The young woman things back to that trip back to Willowhaven a mere day after she'd returned to her own world, how that drive to spend the holiday with her family was a trip that often left Beylani smiling nearly the entirety of that hours long drive beyond the city's vast limits and through the smaller towns and rural stretches of nothing but wild and untouched land. This drive though, it had been different. She couldn't help thinking of that moment beneath the halo of fresh pine garland by firelight in the dimming daylight that filtered through the window of that cozy little log cabin, of how there had been those familiar white berries of mistletoe hanging there nestled within those fragrant needles... of how she'd leaned in and kissed the fae man that she so cared for despite those futile efforts that she'd put into trying to tell herself that he would never look at her that way, that Andras would be foolish to love someone so ordinary. She was a human woman in a mortal world where he and Dorian came from something entirely different, leading a life that seemed to be everlasting though from the afternoon tea party weeks ago she can easily remember how they'd both told her how there were beings out there, walking the very same streets as the blue-eyed blonde, that hunted others. It couldn't be clearer to Beylani that the world she'd grown up in was much more different than she'd been told it was. There was still so much that she didn't know but wanted to, so many questions that she had yet to assault the fae man with since it seemed that whenever they were together, they would be caught up in something else that would consume her thoughts completely. They eve left prolonged aftereffects in her, those memories only ever building up and crowding to the forethought of her mind so much that it seemed Andras was all she could think about more often than not. She would pull over to the side of the road on that trip to her hometown, just as she so often did so that she could take a break and enjoy the beauty of the landscape, snapping a few photos of this or that.

Yet, it seemed even in that very thing she'd always been so passionate about since she'd first discovered it, those hazel eyes would find her. Part of the young woman would smile softly to herself then as she would be taking those pictures, daring to think for a moment that he might have been there beside her on that drive, enjoying the sights and laughing as they would talk about anything and everything until they reached that colonial home on those ten acres in her hometown. How she would have loved for the fae man to have accompanied her on that journey home to meet her family, but he'd had his own things that needed tending to back in Somnia. It was hard for her to coax her thoughts away from that cozy cabin and those fantasies that had dared to come to life as that fire crackled and burned in the heart at the foot of that large bed. The taste of his lips, his scent, the warmth of his touch and all that he had made her feel in that moment... She'd never been touched in such passionate ways, never felt such desire as she craved each gentle caress. Needless to say, stopping every now and again along the way home had done little to serve as that much-needed distraction from the place her mind seemed determined to trap Beylani in. Although, in that very same moment, she wasn't truly trying as hard as she once used to. Not like when those feelings had first come to life and that seed had been planted into her heart and soul. How crazy it all was, how illogical and impossible and foolish it all seemed... and yet, she couldn't chase away that warmth that the mere thought of him would wrap her in, couldn't stop those feelings from growing even when she knew that she was only going to end up hurt, broken, devastated. That war that had once raged within her, between accepting those feelings and denying them, it had shifted into something entirely new. Now, while the young woman knew that there was no point in working tirelessly, exhaustingly to try and convince herself that none of this was real, it was now a matter of telling herself something even harder. Yes, what she felt for Andras was love. There was no two ways about it. But, in accepting that this was how she felt for him, that even while she desperately wanted to be simply close friends with him there was little hope in such a thing, she now had to tell herself that she would have to be okay with the idea that one day she would have to be happy for him as he moved through his long life with someone that wasn't her.

Once again forcing those thoughts from her, she ushers a soft sigh as baby blue eyes stare out the window and to the foam-crested waves that crashed against the sandy shore outside. She really did need this luncheon. More than Dorian knew. Probably even more than she knew herself. The blue-eyed blonde wasn't sure how much longer she could stand this inner battle that she just wanted so badly to crumble beneath and surrender entirely to. Why was it that she had to fight to tell herself these things when it should be so terribly easy to see and understand that the fae man didn't feel the same way and never would? Well... who's to say that he doesn't? All those kisses, those touches, those smiles... Can't they mean something? That was exactly what the problem was. Where her sensible self would try and tell her to stop living in that fantasy paradise, there was also that small hope in her heart she just couldn't convince to see things for what that surely, truly were. She opens than menu then, not even sure exactly how hungry she even was at the moment though when her eyes found the variety of light dishes, she decides then that eating would serve as a good comfort for her. Another attempt at a distraction. It was when she could hear a familiar voice that, for a change, wasn't those midnight tenor tones that haunted her dreams that Beylani looks over to the entrance. A bright â€" and nearly grateful â€" smile dances upon those blush-colored lips then as she finds herself rising out of her chair to greet him. She almost felt like she should curtsy or something around the familiar fae man that she was so happy to call her friend, especially since she knew now that he was royalty and his mannerisms always made her want to follow suit, but she simply nods to him, her face bright with excitement at seeing him. He takes her hand in his and brushes his lips against her skin in that old-fashioned greeting, immediately fighting back the memory of when Andras has done that very same thing when she'd first met him. With Dorian, it was obviously an entirely different feeling and if anything she was quickly growing accustomed to such formalities between the two fae men in her life, and so her smile simply brightens as thick lashes blink over glittering baby blue eyes."It is good to see you again as well, Dorian! It feels like it's been so long since I've last seen you", she greets him in turn, sterling voice warm and clearly happy to see those silver eyes that always seemed so full of light.

Lowering herself back into her seat, Dorian following as he settles into the chair across that small round table decorated with three small candles and a single small vase with a few white roses at the center of it, the blue-eyed blonde woman can't help but watch Dorian as he takes in the new bistro in Sacrosanct. There was no doubt that the owner of the establishment seemed nice enough, or so that was what Elain had eagerly told Beylani through an ecstatic phone call the honey-blonde waitress now busying herself with tending to each table only to move over to the entrance and guide new guests to their seats with that radiant smile that sometimes seemed to outshine Beylani's own. Dorian lifts that menu then, though his silver gaze lifts up to Beylani, a warm grin upon his features that only encouraged her own bright smile to her lips. His accented words reach her and she gives him a small nod then, elegantly curled loose locks shifting with that movement."I've been well, thank you for asking. And yes, I did. It was great to see them again, especially since they can't always find the time to make the road trip here", she answers warmly."What about you and Sebastian? How did the holiday season treat you two?", she asks in return, baby blue eyes shining curiously at the man across the table from her. She hadn't met her companion's fiancé yet, but she was hopeful that one of these days before the wedding, she might be able to. Though, what with him being a vampire and also likely quite busy with the arrangements, the young woman wasn't entirely sure if she would or not. Dorian goes on to ask her if she'd spent any time with Andras over the holidays and she tries not to let that color find her cheeks though she inevitably feels that warmth cross her features ever so faintly. Did he know? Had Andras said something?"I did, actually. He took me to the Winter Solstice Festival. It was incredible", she answers softly, refraining from that wistfulness that so tried to show through. She clears her throat quietly then, her mind quick to grab onto another subject without trying to seem rude."How are the wedding plans coming? It's getting fairly close now", she asks the man out of both genuine interest and a hope that maybe he might find more of an eagerness to speak of that special day just on the horizon.