The music that was being played had changed three different times and yet... Azriel didn't let her go. They stayed in a comfortable silence, slowly swaying, his arm around her waist and his hand in hers. It was peaceful. Amara's head against his chest, her eyes closed, her heartbeat syncing with his. She would never openly admit it but if she could spend forever like this, she would. 

"I have to get going," Azriel whispered softly as he kissed the top of her head. It was the first thing that either of them had said in about an hour. He still didn't make any effort to let her go and leave though. If anything, he seemed to pull her closer. 

"What if I don't want you to?" She responded quietly, not moving away, not looking up at him. She feared that if she did then all of those feelings would bubble to the surface. She wasn't exactly sure if the two of them were ready for that yet. 

"That isn't really a reason to stay, Amara," he said softly. Yep, she definitely wasn't going to look at him. Feelings were not on the table. "You should head back anyway." 

Amara nodded lightly and sighed, running a hand through her hair as she did so. She stepped away from him and picked up the glass of wine that had been left on the grass. She then finally looked over at him. "Don't check on me anymore... please?" 

She wasn't sure if she'd imagined it but Amara was pretty sure that a frown had crossed Azriel's face before he managed to cover it up. There seemed to be a flicker of hurt down the bond but it was gone before she could be sure. He then nodded. "Notes only?" 

"Notes only." 

The two stood there for a second, or maybe it was a couple of minutes, Amara couldn't really be sure. Time never really seemed to exist when she was with him. Then she sipped her wine and left, knowing that if she stayed any longer then she would bare her soul to him. They'd gotten closer but their relationship wasn't at the point where she felt comfortable with that just yet. Honestly, she wasn't even sure if she could call what they had a relationship. 

When she got back to the festivities, the first thing that Amara noticed was that Feyre was dancing. She smiled slightly at the sight, glad to finally see the poor girl just let loose and be free. Sure maybe it wasn't the best idea considering she was mortal and everyone else around her was Fae but then she noticed Tamlin keeping an eye on her while he played his fiddle. 

He was absolutely smitten. Amara could see it in his eyes and the soft smile that he had on his face. She hadn't seen him smile like that in years, decades even. Smiles were rare at the Spring Court but maybe... just maybe, they could start coming back. 

Maybe Feyre could help them all learn to smile again. Help them learn how to be free and happy, uncaring of all the horrors they'd endured and been through. 

Then again... Amara had never wanted to smile in the Spring Court. Not since Rhys had dragged her for a vacation in the Night Court a century ago. That was when she'd met the other. She and Cassian got on a little too well and were nearly always found sneaking out of Rhys' parlour with various bottles of alcohol. She always made the blood deliveries for Amren and the two of them would spend the next few hours marvelling over jewels or bitching about random Fae, never anyone in particular. She would be seen walking through the streets of Velaris with Mor, shopping bags on each of their arms, slowly slipping things into Mor's baskets that would be better gifts than what she was previously planning to get people. She would be seen sitting on the balcony with Rhys, both of them revelling in the silence as they read a book, stopping occasionally to talk about the second hand embarrassment they were feeling from the characters. She would be seen sharing looks with Azriel whenever Cassian did something stupid, the two of them moving in sync almost like magnets. When he would move, so would she. 

Around them... she was happy. She smiled constantly. She would go to bed with her cheeks hurting from how much she had been smiling. 

But then there were the things she would do here. She would be found drinking hot chocolate in the parlour with Alis, gossiping about the other servants and talking about her nephews. She would be found sparring with Lucien or going on rides with him, both of them just loving the feeling of the wind in their while they rode and the sound of metal against metal as they sparred. They always challenged each other to everything. She would be found sitting in Tamlin's study, rambling on as she played the piano and he would lie on the couch listening to every word, reacting in the exact ways that he knew she would want him to. 

Amara had reasons to be happy in both the courts. She just only ever seemed to smile when she was in one of them. 

After all, smiles in the Spring Court were rare.