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Tonight, though, all that is going to change. Not the fun or the sex, of course. I plan to keep that on the menu indefinitely.
But tonight, I don’t plan on spending an ordinary evening lounging around the house. With any luck, tonight was going to be remarkable. Memorable. A night that Laura would remember for the rest of her life.
I had made it clear that we wanted the house to ourselves, even going as far as to send my new servants to rest in their rooms. We have all the space and privacy we could want now.
I begin by telling Laura that I have something I want to show her. Her eager face looks at me with curious expectancy, following me up the stairs to the second story.
When we arrive on the landing, she looks confused. She’s been here countless times, and I’m sure she’s wondering what’s so special about this place. But then I point to another set of stairs leading even higher.
With a grin, I gesture for her to follow me. She does willingly, trusting me implicitly. Still, I can see the curiosity in her eyes.
The stairs lead to the open deck on the top of the manor. It does have some potential as a useful vantage point thanks to its height over Ti’lith. But I use it infrequently. There isn’t much on the ground that I ever feel the need to observe. And the constant storms above the island mean that there isn’t much reason to look up, either.
She doesn’t seem to mind the lack of a view. Or perhaps she’s excited by the rows of lit candles that I have scattered around, wanting to make the night special. Her eyes light up when she sees her new surroundings, muted pleasure passing over her soft features. “I didn’t know this was up here,” she says, turning in a slow circle and taking in the view.
Dinner has been prepared and set out on a small, round table, already waiting for us. We eat it together, talking and laughing as we enjoy our meal. There’s warm bread and roasted binmou, along with a sharp cheese and fruit salad. We eat the food at a leisurely pace, though it’s hard for me to contain my impatience. I know that something better is still coming, and it’s hard not to be distracted by my excitement.
I try to act normal, however, playing at indifference. I don’t want to rush her, as the meal is only the first part of the celebration. The whole evening is significant, and it’s important to me that it goes without a hitch. Even if I’m eager for the surprise, and can’t make myself focus on the food.
As the dinner draws to a close, she’s still finishing her dessert. I watch her twirl her spoon slowly through the custard dish, and it seems to be taking forever. I feel like I’m squirming in my chair so much that I can’t believe she doesn’t seem to notice.
But eventually, she’s finished.
She sets the spoon down in the dish and I practically pop out of my seat to rush over to her.
She giggles in surprise, sensing my out-of-character urgency. “What’s going on, Rej?”
“Nothing, I just want to show you something.”
I will myself to tamp it down a notch. Slowly sliding her chair out and forcing myself to show some restraint, I offer her my hand and help her to her feet.
Then I lead her across the deck to a small divan. “Wait here,” I instruct, gently urging her to sit. My hands still on her shoulders, I give her a solemn look. She blinks, then wrinkles her nose, not sure why this is so important to me.
“Okay,” she agrees slowly, an unspoken question lingering in her voice.
I don’t bother to explain. It will all be clear soon enough. Taking a few steps back, I draw up my chaos magic. I can feel it surge through my body, and when I am ready, I wave toward the sky.
The dark clouds over our heads part, creating a small window for us to see the moon through. It is the first time that she has seen the moonlight since arriving on our floating island of Galmoleth. We demons are so used to the clouds that always cover the sun and moon that we often don’t notice the absence, but I had a feeling she might like this.
I move closer to her again, hopeful eyes watching her face to see her reaction. She’s silent, but she stares up looking completely enamored. Her exultant expression is unmistakable, and I’m as overjoyed as she is, just to see her eyes glow with wonder.
After a long, quiet moment, she tears her gaze away long enough to stare at me. I’m close enough to see that they shimmer with unshed tears of happiness.
“I saw it every night on Protheka, and I took it for granted,” she says in a hushed voice that’s nearly a whisper. “I never imagined that there would come a time I couldn’t see it again. Or what it would feel like to realize what I had lost. I know it sounds silly, but it… reminds me of before. Of home.”
It doesn’t sound silly to me at all. I settle myself on the divan beside her. She rests her head against my shoulder, but glances up so that she can keep the moon in her sight.
“Thank you.”
I’m too busy remembering a time when I thought I might lose her. I can relate to having something special but having it so close that you forget just how important it is. It isn’t until you realize that it may not be yours forever that you can truly appreciate what it would mean to lose it.
I pull her down with me to lay on the divan so that we can stargaze together. We’re pushed together quite tight, as there isn’t much room. But I don’t think either of us minds.
Occasionally, she breaks the silence with a story.
Some of them are lessons she learned, like the different names of the stars or how they can be used to tell direction. Others are from her life, like the time she and her sister had stayed up late and snuck outside to watch a meteor shower. But most of the time, she is quiet and entranced by the show beyond the storm.
I’m as enchanted as her, but not by the stars. They’re beautiful, but what’s even more amazing to me is the way that they reflect in her gray eyes. I prop up on my arm, so that I can look down on her. Moonlight can be beautiful, but watching her in the moonlight is breathtaking.
