Heyo, here I am with Chapter 6! We finally get so see some progress between these two! Read and review, as always to let me know how I'm doing.

The second I crossed the threshold I felt my nerves light on fire alongside my determination rising.

Just get it over with, he can reject me and I can be done with this. With that not at all comforting thought, I turned to him. He stood in front of the closed door, the space felt more intimate now to my chagrin, with a concerned frown.

"Alright, we're alone. What is it you wanted to discuss?" His voice was pitched low just like it was when he tried to calm me down the other day and I was relieved to find it had the same effect. His voice seemed to stroke over my frayed nerves, giving me the strength I needed to push my question out.

I turned to face him, rolling until I was two feet in front of him, before I spoke. My eyes kept skirting away, only for me to forcibly pull them back to him. I wasn't going to chicken out, and I was going to look him in the eye when I asked him. I am a grown woman, I can do this. "I'm not sure how to word this and it's probably going to come out wrong, so I'll apologize for my word vomit before I even start. I…like you Maximus, as more than a friend. I would be interested in entering a mutual partnership."

I stopped, groaning in frustration. I was making this sound like a business deal. Trying again, I pushed through. "I would like to go on a date with you, if you want to. If you don't, I completely understand and we can never mention this again. If you don't I would still like to be friends, but after this disaster, if you don't want to-"

Maximus strode forward before kneeling to be at my height, probably noticing my neck pain from having to crane backwards to meet his eyes. He reached out only to freeze with his hand hovering over mine. His eyes asked permission and I gave it by gripping the offering tightly. My nerves danced as the skin on skin contact fed my infatuation.

His face was a mask of determination and his tone was calm as his fingers stroked mine. "Even if I wasn't interested in you romantically, which to be clear isn't the case at all, I would still treasure you as a friend. I would absolutely love to go on a date with you, the only reason I didn't ask you on one was because I wasn't sure what you felt. If you'd be agreeable I could come by and pick you up later tonight and bring you to town. There are plenty of places I know of that have good food, or if you'd prefer we could stay here and watch a movie with dinner. The choice is entirely up to you, but my answer is yes. Yes to a partnership, yes to a date, yes without reservations."

My previous nerves exploded, to my confusion. Weren't they supposed to go away now? He said yes! Which was mind boggling all on its own, but that was a concern for later. He said yes, and wanted me to choose what we did. The thought of staying in was tempting, to talk with him over dinner and a movie without the distraction of other people, but it had been so long since I had gone out to eat with someone who genuinely cared about me.

Making my decision, I smiled a tad shakily at him. "Going out to eat sounds nice, maybe if it goes well we could set up more dates here?" I grimaced at how unsure I sounded, but thankfully Maximus dispelled my nerves with a beaming smile. The sight of it momentarily dazed me. I didn't know people's teeth could spark like that in real life…

"That sounds perfect, I'll make the arrangements post haste. What kind of food do you like?" He rose from his kneeling position as he spoke, his eyes trained intently on me. He looked like he was about to start bouncing on his heels, but he couldn't be that excited about our date, could he?

"I'm good with anything as long as it's not spicy." He nodded, appearing to think on the options that left him with before continuing.

"How does a local Romanian restaurant sound? I know which foods are spicy and can tell you which ones to avoid." I agreed, still faintly stunned that this was a thing that was happening. A hot blond man, whose touch I actually liked, was practically vibrating with excitement while planning a nice night out for us.

After we agreed for him to pick me up at my room in a few hours, I rolled out of his room only to come to a hard stop when I almost ran over Leila. She stood outside the door to my temporary room, with an expectant look on her face. She must not have listened in after all, "He said yes, he'll be by later to pick me up. We're going out to a local restaurant for dinner."

Leila beamed in a similar way to Maximus before crouching to offer me a hug. I only hesitated a second before accepting. The feel of her arms around me was a comfort I hadn't indulged in for years, not to say I hadn't been hugged, I just hadn't enjoyed it. When she pulled back, her eyes were dancing with impish glee. "What did I tell you? Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Acknowledging her point with a tilt of my head, I let her have her victory dance. She had been right, it had been worth it to ask in this case. Now I was set to go on my first date in over five years…

I jolted straight up in my chair as a thought came to me, Leila jerked back at my sudden movement. "What am I going to wear?!" Such a mundane question, and yet it sent panic through to my soul. Long dresses and skirts got caught in my wheels, but were jeans acceptable for whatever restaurant he was thinking of bringing me to? It was our first date, wasn't I supposed to dress up for that?

My head spun as Leila let out a soft laugh, it wasn't meant mockingly but I still huffed at her. She waved her hand in apology before speaking. "I can help with that, no worries. Let's get into your room and we can see what our options are. I can do your hair and makeup for you, if you want?"

