Night had fallen as the party wound down, and the decorations were cleared away until the only remaining evidence that a party had even taken place was the young wizard and his crown princess lingering in the city square.

Elena and Mateo stood close to one another, appreciating the quiet of the evening after what had been a very long day–– a very fun day, but still very long.

Glancing sidelong at Mateo, Elena picked up a wrapped parcel that had been tucked away in the shadows beside the fountain in the center of the square and offered it to her friend, smiling shyly. "Happy birthday, Mateo," she said quietly.

Looking surprised, but pleased, Mateo took it from her and examined it curiously. He noticed that it felt a bit heavier than it looked. "Thanks, Elena. You didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did! Do you think I'd come to my best friend's birthday party without a gift? Open it!" she said eagerly, excitement dancing in her eyes.

Chuckling quietly, Mateo did as she said, and unwrapped the parcel to find a heavy book with a worn red leather cover and hand painted glyphs from an ancient foreign language. Eyes widened and mouth gaping, Mateo stared in shock at the precious tome in his hands.

"This– this isn't just a book about ancient Meruvian magic. This IS an ancient Meruvian magic book. Why– how– this is a valuable ancient artifact, Elena! I can't believe– wow! Thank you!" he knew he was stammering, but he couldn't help it. His tone had morphed from reverence, to awe, to wonder, to eagerness. He was nearly trembling from excitement and had run out of words to express how he felt about the amazing treasure he now possessed.

Smiling, Elena stepped closer and slid an arm around his shoulders, as she had done so many time before and hugged him. "I am quite aware that this is, indeed an ancient Meruvian artifact. Professor Mendoza told me so often during my numerous attempts to convince the university to part with it. But, eventually, they agreed that the royal wizard would get more use from it than they would."

Mateo was speechless. He couldn't believe that she'd gone through the trouble of persuading the university to part with a rare and valuable artifact for him. "I don't know what to say, except thank you, though that seems so inadequate compared to such a generous gift."

Turning towards him, Elena said earnestly, "You don't have to say anything at all. Just accept the gift for what it is. A birthday gift from your best friend who just wants you to be happy." She smiled wistfully, and he watched as the smile slowly melted away, leaving a look behind that he couldn't quite define in its wake.

Elena stepped away and went to sit on the ledge of the fountain, staring unseeingly into the dark waters below.

Mateo watched her, unable to ignore the feeling that something was off with her–– her eyebrows furrowed and he could have sworn he saw the sheen of tears sparkling in her eyes. She was clearly conflicted and he longed to do something–– anything–– to smooth the worry lines away from her lovely features. Quietly approaching the fountain, he sat on the ledge near her–– close enough that he almost, but not quite, brushed his leg up against hers.

She looked up, meeting his concerned gaze and offered a tiny half smile.

"You seem troubled. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Her eyes softened and her smile widened slightly, "You're so sweet, but no. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me. Something's bothering you. Please tell me so I can help–– or at the very least be troubled alongside you." He flashed his best crooked grin.

Sighing deeply, Elena looked at him for a long moment, her piercing gaze giving him the impression that she was seeing straight through to the core of his being and that she liked what she saw.

"I– I suppose I wasn't prepared for the parade of girls your mother insisted you 'get to know' this evening."

This brought Mateo up short. He hadn't been prepared either, but he was mystified as to why it would bother Elena so deeply, unless–– but no, he couldn't allow himself to even hope for that.

Chuckling awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his neck, saying, "You weren't prepared? How do you think I felt? She'd never even hinted that this was coming, I was completely blindsided by her scheme." He glanced sidelong at Elena and asked, "What about it is bothering you so badly?"

She surprised him by leaping to her feet, eyes flashing with anger as she said, "It's just that I don't think a series of blind dates with the expectation that one of them must end in a wedding will make you happy! It's almost as bad as the possible political marriage agreement I've been steeling myself for my entire life. It's bad enough that I will probably never have a happily ever after of my own–– I hate the idea of you not having your own chance at love," Elena eyes misted over as she continued, "And those girls! Those were your mother's idea of nice girls? Those were her idea of girls who are a good match for you!?"

She began pacing in agitation and Mateo watched her, stunned at how deeply something he'd considered to be nothing more than an embarrassing annoyance was affecting her.

She went on, "That first girl–– what was her name? Lorraina? She was so timid! And serious! How can anyone with a soul hate music? She'd never understand your self deprecating humor or appreciate your perfect crooked smile or the way you try to make others laugh to deflect attention away from yourself.

"The second girl–– I don't remember her name, only that Gabe called her 'the pig girl'–– she would tread all over you. You'd never get a word in edgewise. She probably couldn't stop talking long enough to learn that your favorite dish is pozole, you don't like spicy peppers, or that mice give you the creeps. She'd never understand that though you are quiet, you feel things deeply and your mind is always working on overtime–– thinking and calculating.

"And that last girl! Mariana? She hates magic! How could your mother try to match you with someone who detests the very essence of who you are? She could never appreciate the dreamy look that you get whenever you discover something new about magic, or the way your eyes sparkle with joy when you've mastered a new spell––"

Mateo watched in amazement as she continued her tirade, pacing in a near frenzy as she went on. He couldn't believe that she'd noticed all of those intimate details about him–– that she appreciated each one so passionately. She couldn't have known how much it meant to him that there was someone in the world who truly saw him for who he was–– inside and out. As the volume of her voice rose in tandem with her agitation, Mateo couldn't let her go on. Hurrying forward, he reached out and gently grabbed her wrist, tugging her around to face him. "Hey," he said soothingly as he placed his hands on her shoulders, "Elena, calm down, mejor amiga. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be ok. And, in case you hadn't noticed, I didn't feel a connection to any of those girls tonight. Just because Mami introduces me to a girl, doesn't mean I have to marry her, you know." Raising an eyebrow, he gave her a small, half smile.

She blushed and smiled sheepishly in return. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be so dramatic, especially on your birthday. This has just been eating at me all day. I hope I haven't ruined your day."

Mateo laughed at that. "Are you kidding? This has been the best day! Mostly because of you."

Raising hopeful eyebrows, Elena met his gaze and was amazed to find the adoration shining from those eyes that sparkled in the shimmering starlight. His eyes–– those eyes–– peering into them always filled her with warmth and could bring a smile on her lips no matter her mood or temper. Smiling softly, she asked, "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes, I really do. You put so much into making this night special," Mateo paused, took a deep breath and said, "Truthfully, I think there's only one thing that could make this night perfect."

"What's that?" she whispered, taking a half step closer to him, her gaze intense as she maintained eye contact.

Heart pounding and mind racing with possibilities, Mateo made a decision in that moment to take the ultimate risk. If he was wrong, it would ruin everything, but if he was right–– he gently grasped her shoulders and pulled her closer, brushing a tentative kiss against her lips.

Surprising them both, she slid her arms around his neck, pressed herself against him and returned the kiss–– slowly, taking her time to enjoy the softness of his lips and the way they felt moving against her own. Her fingers wandered up the back of his neck and into the wavy mass that was his hair–– appreciating each lock and curl as her fingers brushed against his scalp. She smiled against his lips as a small groan of pleasure sounded in the back of his throat.

For the first time that evening, her mind was calm. This. This was right. It felt so right. Would there be consequences for this choice she had made in the heat of the moment? Perhaps. But she had decided that Mateo was worth the risk. She chose him and would always choose him for as long as the choice was hers to make.

Mateo, eyes closed, rested his forehead against hers and murmured quietly, "Now, everything is perfect."