So much for pigs flying or hell freezing over.
Aya was certain that of all the things she couldn’t have expected to happen, what she was witnessing ranked right up there with her worst enemy reincarnating into a saint.
Yep. Sohow, that was exactly what it felt like.
She was frozen. Completely.
Gods. For soone who was supposed to be good at studying, her brain was processing things painfully slowly today.
But really, who could bla her?
Just inches away from her sat a friend she had not seen in years. A friend who had vanished off the face of the continent only to reappear like nothing had happened. And right beside him was so guy who just had to be the fucking Dragon Lord.
Well.
Hello?
HELLO?!
How exactly was she supposed to process this scene of two wildly different beings "calmly" sharing cake pops in the middle of Drakemont University’s mid-ass café?
And gods help her, they weren’t even sharing from the sa order.
No.
They were eating from the sa freaking stick.
"?!"
Aya felt sothing in her soul crack.
Then, as if the universe was not done with her yet, Riley, the friend who had practically vanished into a black hole only to reappear, opened his mouth and imdiately sounded like an alien life form saying sothing that made absolutely no sense when strung together.
"Aya, I’d like you to et my mate, Kael."
Aya.
Aya.
Aya.
Even her own na sounded wrong in that sentence.
Because Riley had just casually said the na of the current Dragon Lord. The one they had studied. The one who had been a major topic in school. The one whose policies, history, and political impact they had dissected for years.
YEARS!
And now this solid, very real, very hunky man wearing a mask and a hat was supposed to have the sa na?
For a brief, desperate mont, Aya wondered if this was just soone who looked like him and shared the sa na as him. After all, there were even beings nad after pebbles, so one can never be so sure, really!
But no.
No, no, no.
Because the man actually spoke.
"I’m Kael Dravaryn, Riley’s mate and fiancé."
Aya nearly spat blood.
From which orifice exactly, she couldn’t possibly know. She just knew it wouldn’t be dignified.
But how could there be concerns for dignity when the person—who was apparently the great dragon lord—even emphasized that wild relationship status.
A solid emphasis that could probably be heard by even the person hiding in the bathroom. But really, Aya didn’t think she needed any more emphasis when that large rock gracing her friend’s finger was more than enough to drive the point.
Whoa. She couldn’t help but feel montarily dizzy.
Who would go out to get coffee only to return deeply changed?
That was assuming she would even make it out at all. Because her internal survival radar was screaming at her that one wrong word could very well turn her into the next barbecue.
But why?
Well, because Riley really didn’t look like he was kidding so she couldn’t even laugh out the distress.
Thankfully, after sohow surviving the intense urge to grab a paper bag and breathe into it, Aya forced herself to respond. Her face felt stiff. Her thoughts were lagging several steps behind.
Still, she knew she had to say sothing while hoping her facial expression would be able to catch up properly.
And thankfully, instead of blurting out, "Are you shitting ?!" which was her very first instinct, Aya managed to save herself and possibly the planet by saying:
"Wow! Congratulations!"
She almost died. But she did it. In fact, the great survivor did more than just survive, for at the end of the day, when she finally managed to return to what she could perceive as safety, she actually ended up with several bags of free desserts.
But how?
Well, because her nosy self couldn’t help but notice sothing interesting.
Then again, that was long after she survived the inquisition. An inquisition she brought about by daring to ntion the na Bailey.
__
Haaay.
Aya did manage a congratulations, and thanks to that, Kael’s mood visibly improved. It didn’t change the nature of the situation, though. The small and unexpected gathering remained just as loaded as before.
A silent standoff settled over the table.
Kael watched with a grin a little too frightening for mortals and as expected Aya remained frozen.
But right in the middle of it all was Riley who was simply taking several deep breaths.
In truth, he couldn’t help the initial flicker of panic that rose at the thought of even more people finding out about the most recent developnt centered around them. The renewed attention, the implications and the inevitable ripple effect.
But at the sa ti, he was surprised by how freeing it felt.
Who would have thought that sothing as simple as a proper introduction could make him feel so much lighter?
Maybe it had a lot to do with Kael’s reaction.
While other people struggled with situationships that refused to move forward or relationships that begged to stay hidden, Riley was standing in the middle of one that could not be stopped even if he tried.
How ironic.
And more than that, how fortunate.
How fortunate was he to find a partner who was not just willing, but genuinely glad to show him off despite all the trouble that would probably follow.
So how could he not et that energy?
Moreover, after learning why dragons acted the way they did, Riley knew exactly what he needed to do.
Reassure him.
So he started talking.
"Kael," Riley said gently, turning toward his fiancé, "she’s one of my friends from college. There was a small group of us who hung out together. We got closer while trying to survive until graduation."
He smiled faintly.
"Most of them went on to postgraduate studies so I expected them to be even more occupied. So I honestly didn’t think we’d bump into anyone here."
Kael listened without interrupting, gaze steady and intent.
But even without speaking, Riley knew exactly who Kael was curious about. That answer would definitely co later. For now, the more imdiate concerns needed settling.
"We’re actually just out and about," Riley continued, glancing at Aya. "And for so reason, I decided to bring him here today. I was craving cake pops and I wanted him to try them too."
He let out a small laugh, that was actually light. But thankfully that wasn’t difficult because he had really been forthright about that part. But the reason why he was going through all this was because he wanted his friend to see his relationship with Kael for what it was. Not sothing frightening. Not sothing built on so sort of power imbalance.
That despite how mismatched they could possibly seem, they’re literally just a regular couple.
As expected, Aya swallowed and spoke carefully. "Um. I really an it. Congratulations. But, Ry, is it okay for to know this? I’m sorry if I intruded too much."
Her concern, which was evident in her face, was understandable because that was more than just explosive news.
But instead of back tracking, Riley, much to Kael’s clear appreciation said, "Thank you. But it’s fine. We’re not particularly hiding it from friends and family."
Aya blinked.
The surprise was not just at Riley’s words, but at how calm he was. At how relaxed he looked. And most of all, at how his face actually lit up when he thanked her.
Whatever she had been expecting, this clearly was not it.
Because she also didn’t expect the guy—who was very likely a dragon beneath that human figure—to cling to Riley’s words like gospel.
The surprised friend noticed it then.
The way Kael subtly angled his body toward Riley whenever he spoke. The way his attention never drifted. The way his eyes softened every single ti he looked at him.
There was no mistaking it.
And more importantly, there was no mistaking the reason she was still alive.
She was Riley’s friend.
That alone seed to grant her an invisible shield.
Still, after not seeing each other for so long, Aya could hardly believe how much courage Riley had grown into. Because instead of awkwardly skirting around the massive elephant in the room, he turned his head and looked straight at the dragon lord.
And asked.
"Would it be alright if Aya tells a few of our other friends about today?"
Aya’s breath caught.
She watched the exchange closely.
Kael didn’t answer right away. He studied Riley with an intensity that made her spine tingle.
Then Kael spoke.
"Mn," he said calmly. "Will all your friends react favorably to the news?"
Aya nearly forgot to breathe after realizing she really shot herself on the foot.
That alone was shocking enough.
But what had really shaken the human listener was Riley, like a real daredevil, actually saying, "I don’t mind even if not everyone reacts positively. We’re simply letting them know of this fact. And it wouldn’t change the fact that we’re together."
The words landed with quiet certainty.
Aya stared.
Yep, so long, Bailey.
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