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theladyofdeath · 1 year

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The Holiday {8}

WARNING: NSFW. 18+ only.

Ships: Nesta x Cassian / Aelin x Rowan

Written alongside @snelbz

Trope(s): Christmas, fluff, love at first sight, enemies to lovers, New Year's

Summary: Nesta has just been dumped. Aelin hates her job. Both women need an escape from reality and with Christmas quickly approaching, it's the perfect time for a getaway. After discovering a trend where people can swap houses for a non-traditional vacation experience, these two women decide to spend the holidays in each other's homes. With their houses comes a series of unique experiences and a couple of handsome suitors. It's time to see just how much a change of scenery and two weeks of Christmas solitude and romance can change a person.

A/N: This chapter is for 18+ readers only. We hope you all had a great Christmas! Enjoy these last few chapters! x

Rating: M for mature - language, smut, substance use, etc. 18+.

Inspired by The Holiday (2006).

Aelin woke up to near silence.

The fire still cackled in the hearth, although it had died down quite a bit. Even so, she was warm, thanks to the human blanket that was draped across her backside. The cottage was dark. The clock above the stove told her it was just after one.

Rowan snored quietly, his back against the couch cushions, his arms around Aelin, holding her close to his body. She moved just enough to look over her shoulder, to see Rowan’s silver hair a mess and his mouth hanging open as he slept peacefully. She tried not to laugh but her shoulders shook and Rowan jostled, his eyes slowly opening to meet her sleepy gaze.

As he stretched out his legs — as much as he could on the couch — his arms around her tightened.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “you’re just cute as hell when you’re asleep.”

Rowan snorted as he kissed her forehead. “Doubtful.” He kissed her forehead again. “We fell asleep.”

With a nod, Aelin turned so that she faced him, her arm going around his waist and up his back until their bodies were pressed together. “Are you comfortable? There is a bed, you know, that you surely fit better in.”

Rowan peered down at her and shook his head. “I’m pretty damn comfortable right here, if you are.”

Aelin smiled as she nodded. There was no reason not to be comfortable, even though the couch wasn’t huge. It was still good sized and right by the fire, and being bundled up next to Rowan under a heap of blankets wasn’t all that bad, either.

“I’m sorry I woke you,” Aelin whispered, rubbing his back, slowly.

“It’s okay,” he said, eyes on hers. “I’d rather be awake.”

He kissed her, softly, and the second his lips touched hers, Aelin was melting. She draped her leg over his body as her tongue found his and he groaned quietly, which ignited something deeper in the pit of her stomach. One hand swept up her back, into her hair, and the other rested low on her back, against bare skin beneath her sweater.

Gods, she wanted him.

She wanted him more than she had wanted anyone in a long time. Her heart was racing and an ache had formed unbearably between her thighs. Judging from the hunger in which Rowan was kissing her, she could only assume that he felt the same way. What she could feel growing against her thigh was another hint that couldn’t be denied.

“Rowan.” His name was urgent on her lips.

His responding moan had the throbbing between her legs intensifying. Any lingering doubt Aelin had faded when he breathed, “I need you.”

“Good,” she said, nearly whimpering beneath his frantic touch.

When Aelin slid her hand beneath Rowan’s shirt, feeling his muscled chest, he broke their kiss and laid his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. “I, uh,” he began, his voice low and gravelly. “I’m not prepared.”

Aelin moved her hips, pressing herself into Rowan’s hard cock, earning another low groan from him. “Feel pretty prepared to me.”

His laugh made her toes curl. “I mean…I don’t have anything. Stopped carrying condoms around in my wallet in college.”

Aelin nipped at his bottom lip as she chuckled. “I’m covered.”

A heavy breath escaped him as he muttered thank the gods and kissed her again. This time, he held nothing back. His kiss was reckless, wild, hungry. She liked him like this — the gentleman she had come to know was gone and something primal had taken his place.

He shifted them until Aelin was on her back and he hovered over her, one hand planted into the couch by her head. The other ran down her side, pausing to dance at the edge of her sweater.

She wasn’t sure if he was hesitating or trying to tease her, but Aelin was having none of it. Reaching between them, she grabbed her sweater and tugged it over her head, letting it land on the floor beside the couch. Rowan’s eyes went wide as they took in Aelin’s body. Her breasts weren’t large, but they were nice enough, and the red lace bra she’d worn was doing wonderful things for them. Fortunately for her, Rowan was less interested in her lingerie and more interested in what lay beneath it.

His fingers danced up her side, tickling over her ribs, until he was cupping one of her breasts. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to the swell of her breast, letting his tongue trace over it a second later. He looked up, his eyes finding hers. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Aelin’s breath caught as she gazed at him, could read the truth in his eyes and knew that he meant it. Rather than respond, she reached for his shirt and started tugging on the fabric. He took the hint and rose up on his knees, pulling it over his head and dropping it down with Aelin’s discarded sweater.

He was carved from marble.

There was not an inch of him that Aelin didn’t want to run her hands over. He seemed shy, but even as his cheeks warmed he leaned down and pressed his lips softly to hers.

In a matter of minutes, Rowan had taken her leggings off and thrown them aside. Aelin did the same, unzipping his jeans and dismissing his boxers as if they were nothing but an inconvenience.

With nothing but their skin against one another’s, Aelin felt a swarm of butterflies within her stomach. There was nothing else between them, nothing to stop the beauty that would unfold between them.

As he leaned down to press the softest of kisses to her neck, Rowan said, “I have a confession. It’s been…a while since I’ve been with anyone.”

By the way he said it, Aelin knew his version of a while was likely different than hers. It had been a few months since her breakup with Chaol, but it had been years since his wife died. She doubted it had been that long for him, but it didn’t matter if it had been six months or six years. All that mattered is that they were here together.

