Page 91 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“Where are we going?” she asked, approaching his car, where Sparky was already seated in the back.
“Can’t tell you,” he replied, kissing her before opening the passenger side door. “It’s a surprise.”
“Ooh,” she sang, getting into the car. He closed the door, hoping she would like it,
Aiden drove them out of town, and in the car they listened to music, enjoying the views and talking now and then. His whole body was buzzing with nerves; he hoped everything would come together the way he’d planned; he hoped that she would like it. All he wanted was to make her happy.
Aiden pulled up at a public area, and they all got out of the car.
“Oh, a park!” Saphira said, delighted. “Fun.”
But that wasn’t the surprise. Aiden took her hand, Sparky flying alongside them, and walked her to the location he had searched for and scouted out a few days ago. The moment they got closer, he heard her gasp.
“Oh my god,” she sighed, awed. “Aiden!!”
It was a row of golden shower trees, each in full bloom. The floor was strewn with yellow petals. The amaltas tree—her favorite.
“Why didn’t I ever know about this place?” she asked.
“I just found it myself,” he replied. They walked down the path, golden petals raining over them. She lifted her hand up, catching a few in her fingers. She grinned, overjoyed. “It’s beautiful, truly. Thank you so much for bringing me here.”
Saphira threw her arms around him, hugging him, and he pulled her closer as his chest tightened with a tender feeling.
He felt like he was in a dream—surely this is a dream. How could this be real? How could he be so lucky? It made him afraid.
He wanted to hold onto every moment that was passing, capture them like fireflies in a jar in case they were fleeting.
Even if they were—even if this was all the time he was allotted, he would be content, he would die happy. Even just one moment with her had made living all these years worthwhile.
She pulled back, looking around with wide eyes. She smiled. “I love it.”
And he knew that he loved her. He had loved her for some time, now, and maybe today if everything went well, he would tell her.
But not yet. He didn’t want to scare her away.
They sat down in the shade of a tree on the grass, talking and kissing and laughing until the colors in the sky deepened, Sparky playing on his own, then coming to cuddle with them.
“Are you hungry?” Aiden asked. “Should we head back for dinner? I cooked for you.”
“Yes! I love your cooking. Let’s.”
He drove her back to his place, and when they entered, he didn’t turn on the lights just yet. She reached for the switch, but he held her hand.
“Wait,” he said, feeling nervous. “I want to show you something.”
Aiden picked Sparky up from the air, then went to the dining table, Saphira following him. On the table, there was a tapered candlestick.
“Okay, buddy,” Aiden whispered to Sparky. “Just like we practiced.”
Sparky took in a deep breath, then released a very controlled flame. The candle lit, the flame flickering.
“Oh!” Saphira’s face brightened. “Good job, my little angel!” She petted Sparky, who purred happily. Then, she turned to Aiden, impressed. Controlling dragon fire to that extent wasvery technically advanced, and it had taken him some time to train Sparky to accomplish such a trick.
“How did you …?” she started, amazed.
“I’ve been training Sparky on my own,” he said. It was something he had not admitted to her before because he wanted to surprise her. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled at the news. Going to her tiptoes, she reached up to kiss him. He savored the sweet taste of her lips, sighing against her mouth.
Even as he lived it, he knew the memory of today would be a chapter bookmarked in his mind, a favorite passage highlighted, one he would return to again and again.
