Just As Bad As She Says I Am

"Strange, to say the least. I really don't think about it much, but at first, it felt like I was cheating," I said as I pointed to the stand. "I still think it is an unfair advantage over people, but at the same time, people respect me more. It is a nice feeling to know that I can help if someone needs help, and I will most likely know the answer."

The stand had a few people waiting in line, but the sweet scents coming from it made me eager to try out the crepes.

We managed to buy two of them, and we then took a walk out of the city gates along the riverbank until we found a spot with some grassy patches where we could sit down and enjoy our snacks.

The night was peaceful and calm, and I couldn't help but feel at ease. As I looked around, I saw the stars and the moon glowing in the sky and felt content.

I looked over at Lusamine, and she had a content look on her face as well as she ran her hands through the grass.

"It is beautiful here," Lusamine said, and I nodded in agreement. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You are welcome. I wanted us to have a chance to do something nice together without all the drama," I replied, and she smiled at me before taking a bite from her crepe.

Seeing her enjoy it made me feel warm inside, and I smiled back.

Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all. I had just met her a few days ago, and already, I felt like we had grown closer. We both had a lot of baggage that we were dealing with, but I hoped that with time I could help move us past this.

"This place is really beautiful. While I was running the Aether Paradise, I didn't get many chances to leave or explore, so it is nice to get out," Lusamine said as she looked up at the stars.

The moonlight illuminated her face, and I felt my heart flutter at the sight of it.

"Yes, it is really beautiful," I said softly as I looked up into the night sky. "I wish that we could stay here forever. Just away from the chaos of our lives."

Lusamine nodded in agreement and then went back to eating her crepe. We sat together silently for a few minutes, and I enjoyed being able to just sit quietly with her.

We eventually finished our crepes and lay down on the grass, looking up at the stars.

"Do you ever wonder what is out there?" Lusamine asked, and I thought about it for a moment.

"I sometimes do. It's strange how so many things can be out there, and yet it still feels like we are so alone. But then I remembered that no matter what, I am not alone because I have all of you with me," I replied and smiled as I looked at her.

Lusamine smiled back and then moved her hand over to touch mine. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest, and I felt my cheeks flush.

Lusamine then moved closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder.

I stayed frozen like a wild animal with a light shining in its eyes, overwhelmed and scared of what to do. I wanted to reach over and hug her; I wanted to kiss her lips, but I was scared of what she would think of that.

Instead, I just lay there, trying to steady my racing heart as Lusamine's warm body soothed mine.

As we sat there in comfortable silence, I couldn't help but feel that this moment was a turning point for us. We had been through some rough times, but maybe, just maybe, this was the start of something.

After everything that we had been through, I didn't bother to get my hopes up, but this was progress. I had a feeling that things were always going to be an uphill battle with Lusamine, but that kind of had a charm all on its own.

The rest of the women, for the most part, seemed almost too eager to be with me, while Lusamine was one of the few that didn't seem to fall for me right away. Nemona and Tallia were also still taking their time, but I was sure that both would come around after today's events... You know, I really am just as bad as she says I am!

"What are you thinking about?" Lusamine asked, turning her head up to my face.

"I am just thinking about how we are going to manage this," I said, and Lusamine frowned.

"What do you mean?" She asked, and I smiled.

"Well, like you said, I am a man that isn't satisfied with one woman, and I somehow expect you all to be okay with this. I know that I wouldn't want to share you or any of the other women with other men, so I am trying to figure out why I expect you all to do the same..." I said with my words trailing off.

"Well, you are different. You aren't like other men because you have the power to capture and control us," Lusamine said simply, but I shook my head.

"No, that isn't it. What I am saying is maybe we can make this work. Maybe if we try, we can find a way to make everyone happy. I don't want any of you to feel like you are being treated unfairly," I said, and Lusamine looked up at me in surprise.

She thought about it for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"I think you are right. This might not be easy, but I do think that we can make it work if we try," Lusamine said, and I smiled.

It was still uncertain what would happen to us all, but I had faith that we could make it work. Whether or not the other women were on board remained to be seen, but I was confident that if we all tried hard enough, we could make this work.

Lusamine smiled at me, then crawled over and placed her head on my chest. I stroked her hair as we lay there, thinking about the future of our arrangement.

No matter how impossible it seemed, I felt that we could make this work. We had come this far already, and I wasn't ready to give up on us just yet.