“I don’t care,” she breathed, her fingers threading into his hair as she pulled his mouth to hers.

She didn’t. She needed him and she didn’t care what circumstances brought them where they were today.

Rowan’s hand slipped between them, touching Aelin for the first time, checking to see if she was ready. Foreplay was unnecessary. Everything that had preceded this moment had been a build up of sorts and gods, was she ready.

Her sharp intake of breath was nearly covered by his groan as he slid two fingers between her slick folds. His forehead dropped to hers as he slowly pushed a finger into her entrance. “Gods, Aelin.”

When he brushed his thumb over her clit, she was nearly panting. “Please. Please, Rowan.”

He didn’t need convincing, but the sound of her begging had a growl forming low in this throat. He captured his mouth with hers as he nudged her entrance. Aelin gasped, and she felt his lips quirk against hers before he filled her.

Her nails dug into his shoulders before her body relaxed, adjusting to the size of him. He cursed, voice low in her ear, and Aelin had never heard anything more reverent.

One of his hands covered her breast, tweaking her nipple and she moaned. Rowan took it as an invitation to move and withdrew slightly before pushing into her once more. With each movement of his hips, every long, slow thrust, he picked up the pace, harder and faster, until Aelin’s moans were filling the cottage.

Rowan captured her hands in his own, pinning them above her head as drove into her over and over.

He’d stopped kissing her, but his eyes stayed locked on hers. Aelin had never felt so bare, so vulnerable, so seen. Yet she did not fear it, was not afraid of the look in Rowan’s eyes that she knew was a rarity.

A familiar sensation brewed in the pit of Aelin’s stomach, a feeling that she had not felt in quite some time. As her heart thundered, her knees shook and she swore, a string of curses laced with Rowan’s name. He kissed her then, slowly, as that sensation rose and she clung to him. The world around her faded and all she knew was him, the man that kept her grounded.

As Aelin drowned in her release, Rowan did not stop. He kept his pace, his heavy breaths turning into frantic groans. Aelin moved her hips with his, her hands wandering his warm skin.

“Aelin,” he groaned, and she decided then that she never wanted this moment to end.

With the slightest tug of her hands, Rowan released her and she started to sit up. Never pulling out of her, Rowan gripped her hips and sat on the couch. Aelin’s hands went to his shoulders and she rose up on her knees, sitting up until only the head of his cock was inside her. His teeth were gritted as he gazed up at her, one of his hands still resting on her hip, fingers squeezing the swell of her ass. The other had found her breast again, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

Slowly, Aelin eased herself down his length again, the new position seating him even deeper within her. She whimpered, letting her head fall back and then she felt Rowan’s tongue circling her other nipple. Only a second later, the wet heat of his mouth closed around it and when he sucked, Aelin couldn’t stop the curse that tumbled from her lips.

Again, she rose on her knees, but this time she lowered herself again, riding him with an easy rhythm. His hand never left her hip, guiding her, while the other worshiped her breasts.

With every drop of her hips, Rowan met her halfway although he was far more gentle than before, letting her keep control. Aelin was on the verge of losing that control when the sounds coming from Rowan’s mouth intensified and he was pushed over the edge. He came with a curse, his mouth on the swell of her breast, his teeth grazing her skin.

Aelin’s fingers held on tightly to the strands of his hair, keeping him close, while they caught their hectic breaths in the silence of the cottage. Aelin didn’t move, she clung to Rowan with him still buried deep inside of her until he leaned back and met her eye.

Aelin gave him a smile but that smile quickly disappeared as he brushed his thumb along her bottom lip and kissed her. The kiss was slow but heavy, as if Rowan was telling her everything he wanted to say that would be pointless to say out loud.

She would be leaving in a few days.

There was no point in him spilling his heart out to her.

Yet, she knew every word he wished to voice, thanks to that kiss. As they made love again, Aelin had no doubt how Rowan felt about her, had no doubt how she felt about him, and that was the most terrifying thing of all.

<.>.<.>.<.>.

Nesta woke to a pounding headache and an ungodly bright light streaming through the curtains of Aelin’s bedroom. For a moment, the world stood still as she attempted to gather her surroundings, but then it all came rushing back to her.

Beside her, a very naked Cassian snored.

When closing her eyes tightly and blinking a few times didn’t make him disappear, Nesta knew she wasn’t dreaming. The pleasant ache between her thighs told her she hadn’t imagined what they’d done the night before either.

No, Nesta was acutely aware of what they’d done. After their first round, Cassian had made her come two more times before she finally collapsed and fell asleep.

Fighting a groan, Nesta glanced back over at him, making sure he was well and truly asleep before climbing out of bed and snagging her robe off the chair in the corner. She didn’t even wait to put it on in the bedroom, just to ensure Cassian wouldn’t wake up.

After a quick trip into the bathroom, Nesta found herself in the kitchen with her head resting on the cool, marble countertops, a pot of coffee brewing.

What had she done? She’d specifically come on this trip to get away from men yet here she was jumping into bed with one. Sure, he was pretty, had the voice of an angel, and fucked like a god, but she’d gotten out of Orynth for simplicity and sleeping with Cassian just complicated things.

Heavy footsteps broke her out of her self-loathing thoughts. She looked up to see Cassian pulling on his shirt as he came down the stairs, those sweatpants of his hanging low on his hips.

Nesta’s cheeks flushed. She wouldn’t be able to forget running her hands across his tanned, overly-inked skin for a very long time, if ever.

Catching her eyes on him, he grinned. “Morning.”

Damn him, he was handsome in the morning. Not that Nesta expected anything less. His hair was a mess, but it was charming. As he came closer, Nesta saw the dark circles underneath his eyes. Maybe he was just as hungover as she was. If that was the case, she hated him for looking that good hungover. “How’d you sleep?”

