"I think it's much more beautiful than I've ever seen before because we're free, and we're safe. This is my first dawn living like that…"
"I hope it will be the first of many," we see together, he finished his sentence in his head.
She turned and looked back at him, her face radiant with the most beautiful smile crinkling the corners of her eyes, her hair blowing long and free in the gentle breeze, still in her pink dinner dress. He felt his heart clench and he gave her a soft smile in return.
There was a noise of metal scraping on concrete from across the very still morning, and in concert, they quietly moved to the parapet wall and peered over.
Bo was pulling out a chair at a table very similar to their own, tucking a blindfolded Feifei in against a table laden with food and drink, decorated with a pink cloth and a bunch of white wild roses.
He lifted the blindfold, and she exclaimed with delight.
"Bo! This is so pretty!"
"What the…" whispered Alton and Delphi at the same time.
They looked at each other with wide eyes.
Bo leaned down and gave Feifei a very gentle… very… long… kiss.
Delphi blushed red and dropped her head back down out of sight.
Alton continued to stare at the usually very reserved man, who seemed to have turned into Casanova overnight.
"Stop staring," Delphi hissed.
Alton stayed right where he was until Delphi tugged him away from the edge.
"Let's go," she hissed. "Don't we have some dragons to collect?"
Bo and Feifei had slept together and woken together. He kissed her on the nose and told her to rest a bit longer while he prepared breakfast.
This sort of special treatment was a first for Feifei. Though they tried to make each other's birthdays special in the palace, there were a lot of women, so moderation was encouraged and celebrations were bundled together with other ladies whose birth dates were close.
Her memories of her birthdays at home with her family were not very special either; a modest store-bought cake and one or two presents. Her parents were frugal and strict, with high expectations of her. Her mother had her studying ballet and violin from a very young age. Even at the age of eight she remembered spending all of her waking hours studying, doing homework or at classes. She lived for her mother's sparsely given praise. Just an affectionate or proud look was enough to sustain her for weeks and months. She supposed she had transferred those feelings to Delphi; that desire for approval, the need to make her proud.
Bo placed food on her plate and poured her drink for her, never taking his eyes off her. She smiled shyly at him. This was so far from her normal that she couldn't really believe it was real. Soon he would realise that she was just an ordinary girl who was far from perfect, then his interest in her would wane. Her face dropped at the thought. Still, she must make the most of it while it lasted.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"Nothing," she smiled, determined to enjoy this moment and not self-sabotage like she so often did.
"Thank you, Bo, it's really lovely. I don't deserve it."
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"What do you mean you don't deserve it? You deserve the best of everything. And I'm going to do my best to give it to you."
He hadn't slept a wink worrying about her, but he had settled on a plan now, and he felt good about it.
He leaned forward and kissed her across the table. His heart raced every time he looked at the woman. She was so damn beautiful and talented; it was almost impossible to believe she had given herself to him.
"Wah-woo!" came a call from the door to the rooftop.
Han exited, followed by Winter.
"Are we interrupting something?" Han asked knowingly.
Bo threw him a look that said 'I really wish you weren't here, man', or, 'I wish I could kill you'; one or the other…
Winter had missed seeing the kiss, but she didn't miss the intimate table setting for two, with a pink cloth and flowers.
"Han," she tugged on his hand, "maybe we should leave them alone. It looks like a special breakfast for two."
"No way. I'm sure they don't mind if we join them. Feifei, is it okay if we join you two for breakfast?"
"Of course," she said graciously, while Bo continued to throw his icy stare at his friend.
Winter and Han pulled up two extra chairs. Bo deliberately took his chair and squeezed it right next to Feifei's, in a space barely large enough for one person. He grabbed Feifei's hand under the table and held it.
"You should have said no," he whispered in her ear.
She smiled sweetly at him. "We can't send away Winter and Han. There's plenty of food here for them to share with us."
Bo rolled his eyes.
When Feifei was pouring Winter a drink, he glared at Han and slowly drew his finger across his neck in a threatening gesture. Han just chuckled and smirked knowingly at him.
He indicated his head at Feifei and raised his eyebrows in question at Bo. The age-old male question: did you sleep with her mate?
"Hmmph!" Bo growled at his friend who cracked up laughing. Bo snatched the bowl of fruit from Han's hands "People who can't tell when they're not welcome don't deserve any food," he said pettily.
"Bo!" cried Feifei. "Don't make our friends feel unwelcome."
"But they are unwelcome," he complained.
"No they're not. I'm sorry about this," she apologised to Han and Winter, handing them both plates of food.
"Look at you two. You're like an old married couple already," laughed Han. Winter couldn't help giggling.
Feifei blushed, and Bo preened, more than happy with the comparison.
"And you want to eat breakfast with the married couple, do you?" asked Bo.
"Yup," said Han. "Why not?"
Feifei squeezed his hand under the table, and Bo decided it was time to back off and accept defeat. He would take Han apart for this later.
"Fine," he said sullenly. "If Feifei wants you here, you can stay."
Feifei winked at Winter, who smiled and settled into eating her breakfast.
"So I take it your wrestling match was a success?" teased Han. "Who won? It would have been a close match with this lummox huh, Feifei? He's not even that big."
"He's plenty big enough," she said quietly.
"Oh hah hah!" Han slapped his hand on his leg in appreciation at the girl. "Looks like you have a fan, Bo."
"Yes. So don't torment him, or you'll have me to answer to," she said softly.
Han looked at the gorgeous woman and saw that she meant business. He smiled genuinely, in appreciation at her defence of his best friend.
"I've seen you fight, and I definitely want you on my side, Feifei," said Han. "I guess I'll hand him over to you to look after in the future."
"What are you talking about?" scowled Bo. "It's me that looks after you. You're always getting yourself chomped on by tubiàn, man."
"That's not fair!"
"Isn't it?"
"I've just been unlucky," Han frowned.
"Maybe your luck's turning around if this sweet little lady wants to keep company with you," Bo smiled at Winter. "God knows why she would."
It was Han's turn to blush as he avoided looking at the 'sweet little lady' in question.
"Look at him blushing!" crowed Bo with delight. "He never blushes, Winter, he must be into you!"
Han leapt up and threw himself across the laden table, gripping Bo by the collar. Plates clattered and the girls squealed and moved to separate them, but Han's blood was up, and he did not want to be humiliated in front of Winter.
The pair fell to the concrete floor and were scuffling when the rooftop door opened again.
"What the hell are you two up two?" Niko smiled with enjoyment to find two of the men fighting so early in the morning. "They said I could find you up here, but nobody told me you'd be going the biff at breakfast."
He strode over and pulled the pair apart.
"Sorry about that ladies," he apologised to Winter and Feifei, appreciating the two beauties. They looked even better in the daylight. "I don't know where their manners got to. I just came up to let you two idiots know that the Commander wants to speak with us all this morning. Oh-eight-hundred. He said it's important."