Page 74 of Legends and Librarians
A smile stretched across Nyssa’s face as she watched the dragons. “I love this library.”
Honestly, so did I. All the craziness sort of felt normal now, like this was just how magical libraries were supposed to be. The wild magic had made the library better and that was such an amazing thing to see.
“Think the library will bring even more stories to life?” I mused out loud. “Maybe we could suggest one.”
Nyssa’s eyes widened. “You wantmorestory spirits?”
“Maybe?” I said, watching Cerbie gobble up half the snacks Mochi had put out, only for Mochi to cuddle up next to the pup and put out even more snacks. “They’re growing on me.”
Nyssa let go of her half of the bucket. I opened my mouth to protest at the sudden weight, but she hugged me so tight that I almost dropped my half too. My heart raced as I stared down at her, our lips just inches apart as she started to pull away. The urge to kiss her was almost too strong for me to overcome. Her eyes were shining with happiness as she squeezed my armsbefore pulling entirely away.
The moment was gone before I could even do anything about it. That had been happening a lot lately.
“I’m so glad you like it here,” she said, her voice breathy. “It means a lot to me.”
“Me too,” I whispered as I dipped a rag into the water and started cleaning the stone statues. “I’ve never...I’ve never felt like this before. Being with you and all the story spirits feels so warm, like maybe I belong here or something.”
My face was hot by the time I finished, so I scrubbed the statues even harder, focusing on that instead of what she might say back. I really did love it here, more than I’d ever loved being anywhere else. I had thought the guild was home when I was a kid, but maybe I never really understood what that meant until now.
Home wasn’t just the place you slept or the people you worked closely with. Home was the place that made you feel safe and comfortable. The place where you could relax and be yourself. I glanced up at Nyssa.
Home was the place full of people you cared about.
“Roan,” Nyssa said, her voice low as she took the wash rag from me. “You know that you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, right? You do belong here. If you want to.”
My heart swelled and I took her hand without even realizing it. I looked down at our intertwined fingers, feeling a little shaky inside. All of this felt too good to be true. Like it could all go away in an instant. That was old me though, the one who ran from things before even seeing where they went.
I’d already stayed here far longer than anywhere else and I knew deep down that I didn’t want to leave. For once in my life, I wanted to call someplace home and fully experience what that meant. I wanted to stay.
“But I’m an adventurer,” I blurted out instead of just tellingher what I really wanted to say. “I um, I have to get back to that eventually.”
“So?” She squeezed my hand, smiling. “Just because you come and go doesn’t mean you don’t belong here. Make this the place you come back to between jobs.”
Those words were like salve on a wound. I had a place that I could come back to, one with an amazing woman and wonderful story spirits. Maybe this was all the adventure I needed.
“And what if,” I paused, pulling her closer, “I didn’t want to be an adventurer anymore?”
Nyssa slid her hands around my neck. “Well, then you could stay here and wrangle the story spirits with me. Or start over with something entirely new. You helped me when I needed it most, so I’d like to return the favor. I’m here for whatever you want to do.”
The guild master had offered me a training job for new adventurers and it was sounding better and better the more I thought about it. I would still get to help people, but I wouldn’t have to travel far away to do it. I could stay right here for as long as I wanted.
I held Nyssa tight, closing my eyes to enjoy the way her hair smelled like the golem’s flowers and how her hands toyed with my hair. This was the life I wanted. Something warm and satisfying, where people worked together on even the smallest things and there was constant, but happy, chaos.
A life where I wasn’t alone.
“Okay,” I said, leaning my forehead against hers, “I’ll stay then.”
Her lips pulled into a grin,promising me the warmth and comfort I’d been craving all wrapped up in this beautiful woman. I’d never dreamed going to a library book sale would end up like this, with me finding somebody who could change my entire life, but I was so glad it had.
She pulled away, biting her lip. “Maybe we should...”
I tried to focus on what she was saying, but a bubble was casually floating toward her and in this library, bubbles were never just bubbles. Memories of that ridiculous bath where I’d been pinned down by magical bubbles gnawed at my mind. I thought we’d taken care of that though when we’d repaired the laundry crystals.
The bubble grew larger, shimmering in the light just like the other ones had.
“Everything okay?” Nyssa asked, turning to look behind her. “Oh, no wonder you got distracted. Those bubbles really did a number on you, huh?”
“No,” I said, a blush burning my cheeks. “It’s just weird seeing one now. What if something’s broken again?”
