She'd gone this far in her young adult life without the craving to be near another before. Those short-lived relationships she'd had in the past had only been passing fancies, nothing that had been intended to last forever; this was something that she had come to realize when those boys would break up with her."I just need my own space, be my own person for a while" or "I really do like you, but I just don't think it's working out between us", and even worse yet the ever not-so-original "we need to see other people, experience the world to see if we're really want we want to settle down with"... All those terrible excuses disguised by gentle words and remorseful expressions all meant to try and convince the blue-eyed blonde that they truly hurt when they had left her, but as naïve as she could be - and she could certainly be quite naïve, there was no arguing that point - she knew better than to believe those petty words as they left her behind with her heart broken. Looking back, she was grateful that she'd never found "the one" then, because if she had then there was a good chance that she never would have left, never would have met Miyako or Elain... never would have met Andras... All this time, the young woman had been happy to focus entirely upon growing herself instead of fretting over when Mr. Right would come along to sweep her off her feet. Moving to Sacrosanct hadn't been with hope to find the key to her heart in another, it had been for her to see and feel all that she could never hope to back home. Not once in the days and nights that led up to that night on Halloween had seen found herself yearning to feel the closeness of a man, to know the rush of falling in love. And yet, here she was, fighting a battle she could not win as she tried to tell herself that there was no way in heaven or hell that he felt for her how she felt for him. So, when he speaks again of how she thought of him, that flush colors her cheeks still but her smile grows gentler, fonder."I'd be lying if I said I didn't", she whispers teasingly, baby blue eyes glittering playfully.

They walk side by side, the young woman and the captor of her every thought and heartbeat that she struggles to slow at every wink he would give her or every wicked smile that ignited a warmth in her that she'd never felt before in those few relationships she'd been a part of in her hometown. She does not miss the delight that seems to flicker across those dark hazels eyes that so often held her baby blues to where all she could see was them, all that surrounded her was him and the warmth of his side as she pressed lightly into him and doing nothing to move away from him. She found that she couldn't help but want to be near him like this, feeling the warmth of his strong arms against her slender hands that just seemed to fit so perfectly. There was no need for her to wonder what it was that brought to life that look upon his handsome features, knowing full well that he truly seemed to revel in doing all he could to fluster her and no matter how defiant or bold she would become as she sought to rise above his sultry challenges, he always seemed to best her. One of these days she would leave him struck speechless, wanting him to feel at least something similar to all that he so readily awoke in her even if they would only be borne from the heat of the moment and nothing more. She wanted to see in those dark hazels some sort of sign that she'd finally bested him at this game of theirs even if she knew entirely too well that he would always seem to find a way to best her still. Part of her doubted that she could ever unsettle the fae man as he did her, almost entirely certain she would only make a fool of herself, but then that voice in the back of her mind would encourage her, chasing away those insecurities and second thoughts for a time. It would grow those fantasies that she hardly seemed able to escape anymore, dared her to touch him a little bolder each time to see if just maybe her closeness could cause him to falter even a little. Yet, like the High Lord he was and surely having more experience that she cared to consider on the subject of female companionship, the dark fae man was always prepared and easily able to counter any fleeting moment of surprise that she might cause to flash across his handsome features ever so fleetingly.

As his midnight tenor tones bring her from those thoughts as she tried to settle the inner warfare against those feelings she couldn't seem to ignore and the more realistic mindframe that did its best to warn her against daring to wonder what she made him feel - if anything - that he was able to hide from those soft baby blue eyes of hers, she feels that flush on fair-skinned cheeks become warmer still as he winks down at her with that wicked grin always just enough to weaken her better reasoning that challenged those rising thoughts and feelings which always enveloped her whenever she was. Unbidden, his words restore that day fully to her and she can easily remember the predatory gaze as he made his way around that mahogany table only to place himself between her legs, those strong yet gentle hands placed upon her thighs as they caressed her skin beneath the thin fabric of those leggings. She remembers how she'd challenged him then only to be answered with his own sultry dare as he pinned her against the table, his lips lingering so terribly close to her own as his eyes drank in her slender frame. She had thought for the briefest moment she had seen desire in those hazel eyes then, and she especially remembers how her body had hungered to feel his own... She has to force the memory away and baby blues find that familiar predatory gaze but this time they hold fast and unwavering as her boldness remains defiant despite her cheeks still signaling his victory."Don't tempt me or else I might just, though I'm sure it'd be nothing you would find interest in paying", she teases daringly, her sterling voice betraying the figurative crack in that boldness she was increasingly more determined to hang onto. By tonight's end, she would get the final checkmate, or so she was determined to believe.

