Epilogue
Lexi
I tilt my neck to the side so I can see my gills better in my reflection, and carefully rub them with a special water-based lotion in order to keep them from drying out.
I've had to deal with cracked gills before, and it's not pleasant, so I take better care of them now, especially when I'm out of the water for most of the time.
Maybe I should make more of an effort to go down to the moat.
My handheld mirror lights up and I set the tub of lotion down so I can check it, not at all surprised to see it's a message from Edur saying that he's leaving his flat and will be with me in about ten minutes. I wish our flats were closer together, but luck of the draw means that they're not.
I type a quick message back and finish applying the lotion to my gills before giving myself a once over.
Almost all of my nerves over dating Edur are gone, the time we've spent together, and the thoughtfulness he's shown to me, making it easy to relax and feel like I can be me, even in my most vulnerable moments.
The door to my room opens, and for one moment, I believe that it's Edur coming in, even though that doesn't make sense.
"Ooh, are you going on a date?" Marnie asks, leaning back against the door.
"Yes," I respond.
"Is he picking you up here? Does this mean I get to finally meet your frost elf for a second time?"
I roll my eyes. "He's been here several times. It's not my fault you weren't in," I respond to my friend.
"Fair. I was actually coming to ask if you wanted to go for a swim, but I'm going to assume that the answer is no."
I nod. "Maybe tomorrow?"
"Sure. I heard that Ianthe is planning on having a party tomorrow night."
I groan. "Again?"
"These are supposed to be the party years," she responds.
"I know. And I like a good party, but does she have to have them in our flat every week?"
Marnie shrugs. "You can try to tell her that if you want."
"I already did. She turned the music up." My mirror flashes again, and I grab it, smiling as I realise that Edur is outside our front door.
"Well, that's my cue to go," Marnie says.
"You're welcome to stay if you want, but I'm not going to be here," I respond, getting up and making sure I've got everything.
"Oh, I'm not staying here and missing your new boyfriend again," she jokes, though I know there is a part of her that really wants to meet him.
I shake my head and leave my room with Marnie behind me. I double-check that I lock my door behind me, just in case Ianthe decides to have a party tonight as well as tomorrow.
Excitement fills me as I pull open the front door and reveal Edur on the other side, wearing a black button-down shirt and looking very good in it.
"Hey," he says.
"Hi."
Marnie clears her throat.
I roll my eyes. "Do you remember Marnie? She lives here and claims to be my friend."
"Oi!"
"And this is my boyfriend, Edur." I look up at him and smile.
"It's nice to finally meet you properly," she says. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Likewise," he says.
"We should get going. We don't want to be late for our reservation." I touch his chest, wishing that we were alone so I could kiss him, but I don't want to do that while Marnie is the audience.
"All right, I get the message," she says with a dramatic sigh. "I'm leaving. But I want to hear about your date when you get back."
I wave goodbye to her and step outside my flat, pulling the door closed behind me.
"Hi," I say to Edur, stepping closer and wrapping my arms around his neck.
My eyes flutter closed as he leans in to press his lips against mine, making my heart flutter in response.
"You look beautiful," he says once we pull back to one another.
"You can barely see me," I point out.
"I can see enough." He pushes a strand of hair out of my face.
"Well, I'm glad you like what you see, because you have to look at me all night," I respond.
"You make that sound like it's a bad thing." He pulls back and reaches out to take my hand in his.
It fits perfectly, making me feel as if everything is slotting into place.
"I know I'm looking forward to looking across the table at you," I respond.
"You do seem to like how I look," he muses.
"You seem surprised?"
"Not really. I assume that it's an aesthetic thing."
I nod. "I just like looking at you."
"Then look away," he responds. "Nothing would make me happier."
I know he's partly just teasing, but his response makes my heart soar, and a warm fuzzy feeling settles within me.
When I ran away from the mate bond a few years ago, I could never have imagined something like this.
And whether or not it's truly real, I'm glad for what feels like fate bringing us back together.
And I'm not going to let the opportunity for a happy relationship pass me by this time.
Thank you for reading The Nixie and the Frost Elf, I hope you enjoyed it!