"I thought I was going to die," he concluded.
"Now you're just being dramatic," I reasoned but kissed his cheek. "Sorry. I got too carried away."
His already red cheeks seemed to blush a little more before he mumbled, "Sorry Jaxsin keeps insulting you. It's immature of him."
"Don't worry. That's just how he is. Marianna will put him in his place next time."
Jaxsin didn't respond immediately, but he replied, "I'm stopping him from trying to revolt."
"Good," I concluded but glanced over at Connor.
He tensed up and tried to avoid my gaze. "Do we have to talk about it now?"
"No," I calmly replied. "As long as we plan on talking about it at some point in time."
"I promise to talk about it," he assured us.
Jax and I shared a look before we smiled. "Then let's get back to our date! Bring out the flowers!"
"Why do I have a feeling we're going to sleep well tonight?" Jax pondered.
Connor chuckled and got out of the pool. "Let me go see if Finnick and Kaito wanna join. There's enough for each of us."
"You don't want us to come?" I inquired.
"Nah. Chill out for a bit. I'll also make sure the hot tub is still functioning."
"Oops," Jax and I quietly stated. "I'll pay for its repairs if it's broken," Jax spoke up.
"Don't worry. If it's broken, I can call my mom. She probably knows someone who can fix it."
"Thanks, Connor," I called out to him as he grabbed a fresh towel from the bench near the door to dry off before he waved back and headed indoors.
"That was frisky," Jax admitted.
"Far south from your plans, huh?"
"Very south," he admitted but maneuvered himself so we were facing each other. "Sorry," he apologized again.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Since the whole incident...I've felt different than usual." His expression was filled with uncertainty. "I'm trying not to think about it and just embrace the changes as they come, but I really don't like how triggered I get."
"Were you jealous earlier?"
"A little...not of Connor."
"Zephyr? Well, I think that's him. Or I guess we'll just call him that since that's Connor's birth name."
"Ya," he responded with a sigh. "Just a little. It made Jaxsin all mad and shit."
"Tell him to come out for a second."
"He's grounded," Jax stated, but it only took five seconds before he was overridden by Jaxsin. He kept quiet as those black eyes locked on mine. Then he very gently brushed my cheek with his hand. "Sorry, Brianne."
"You know I don't take your insults seriously," I voiced. "That's just you releasing Jax's frustration, right?"
He seemed shocked by my observation. It was something I’d noticed ages ago, but never truly mentioned. His reaction only confirmed my findings.
With a smile, Marianna took over and we inched forward till our lips softly pressed on his. His eyes began to close, just like mine. The shared kiss was the perfect balance of compassion and tenderness.
"I like you for you," I voiced. "You're sexy when you're jealous."
With a wink, she ran away and Jaxsin was gone as well.
"I didn't expect that," Jax concluded.
"Me neither," I admitted. "Does that mean they're getting along?"
"Could be," Jax suggested. "Looks like we'll find out slowly.”
We ended up giggling before sinking deeper into the shallow end of the pool. "This feels kinda nice. Cold waters in winter."
"That's because we're pretty warm-blooded right now."
"Magic always makes things extra wonderful," I concluded.
"The life of a Witchling."
"Jax?"
"Yes, Bri?"
"I love you no matter what. You know that, right?" He looked at me with those loving eyes, and I could see the vulnerability in them as he sought my orbs for the truth. "No matter the changes," I whispered.
"Even if I'm not the same as when you first met me?"
"None of us are the same as we were our first semester, Jax," I reminded. "We've all grown and evolved with all the experiences we endured. My love has only grown, and it's just going to get stronger whether you like it or not."
That rewarded me with the biggest smile as he hooked me into his arms and kissed my forehead before giving me a long kiss on my lips.
"I'm thankful I found you again."
"Me, too."
I couldn't be more thankful to be surrounded by nothing but love.
6
Bad Habits Die Hard
~KAITO~
The scent of mint and pine teased my nostrils, the combination beyond soothing as I continued to drift in my dream. I was trying to push myself to get out of my half-asleep state, but I was comfortable beyond measure as oozing warmth drifted on my front side while I felt cozy and embraced by warmth from behind.
I'd missed sleeping indoors. My training for the last month had been exhausting during the day, and the nights were spent in a simple cot outside to aid in enhancing my senses.
Having Master ZenSu there as support was probably the best help I'd accepted. Previously, I worried about his company, simply because I didn't want him to feel the need to babysit me or anything, but the one quality I always admired about Master ZenSu was that he didn't treat us like students outside of general lessons.
He'd respect one like a comrade preparing for a grand battle, which was what made this month a lot easier in comparison to being alone.
Finnick and I hoped to take the car tomorrow to explore the city. We originally were going to head out with Jax, Connor, and Brianne, but Finnick was feeling a bit under the weather, so I figured we'd rest a day.
I wasn't sure if it was the shift of altitude, or because these mountain tops that were covered with snow reminded him of last year.
We really hadn't been given the opportunity to think this trip through, especially since we learned about our paid trip hours before we had to head onto the plane. It was a surprise none of us would refuse, but now that we were settled and Finnick was trying to get some inspiration outdoors, I soon realized he didn't look too well when he came back in complaining about a headache.
With the thought of not missing out on my promise that we'd go into town tomorrow like a little date, Finnick eased down enough to allow himself to rest. I could use the added few hours before bed just to relax and wind down.
The last few days were intriguing but were helping me get back into some sort of routine that didn't have me getting up at four in the morning and dealing with rushing cold water from the waterfalls during my sunrise meditations.
It would still take me some time to get used to hot water. I hadn't even realized it would take me some time to adjust to the switch until my bath with Brianne. I hadn't shared my discomfort since my body was far more distracted by the beauty in our grasp, but the next day of me trying to shower after morning training wasn't so pleasant.