Nesta just glared at him as the coffee maker sounded, declaring her saving grace had finished brewing.

Taking charge, Cassian took out two mugs and filled the first to the brim before sliding it to Nesta. “That good, huh?”

“Creamer,” she muttered, rubbing her temples.

Cassian fished out a bottle of French vanilla creamer from the fridge and handed it over.

Cassian poured himself a mug before making himself at home and sitting next to her at the bar. “You’re not a morning person, are you?”

Nesta sighed, taking a sip from her mug before looking at the handsome bastard next to her. “Look, you don’t have to do this….this whole morning after bullshit. You can go. It’s fine.”

It was quiet for a second before Cassian awkwardly chuckled. “What do you mean I can go? Nesta, we hooked up, that doesn’t mean—”

“We hooked up, that’s all,” she interrupted, her coffee suddenly extremely interesting. “I don’t need your pity or for you to make this into something it wasn’t.”

“I’m trying to drink a cup of coffee,” he scoffed, and though she wasn’t looking at him, she could feel his intense eyes on her. “Trying to have a civilized conversation with you. We don’t seem to have many of those.”

“And that’s my fault?” Nesta asked, a bite to her voice.

Cassian slowly set his mug on the countertop. “Right now? Yeah.”

“Not to be a bitch, Cassian, but I prefer to be left alone,” Nesta said, trying to keep her rising anger at bay. “Please leave.”

“And if I don’t want to leave?” He asked, picking up his mug and taking another sip. She had a feeling he was only doing it to piss her off and it worked. “I prefer to take my time with my coffee first thing in the morning. Especially when I’m absolutely exhausted. Which, once again…is your fault.”

Setting her cup of coffee on the counter, Nesta dragged her hands down her face. “You are exhausting.”

“You didn’t seem to be complaining last night.”

He was a smug bastard. A smug bastard who was right. She’d enjoyed every second of it, which is why he had to leave.

Nesta watched him for a moment, eyes narrowed, lips pursed, and he matched her. Neither of them were backing down, neither of their eyes waivered. It seemed she had met her match, at last.

“Must I be mean to you?” Nesta snapped, at last.

“You’ve been mean to me since I met you,” Cassian said, still with that obnoxious twist of his lips. “I don’t expect anything less.”

That anger continued to rise. Nesta knew that she was about to lose it. Between the headache and relentless exhaustion, his prodding was about to push her over the edge.

“I swear to the Mother—“

“I’ll leave after I finish my coffee,” he said, taking the smallest of sips from his mug.

After the deepest of breaths, Nesta hopped off her barstool and took her mug with her. “Shut the door behind you when you leave.”

“I had a good time last night.” His voice trailed behind her as she made her way towards the staircase. “For what it’s worth.”

For what it’s worth.

Nesta slowly turned, gripping her mug so tightly she was surprised it wasn’t shattering in her hands. “It wasn’t worth anything, Cassian. It was a meaningless fling. A one night stand. I don’t care that you had a good time. I was horny, I hadn’t been fucked in a long time, you took care of it. Thanks for that. Now this is done. Do me a favor and leave me alone.”

Something in Cassian's gaze shifted. “Nesta—”

“I’m going back to bed,” she said, continuing her walk towards the stairs. “Finish your coffee, show yourself out. It was nice knowing you.”

She was trying to be as pleasant as possible, she really was, but it was proving to be more and more difficult with each word that came out of her mouth.

She had only made it a step up before he said, “It wasn’t just meaningless sex. Not to me.”

This time, Nesta froze but didn’t dare face him, not when his words sent chills down her spine.

She could hear him get up, could hear his stool scoot back then his heavy footsteps grow nearer.

“I like you, Nesta,” he said, quietly. He stopped a few feet away from her, at the bottom of the stairs. He didn’t reach out to touch her, didn’t even try, but she could feel his presence, his closeness. “I’ll leave, like you want me to. I’ll go and you’ll never hear from me again, that’s fine. But don’t think for a damn minute that last night meant nothing, because you were not just another girl that I climbed into bed with. You intrigue me. I’m fascinated by you. Since you’ve gotten here, you’re all that I can think about. So, last night? It wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t pointless. I meant every minute that we spent in bed together. Remember that.”

Nesta never turned around.

She couldn’t face him, not while he was being so vulnerable.

Those footsteps faded away behind her, and she heard Cassian place his mug in the sink and rinse it out before gathering his belongings and showing himself out, just like she had asked.

He shut the door quietly behind him without a goodbye.

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theladyofdeath · 1 year

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The Holiday {3}

Ships: Nesta x Cassian / Aelin x Rowan

Written alongside @snelbz

Trope(s): Christmas, fluff, love at first sight, enemies to lovers

A/N: I hope you're all enjoying the fluff! x

Rating: M for mature - language, smut, substance use, etc. 18+.

Inspired by The Holiday (2006).

It had been a long time, possibly even years, since Nesta had gotten such a good night’s sleep. Although Aelin’s townhouse lacked a certain…warmth, her bed was the most comfortable thing she had ever laid on. It felt like a pile of feathers sitting on top of a cloud and it made Nesta rethink every financial decision she had ever made. She could have spent years saving up for such a relaxing masterpiece, but no…she had bought necessities instead. What a waste.

It was almost ten by the time she woke up but she stayed in bed until eleven, until she grew so hungry that it was nearly unbearable.

With her stomach growling, she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and walked downstairs to the kitchen. She quickly found some fresh, cut up fruit and a carton of eggs that she set out on the counter. She’d just located a frying pan when the front door of the townhouse opened.

That frying pan quickly became a weapon. She heard the front door close then heavy footsteps in the entryway. Nesta raised the frying pan in her hand high as she neared the corner and peeked around, her heart hammering wildly in her chest.

