Chapter 11
Lexi
I'm nervous while I wait for Edur outside the science museum. I thought this would be a good idea for a date, especially as he used to love this kind of thing when we were younger, but now I'm second-guessing myself.
I try to banish the thought. This is exactly the kind of the date we've been going on, it's going to be perfect.
He appears a few moments later and all of my worries slip away.
My heart skips a beat, and he steps close.
I don't wait for him to do anything and lean in so that I can press my lips very briefly against his.
It isn't an intense show of affection, or even a particularly long kiss, but I like it.
I hope we get to have a lot more moments like this.
"So, where are we going?"
"The museum," I say, waving my hand behind me. "Apparently they have an interactive exhibit, I thought we could go do that first."
"It sounds great, lead the way." He gestures towards the entrance.
"I actually have no idea where we're going," I admit. "I've not been here before, I just looked up the reviews.
"Then we'll figure it out together." He reaches out and takes my hand in his, giving it a squeeze. His cold skin is soothing in a way I never expected.
My heart flutters in response. I know that he's just talking about going into the museum, but I can't help but feel like there's more to it.
That there's a promise for all of the other things we're going to try to work out together.
I'm still nervous about that, but I feel safe with Edur in a way I never have with anyone else, and that's got to count for something.
We make our way inside, showing our student ID cards so that they give us the free tickets that are allocated to those attending Rosewood.
I can't say that it's the reason I picked this as a date, but it's a good bonus.
It only takes us a few minutes to find the interactive exhibit, which is empty save for a couple of other people on the other side of the room.
"Where should we go first?" I ask.
"The illusion mirrors!" His smile is infectious as he pulls me over to them, his hand tingling and cold in mine. He comes to a stop in front of the mirror, which seems to be some kind of hexagonal glass that makes him appear hundreds of times in front of us.
I smother a giggle, unable to help myself.
"You can laugh if you want to," he says, pulling a face in the mirror.
There's no stopping me that time. "You're cute."
"I prefer ruggedly handsome."
I snort. "You would."
"Come on." He gestures with his head towards the mirror, encouraging me to step into view. The colours of the mirror change, going from the pure icy blue of his features, to sharing the space with the green of mine.
He sticks out his tongue at me, and I find myself laughing. "This is serious science," I remind him.
"Science can be fun." He pulls another face, his reflection capturing it and showing it back to us in hundreds of tiny Edurs.
It also captures my expression, and the fact that it's full of adoration. As much as I've thought about him over the past three years, I'd completely forgotten just how much fun we used to have together.
"Are we supposed to learn how it works?" I ask.
He shrugs. "That depends on whether we want to, or if we just want to have fun and go stick our hands in the slime." He looks over to a table where it's loaded on the table.
I laugh. "We can do whatever we want. It's nice to come somewhere like this and not have to take everything too seriously."
"We need more of it in our lives."
"More of what?" I ask.
"Joy. Bad pizza, bowling, ice cream at two in the morning, and interactive science exhibits," he says. "And the beautiful smiles of nixies."
"That last one doesn't seem like the kind of thing a lot of people need."
"Maybe not. But I certainly need it." He steps closer to me, his reflection moving along with him. But I'm barely paying any attention to the mirror any more. I can see enough of my reflection in his dazzling blue eyes.
He reaches up and cups my cheek in his hand, the instant change of temperature making my heart skip a beat. I know that I should dislike it, but I don't. It reminds me that we're touching, and that I'm aware of him in a way that I haven't been aware of anyone before.
My eyes flutter closed as he leans in, pressing his lips against mine in a brief kiss before pulling back to look at my face.
I meet his gaze and give him a small nod, not caring that we're in the middle of a museum, or about anything other than how close he is.
This time, when he kisses me, it's deeper, speaking of all of the things that have been hanging between us since the first day we felt the response of our mate bond. If I'd been a little braver, I could have experienced this the whole time.
I ignore my thoughts and wrap my arms around his neck. Feeling bold, I sweep my tongue over his bottom lip, something I can safely say I've never done to anyone before.
He stiffens under my touch and panic rushes through me.
I pull back, desperate to know that I haven't overstepped, especially after our conversation the other day. "Are you okay?"
He clears his throat. "You just took me by surprise." His voice is scratchy.
"I won't do it again." My cheeks heat, and I look away so that he doesn't notice, forgetting that we're right next to a mirror that shows so many tiny Lexis all at once. No doubt it reflected our kiss that much too.
"No, Lexi, that's not what I mean." He lets out a shaky breath. "I just didn't realise that you were going to do it. But it was nice."
"Oh."
"But maybe that kind of exploration is best for when we're alone."
I let out a small laugh. "I didn't really think about where we were."
"Maybe we should save that kind of kissing until we have our date for that kind of kissing," he responds. "But it's okay, I promise. It was nice, and I'm more than happy for you to try it again then."
"All right, I'll save it for then."
He leans in and brushes a gentle kiss against my lips, assuring me that he's not angry at me for my choice. But I should be more careful, because his boundaries are just as important as my own.