Racing heartbeat finally settling back into a normal rhythm after what seemed like an eternity of coaxing, Andras looks away from the young woman and to the stores surrounding them as they walked onward, and she is also content to glance curiously into each wide and open widows laden with displays of what treasures and trinkets lay within. When the mention of her parents find him, the dark fae man turns to her and she sees surprise flash across his gaze and for a moment she dared to wonder why he might find it surprising. Before she can say anything however, his words surprise her in turn and she feels that soft and almost affectionate smile dancing across blush-colored lips. He wanted to meet her parents? Wasn't that something that one did when there was a more... intimate relationship in existence? His next string of words is quick to chase away the silly notion that they would ever be more than friends once more and a gentle note of laughter tumbles from Beylani in reply to his own rich chuckle."Well, they'll be coming to visit next week, so you're more than welcome to join us for dinner. I'm sure they'll like you. Well, I know my mother will. My father can be a bit... cautious at times", she answers honestly. Her father had always been perhaps a little extra protective of the blue-eyed blonde young woman, but then again Beylani was their one and only child so she didn't really fault him for how he was. Besides, she was more than confident that Andras would be able to win the man over. Suddenly her fantasies rise again and run wildly away from her as she imagined the fae man in that small apartment as he helps her prepare for the arrival of her parents, imagines those hands and how gentle they'd been, remembers the way her skin was electrified by his touch as they lingered... Again her heart is fluttering in her breast and she has to focus on the coffee shop entrance to distract herself from the sudden thought, welcoming the rustic aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and steamed milk as her way of escaping that which seemed adamant on consuming her every waking thought.

Vying for control of herself as those almost unrelenting fantasies attempted to drag her away from the present and into a world she silently found herself visiting more and more in those moments when she was alone, she is thankful that he cannot read her mind and instead he seems to move onto the conversation to the matter of fae holidays. Almost too eager to indulge herself with new and fascinating insight, she listens attentively as he explains that not all fae folk celebrated birthdays and while she was able to find some sense in this knowledge, she grows curious of exactly how old Andras himself was. Did she really want to know, though? Better yet, did age even matter? He goes on to speak of the festivals that his kind held and baby blues glittering with clear fascination and excitement as he invites the young woman to accompany him to the Winter Solstice Festival."I would love to! It sounds exciting", she replies radiantly, clearly anxious to experience a fae holiday. She wanted to know so much more about his kind and though her want to know more about him grew ever stronger with each passing moment, she had yet to experience anything fae except the lodge and a small glimpse into the magic that the fae man himself was capable of. He hands her the drink she'd ordered, teasing words and laughter falling so effortlessly from him as they now move towards the door and she can't help but smile even brighter as he muses over a time in the morning that he could take her there, and this time she is eager to see just how that magic of his worked."Nothing beats being in Somnia, not even close. Eleven sounds perfect, though I'm sure I'll probably not be able to sleep much tonight now", she answers eagerly, though there is deeper meaning to those words than he could ever know, something softer hidden beneath the excitement that glitters and gleams there within those baby blues. Laughter falls from the fae man again at her curiosity and when he goes on to explain just what his fae senses allowed for him to detect, she is unable to keep her heart from racing a little faster now as eyes widened in surprise. How did he...?! Can he read my thoughts?! He didn't say he could.... She feels the flush return to her cheeks even fiercer now, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. And oh, that wicked smile that he gives her! She still does not hesitate in taking his arm again and as they walk along, he answers her question and she can hardly even gather her thoughts enough to ask anything.

