Date?

Not exactly. He fell on her and she fell on the floor but there was at least a three-inch gap between them. The wand suspended Asher a whole foot above Rose later when they were stable. And Rose had a suspension spell on her.

So, yeah, they weren't remotely touching. The wand made sure of it.

Rose waved her hands and Asher was lifted and firmly planted on his feet. And then, she jumped up.

"Wow, magic is wonderful."

Asher was surprisingly in good spirits. The whole fall thing didn't affect him.

Rose saw that he was okay and then she breathed calmly.

It was not that she felt something but it was the first time she was so close to someone. Obviously, she hadn't taken any public transport in the human world.

"Yeah," she answered back.

"So, you can perform all kinds of spells?"

Rose nodded and then shook her head.

"Not all. Actually, in my world, I couldn't perform anything. Some kind of block for me. Here, I can do some spells."

She wasn't lying. There, she was some kind of late bloomer, more like a joke. She had no friends and she only talked with her mentor.

Here, at least, she had someone like the staff at the breakfast place near her apartment.

And now, maybe, her boss.

"Oh, that's sad. But hey, you are doing some cool spells now. Also, I realize, I never asked, who sent the package that day, that made me almost burn up?"

Rose had no idea. Her mentor didn't send her any kind of information so she had no idea.

"Soon, my mentor is looking into it."

"Great."

How do you know when the conversation is dead? When you have nothing to say try to avoid eye contact.

"That-"

"You-"

They talked at the same time.

"You first," Rose answered.

"Okay, so, can I ask, why are you here? In the human world, I guess?"

Rose wasn't answering that.

"Pass."

Asher smiled.

"You ask me now," he told her.

"I don't have much to ask. Just what kind of bodyguard thing am I supposed to do?"

Asher opened his mouth then closed it, then he started talking and then stopped.

It was clear he had no idea where his mind was heading.

"I don't know. Can I say that?"

Rose accepted that answer.

"Okay, you can call me whenever you need me."

Asher nodded.

"But let me ask you one more thing. Why does my mom say to not have a contract with a witch or a wizard? What's that about?"

"Ah, that!"

Rose got up and walked to the window.

She had to think about how to tell him.

"Actually, it's because we are more into lawful stuff. Like there once was a wizard who promised to marry a witch when they were twenty and he later became a Solo Wizard, these wizards, they aren't supposed to fall in love," she said turning to look back at him," And the witch was broke, her family forced them to marry. It was bloody. It escalated to a war. Again, that was a long time ago, like five hundred years ago and we had nothing better to do. So, we got that kind of reputation."

Asher looked at her in disbelief.

"All because of a childish promise everyone knows that couldn't be fulfilled!"

Well, what could you say? Magical community people have hot tempers. They need a reason to fight or duel.

"You guys are fun."

Rose glared at him.

"You wouldn't say that if you met the troublemakers. Now, we all are quite calm. Trust me. We don't fight."

Yeah, even the bullies were less bullying. Like the fact that Rose was not able to perform magic for a long time and no one teased her. It was sometimes just some odd looks here and there.

"But seriously, the magical contracts are like binding throughout life. You don't make one if you intend to not fulfill it. She is right too."

Yeah, if you promise something and forget it later, it won't work in a magical world. Like, I'll get up early to exercise every day and you only follow one day and then sleep in, that contract will be worse than your alarm.

"So, out contract, what about it? What will be the consequences?"

Asher was curious. Considering how much his mother scared him, he wanted to know what could happen with the contract they signed.

"It's not a magical contract."

Simple. No consequences.

"Oh, really? I thought signing anything with a witch could be a magical contract?"

Rose nodded.

"It is. But I didn't sign a magical contract. I didn't want to be bound to a company or a person. I'm like, work a year, and then retire."

Asher was speechless.

"You do realize you said that you wanted to work here and develop here in your five-year plan, in your letter, after you were accepted?"

Rose felt shy.

"I lied."

Asher didn't know what to say. Now, he knew people lied in their interviews. How could you correctly perceive a person within such a short time?

"And you know, you won't earn that much to retire."

Rose felt thunderstruck. Was that real? That's so sad.

"Yeah, at least work for five years. You will earn enough by then."

"Really?"

Rose felt like money was calling her.

"Haha yeah."

Rose was standing before him now. He had turned his chair towards the window and Rose stood before him.

"Also, how about we make a magical contract?"

"Why?"

Yes, why? He just wanted to make one with her. Not binding one but a magical contract. Maybe he was curious but he still wanted to try.

"What do you want to make it for?"

"Like, you won't work for others in five years, like my competitors. You will be my female companion at all events. And you will be with me on all my business trips as my bodyguard."

Rose felt something was off. Rounding off, she was staying almost every day, every hour with him.

And other stuff, wasn't that what a girlfriend was for?

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"