Head still twirling, I nodded. Even through my daze I felt excitement firing inside of me. I was going to be getting ready for my date with the help of my new sister. Everything seemed to be going perfectly, as if it were straight from a fairy tale. A little voice nudged at the back of my mind, warning me that it was too good to be true, but I pushed it back. It wasn't going to ruin this for me, I had let it control too many of my decisions already.

As I rolled into the room behind Leila, I stole one last glance at Maximus's door. It's now or never, let's see how this goes.

After three hours of having my hair brushed, curled and pinned up I was ready to jump out of my skin. The most elaborate hairdo I had before was a french braid and this was as far out of my comfort zone as I could get. Leila had done my makeup to the point I almost didn't recognize myself when I looked in the mirror.

The eyeliner made my usually boring hazel eyes pop and the braids she put in my hair held the usually limp, brown mass off of my shoulders. I looked like Cinderella getting ready for a ball and the comparison both amazed and frightened me. Would Maximus like this? It wasn't something I had tried before, but then again I never tried anything new.

Leila stepped back and gave a playful wolf whistle, "You look great! Now you just have to get into your clothes and you're good to go when Prince Charming shows up."

The subject of clothes brought my nerves back. It hadn't been easy to find something that was short enough to not get caught in my wheels, long enough for me to feel comfortable, and nice enough to be acceptable for a first date. We had eventually settled on a mid length, black skirt that I could only pray wouldn't get tangled or rip and a simple white blouse.

Turning away from the mirror, I addressed Leila. "I appreciate your help, but I can take it from here. I'm not comfortable with anyone seeing me naked." My tone was apologetic, but she waved it off easily.

"No need to apologize for that, I wouldn't be comfortable if the situations were reversed and it's not like it's a dress where you need help with the zipper. You've got this in hand, if you need anything ask one of the staff to come and get me. After you get back find me immediately, I can't wait to hear all about it!"

Her genuine excitement on my behalf had tears welling in my eyes before I quickly blinked them back. "Thank you, I'll do that. Fingers crossed, it will go well." Leila opened her arms in the offer of a hug, which I didn't hesitate to accept. I was really liking this hug thing and, if the squeeze she gave me was any indication, so was she. With a final wave, Leila left me to it.

Turning to the bed where my outfit was laid out, I began to carefully dress. I wasn't used to maneuvering clothes around makeup, but when I was finally finished and I could see no smudges I patted myself on the back for a job well done.

Just as the clock struck six, a knock sounded at the door. My heart lurched into my throat, but excitement flushed through my veins as I moved to answer it.

Maximus was a sight to behold, his hair combed back smoothly and collected into a hair tie at the base of his neck. He wore a deep red shirt that seemed to be painted on in all the right places and black slacks that perfectly completed the look. I felt my tongue turn to lead in my mouth, swallowing for my suddenly dry throat. He smiled and with a start I realized he had dimples, Can this man get any cuter?

As if in answer to my thoughts, he pulled a single rose out from behind his back and offered it. "I wasn't sure about your opinion on flowers, so I stuck with the classics. You look beautiful and I'm glad that I have the chance to get to know you like this."

He looked almost bashful when admitting he didn't know my favorite flower, the sight was both adorable and, as an odd combination, insanely arousing. It was nice to know I wasn't the only one who was nervous about tonight. "I love it, thank you and I'm happy Leila helped me pluck up the courage to ask you."

He raised a brow, before gently brushing a stray curl back behind my ear, the slightest brush of skin sending tingles down my spine. "I'll have to thank her later, but for now I believe we have a date to go on."

So saying, he handed off the rose before standing back for me to clear the doorway. He stayed at my side as we moved toward the entrance where he had a car waiting, the same one that had come to get me before I noted. While it was nice to watch him walking in front of me, I liked this better, having him at my side where we could chat or just look at one another as we walked. I wished I could grab his arm, but unfortunately unless I wanted to roll into a wall both of my hands were needed.

He must have felt a similar want, because he inquired carefully. "May I rest my arm around your shoulders?" I knew that if I told him no, he would follow that with no hard feelings, but I wanted his touch to my shock. I nodded my agreement, the feeling of his arm sliding around my shoulders to rest behind my head sent pleasant warmth rushing through my veins. I felt pleasantly drowsy for the entire walk to the car.

He smiled down at me before opening the car door and helping me in. I watched in the mirror as he folded my chair into the backseat before rounding the car to the driver's side.

I was glad it would only be us tonight, it would feel awkward if someone else had been driving and privy to anything we said. He reached across the console to squeeze my hand before belting himself in. "It should only take fifteen minutes for us to get there, I called for reservations so they'll be expecting us."

Immediately my nerves flared up, "Reservations? Should I have worn something fancier?" Before I could work myself up, he shook his head while keeping his eyes on the road.

"You look more than fine, this restaurant is a casual setting and you can wear anything you want without being out of place. It was one of the reasons I chose it." Tilting my head in curiosity, I wondered what the other reasons were, but decided not to ask. I leaned back and enjoyed the peaceful quiet until we pulled up to a small but tastefully decorated building. In what seemed like a blink, Maximus stood outside of my door with my chair below me. I would never know how he moved so fast, but right now I didn't care.

