2nd Path*

Because I had the day off, Valin also made sure to clear his schedule. I woke up feeling excited and made my way to his room to see him doing one-arm commando push-ups. I watched him for a short while then got up and approached, but once I was a few feet away suddenly my knees buckled and I felt nauseous. When my knees hit the floor Valin heard me and lowered himself onto his feet. In that same instance, the heaviness that hit me went away.

"I'm sorry... are you okay?" He asked, worry in his voice. Valin is always so quick to apologize. He got on his knees in front of me and laid his forehead against mine. "Please give me some warning next time." he chastened,

"What was that?" I asked after I managed to push the nausea away.

"I... increased the gravity so I could properly work out... I did it in an isolated place so you wouldn't get hurt but I should have paid closer attention." His eyebrows furrowed. One thing I noticed is, that even though Valin is blunt and a bit odd at times, he's very hard on himself.

"I could have announced my presence... I'm sorry too..." I replied, to ease his mind. It seemed to do the trick since he smiled and gave me a quick kiss.

"What should we do today?" He asked while placing his hands on top of mine,

"You're leaving it up to me?! That's too much pressure!" I complained.

"Exactly, that's why I'm leaving it up to you," Valin replied curtly and I groaned.

"You jerk!" He chuckled lightly. Even when I think of things to do, nothing trumps just sitting here with him right now. This has to be the best feeling in the world.

"Actually... there is something we should do today." He announced with a mischievous grin. I felt myself getting flustered, my mind immediately going to the gutter. So I was very surprised when we ended up in a car lot. The car salesman was trying to make recommendations and ask for our preferences but Valin shushed him and turned to me saying, "What kind of car do you want?" The tension was high. I don't know!! But can I just tell him I don't know? He did say I can tell him anything but I feel like he really wants me to make a choice right now.

"I want... a car that is cute... energy efficient and... with a backseat," I answered, naming the only things I could think of. 

"A backseat?" Valin raised his eyebrows. "Because my car doesn't have one?" I nodded and said,

"And it might not always be just us." His face turned a bit red, I was confused until he asked,

"Do you... mean children?" My heart raced at the thought,

"I m-mean if I make friends at work or s-something or if one of your brothers wants to carpool... B-but... not that I'm opposed to having children one day...! Not that I'm trying to have them now!" Why can't I stop rambling? Valin turned away from me and touched a car towards the end of the lot, It was a silver SUV, this year's model and all of the features seemed so modern it was overwhelming. It was also one of the priciest vehicles.

"This one." 

"Oh, excellent choice! Let's go to my office and discuss your financing options and contract. Actually, I can go over the features of this model now, for you." The dealer stated eagerly.

"No need... I have memorized all the features of every car here. Let's just go over the contract, I want to leave as soon as possible." Valin replied. Then he grabbed my hand and exhaled, before whispering. "Socializing is hard." Causing me to laugh. "Have I... done okay so far?" He asked, giving me a face that was begging for praise.

"Well... you did very well considering it's you," I replied teasingly and he joined me in laughter.

After he finished purchasing the car I was given the keys and the title. Then I drove it home while trailing behind him. Just when I was starting to miss his voice he called, 

"Hey... how is it handling?" Valin asked, I smiled to myself.

"It's a smooth ride, it doesn't take off as quickly as your car and it feels so high up in comparison... but I like it... the chair is comfortable and the interior is beautiful." 

"Oh," He answered then after a few seconds said, "I'm glad, I figured it would be more efficient for you to have your own vehicle and you like driving so much..."

"Thank you Valin... you're always thinking of me," I replied. He was silent till we got home and I parked my car in the garage next to his. Then once we were finally face to face again, between our cars, he embraced me tightly. I was caught off guard but quickly returned his hug. Once he let go he pulled out his phone and began shopping for car accessories. 

"Tell me what you want, don't hold back or I'll get mad." I took his threat seriously and chose seat covers with matching floor mats, air fresheners, and a dancing flower for my dashboard.

"Is it really okay to spend this much on me?" I questioned after he purchased everything.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked instead. 

"I... don't know how to reply to that. If it's a burden on you, I would rather you stopped." Valin grinned,

"Then if it's not a burden, I can continue?... From my understanding, the benefit of having money is the ability to spend it on whatever you want. I want to spend it on you, I want to make your life easier and to make you smile." I was too flustered to keep looking at him so I turned away, and that's when he grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. "Just like kissing you, it benefits me because I get to directly improve your mood, which improves mine as well and I get to show you how special you are to me, physically. Let's go inside." I nodded in agreement, attempting to use my hair to hide how flustered I was. Once we were in Valin used his free hand to order food, and then we sat together on the couch to watch TV while we waited. Still hand in hand. How long are we supposed to keep holding hands? It's hard for me to focus on the television at all because I'm hyper-aware of him right now. His doe-eyes, long lashes... lips. Just as my heart was flooded with admiration for him he let me go and let out a loud laugh,

"They're so F***ing stupid! Choose better friends!" bringing me back down to reality. It's much easier to focus on the show now, and we both laughed at almost all the same scenes. When the food arrived we discussed the series in-between bites and I gave into my urges and scooted closer to him, just till our shoulders touched. He stiffened at first but after he relaxed he placed his food on the table in front of us wrapped his arm over my shoulder, and then laid his head against mine.

