Ok, so there is a brief sexual type scene. So, viewer, I mean, reader discretion is advised?

Summer 12

I inhaled deeply through my nostrils and slowly out my mouth as I tacked the paper onto the bulletin board. My latest request I had pinned to the board was probably the stupidest request! And the reason it was stupid was because it wasn't real, it was a trick. I had written it, with high hopes that Jack would respond soon. He had been doing a lot for me, and I wanted to personally know why. Actually, I was hoping that the reason he was doing a lot for me was because he liked me. I sighed making my way towards the bathhouse.

The water was nice and warm as I daydreamed about Jack's reply to my question and him returning my feelings.

"Hey, Rosalind?" I woke up from my daydream, looking over at Julia.

"Oh! Sorry, Julia! Am I taking too long?" I asked.

"Oh, no. Jack's here and asked if you were here because he wanted to talk to you. I'll tell him to come back later, though."

"No!" I exclaimed loudly as Julia stopped in her tracks, looking back towards me in confusion. "Tell Jack that I will be out momentarily."

"Oh…uh…okay then? I'll tell him to wait around." As soon as Julia left I bounded out of the bath, drying myself off with a towel and dressing as quickly as possible. Walking out of the women's side as fast as I could without getting injured. There he was. The most handsome man I had ever laid my eyes on, looking at one of the bathhouse paintings. I walked towards him as he broke out of his trance, looking over towards me.

"Hello, Rosalind!" he greeted, "I hope I didn't make you rush."

"Ah, no. I was in the bath for a long while anyway!"

"Oh! Well, that's good to hear! I was looking for you, about your message on the board." I blushed.

"Ah yes! You'll be helping me out tremendously." I said.

"So, you need to test some new magic, right?" I nodded.

"Let me tell you a little bit about the spell." I looked around, noticing Julia was still here, doing some kind of paperwork, but I didn't want her to overhear me, so I lowered my voice.

"It will cause a localized explosion on a designated target, so it's pretty dangerous." I blushed, trying to quickly think of some more things to add about the faux spell "The size of the explosion is only a couple of square yards, but everything within it will be subjected to incredibly high heat and pressure." Jack began to look nervous.

"That's a pretty scary sounding spell." He whispered.

"But, even so…I was hoping…you would test it out…to see whether or not the spell will work properly."

"I-is this going to be safe?" He asked nervously as I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Of course it will be safe. According to my calculations there's no reason for any of it to go wrong. But, to make sure it's one hundred percent safe…we can meet after dark. That way we won't risk anyone else being around." Jack pondered for a moment as I felt my heart pounding.

"Well, I'll trust your judgment. Count me in!" He said as I felt a wave of happiness and relief wash over me.

"Then, I'll meet you at the entrance of Trieste Forest at eleven tonight." I said as he nodded.

"I'll be there." as we both left the bathhouse. He walked into the general store as I looked down in sadness. I shouldn't be thinking of anything negative, but I know he sees Mana a lot due to his visits to the store. I tried not to think about it anymore as I made my way back to the manor.

I walked into the entrance of the manor, sighing slightly.

"Oh! You're back earlier than expected, Rosalind!" I looked up at the stairs where my brother stood, he noticed the look on my face and asked concernedly. "Did something happen?" I blushed.

"O-oh! No, Max…I'm just…tired." I lied as my brother crossed his arms.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" He asked sternly as I blushed deeper.

"Yes. I know, Max." He sighed.

"Is it something you don't want to talk to me about, yet?" I looked down before looking back into his eyes.

"Not yet." I admitted. He just gave me a small smile and nodded.

"Take your time. You know where to usually find me when you want to talk!"

"Thank you, Max." and with that I made my way to my room, trying to come up with a plan on how to tell Jack that the spell was fake, and how to ask him my real question while telling him my feelings for him.

The clock read 10:40 as I inhaled deeply. Opening my door slightly, I heard my father's loud snore and Max's sleep mumbles, meaning the coast was clear for me to slip out into the night. I quietly closed my bedroom door, slipping out of the manor, locking the main door behind me. The street lights illuminated my path as I quietly made my way towards the entrance of Trieste forest. There was no one around as I felt my heart race in nervousness. What if Jack didn't show up? I looked at my watch, it wasn't quite eleven yet.

I sat in the grass, burying my head in my knees, letting out a sigh. My heart was pounding in anxiety. Even if he did show up, what if he didn't return my feelings?

"Rosalind?" My head snapped up, as I looked over at him. "Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"

"Oh! Oh, no, Jack! I actually just got here not too long ago! But I was a little worried you wouldn't show up." I admitted, blushing madly. I could see Jack smiling.

"It's nothing. And, on the off chance that anything goes wrong, I'll be here to protect you! So, let's get this spell started."

"Ah, yes…about the spell, Jack." I began nervously as he looked at me curiously. "I actually made it all up."

"What?" Jack asked as I blushed.

"I…understand if you're mad at me…" However, Jack stopped me.

"Rosalind, I'm not mad at all at you…actually I'm relieved. That spell sounded really terrifying." He chuckled as I giggled back.

"Still, your trip here wasn't wasted. I did want to talk to you about something, but I didn't want other people around." Jack looked at me curiously.

"Oh? What did you want to talk about?" He asked as I felt my heart race.

"I was…just curious. Why did you accept my requests?" Jack blushed.

"On the bulletin board?" He asked as I nodded, "Hm…I…don't know. I mean, I don't know how to put it into words of why I accepted your requests!" My heart pumped faster.

"Then…can I…show you how it feels when you accept my requests?" I asked flustered as I grabbed his face, noticing Jack's face felt hot. It was now or never. I needed to let Jack know how I felt.

I closed my eyes, pressing my lips onto his. He was taken aback at first, but he quickly grabbed my waist with one of his arms, and with his other arm, entangled his fingers with mine.

The moment after was awkward and slightly uncomfortable, but also very magical. Knowing he felt the same I did. He was so gentle but quickly figured out how to push my buttons to please me. We became out of breath as I noticed Jack's face was bright red.

"Do you want to stay the night?" He asked, as I felt a burst of exhilarating emotions.

"I do." I began, but then I remembered, "Ah, but I can't. I actually snuck out of the mansion to come here." I grabbed my dress from nearby, slipping it back over my head. He chuckled a bit before gently kissing me.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Rosalind?" He asked as I grabbed his face, pulling him into another kiss.

"Of course you will, Jack."

"I'll walk you home first, then I'll see you tomorrow." He said while pulling his pants back on.

The walk back to the manor was silent, but warm. I stopped in my tracks at the park.

"This is far enough." I whispered.

"I'll stay here, to make sure you get inside the mansion okay." I smiled.

"Thank you, Jack." I kissed his cheek, making my way to the mansion. I pulled the key from my pocket, unlocking the door as quietly as I could before shutting it as quietly as I could. I held my breath walking up the stairs. I stopped at the top, with my breath still held. I still heard my father's snores and my brother's mumbles as I released my breath, making my way back into my room. I quietly closed the bedroom door behind me. If it weren't after one in the morning I would be squealing happily. I quickly changed into my nightclothes before climbing into bed. Hugging my pillow tightly I started to think about how my future with Jack would play out.