After sliding down into the chair, we moved to the entrance. Relief strafed through me at the sight of the handicap ramp, I had been worried about that. Not many people thought about such things, but it was impossible for me not to. I wasn't sure if Maximus had known it was there or I had gotten lucky, but I supposed it didn't matter. I would just be happy it was there.

Once inside, we were seated almost immediately. The inside's decorations were nothing compared to the view out the window. Our table looked over a beautiful pond that was frozen currently, the ice only adding to the ethereal feeling of the scene.

When it came time to order, I quickly realized I didn't know how to read Romanian and that was a problem. Before I could ask Maximus what he the dishes were, he spoke. "None of the restaurants have English menus but I figured I could read them out for you. Are there any vegetables or meat you don't like?"

And so the evening went, with Maximus and I exchanging questions about each other's lives around eating bites of food. Whatever it was he had ordered for me was great, and I made a mental note to ask later what the dish was so I could make it when I went home.

At some point our hands had come together on top of the table. The feel of his fingers stroking along mine sent flashes of warmth down my arm before settling in my chest. Everything was perfect, the atmosphere was quiet and serene, the food was great and the company was phenomenal. It all felt like a dream so much that I pinched myself lightly under the table just to be sure.

My bladder chose that moment to alert me to my needing to empty it, so after excusing myself I wheeled to the restroom. After finishing my business, one of the wait staff stopped to chat with me. "You are the one who came with the voivode's guard, yes? You are very lucky to have such a fine man, he called earlier to ensure that all of the amenities were suited to your needs. Once he heard of the table with the view, he reserved it. It must be nice to have such caring man as date." She spoke in heavily accented English and her tone was wistful. I felt a swell of affection at the knowledge of how much thought Maximus had put into their date.

"Yes, he's amazing and he's everything I'm not used to dealing with. It's a pleasant change, that's for sure." The waitress nodded in understanding.

"You must meet many bad types, I'm glad he's yours." I went to correct her that he wasn't mine yet, although the thought of him being mine certainly sounded great, but she was already breezing away to serve another table.

I was still pleasantly warm when I pulled back up to our table and Maximus took my hand again. "Would you like dessert? If you prefer we could go for a walk in the park nearby, they have a better view of the pond and it makes a beautiful sight up close."

The thought of seeing that gorgeous pond up close easily won out over the promise of dessert. "Definitely the pond, just between you and me? While the food was great, I think your cookies from before would be better than anything they could serve here." Maximus beamed at the praise, his dimples making an appearance.

"Then I'll be sure to make them again soon for you." I squeezed his hand in gratitude, feeling as if I was floating when we breezed down the path to the pond. His arm was back around my shoulders and it was taking all of my willpower to not lean my head against his side.

When we pulled up to the pond, I felt momentarily disappointed that the walk was over, but it was replaced by awe when I took in the fantastic scene in front of me in. Maximus had been right, the scene was something straight out of a book. The snow was dusted on top of all the tree branches and the pond completed the picture of a perfect winter Christmas card.

I breathed out in amazement, "It's beautiful." The puff of my breath alerting me to the fact I had said that out loud.

Maximus squeezed my shoulder, tugging me closer to his side before replying. "Yes, beautiful." Dimly, I felt him staring at me and my cheeks flushed hotly. Oh that was cheesy, but for some reason it still sent a spark of pleasure through me. Who cares if it was cheesy? He sounded like he meant it and that was all that mattered.

A longing wrapped around my heart, glancing up into his eyes I found myself wanting to tug him down to my level. I wanted to be in his arms, curled against his chest and maybe, if I was feeling particularly daring, to feel his lips on mine.

I glanced at his mouth, wetting my own lips without thought. Would his kiss be gentle like he had been so far? Or would it be insistent and rough? His eyes flicked to watch as my tongue slid over my lower lip, the moon glinted off his irises like a cat's as he took a deep breath.

Leaning down until our faces were inches apart, I felt his breath brush my cheek as he spoke. "Zelda, may I-" He stopped, his body stiffening as his head snapped up. The sudden movement halting what I was hoping would have been a kiss, to my disappointment. Before I could ask what was wrong, he put his finger over my lips. "Shh, I thought I heard something."

Immediately, my nerves set on edge. He was a trained guard so I would trust his senses over my own. Was someone going to try to mug us? I felt dread at the thought, while Maximus was trained he was still human and entirely killable.

As my breathing started to pick up and my head started to cloud with fear, a blur of motion lunged out of the trees at us. I felt a scream build in my throat as the form was yanked to a halt less than a foot in front of my face.

A face I would have called handsome if it weren't twisted into a scowl greeted me, but the scowl wasn't what made my heart sink to my shoes. It was his eyes, they were glowing green…

I love cliffhangers :D