The intruder was massive. His back was to her as he fished for something in his pocket. She couldn’t get a good look at him, couldn’t see anything under his black hoodie. Nesta felt like she was going to puke, her fear turning into nausea, as she took a few wobbly steps into the foyer and screamed.

The man spun around, screaming profanity as he jumped and threw his hands in the air in surrender.

Nesta’s scream died in her throat at the man now facing her. He yanked down his hood, chest heaving, and asked, “What the fuck?” The fear in his eyes was real. He wasn’t expecting Nesta to be there. With a hand clutched to his chest, he eyed the frying pan that Nesta still had lifted in the air, ready to attack. “You gonna use that on me?”

“If I have to,” she snapped, not lowering the pan, despite how heavy it was. She blinked as recognition slammed into her. “You’re the guy from the bar last night.”

The man raised an eyebrow and then the same infuriating smirk he’d given her last night slid onto his face. “Burger girl.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Nesta demanded, ignoring the fact that he’d just called her burger girl and lowering the frying pan to her side. She didn’t think she was in any imminent danger, but she wasn’t putting it down, just to be safe.

The man scoffed and gestured to her and her weapon. “I could ask you the same thing.”

For a moment, Nesta hesitated. She’d been a little too forthcoming talking to Emerie yesterday, but she felt like she could trust the girl’s kind face. She may not have known her, but she was a member of Nesta’s own. This man was a complete stranger…who she was standing in front of in nothing but her tank top and a pair of men’s boxer shorts she liked to sleep in.

With a sigh, she admitted, “I’m on holiday. I did a home exchange with the woman who lives here. She didn’t mention any roommates though.”

The musician stood in front of her, analyzing Nesta’s words with a glint of humor in his hazel eyes. When he didn’t say anything, Nesta shifted on her feet.

“What?” she snapped.

He shrugged. “Aelin would tell me she’s going out of town but not tell me the whole story. Although, she’s about to get an earful from me considering I was trying to be nice and water her damn plants while she was gone.” Nesta wondered if he was trying to mention something that would make Nesta confess that she was breaking and entering, that she was a con, but she had nothing to hide. “But I assume that if you’re staying here, you’ll be watering the plants.”

“I will,” Nesta said, lifting her chin, although she felt very little dignity. “I think I’m perfectly capable of watering a few plants.”

There were more than a few, but she didn’t need to tell him that. Apparently he knew how many plants were in the house or he wouldn’t be there.

Then the thought occurred to Nesta. “Oh, shit, is Aelin your girlfriend?”

The laugh that came out of the cocky bastard was thunderous. “Hell no. Neighbors. I live next door. Aelin’s a good friend, but don’t worry, nothing more.”

Nesta began to nod until his words registered. “Don’t worry? Why the hell would I be worried?”

He shrugged. “I saw how you were watching me while you shoveled that burger in your mouth.”

He somehow made that sound like an innuendo, making Nesta’s lip curl. She couldn’t tell if he was messing with her or if he was really that full of himself. Either way, she wanted to slap that grin right off his face.

“I’m Cassian,” he went on, when Nesta’s gaping wasn’t answer enough.

“I don’t care,” Nesta said, considering she hadn’t asked. “You’re an intruder, actually. Pretty sure this little stunt falls under breaking and entering.”

“It's a crime to water a friend’s plants?” he pushed, rocking back on his heels. “Well, shit. Sue me, I guess. Besides,” he added, fishing into his pockets and pulling out a set of keys. “Don’t think it counts as breaking and entering if you have a key.”

She’d researched quite a few things as she wrote her books, but she’d never looked into the legality of letting yourself into someone’s home with no intent to harm, so she couldn’t even argue with him with confidence. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest, still holding the heavy, cast iron pan. “Well, if that’s all, I’d like to return to my breakfast.”

His gaze left hers and dropped to her crossed arms and, once again, she was acutely aware of the fact that she was wearing a tank top.

And no bra.

Turning to head back towards the kitchen, Nesta heard him say, “I’ll be playing at the Illyrian again tonight.”

“I’m busy,” she said, crossing the threshold, which was a lie. She hadn’t decided what she was doing that evening, but it sure as hell wasn’t going to be watching him get ogled by his fangirls again. Even if it was the best burger she’d had in years and fell asleep with his sensual voice in her mind.

Her dreams hadn’t been bad, either.

As Nesta walked back into the kitchen, annoyance had her tensing as Cassian’s footsteps followed a few feet behind her.

“I don’t remember inviting you in,” she grumbled, setting the frying pan back on the stovetop.

“I was already in,” he reminded her. “Key, remember? So, the Illyrian—”

“I’m busy,” Nesta repeated, turning on the stovetop.

“I don’t believe you,” he crooned, stopping at the entrance of the kitchen and leaning against the threshold. “Come on. I’ll make Rhys serve you free drinks all night.” Nesta scoffed. “Making someone serve me free drinks? Sounds like another illegal stunt of yours.”

“Well, when you own the place you can do whatever the hell you want,” Cassian said.

Nesta froze, and looked over her shoulder with a lifted brow. “Own the place?” “Rhys does,” he clarified. “Owns the place. Works the bar when they need the extra help. He mixes a better drink than most of his bartenders, anyway.” He shrugged. “He’s my brother. So free drinks.”

“Free drinks don’t appeal to me,” Nesta said, turning back to the stovetop. She stood up straighter, wondering if he was looking at the back of her, at her ass and her bare shoulders. Some part of her that she tried to ignore really hoped that he was. The idea made her cheeks turn pink.

“Liar,” he said, but pushed off the frame. “I’ll keep a table open for you if you change your mind.”

“I won’t.”

