Jase had been waiting for this moment.
For weeks, life had been a blur. Returning to Alas meant stares and whispers and the weight of all they had endured. Nothing felt normal. Celeste carried it quietly, but he noticed the signs. Her shoulders tensed at hushed voices. Her laughter was careful. Her smiles faded too soon. People no longer saw her as Celeste, only as a legend. She had given the world everything she had.
Tonight, he just wanted to give her something back. Something that belonged only to them.
Their first official date.
And Jase intended to make it unforgettable.
For the first time in a long time, he was nervous. Jase was not the nervous type. He had faced battles, fought against creatures of darkness, stood before Abyssals without blinking. But standing in front of Celeste's house, adjusting the sleeves of his dark button-down shirt, smoothing a hand over his slightly disheveled hair, he had to admit that his heart was pounding a little too fast. It was ridiculous, really. They had fought side by side. And yet, this quiet, human moment had his palms sweating like some lovesick idiot.
The porch light flickered on, casting a warm glow over the front steps. Jase exhaled, forcing himself to relax, to not look like he was about to go into battle.
And then the door opened.
And suddenly, all the air in his lungs vanished.
Celeste stood there, bathed in the soft light, wearing something simple yet effortlessly breathtaking, a dress that hugged her in all the right ways, flowing just enough to make her look like she belonged in the space between moonlight and dreams. Her silver-gold eyes widened slightly as they met his, like she hadn't expected him to look any different than he always did. But Jase saw the way she took him in, the way her gaze flickered over the dark shirt and the way her breath hitched just slightly before she caught herself.
For a long moment, neither of them said anything.
Then, Jase found his voice, lower than he intended. "You're stunning."
Celeste's lips parted, as if to protest, but then she just let out a soft breath, a quiet smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "You don't look too bad yourself."
Jase smirked, offering his hand. "Shall we?"
And when Celeste placed her fingers in his, warm and steady, he knew whatever happened next, this night would belong to them.
Jase pulled open the car door for her, a small, effortless gesture, but one he took his time with, waiting until she was comfortably seated before shutting it gently. His hands lingered against the frame for a beat too long, his fingers brushing over the cool metal as if reluctant to step away. Maybe it was ridiculous, but something about tonight felt different, like something delicate and rare, something he wasn't willing to rush. As he slid into the driver's seat, he could feel her gaze on him, quiet and expectant, the kind of look that sent a slow burn curling through his chest before she even said a word.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Celeste asked, her voice teasing, but there was a soft edge to it, an almost-hidden excitement laced beneath the words.
Jase smirked, his grip tightening slightly around the steering wheel as his golden eyes flicked to her. "Nope. It's a surprise."
Celeste huffed playfully, but he caught the way her fingers curled slightly against her lap, the way her lips parted just a little before she pressed them together, as if holding back a smile. She wouldn't admit it outright, but he knew that she liked this, the anticipation, the mystery. And hell, he liked watching her like this, the light in her eyes that had been dulled for far too long sparking back to life, even if just for a night. He wanted to give her this, a moment that belonged only to them.
At the next red light, Jase glanced at her, and before he could stop himself, he reached over, his fingers brushing against hers before lacing them together with easy familiarity. Her skin was warm against his, her palm fitting perfectly in his grasp, and when she looked up at him, startled but unresisting, he couldn't help but grin.
"Relax, sweetheart," he murmured, his voice dropping lower, the intimacy settling between them like something unspoken, something inevitable. "You'll love it."
Celeste's breath hitched slightly, her silver-gold eyes flickering down to their joined hands. And she didn't pull away.
Instead, she squeezed his fingers back, a small, simple thing, but to Jase, it might as well have been the whole damn universe. Because Celeste, who had spent years keeping herself guarded, who had fought so hard to carry everything alone, was choosing to hold onto him. And Jase?
Yeah, he definitely wasn't letting go.
*****
The car ride ended at a quiet hilltop overlooking the city, where the lights below twinkled softly and the world felt smaller. When Celeste stepped out, the cool night air wrapped around her, carrying the scent of grass and faint wildflowers. She inhaled deeply, letting the quiet ease the weight of the day. The city stretched out before them, but it wasn't the view that took her breath away.
It was what Jase had done.
