Stronger as One (#1, Completed)

43. Sweet dreams are made of cheese

RILEY

As he started driving, I took the moment to admire his beautiful red Aston Martin. It was an impressive, elegant car, as much on the inside as it was on the outside. Then again, it was also a very expensive one, so excellence was to be expected. It fitted Aiden perfectly, down to the colour, which was an ideal match for a fire dragon.

"So, what are we doing on this date?" I turned my head towards him as he continued to focus on the road.

"I'm not telling you," he briefly looked at me with a giant grin on his face.

"Oh, come on- not even a hint? I know there was cooking involved."

"Look, the best part of a first date is the surprise element. Usually, it's mainly about how the two people will feel about each other, but in our case, I think my feelings are hardly unclear. Let me maintain some mystery about our date at least though. Please?" His lips curled into another warm smile and I knew that I couldn't say no to that- he had clearly put efforts in this date and I had to confess that I was looking forward to discovering what he had in mind.

The conversation flowed as we drove around the stunning Loch Lomond. Its beauty was still leaving me speechless, even after all the time I had spent in the area by now.

Less than twenty minutes after we left the packhouse, we turned on a private road and a small castle appeared in the distance.

It was an exquisite Scottish castle with beautiful park grounds around it and a magnificent view of the lake. It looked even more spectacular with the sun setting on the horizon, painting the sky behind it in rich hues of red that were blending with orange, yellow and violet.

"You live in a castle?" I was impressed that this was the place he called home, although all the packhouses that I had seen up to now were amazing. As soon as I thought of that, my heart started racing anxiously. "Wait, please tell me that we are not having our date at your clan's mansion?" The idea of others witnessing our date made me feel uneasy, as I didn't want anyone meddling in my business.

Aiden released his hand from the gearbox and reached to grab mine, squeezing it reassuringly as he laughed. "Relax, Riley- this is not the clan's house. It's all mine. And yes, I live in a castle."

I sighed in relief until I realised that we would have the whole place only for us. Me and Aiden- no one else. Wasn't that what I just wished for? The thought of the endless possibilities of how tonight could go left me feeling anxious once again, but this time my anxiety was laced with exhilaration.

We parked in front of the main entrance and made our way in. Being a true gentleman, Aiden let me go in first, though it was difficult to see inside due to the darkness. A snap of figures was all I heard and suddenly the whole place was lit up by hundreds of different candles- tea lights, lanterns, candelabras. It was like something out of a fairytale and this came from the girl who didn't really believe in those.

"How did you...."I tried to speak, but I couldn't find the right words.

The soft candlelight was enough for me to see Aiden's smug face at my confusion. "Fire dragon, remember? It comes with some perks."

"I want to hear all about those then."

"You will, I promise. But first, we need to make it to our table. Lead the way, beautiful," he said and nudged me forward.

I was confused as to how I was meant to know where to go, but then I realised that the floor was covered in endless rose petals and tea lights which formed a trail that I was clearly meant to follow.

When we reached the end of the trail, I saw a beautifully laid table for two, surrounded by a sea of candles, flowers and fairy lights. The sight in front of me made my breath hitch- I've never really had any man put so much effort on a date- certainly not on a first date- and something told me that the surprises were far from over.