“You might.”

“I’m busy.”

“Liar.”

“You can’t accuse me of lying, you don’t even know me.” After dousing the pan in oil, she turned to Cassian, arms crossed over her chest. “I’m sorry that I have better things to do than listen to you woo girls with your covers all night.”

His lips quirked. “Woo?”

He was so sure of himself, so confident in the way he stood, the way that he watched her. His smile was lazy, but his eyes were bright. Even in his hoodie, she could tell he was well-built. She wondered how many hours a week that he spent in the gym, toning himself up to impress his groupies. His hair, although untamed and way too long, fascinated Nesta. It gave him a sense of adventure and rebellion. He stood with a sense of authority. He watched her, all-knowing of every thought that ran through her mind.

“Shouldn’t you be going?” Nesta asked, turning back to the stove. “I probably should, before you call the cops on me,” he said, and he took a few steps back. “But if you’re not coming to watch me play, at least grant me your name.”

Nesta cracked an egg in the skillet. “You seem to know plenty of women’s names. There’s no need to know mine.”

“Sounds like jealousy to me.”

Gods, this asshole was insufferable. “Nesta.”

“Nesta,” he repeated, and his tone had her damn near quivering. She loathed him. “Well, Nesta, if you change your mind…your table from last night will be waiting for you.”

Nesta said nothing more, and Cassian didn’t say goodbye as he showed himself out, shutting the front door behind him.

Nesta burnt the eggs.

<.>.<.>.<.>

Getting down the mountain was easier than Aelin had expected. There was a sporty blue SUV in the garage and after making sure her car insurance would protect Nesta in the case of an accident, Aelin snatched the keys off the wall and backed out of the driveway.

If she found a tree down in Orynth, she’d have to be able to get it back to the cottage. Not that she’d be able to get it into the house after that, but that was a problem for later.

Cursing the weather, Aelin carefully made her way down the mountain, thankful that she was used to driving in the snowy conditions Velaris usually dumped out in the winter.

Granted, there was never this much snow, but she decided some experience was better than nothing.

When she finally made it down to the city, she stopped at a shop called The Christmas Village.

She was sure Nesta had decorations somewhere, but she wasn’t about to start snooping through her host’s closets.

Even if she had borrowed her car without permission.

Aelin lived by the law that it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission. It was an ideology that got her in trouble when she was younger, but pushed her ahead in the world once she had gotten older.

Her tree at home was pretty specifically decorated. All of the ornaments were silver and white. As she walked into The Christmas Village, she didn’t think she would be able to buy silver and white ornaments in bulk. In fact, there were lines of ornaments, every single one of them unique and different.

Aelin found it charming.

It only took a half hour to fill her basket. She had ornaments of all different colors, shapes, and sizes, each with their own unique beauty. It was kind of freeing, getting ornaments that didn’t match or coincide with one another. She had snowflakes and snowmen, candy canes and little sweaters, glittery balls and one shaped like a stack of books. She had even found an ornament shaped like a piano, which she adored as it reminded her of her youth.

Other than ornaments, Aelin had found a couple of garlands and candles, and a series of lights to string all over the cabin. Maybe she was going overboard, but she was feeling festive.

All she needed now was a tree.

As she checked out at the counter, she gave the elderly man a smile. “Do you know where I can find a good tree?”

The man chuckled. “Less than a week until Christmas, and you still don’t have a tree?”

There was no judgment in his voice, only humor. Aelin shook her head. “No, not yet. I’m in desperate need of one.”

“Luckily there’s a lot just around the corner,” the man said, smiling as he wrapped each of Aelin’s ornaments. “Owned by a local tree farmer. Great selection. I’d start there.”

Aelin thanked him and was on her way.

It didn’t take her long to locate the lot, and judging by the number of other cars parked there, she wasn’t the only one behind in picking out a tree it seemed.

After only a few minutes, she found the perfect tree. It was only a foot or so taller than she was, which was ideal, since she couldn’t remember how tall the ceilings were in the small cottage. It wasn’t too skinny, but it also wasn’t too wide at the base, and the color was the most beautiful color of green she’d ever seen.

As she was looking at it, wondering exactly how she was planning to get a six foot tall tree into the cottage by herself, she heard, “If that’s the one you want, I can help you load it onto—”

Aelin turned and there stood Rowan.

He was just as handsome as he’d been the night before, not that Aelin had been fixating on that since their midnight encounter, maybe even more so that she could see him in the sunlight.

He’d clearly been out in the brisk wind all day, if his red cheeks were any indicator, but now she amended her earlier thought about the tree being the most beautiful color of green she’d ever seen.

His eyes were clear and crisp, the color of the trees around him. They stood out against the stark tattoo that ran down one side of his face and neck. She hadn’t noticed it the night before, possibly due to the lighting, possibly due to the fact that she was dead on her feet and jet lag had already been kicking her ass.

“Hi,” she said, stupidly.

He replied, “Hi.”

They stared at each other for a moment before Aelin asked, “So you’re a tree farmer and a lumberjack?”

To her surprise, he chuckled. “Yeah, I’m a tree farmer…and I chop wood, so I guess so.”

Aelin looked back at the tree before her. “How long has it taken this tree to grow?”

Rowan shrugged. “A few years. These are some of my favorites. They’re so full, and the branches are so thick. I have one in my own living room. It’s beautiful.”

Aelin looked at him and tilted her head. “You’re being awfully kind for someone I bitched out after midnight.”

His grin was mesmerizing. He looked away as his smile spread. “Yeah, well, if a stranger showed up at the place I’m renting at midnight, I would’ve been a little moody too. I promise my intentions—”

“The wood you left kept me warm all night, so I have to thank you,” Aelin said. “If you hadn’t shown up, I’m sure I’d be frozen in place on the couch right now.”

