Page 68 of Dark Elf's Good Girl

“My boss gave me another bonus.”

“Deservedly so, thanks for working so hard for us.”

“You too, my dear,” I say with a smile. “So listen, I have a little bit of a proposal for you.”

“Oh yeah?” quips Isla. “What might that be?”

“It’s a surprise. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

“Are we going out?”

I nod, grabbing a picnic basket resting beside the front door.

“It’s as if you read my mind. I was going to ask if you wanted to go out for some fresh air.”

“Oh we’re going out for some fresh air alright, just not to any of the parks out here.”

I take her hand and lead her out the door. Through her grip, I can feel just how excited she is. I’m likely more excited than her, though it’s probably anxiety because of what I have planned.

I ask her to keep her eyes closed for the journey. She obliges but laughs during its entirety. The whole time, I keep checking to make sure she’s not peeking as I lead her to a very special spot, one that I know she loves.

“Okay,” I say as we arrive at the spot. “You can open your eyes.”

She smiles as she opens her eyes but her jaw quickly drops when she sees where I’ve brought her.

“I thought I heard something familiar!”

We stand on a cliffside, peering at a waterfall adjacent to our position. It’s tall and stretches wide, the water fallins for quite some distance until hitting a river below. Underneath us are a small group of fishermen.

Birds fly all around the waterfall, some even daring to sit on rocks jutting out of the water’s surface right where the fall begins. Isla steps forward, raising her arms as she begins laughing with glee. I join her side, breathing in the clean air of nature.

“It was a few months ago when you mentioned how you wanted to come back here,” I remark.

Isla spins to face me, grabbing my hands.

“You remembered that?” she asks in surprise. “You’re so good to me Aiken.”

“You deserve the best, Isla. Now let’s sit down and eat, I brought along some of our favorite food and wine.”

I lay out a blanket then go to work unpacking all of the food. I remove wine glasses from the basket and a candle holder, lighting it with magic. Soon, there lies before us a fine selection of berries, cheeses, cured meats, bread, and vintage wine.

We spend the next few hours gazing upon the waterfall, chatting and laughing the day away. Soon, the sky fades into an orange canvas with a tinge of purple, where the beginnings of stars are becoming visible.

Some birds fly nearby. We feed them leftovers but decide to keep the rest of the wine for ourselves, laughing at the agreement. Isla rests her head on my lap as the sounds around us come to a standstill, leaving only her gushing of water to accompany our conversation.

“A wild ride,” she says after minutes of silence.

“Hmm? What’s that?” I ask.

“Life, it’s been a wild ride for us. I really thought it was all over for me when Calix bought me. Every day was like a fight for survival, there were times I couldn’t peek around the corner out of fear of what was next.”

“I’m sorry he’s that way. I wish he was different. Part of me blames my parents, they never did a thing about his behavior, they only ever encouraged it with their constant praise.”

“At least it doesn’t run in the family,” she chuckles, nudging my elbow. “You know, in a strange way, I’m glad he bought me.”

I tilt my head in confusion.

“You are?” I quip.

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