"Valin... you make me so happy sometimes, that it scares me," I admitted quietly as the show's credits rolled.

"I could say the same of you... I'm not used to being happy this long." It feels good knowing he's happy too. There is this persistent fear hiding in the back of my mind, that I could hurt him again. Maybe that's why I'm afraid of letting things escalate too far between us. I cleared my throat and sat up changing the subject,

"I can't believe Carol forgot her kids at the amusement park," I commented about the show we were just watching,

"Well, Ivan gave her hard drugs on accident... at least she thought her kids were with her." He replied, with a slight laugh in his voice,

"Yeah, those children she forced into her car looked nothing like hers. She's probably going to jail for kidnapping in the next episode." He snorted saying,

"This is the second time she's been arrested this season. It's ridiculous." I pecked his lips. This time he reacted immediately holding my cheeks and returning my kiss with a passionate one that filled my stomach to the brim with butterflies and left me breathless. When he pulled away I pouted and commented,

"You're too good at that." He tilted his head so I clarified, "Kissing."

"Oh..." He seemed to have more to say but held his tongue so I said,

"Have you had a lot of practice?" He responded by kissing me again and leaving me full of longing as soon as he pulled away.

"I ... don't want to hurt you or lie... so let's not talk about that." I nodded... It was a sensitive subject anyway... why did I bring it up?

"I shouldn't have asked..." I replied, looking downcast. What's wrong with me?... He kisses well, so I instantly got jealous. And based on his answer, he's likely had many relationships before me. He was so awkward when we met but he's adapted to me so well that it's not hard for me to imagine him being with anyone he wants... which begs the question, why is he with me? 

"You can ask me anything... I won't be upset. I just don't want my answers to upset you." He stroked my cheek, pushing the hair from my face. "And if you insist... I will tell you anything." His words relaxed me... Even if I'm not worthy of all this affection from him, I know without a doubt that he's sincere. And seems like his fear is the same as mine, he doesn't want to hurt me.

"No... you're right. I don't want to know. I'm jealous just imagining you kissing someone else. I definitely don't need details." Valin's face went as red as his hair and he said,

"You're jealous?" I nodded, giving him a laugh.

"I shouldn't be happy hearing that, right?" After he asked this, I stroked his head to reassure him that it was fine. "You... will be the final person I kiss. That's what I want." His confession both flustered and calmed me at the same time. He's been so good to me... and says such sweet things but I don't even know where I stand, am I his girlfriend? It would break my heart if he says I'm not... so I'll just postpone asking for now. I was curious so I followed Valin into his room and paid attention for the first time. There was a chemistry set to the right, and a large golden Telescope set up on the balcony. A long wooden desk on the opposite wall, with neatly stacked piles of papers and books. In the middle of the room was a king-sized bed with more books stacked up under it and the walls had built-in shelves stuffed with books. His bed had golden silk sheets and a white comforter, the floor was dark hardwood, except under his bed was a golden carpet.

"It's so clean," I noted. He didn't reply but went to the chemistry set and began mixing something. "You have a lot of books," I noted,

"Most of my books are ebooks." He replied, then he opened the door to his balcony revealing some potted plants that I couldn't see before. He touched their soil and whispered to them quietly, before nodding and returning back inside. There must be hundreds of books here... yet this is only a small part of his collection. 

"Did you read all of these?" I asked while pulling a book from the shelf and reading the title. The Ins and Outs of the Female Body. "What's this one about?"

"...Sex. Most of the information was redundant but there were some things that I didn't know." He responded dispassionately,

"Did... you really understand everything by just reading it?" I inquired,

"There are diagrams and step-by-step instructions." His answer made me blush and I returned the book to the shelf. I'm not opening that one right now. "I stole that book from the Palace Library on Afaria." Then he turned to me and smiled. "I like learning." I fanned myself and replied,

"You study everything, apparently." Valin kissed me tenderly, pinning me against the bookshelf, then he moved his hands onto my ass, moving his kisses down to my neck. I squealed, shutting my eyes tightly, and clenching my fists. Then Valin stopped suddenly, leaving me panting, stunned and confused. 

"You're so... Let's talk more tomorrow, beautiful. It's late." He said, then he gently pushed me outside his room and closed the door behind me.