Rowan huffed a laugh. “Happy to help. I can bring another truck full in the morning that should last your whole stay. I know I didn’t leave very much, it was just what I had left from my stops yesterday.”

“And the tree?” “The tree?”

Aelin gestured to the tree behind her. “When you drop off the wood, could you drop off this tree, too?”

His eyes fell on the tree and then bounced back to her face. His eyes were bright, despite the cold around them. “I don’t normally do deliveries, but since it’s on the way, I can drop it off on the way home tonight.”

Aelin beamed. “That means I can decorate it before bed.”

“You really like Christmas, don’t you?” He chuckled, tucking his hands in his pockets.

“Of course, it’s the most wonderful time of the year,” she said, not caring that she sounded like a Hallmark movie.

Shaking his head, Rowan couldn’t help but smile. “That it is.”

As Aelin was walking back to Nesta’s blue SUV, Rowan called after her, “Nesta told me she was leaving you my number in case you needed more firewood, but I don’t have yours. If you’d like, I can call you when I’m on the way with the tree.”

Turning, Aelin met his gaze, one eyebrow raised. “Is this your way of asking for my number?”

Rowan’s lips twitched as he hesitated. “Don’t get too cocky, I’m only trying to help.”

“In the city, we call that flirting,” Aelin said, and didn’t hate the way her chest felt a little lighter when he smiled.

“Is this the city way of you telling me no?” Rowan asked, amused as he crossed his arms across his broad chest.

Aelin laughed, shaking her head. “I’ll text you as soon as I get back to the house. Then my number will be all yours.”

“Hmmm,” Rowan contemplated. “Still sounds like a rejection. What if you forget?”

Aelin had to bite her lip to keep from grinning like a fool. “I won’t.”

“And if I don’t believe that?” He pushed, eyes bright.

“Then I guess you’ll have to wait until I prove you wrong,” Aelin said, shrugging.

Rowan’s eyes narrowed as he studied her. He started walking back towards the herd of customers as he said, “Don’t wait too long.”

With one last smirk in her direction, Rowan disappeared and left Aelin watching him go. There was something about him that captivated her, something mischievous that she couldn’t place her finger on. Maybe she was just dwelling in this little village that felt like Christmas, feeling the holiday’s joy and peace.

Either way, the second she got back to Nesta’s, Aelin found the note with Rowan’s number and sent him a text.

See you this afternoon, delivery boy.

#nessian #rowaelin #christmas fic #the holiday snacmc #snacmc collab #snacmc collabs #nesta #cassian #rowan #aelin #fluff #tog #throne of glass #fanfic #fanfics #fanfiction #fic

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theladyofdeath · 1 year

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The Holiday {9}

Ships: Nesta x Cassian / Aelin x Rowan

Written alongside @snelbz

Trope(s): Christmas, fluff, love at first sight, enemies to lovers, New Year's

A/N: One more chapter! x

Rating: M for mature - language, smut, substance use, etc. 18+.

Inspired by The Holiday (2006).

It was Christmas and Nesta sat alone on a stranger’s couch, drinking wine.

Well, she wanted to be drinking wine. She had a glass full of wine. Yet, her heart wasn’t really in it. Since Cassian disappeared that morning, leaving her on the stairs, Nesta felt…off.

Yes, she had gone on vacation to get away from everyone — men especially. Her intention was to spend her vacation in solitude, having some sort of peaceful womanhood journey, but she found some hot guitar player that knew his way around a mattress instead.

Worst of all? He was a good guy.

The words he spoke before he disappeared had been running through her mind all day.

It wasn’t just meaningless sex.

I like you, Nesta.

She had no idea what he saw in her, considering she had been a bitch to him for a week then kicked him out after their night of mind-blowing sex, but he saw something.

And she didn’t deserve that.

She didn’t deserve his kindness, not after the words she had spat at him. Yet, she couldn’t help those words. She felt the way she felt, and after all that she had been through in the last year, she had a right to her feelings.

Even if those feelings were guarded.

Tomas had destroyed her. It was stupid, and she knew it was stupid, but she couldn’t help how she felt. She had given everything to him, had loved him unconditionally and wanted to build a life with him, but then she found him in bed with a girl that lived down the hall from them. Before him, she had never been cheated on. She had heard of people being cheated on and had seen it in the movies, but the reality of it was worse than she could have ever imagined. The second she had caught him in bed with someone else, her heart had broken. Shattered. She had never felt as lonely and unloved, uncherished, as she did in that moment.

She never wanted to feel like that again.

When Cassian had made his confession that morning, it had terrified her. When she woke up next to him still there, it had terrified her. Every time she had been mean to him and he didn’t disappear, it had terrified her.

Cassian scared the hell out of her.

But what scared her more was how she felt when she was around him. Once she let her guard down, she could tell what a genuine person he was.

With a groan, Nesta fell back on the couch. She probably owed him an apology. No, she knew she owed him an apology. Did it really matter, though? Perhaps it was better this way. She would be gone in a day, and maybe it would be best if their last interaction was so heartbreakingly cruel on her part. Maybe it would be easier that way.

It would be better if he remembered her that way. She would remember him at his best, he would remember her at her worst.

A knock on the front door of the townhouse had Nesta sitting up, one hand braced on the back of the couch. There were still only a few people who knew where she was. Barring another inappropriate delivery from her sisters, there was only one person it could really be. As she looked towards the door, she could tell from the silhouette who it was.

For a moment, she hesitated, debating on answering it. Even with her doubts, she pulled herself up off the couch and meandered toward the door.

When she opened it, she was greeted by Cassian, who held up a series of plastic containers, filled with food.

