Casey and I had picked out a good selection of food before we left the dining hall and ventured down to the beach. The wind was almost non-existent today so we figured a picnic on the beach was the best spot for our next date. Myve had reminded us that it was a public place and we shouldn’t get freaky, making the rest of my family laugh as we’d left them. They were just jealous that they didn’t get to treat their own mate to an amazing beach date. Nym had even seemed impressed when I told him where we were headed.
Casey had brought a blanket he’d found in his dresser, The Magic once again understood our needs and provided for us. We’d been given two baskets by the cooking staff, their eagerness to help us out was so sweet and they’d even given us two bottles of lemonade, one yellow and one pink.
“This seems like the perfect spot,” Casey declared, placing the blanket and using the baskets to keep it in place. He found a blue stone in the sand and upon taking a closer look, he put it into his pocket for later.
“For the nest?” I asked knowingly, making him blush.
“It looked pretty.”
“Can I see?” I asked, sitting down on the blanket. We weren’t in view of anyone here, only those on the beach close to the water, and right now there weren’t any.
Casey handed me the stone and I gave it an assessing look. “Beautiful,” I agreed, handing it back to him.
“I think one of the things I’m looking forward to the most, is making our forever nest at the palace,” he said, placing the stone back into his pocket. Not all shifters felt their form’s needs as much as others, it all depended on the person and their forms. But Casey seemed to need his nest and I felt the same need mirrored in my raven, the purpose of having someplace we shared that was just for us and our pretty things.
“We’ll have plenty of options, especially if we pick the palace roofs.”
I opened the first basket that held the tiny sandwiches. I’d picked out some tuna and sausage ones, knowing Casey preferred the tuna over the rest of their selection. Next, I grabbed the strawberries and grapes, our makeshift dessert for our date.
“I want to try the pink lemonade first,” he said, grabbing it from the basket. We didn’t have glasses, but we didn’t need them, we’d simply share the bottle.So damn romantic.
Casey took a sip of the lemonade, humming happily as he let the taste linger on his tongue. “I love this one! I hope we get to drink it for meals in the future.”
“I’ve noticed them bringing out new stuff, almost as if they have the whole two years mapped out already and don’t want us to grow bored with the same food.”
“Funny you’d noticed that as well. I found their breakfast options to have switched over these last two weeks. I don’t care for it.”
I laughed. “That’s only because you can’t get your roasted nuts anymore.”
He gasped. “You’ve noticed too?! It’s a whole scandal. Like, what did nuts ever do to the cooks? Don’t they know they’re superior to oatmeal?”
I simply shook my head, smiling fondly at my mate. “Once we’re out of here, I’ll make sure you get all the roasted nuts you want.”
He beamed, eyes bright. “Promise?”
I nodded. “Hmm, and we have the best caramelized almonds as well every fall at the markets.”
“I can’t wait,” he sighed dreamily.
We then dove into our sandwiches, watching the waves lap at the sand, the view breathtakingly beautiful. Then I turned my head, catching Casey already looking my way.
“I was just admiring the view,” he smirked, taking a small bite of his sandwich.
“Oh, were you?” I teased, forgetting all about my own food as I closed in on him, making him fall to his back, my lips on his as he melted into the blanket. Our tongues met and I felt desire rush through me. I broke the kiss, breathing hard. “We better stop, wouldn’t want another trip to the headmaster’s office.”
He snorted, both of us sitting back up and returning to our food. “You think Hyland got his ass handed to him?”
I shrugged. “I doubt we’ll ever know. I do think Wren had him interrogated though.”
“Interrogated,” he snorted. “You make it sound like he’s a criminal or something.”
I just smiled, handing him the bottle. “No matter what happened, I hope he’s done bothering us.”
“I’ll toast to that.” Casey then bumped my sandwich with his, giggling happily when I returned the bump.
We finished our sandwiches and then I removed the stem from one strawberry at a time, feeding him the red fruit as he lay with his head on my lap. This had been the perfect date andwhat made it even better, was knowing we had a new stone to add to our little nest after this, our beautiful reminder of how wonderful this date had been. I wanted to make it a tradition, finding small treasures on each date and bringing them back to our nest.
Casey sighed happily and I smiled. A perfect date indeed.
