CARLYLE

I headed back to the basement and drilled with Kana for over two hours, learning way more with her than I had in that whole afternoon with Killian.

It would still take a ton of practice, but she at least hadn’t been afraid to touch me as much as needed to correct my form.

We were taking a break for water when Sol bounded down the stairs.

“I have a surprise,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “Jai approved it, so let’s get it while we can.”

My stomach flipped at his word choice, not to mention Kana’s leer when she waved me on. “Have fun, kids,” she called as I followed Sol up the stairs.

“You said something about normal,” he said as he took my hand and pulled me toward my room. “So, I thought I’d take you out tonight. There’s a dress in your room, and I got tickets to some show in the next town over. There’s a killer Italian restaurant near the theater. What do you think?” His face shone with pride, and my heart squeezed in my chest.

“It sounds perfect.” I smiled at him.

He opened the door to my room and practically pushed me inside. A huge box waited on the bed, and when I lifted the lid, I gasped in shock.

“I’ve never worn anything like this,” I murmured, lifting the dress out of its tissue paper. It was a deep, orange-gold satin, with a halter neck and a floor-length skirt. “Where the hell did you get this?” I said, laughing. “It’s gorgeous,” I added, in case he thought I didn’t like it. I’d expect something like this from Dair, but not Sol.

He winked. “I have a few secrets, too, shortcake. Now go shower and get ready.”

I hurried into the bathroom and got started. He called in that I had plenty of time to do whatever I wanted, and I decided to straighten my hair into long, sleek layers. Kana popped in with an oversized makeup bag and insisted on dolling me up.

“He’s such a sweetie,” she said as she put the finishing touches on my smoky eyeshadow. “You’re a lucky Qilin bitch.”

“Hell, yeah,” I answered, grinning at my reflection. I felt a pang of regret that I was going out to eat well and have fun, when I knew Jack was in pain, Dair was angry with me, and Toro was still missing.

“Don’t think of any of that,” Kana said, flushing when she realized she’d butted into my thoughts. “You deserve this night. You deserve Sol.”

“I told him I’m falling in love with him,” I blurted, and she squealed so loud I cringed.

“Sorry,” she said, laughing. “I just think it’s so fucking romantic. I can’t stand it!” She tugged me out of the bathroom and knelt before me to help me buckle the high heels Sol had provided. I wobbled a bit as I stood - I certainly had never worn anything like this before.

“I feel like I’m going to the prom or something,” I said, remembering my scattered days in high school. Not that I’d ever been to a school dance. Things like that just didn’t happen when you switched schools as often as I had.

“This will be way better than any of that lame shit,” Kana said. “Of course, I’ve only seen the movies. But prom always sucks dick in the movies.”

“Plus, I’m not a virgin, so what’s the point,” I added, and we dissolved into giggles.

“Thank fuck for that,” she said. Footsteps sounded on the stairs, then a knock on my door.

“Are you ready?” Sol called from the hall. Kana darted forward and opened the door, revealing Sol in a slick navy suit. Damn, did he ever fill out a jacket well. One hand was behind his back, and as I took a careful step toward him, he held out a bouquet of orange lilies.

“I didn’t know what your favorite was,” he said, his voice suddenly shy.

“They’re gorgeous,” I said, inhaling the lush, sweet fragrance. I glanced up at him, trying hard to remember this really wasn’t a movie. This was my life - it may be weird and dangerous and confusing, but at least for tonight, I could experience some perfectly normal magic.

“I’ll put those in some water,” Kana said, and I handed over the flowers. “I won’t wait up,” she teased, stepping aside so I could leave the room. Sol offered his arm, and I took it gratefully. These heels were a fucking nuisance.

I made it down the stairs and out the front door without too much issue, though, and Sol gave me a boost up into the white van Dair had procured before he left.

“Sorry it’s not more glamorous,” he apologized.

“Whatever. It’s perfect,” I said, giving him a grin.

We chatted a little awkwardly at first as he navigated the van onto the highway, but we soon hit our normal stride. When we pulled up to the restaurant and Sol handed the keys to the valet driver, I reached my hand around his neck and pulled him in for a slow kiss.

“This is amazing,” I whispered against his lips.

“You’re amazing,” he returned, and I smiled at his innocent, cheesy statement. How lucky was I, really?

We laughed and flirted through dinner. I stuffed myself with an amazing fresh pasta dish and way too many garlic bread sticks. Before I knew it, Sol had whisked us away to the theater. The symphony was so different from anything I’d ever seen, and I drank in the experience.

Sol was a gentleman through most of it, although his hands found plenty of opportunities to wander across my bare shoulders and down my spine. I shivered as the final song drew to a close, and he leaned over to grant me a sweet, simple kiss while everyone around us stood to clap.

Although we were surrounded by hundreds of people in a massive concert hall, I felt like we were the only two in the room.

“Up for some dessert?” he asked as we exited the theater.

I laughed. “You really think I’d say no?”

He grinned and led me down the sidewalk. At the end of the block was a tiny storefront filled with shelves and shelves of delicate, beautiful chocolates. We picked out way too many, stumbling out of the shop with several boxes of wrapped candy.

“Are we going home to eat these?” I asked as he walked us back to the theater’s valet.

“Not exactly,” he said, a sly grin on his handsome face. The drive to his next surprise was short, and I gasped when he pulled into a nearly-empty parking lot. Stretched before us was an entire moonlit beach, its white sand sparkling like sugar in the bright moonlight.

A billowing, gauzy white tent was set up nearby, and I saw a flash of flame-red hair just as we stepped toward the tent.

“Killian?” I called, but there was no answer.

“He helped me set this up,” Sol said, pulling the sides of the tent closed so we couldn’t be seen. He left the front open to the incredible view of the ocean and the starry sky. “He’ll head home now, but we’re safe out here. Jai helped me set up a perimeter, and I’m sure he has a drone nearby, plus we have our cells...”

I realized he was babbling, and I pulled him down next to me on the thick blanket, pressing my lips to his to shut him up. I didn’t care about tech shit. I wanted some sugar. Then maybe some chocolate.

He snickered. “Out loud, gorgeous.”

“Oh, well,” I said, grinning up at him. “Now put something in my mouth, lion.”