“Before you say anything,” Cassian began, just as Nesta opened her mouth, “I promise not to intrude. I only wanted to bring some leftovers. We get a little excited on holidays and make way too much food.”

Nesta couldn’t help but chuckle as she observed everything in his arms. “I see that.”

He nodded, his eyes on hers as they softened. “Well, I just wanted to drop these off. Even if you don’t eat it, we still have enough to last all three of us at least a week, so don’t feel too bad about brushing it aside.”

He held out the containers and Nesta blinked at them.

“It’s just food,” Cassian said when she didn’t take it. “I promise I didn’t poison it.”

Nesta huffed a laugh again. He said the most ridiculous things. “Would you mind putting them on the table?”

She had barely gotten through the question when Cassian stepped inside and went to the kitchen, placing it all on the table. He unstacked them and laid them out before turning back to Nesta, hands in his pockets. “You leave tomorrow?”

Nesta nodded, her bottom lip sucked between her teeth.

“Well, travel safe,” he said, and she knew he meant it more than a simple pleasantry.

They stared at each other for a minute before Cassian gave her an awkward nod and headed for the door.

“Do you want to stay?” Nesta blurted, staring at his back. Cassian stilled and slowly turned to face her. “I know you’re probably stuffed, but—“

“I could eat.” That cocky grin made its return.

His cocky grins and his smirks were so similar yet elicited such a different reaction in her. When he grinned at her like that, she wasn’t able to breathe properly. She forgot how to speak and couldn’t look away. When he smirked… Well, it was pretty much the same reaction, but it also irritated her in the best way.

She pulled out two plates and set them down at the table. While he started scooping and spooning foods onto their plates, Nesta retrieved her glass of wine and poured one for Cassian.

She smiled as she sat down across from him. This was an olive branch of sorts. It was nice. They had barely spoken yet, but there was something different in the atmosphere of the night. The sexual tension of the night before was gone, but there was also a somber note.

She would be leaving tomorrow, likely to never see him again.

They ate in a peaceful quiet, and Nesta had to admit that she liked it. She liked how casual it was, how the awkwardness faded.

Cassian cleaned his plate quickly and leaned back, watching Nesta politely cut up her turkey.

“Don’t watch me when I eat,” she murmured, taking a bite.

Cassian chuckled. “I want to look at you while I can.”

Nesta could feel her cheeks warm and she set down her fork. “Always the flirt.”

“Sorry,” he said, in a way that told her he was very much not sorry.

Another moment of silence passed before Nesta said, “I’m sorry. About this morning.”

Cassian shook his head. “I’m sorry if I made it weird.”

“You didn’t,” she promised. “You just…surprised me.”

“Surprised you?”

“By being kind.” She shrugged. “By wanting to stay.”

Cassian studied her for a long moment. She hated the intensity of his gaze. She tried not to squirm beneath his stare. “I hate that there’s a guy out there that’s made you surprised by that.”

Although Tomas’s face flashed through her mind, Nesta had had plenty of one night stands with less than charming men who weren’t so kind, either.

And none of them had ever wanted to stay in the morning.

Cassian had no idea how different he was, how good of a heart he had.

Nesta thought she would meet him halfway. “Would you like to know why I came here?”

“I thought it was to be alone at Christmas,” Cassian said, prompting her further.

“Yes,” Nesta began, slowly, “but the reason that I wanted to be alone was because it was the first year in a long time that I wasn’t spending a holiday with my boyfriend. I’d been with a guy for a while and it ended…poorly earlier this year. Then the thought of being around my sisters, both who have more Christmas spirit than anyone I’ve ever met, just seemed overwhelming when I wasn’t feeling very cheery myself.”

Cassian sat patiently, listening. “What happened? With the guy.”

Nesta took a deep breath before meeting Cassian’s eye. “Found him in bed with someone else.”

The townhouse was quiet around them, the sound of the fireplace crackling from the living room. She’d looked down at her plate as soon as she’d admitted the truth and she didn’t know what expression she’d find when she looked back up at him. She wasn’t expecting to see fire blazing in his hazel eyes. It was a different fire than that of last night. That was a low simmer, something that had been waiting under the surface. All it needed was a spark. This fire needed no spark to consume her.

“He was a fucking idiot.”

Nesta didn’t know why but his blunt words made her laugh out loud.

Cassian, clearly not expecting her fit of giggles, raised his eyebrows.

Once she regained her composure, dabbing under her eyes, she nodded. “He was a fucking idiot.”

A smile, genuine and sweet, broke across Cassian’s face. She hasn’t seen that smile often and if she had to choose between that, his cocky grin, and his smirk, there was no real decision.

She didn’t realize she was staring until his smile softened and he cocked his head. “I’m going to miss you, you know.”

“Even after all I put you through?” She whispered.

“Because of all you put me through,” he said, and leaned across the table to take her hand.

“Well,” Nesta said, weaving her fingers through his, “if you ever find yourself in the mountains of Terrasen, give me a call.”

That smile returned as he nodded. “Okay.”

They sat at the table, talking and laughing until late into the night. Their hands never left one another’s.

<.>.<.>.<.>

Rowan was spending the day with his daughter, which Aelin knew he would and expected nothing less. Still, when he had left early that morning before the sun rose, it was hard to see him go. Their night together had been nothing short of perfection and she would do anything to relive it.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t a possibility, so Aelin tossed a few logs in the stove and started her Christmas the way she did every year: a huge breakfast that she would never finish. Crispy bacon and cheesy eggs, fresh fruit and sweet yogurt, delicious sausage and fluffy biscuits. By the time Aelin had finished cooking, she was hungry enough to eat all of the bacon and most of the fruit. She was lounging on the couch with a mimosa in one hand and a romance novel by her favorite author in the other when her phone rang.

