Page 23 of The Nixie and the Frost Elf

I nod. "All right, then we should."

"Later this week?" she suggests. "We could have dinner, and then... do something."

"If you're comfortable with that."

"I am." She smiles at me in a way that convinces me that she means it.

I reach across the table and take her hand in mine. "Maybe we can do another non-sex date first," I say. "I want you to know that sex isn't why I want to spend time with you."

"I know it isn't," she assures me. "Thank you for listening to me."

"Thank you for trusting me," I say back to her, glad that she feels safe enough, even if I know that this is probably not going to be the last of these conversations that we have to have.

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.