Page 4 of The Nixie and the Frost Elf

"I would like to go on a date, yes," I respond. Maybe it's fast, and maybe I should have suggested that we reconnect as friends first, but that's not what slips out.

"And my asexuality isn't a problem?"

"I mean, would we have responded to one another as mates if it wasn't something that we could work out?"

She frowns. "I hadn't thought about it like that."

Relief fills me. Because if she didn't think about that part, then there's a good chance that it can work. "So, what does it mean?"

"That I don't feel sexually attracted to anyone," she responds.

"Oh, yes, I know that. I mean, what does it mean for us to have a potential relationship?" Maybe it's too soon to be asking about that, but I know how I feel. Lexi was my best friend for years, and then the mate reaction made it even clearer that there was something between us.

"I don't know," she says.

"We can have one without sex."

"And how would you feel about that?" She looks at me with so much fear in her eyes that it hurts. I know she isn't scared of me, but I can understand why the situation is scary for her.

"It's hard to say. It's not a problem for the mate bond, and if I know what I'm getting into, then I think we can deal with it." I haven't had a relationship like that before, but I also have never really been serious about anyone either.

"You might think that now, but in a few years, you might not like what the relationship has become."

"Maybe not. But that could also be because you leave the top off the milk, or you eat cheese by the block even though you shouldn't," I respond.

"I'm lactose intolerant," she reminds me.

"Ah, well, that's a far bigger deal breaker," I tease, bumping my shoulder against hers.

"It can't be a deal breaker if you already know about it," she responds, seeming to lighten up a little bit.

"Well, now I know about your asexuality, so it can't be one."

"That's not how it works, Edur." She gives me a look that softens her words, as if she knows there is a chance for something between us.

"True. But there are a lot of ways we can approach this. It depends on how you feel about sex."

She looks at her hands. "A complicated way."

"Maybe we can talk about that after we've been on a date or two?" I suggest. "We can fill each other in on the last few years, and remember why we're friends, and go from there."

For a moment, I think she's going to tell me no, but then she nods.

I let out a sigh of relief. "All right, well, I'm going to need to know how to connect to your mirror. You've changed it, right?"

"I thought it would be easier for both of us if we weren't still messaging," she mutters.

"I gathered."

"It was selfish." She looks away from me.

I shrug, she's not wrong, but I don't want to make her feel worse than she already does. "A little bit. But at least I know the reason for it now. That's better than I used to know."

She swallows hard. "I don't think I'd have been ready to date back then anyway."

"Fair enough."

"But I'd like a date now, if we both know what we might be getting into."