Inwardly scrambling to find something just so that it could distract her and just maybe distract him as well, her thoughts take her to a better, easier, more neutral place."So, how does the Winter Solstice Festival work? I know you stated that you aren't particularly inclined on the idea of shiny new things, but is that celebration sort of like Christmas for humans? Do fae folk exchange gifts?", she asks curiously, just grateful that she was able to collect herself just enough so that she could her voice. Three seemed fair already, but she wanted to be sure that the last two were about Andras, the fae man that did things to the blue-eyed blonde woman that no one else ever has. It was difficult for her to pluck a handful from the vast sea of questions she still had, but what she did know was that today, for her birthday, if she could ask him anything and everything without needing to worry about the man tip-toeing around the answer she was after, then she wanted to take advantage of this moment. There was still so much about him that she did not know, that she longed to discover. There was still very much a sense of mystery that enshrouded him and she wondered just how much of that unknown he would allow for her to see. She thinks back to when he'd told her that it had taken him centuries to make that world, to work the magic that he wielded to create that place for his kind. Was that truly his birthplace, though? She tries to imagine a younger Andras running around in the snow with other fae children, and she finds with startling realization that she can't. She knew nothing of what his youth was like, what his parents were like, nothing... It only fed the desire to see that part of him that she only just now finds herself craving to learn of. Was his father as charming as Andras was? Was his mother sweet and gentle like her own? What of his siblings? So many unanswered questions that suddenly tumble wildly into her mind that she is almost able to forget about the warmth that had seemed to linger on her cheeks ever since she'd seen him at the bottom of her stairwell back at Riverdale as they enter into the department store.

Never realizing that as the woman approached them with that look on her face when she'd seen Andras she couldn't bear to see whatever expression might flicker across his chiseled features, she turns away, though her attention is immediately stolen back and baby blues meet those hazels that never seemed to leave her. She dismisses it though, taking his gesture for only common courtesy since it was the young woman's birthday, although still the fact that he'd acknowledged the word "girlfriend" as he did left surprise in her gaze as they locked with his own. Her boldness rises then as she places her hand on his chest and dares him with her own words, baby blues unable to miss the surprise that flickered across his own gaze. As she went to move away though, she feels his hand over hers and then suddenly he brings her closer to him and wraps his hand around her waist. Never had her heart beat as fast and as fiercely as it did in that moment, her cheeks surely now a bright crimson as she thought for a moment she might stop breathing as she was pressed against him. She felt frozen there, his touch electrifying her into speechlessness as baby blues look upon into those predatory hazels. She wasn't sure how much more she could take, and then he whispers deeply to her in those midnight tenor tones that already made her feel weak and at his mercy though now she almost feels her knees threatening to fail her, as though her body were saying just fall into him, you know you want to. What she does not expect though is for that sudden rise in the defiance that had only fleeting moments ago fled from her. It was as though something within her shifts then, roars against the shyness that colors her cheeks and though the flush remains, this feeling she had only felt inklings of during those nights alone when her fantasies found her, igniting her and for the first time on virgin lips, there is a truly sultry smile."Maybe I did", she purrs back, thick lashing again blinking slowly over baby blues, heart thundering still in her breast so wildly that she was certain that he would be able to feel it against his own strong frame.

Grateful and remorseful all in the same moment as she feels his hands leave her while also catching herself silently wishing for time to have stood still, she slips away from him if only to finally dare to draw a soft breath that she'd nearly been holding without realizing, she moves along the rows of clothing until she finds that dress. And as she moves to stand in front of the mirror, the color finally having left fair-skinned cheeks, she wonders what it was that he would like to see her in. Why does it matter? It's not like a date or anything. It's just a friend... taking another friend out to dinner for her birthday... So caught up in this train of thought as she attempts to assure herself that this was nothing more than just two friends spending time together, she doesn't even realize that Andras was approaching until he is already there behind her, hazel eyes gazing over her shoulder at the dress with a lazy smile etched into his handsome features. His words have her freezing then as she realizes that she'd said her last string of words aloud when she'd intended to keep them to herself, that flush coloring her cheeks. Before she can insist that it wasn't necessary, his hand is reaching for her own and he leads her into the back of the department store where they enter the fitting area. He lowers himself into the single chair, ankle crossed over his knee and one arm slung over his chair comfortably as he ushers her into the changing room."Okay", she says in reply as she tries to shake off the remaining nerves. Closing the door behind her, she slips her clothing (save for her white lace thong) off swiftly and changes into the black dress, the skin along her side peeking through the floral lacing as she imagined it would. She peers into the mirror in the stall, a smile dancing upon those blush-colored lips. Well, at least I know I like it and I certainly feel elegant, she thinks to herself before slowly, she opens the door to the changing stall and steps out into the area with the three-tiered mirror, turning to look at the fae man in the chair, form-fitting silken fabric moving with her graceful strides as a sudden rush of confidence finds her."So... what do you think?", she purrs playfully, batting lashes over baby blues as she turns around, elegantly curled golden blond locks tumbling over her shoulders with the gentle movement of her slender frame before she pauses to face the fae man once more, a teasing smile dancing across her lips as she lifts a brow in quiet and patient curiosity.