Beneath the open sky, a soft blanket was spread on the grass, lit by the warm glow of small lanterns casting dancing shadows. At its center sat a basket of carefully wrapped desserts, her favorites. Simple, intimate, and breathtakingly thoughtful, it made her chest tighten. She turned to him, her golden-silver eyes wide, moonlight catching their depths. "Jase, this is"
"Just for us."
His voice was soft but certain, a quiet promise wrapped in those three simple words. He reached for her hand, his grip warm, steady, anchoring her in the moment as he guided her toward the blanket. Celeste sank onto the soft fabric, fingers grazing over the carefully arranged setup, a lump forming in her throat at the effort he had put into all of this. She wasn't used to people doing things for her. Not like this.
"You really planned this?" she murmured, looking at him with something unreadable in her gaze, something he wanted to understand, to hold.
Jase smirked, lowering himself onto the blanket beside her, propping one arm up as he leaned in slightly, his expression somewhere between amusement and something far more vulnerable. "Took me two days to get it right."
Celeste let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "I love it."
Something in Jase eased at her words, the tension he hadn't realized he was holding slipping away. His smirk softened into something quieter, almost hesitant, as if he didn't know what to do with the emotions between them. He leaned back on his elbows, not watching the view, but watching her, the way the lantern light flickered on her skin, the night breeze played with her hair, and her fingers trailed absentmindedly over the fabric beneath them.
She looked… at peace.
And damn, he loved seeing her like this.
The silence stretched between them, comfortable, full of something unspoken, until Jase finally exhaled, breaking it. "You deserve more than this."
Celeste turned her head, curiosity flickering in her gaze. "What do you mean?"
Jase glanced up at the sky for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, then reached for her hand again. His fingers brushed against her wrist, tracing slow, deliberate patterns against her skin, his touch featherlight, just enough to make her breath catch. "You've been through a lot, Celeste," he murmured, his golden gaze flickering back to hers, unreadable yet entirely open. "And all I want is to give you something normal."
Celeste didn't respond right away. Then she shifted closer.
And Jase felt it.
The warmth of her pressed against his side, the way her body seemed to fit so effortlessly against his, like she belonged there. Like she had always belonged there. She rested her head against his shoulder, and Jase stilled, his breath catching as something inside him settled. For a long moment, he just breathed her in the soft and familiar scent of her. The way her fingers absentmindedly curled against his arm, like she wasn't even thinking about it. The way her body molded against his, like she had been meant to be there all along.
His throat went dry. Slowly, carefully, he tilted his head, his lips brushing just above her temple. It was a barely-there touch, but it was enough to send a slow, smoldering heat curling through him.
Celeste's eyes fluttered shut.
"Jase…"
Her voice was barely a whisper, but it unraveled something deep inside him, something raw and unrestrained. His fingers trailed down her wrist again, featherlight, tracing the delicate curve of her pulse. "Yeah?"
She didn't say anything. She didn't need to.
Because when she lifted her head slightly, just enough to look up at him, just enough that her lips were so close to his and he knew.
Knew that she wanted this as much as he did.
Knew that nothing else mattered at that moment.
And so he kissed her.
Slow and deep. A promise sealed in warmth and longing, in every unspoken word between them.
Celeste gasped softly against his lips, her fingers fisted into his shirt, pulling him closer, and Jase groaned, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, to taste her, to savor the way she melted so perfectly against him. His hand slid to her waist, his thumb tracing slow, lazy circles just beneath the fabric of her dress. She shivered slightly at the touch, but she didn't pull away and she only pressed closer.
It wasn't just a kiss.
It was everything.
A silent whisper of something unspoken but undeniable between them.
When he finally pulled back, just enough to rest his forehead against hers, his breathing was uneven, his grip on her waist still firm, like he wasn't ready to let go. Celeste's eyes were still closed, her lips parted slightly, her own breaths coming just as shakily, and Jase swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep control.
Then he pressed one last, lingering kiss against the corner of her lips, just because he could, just because he wasn't ready for this moment to end. His voice was low, warm, utterly certain when he finally spoke:
"This is just the beginning, Celeste."
Her golden-silver eyes fluttered open, glowing softly in the lantern light, her fingers reaching up to trace along his jaw, her touch sending a slow burn through his skin.
"I know," she whispered back.
And Jase?
He had never been more certain of anything in his life.