"You know what I meant by that."
"Do I?"
Shaking my head, I smiled up at him, then gave him one more quick kiss.
"You need sleep," I murmured, and he sighed, but didn't fight me on it.
He stood up, then glanced from me to my cart. "Do you need help?"
I hesitated for a moment before nodding, and he held my cart in place as I stood up on my front legs and helped me situate myself. I could usually wrangle myself into the cart on my own when alone, but it was much faster with help.
Once the cart was strapped in place, I walked with Zephyr to the Forest door, where I grabbed his hand before he could leave.
He glanced down at me, blue eyes warm and curious. I straightened up, tried not to show my nerves on my face, and spoke. "Zephyr, can I take you on a date tomorrow?"
Despite the kiss we'd shared minutes ago, he seemed surprised by my question, and I waited patiently as he stared at me.
"A date?"
"I promised to wait until the Sanctuary was fixed, and it is. But if you need more time, I understand."
"No. I mean, yes. Yes to the date," he said with a sharp nod, and I grinned. Leaning up, I pressed a kiss on his cheek, then let go of his hand.
"Do you want to keep it a secret? I mean, Khush kind of figured out we're mates, though I made sure he knew my real age first. He promised not to tell anyone except Dustin, and I won't say anything to anyone unless you're okay with it."
Zephyr hummed, then shrugged. "I don't mind telling them. They'll figure it out soon enough, and I don't see the point in hiding it from them. We're not doing anything wrong, after all. Are we?"
"Nope," I agreed with a grin, relieved he didn't want to hide. I would've kept it a secret if he'd asked, but I was glad he hadn't.
Zephyr smiled at me, stood there for a beat, then left. I watched him head down the hallway, waving when he glanced back as he reached the office door. He waved back, a sheepish smile on his face, then went inside, and I closed the door with a sigh.
I had a date with Zephyr tomorrow!
I hurried back to my place, then quickly went to bed, wanting to be at my best for tomorrow. I already knew what we'd do for our date, and while it wasn't anything fancy, I hoped Zephyr would enjoy it nonetheless.
I woke up early the next morning, and after I'd cleaned up and dressed in a light blue silk shirt that brought out my eyes—or so Dustin had said when he bought it for me—I gathered up what I needed for our date into a backpack and placed it in my cart.
The Dining Room was empty when I entered it since it was still an hour to breakfast, but the kitchen was noisy as ever. I knew Jacinta would kick me out if I tried to go in—I'd caused one too many accidents with my cart—so I just poked my head in and called them over.
Jacinta ruled over the kitchen with an iron fist, and while most of the work in the Sanctuary was shared by everyone via rotation, they were the only head chef of the kitchen. She, I corrected as I noticed the pronoun sticker stuck to her apron, was very possessive over her kitchen, and only a few people were allowed to work there under her supervision.
"Hey, little bit. What do you need? Be quick," she said with a raised brow, her blue eyes sharp as ever. Her platinum blond hair was tied up in a knot on top of her head, and she wore an 'I've got a tentacle in every pie' apron.
I told her what I needed, and her face softened a little. Most people probably wouldn't be able to notice it, but I did. Jacinta was a softie at heart, even if she rarely showed it.
She patted my cheek with a slim purple tentacle, then told me to wait as she went back into the kitchen.
Fifteen minutes later, I had everything I needed, and she placed everything in my cart so I wouldn't have to walk around with my hands full.
"I'm pretty sure you'll tell everyone about this as soon as they come in for breakfast," I said, ignoring the affronted look on her face, "but remember to mention the age thing first, okay? I don't want anyone looking wrong at Zephyr."
Jacinta rolled her eyes as she patted the top of my head with a tentacle, her arms crossed over her chest. "Kid, most of us have known the headmaster for much longer than you. Trust me, that thought wouldn't cross anyone's mind. We know what kind of man the headmaster is."
I sighed. She was right. I didn't need to defend Zephyr. His reputation was blemish-free and always would be.
"You're right. Well, thank you for helping."
"You got it. Have fun!"
