Cyan POV

"I can't believe Seren convinced His Grace to get not one, but three pets. Something serious happened between them while you were gone, didn't it?" Arline asks from where she sits on the couch in the lounge. I take a seat on the opposite side, turning so the arm of the couch presses into my back.

"Yeah, it seems His Grace is serious about him and Seren must feel the same. He left the church," I explain, expecting Arline's surprised expression.

"He did?"

"Turned everything in while we were in the capital."

"I suppose I didn't see his axe," she mumbles to herself. "I wouldn't be surprised if the church retaliates."

"How?"

"Who knows. Maybe they'll send a few priests claiming we're harboring some vampiric knowledge that brainwashes their already brainwashed brethren?" Arline shrugs. "You never know what their lot will do, just that they're capable of anything." Before I can say anything, Arline leans towards me to ask, "Enough about them, what happened with you?"

I feel a flush burning beneath my cheeks that I wish I could fight back because it makes Arline smirk.

"What happened between you and Draven?" she asks, grinning ear to ear.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because you immediately blushed, which means Draven is included."

Crossing my arms, I shrug. "Nothing happened. We worked, like we were meant to."

"But there had to be moments when you weren't working."

"Draven's always working."

"You being so adamant about nothing happening enforces that something did." She sits back and waves her hand in a come hither manner. "Tell me. I'll figure it out eventually."

That is likely true...

I eye Arline skeptically. She creates a false expression of security, like she won't be thrilled to hear my answer. I glance towards the doors leading to the hall as if I expect someone to be there, Draven specifically. Last we saw him, he was speaking with some workers about obtaining toys, dog food, cat food, everything we need for our furry friends. We grabbed what he could fit with our luggage today, but it won't last long.

"So?" Arline calls, bringing my attention back to her.

"We spent a day in town. Draven gave me a tour," I say, making sure not to mention what happened during the tour though Arline surely can't miss my accelerated heart race. Remembering the feeling of his hand around mine, the warmth of his body near me, how I wish that could be my norm, that I could actually achieve these feelings regularly.

"A tour," she echoes. "So you went on a date?"

I bite my lip. "No--"

"Saying you spent a day together in town while your heart's racing that fast, yeah, it was a date."

"You know that I don't have dates."

"But you did have one, with Draven no less, and I bet if you actually asked him about it, he'd say it was a date too."

That makes me laugh, at least until the doors swing open and a familiar face steps in. I freeze on the couch, staring at Draven's brilliant orange gaze. His attention lingers on me for a moment, then drifts to the grinning Arline.

"I see that the two of you are already catching up, although we have plenty of unpacking to do," he says.

"You two have plenty of unpacking to do," Arline corrects. Standing, she keeps her back to Draven while mouthing to me 'you had a date with Draven.' I kick her in the thigh. She grunts and scurries away, speaking to Draven when she walks by, "Since you're obviously here to give us a lecture, I'm leaving. Have fun unpacking."

The door swings shut behind her. Draven sighs and shakes his head, but in a totally caring manner. They have been here at the estate far longer than I have. He's more accustomed to her than I am.

"Are you actually here to whine about unpacking because, seriously, we just got back." I push myself off the couch and hold my hands up in defeat. "I think it will be okay if I don't unpack until tomorrow."

"No," he says, hesitating for a strangely long moment. "Actually, I was hoping to... speak with you."

I don't know why, but his tone makes my toes curl. "Oh? Uh, okay. I haven't blown anything up already, if you're worried about something so nonsensical."

"It isn't so nonsensical when it happens so regularly."

I roll my eyes, expecting Draven to speak up, but he's silent. That silence puts me on edge, albeit not in a frightful way. Draven normally always knows what to say and what he wants to say, but this feels different. Opening his mouth one moment, then closing it the next. His gaze shifts through the room like he expects his words to appear. The unfamiliar mannerisms are strange, minimal compared to most people, but glaringly obvious to those who know Draven never acts less than perfect.

"Would it... would it be alright if I considered it a date?" Draven whispers so softly I can't believe I heard him.

"W-What?"

He takes a step closer, just one, and repeats, "Our day in town, is it alright if I want to think of it as a date?"

That bitch Arline put me in a headlock and choked me into a coma, didn't she? There's absolutely no way Draven would say this in real life. This can only be a dream, a very, very warped dream from a desperate mind.

But this dream continues. There's no sudden darkness or laughter from my conscience; there's only us. Draven stands a few steps in front of me, hands behind his back like the butler he is, but I see the tension in his arms and shoulders. Even through that tension, he doesn't take his eyes off me. The shimmering orange as fierce as fire prevents me from escaping.

What is this? What's happening? What do I say? I... he can't...

I'd claim he's pranking me, but this is Draven. That isn't what he does, which means he's serious. The idea is both exciting and terrifying because what am I meant to do? I like Draven. I've liked him for a while and I do--I wish we could have something, but... no, no he isn't serious. He can't. We can't. I don't understand.

"This is a really bad joke," I bite, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

"I assure you that this is no joke," he says firmly, not as the perfect butler but as a man who makes my heart palpitate.

The room feels too small. I'm forgetting how to breathe. Every breath feels too little then too much. My skin itches. My mind's reeling, imagining Draven's devilish sneer, his mocking voice as if it's helping right now. As if it has happened a thousand times before. They're ridiculous thoughts, I try telling myself that, but the panic surges harder than a storm deep at sea.

"You know what you're asking, Draven," I mumble. I tear into the end of my shirt, twisting the fabric around my fingers so tightly they go numb. "A date--I--even if I say yes, even if I did think of it as a date, it doesn't matter. I can't give you what you're looking for."

"How do you know what I'm looking for?" he argues, sounding a little breathless. It makes my heart sing. That song grows louder when Draven approaches me.

"I know what you're working through, Cyan, but I've grown tired of avoiding the truth. I found it unfair to approach you with romantic intentions because I didn't want to overwhelm you, but now I realize I made that as an excuse to avoid the chance of losing you entirely. However, if I don't say this now, I may lose you one day because you have far more to give than you realize and other knows that especially well, so..." He takes a long breath that I mirror, somehow unprepared even when I know what he's about to say. "I like you, Cyan. I care for you more than I ever thought I could for anyone. I do not expect an answer now as I know I sprang this on you, but if you feel the same then I would like to give us a try."

I don't know how to reply.

Draven offers a soft, almost embarrassed smile that makes me swallow hard because, fuck, I didn't think Draven knew how to be cute. But he is and it makes me wonder who else has seen him like this. Is it only me? Is it greedy for me to hope it has only been me?

Draven retreats to the doorway. With his hand against the frame, he looks over his shoulder and, as he does, returns to his usual lecturing, "Don't think of belittling yourself either. I understand what you're going through. If you haven't noticed already, I'm very patient."

That makes me laugh. Draven smiles. The door closes behind him, leaving me standing among the aftermath of his--holy shit--confession. This might have been something I've dreamed about. Many dreams aren't ever seen as realistic possibilities though. Now I don't know what to do.

I know what I want to do. I want to run after him and tell him that I like him too, that I want to give us a try, but my legs won't take me. My hands shake. The room sways. My lungs ache for air. There's a chain digging into my skin, preventing me from escaping the prison I've been in for most of my life. I wish to be free of it, but I don't know how.

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

OH SNAP! Draven has confessed. Cyan's panicking about it. Will he be able to accept Draven's feelings or will he be too frightened to take that next step? If you must know, you can join my patreon and if you stick around through January you'll get to read my new story Out of the Office Romance before it posts anywhere else ^_^