waited.
He’d planned out a route that would hit all the best spots; now, he just hoped she would like it all.
His hand tightened around the bouquet of roses he was holding.
They were red, and even though he felt she would like them, he worried if they were the right choice.
Then, he heard the flapping of wings, and moments later, Torch landed behind him. His heartbeat quickened. He turned as Emmeline dismounted, and he was struck again by how beautiful she was.
She had always been stunning, but she seemed even more so now, as if only he could see the full breadth of her beauty. There was a new quality to her, some light that was coming from within as she walked towards him. Her face shone like the full moon.
“Hi,” he said, smiling.
She smiled back. “Hi.”
She was wearing her fur coat and matching hat, her dark hair loose and bouncy beneath. He was obsessed with her hair. She was wearing knee-high heeled boots and stockings. There must have been a dress under the coat, but he couldn’t see it; the coat was done up to her chin.
She had redone her makeup, with the usual smoked-out kajal around her dark eyes. Beneath her elaborate nose-ring, instead of a bold lip color like red or maroon, her lips were a light shade of pink. It made her look different. Softer.
“These are for you.” He offered her the bouquet, and she took them, smiling.
“I love red roses,” she said, looking surprised. Relief poured through him. “You’re taking this date thing seriously.”
“Of course,” he replied, confused. “I take everything that has to do with you seriously.”
Her cheeks flushed, and he’d meant it when he’d said he liked her in pink. It was even better when he was the cause. He wondered just how pink he could make her cheeks, and his mind immediately took a salacious turn as he imagined all the ways in which her face would flush with pleasure.
Heat zipped down his spine, and he ached to pull her into his arms, to kiss her right then.
But he had waited this long—he could wait a little longer.
At least until the end of their date. He knew once he kissed her, it would be the end of anything else, and he wanted to have a good date with her, a proper one.
It was the first time he’d ever felt such a way, this wish to be cautious despite how deeply he desired her.
Emmeline pressed her nose to the flowers, then put them on her saddle on Torch so she wouldn’t have to carry them around. After a last pat goodbye, Torch took off, leaving the two of them.
“Did Motu get cleaned up okay?” Luke asked, as they started down the walkway.
“Yes,” she replied. “He’s a little devil, I swear.”
“He seems better behaved than he was a few weeks ago,” he replied, and she arched an eyebrow. He laughed. “I mean it. He listens to you, and I can tell he’s really attached.”
She smiled fondly at that. “It’s been fun having him around, despite the chaos,” she said. “Though it can be tiring—I dropped him off with my family for the evening so they can deal with him.”
“Good,” he replied. “I get you all to myself.” She beamed. “I want to show you all my favorite spots.”
“I’d love that,” she replied, and they kept walking down the path.
“Of course, most people think Bayview is best in the summer,” he explained, “and it is really beautiful then, too, but there’s a special quality in the winter. It feels smaller, somehow, more enclosed and cozy. All the snow and lights and festive decor—and my favorite hot chocolate.”
They had made it to the hot chocolate truck. Going to the front, Luke told her about the different flavors, explaining the different types of chocolates that were used, along with the flavors in different blends.
“There’s twenty options, but you can make your own, as well,” he told her.
“Have you tried all of them?” she asked. He nodded proudly.
“My mom is obsessed,” he told her. “We used to come really often when we were kids.”
She smiled. “Hm, well what would you recommend? They all look so good!”
“The milk chocolate with hints of molasses, pecan, and coffee,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
She nodded, and he ordered for both of them, paying. They stood by the side, waiting, and when their orders were ready, he handed her a to-go cup, watching as she took a sip. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled.
“Mm, that’s delicious,” she said. “I can taste everything you said, and it all goes so well together!”
He was glad she liked it. He took a sip of his order, savoring the decadent flavor.
“What did you get?” she asked.
“A dark chocolate blend,” he said. “It’s rich and a bit bitter.”
“Ooh, let me taste.”
They switched cups, and she took a sip. “Mm, that’s good, too! It’s so different. I can’t tell which one I like better.”
He smiled. “I got it in case you wanted something different than yours,” he said. “I know that one is pretty sweet. And this way you get to try two of my favorites.”
“That’s so nice,” she said in a whisper. She looked so touched.
He had noticed that she was always surprised when he did nice things for her, as if she wasn’t expecting it. But why wouldn’t he? He saw how much she did for others; it was only fair that someone tried to care for her the same way she cared for others, and he wanted to be that someone.
They went and sat on one of the benches, switching their hot chocolates back and forth until the flavors mingled and mixed to become something better, bitter and strong and sweet.
“On to the next stop,” he said, standing. They tossed their cups, and he led her down the pathway beneath a canopy of fairy lights towards a little shop. The scent of cinnamon, ginger, and allspice wafted toward them.
“Ooh, what’s this?” she asked.
“Gingerbread cookies,” he explained. “In the summer, the shop sells ice-cream, and in the fall, it’s apple cider donuts, but all winter they have gingerbread cookies.”
“What about the spring?”
“Berry crumble.”
“I love that.”
They walked up, and he ordered them a cookie each. The old woman managing the store gave Luke a fond smile, handing him the cookies in parchment bags. They were still hot, and he brought them over to Emmeline, handing one to her.
“It’s a winter staple,” he said. “I’ve also been coming here forever.”
Emmeline brought the cookie up to her nose, inhaling the smell of the freshly baked gingerbread. She hummed to herself, and he smiled. He would always do that, too.
“Go on, taste it,” he said, waiting. She pulled the cookie out of the parchment, then went straight for the jugular, devouring the head in one bite. He laughed.
“I should have expected such savagery,” he said, shaking his head.
“The head is the best part!”
“Poor gingerbread man,” he replied, “but now he knows how I feel. You’re always biting my head off.”
“Rightfully so.” She snorted. “You are always frustrating me.”
“And what exactly is it that you think you do to me?”