She held her breath as she reached toward where it sat on the coffee table. There was no denying that she wanted it to be Rowan and that only made her impending flight home tomorrow more harrowing. When she flipped the phone over and saw her best friend’s name, she released the breath in a whoosh of air.

“Merry Christmas, Lys,” she greeted, before the phone was even to her ear. It had been days since she’d spoken to her best friend and while she was enjoying her escape from reality, it didn’t mean she didn’t miss certain pieces of it.

“Merry Christmas,” she sang, and Aelin knew without even asking that her best friend had loved every second of her day.

Since Lysandra and Aedion had gotten married, they’d gone all out for Christmas. That only amplified when Lysandra got pregnant. Now, as Lysandra was seven months along, it was their last Christmas as a party of two.

“Was your holiday in solitude everything you hoped it would be?” She asked, as Aelin plopped back down on the couch.

With a sigh, Aelin said, “Yeah.” She wasn’t really sure how to answer that question. It was more loaded that Lysandra even realized.

On the other end, Lysandra snorted. “That sounded promising. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Aelin said, a little too quickly. “Tell me about your day.”

Just to humor her, Lysandra went on and on about her Christmas with her husband. She was certain to be detailed so that Aelin wouldn’t have any follow up questions before she finished her story and said, “Tell me about yours.”

Aelin wasn’t sure where to begin. With Rowan making love to her in the middle of the night or with the breakfast that she made for herself that could have fed ten people?

“It was…good.”

Silence rang from the other end before Lysandra asked, “Good? That’s all I get?”

Sighing, Aelin decided she could only keep Lysandra in the dark for so long. “I haven’t exactly spent it in solitude.”

“What does that mean?” She could practically see Lysandra pacing. For someone who looked like she was smuggling a volleyball under her shirt, she was still getting around wonderfully. Aelin only hoped she’d be as graceful as Lysandra was when she was pregnant one day.

Rowan’s smiling face flashed in her mind unbidden and Aelin was momentarily stunned into silence at the direction of her own thoughts.

“I mean, I haven’t been alone all that often,” she admitted, taking a sip of her coffee, hiding behind her cup, despite the fact that her best friend was two-thousand miles away.

Lysandra’s reply was much louder than Aelin expected. “You hooked up with a hot, foreign dude?!”

“She what?!” Aedion’s voice was faint, but Aelin still let her head fall into her hand.

“Ignore him, he’s putting together a swing for the baby,” she went on. “I need details.”

Aelin heard Aedion say something that sounded a lot like I don’t.

With a groan, Aelin shook her head. “Go into a different room, please. My cousin doesn’t need to be scarred.”

Lysandra snorted but Aelin heard her panting as she hurried down the hall. “Fine. In my bedroom. Spill.”

Aelin sighed, eyes falling shut. Rowan’s face appeared in her mind once more. “Yeah…I met someone.”

“And?” Lysandra pushed.

Aelin didn’t know how to describe Rowan. He was indescribable. Perfection didn’t begin to cover it, and just when Aelin was about to start with their first awkward interaction, she smiled to herself. “His name is Rowan.”

“Rowan.” The way Lysandra said it was like a secret that was begging to be set free. “Okay. Tell me about Rowan.”

Aelin did.

She told Lysandra about his kindness and all he had done to help Aelin have a nice, warm stay. She told her about their dates at the diner, and about how Aelin showed up at his house, thinking he was on a date, only to find out that he had a super amazing kid. She told her about the tree lot, and about their night together, and the countless orgasms that followed.

“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?” Aelin said, finishing up her story. “I came here for solitude, and now I’m…”

“Smitten?” Lysandra offered, and Aelin knew she was grinning.

She offered one more kernel of truth, one that even she was struggling to believe. “I’m more than smitten, Lys. The idea of coming home tomorrow, of never seeing him again… I don’t like it.”

“And what about him?” Lysandra asked, slipping into therapist mode. “Do you think he feels the same way?”

She recalled the reverent look he gave her after they’d finished the night before. Neither of them had said anything, but his eyes said what his lips couldn’t. “I think so.”

“Then I think you need to go tell him.”

Her voice was so matter of fact that Aelin’s eyebrows lowered and she pulled the phone away to look at it. Shaking her head, she fit the phone between her ear and shoulder again. “It’s not that simple.”

“It is if you let it be,” Lysandra explained. “Who cares if you’ve only known him for two weeks? Who cares if you live in different time zones? You deserve to be happy, Ace, and this is the happiest I’ve heard you in years.”

Aelin let her words sink in. This was the happiest she’d been in years and it wasn’t just because of Rowan. This was the longest she’d gone without hearing from Arrobyn in years and it was freeing. Her vision clouded as she blinked away tears.

Clearing her throat, Aelin said, “I can’t very well go bust in and interrupt Christmas morning with his daughter.”

“Maybe not,” Lysandra agreed, “but you do have plenty of day left. Let him have his time with the kid, then drive your pretty little ass on over and tell him how you feel. You can’t let a good one get away.”

Aelin wiped a tear from her cheek. She felt ridiculous for crying but she couldn’t help it, didn’t want to help it. They were tears of joy, tears of longing. Tears of hope.

“And if he doesn’t feel the same?” Aelin asked, quietly.

“Then you went for it anyway,” Lysandra said, matching her tone. “But something tells me he feels the same way, babe. A man does not make love to you like that without feeling a certain sort of way.”

Aelin knew she was right.

She had no doubt how Rowan felt.

“I love you,” Aelin said, taking a deep breath.

“Love you more,” Lysandra promised. “Merry Christmas.”

After they hung up, Aelin spent some time cleaning the cottage and packing up her belongings. After an afternoon shower, she got ready and changed her outfit twice before deeming a pair of jeans and a sweater acceptable life-altering clothing.

One last time, just as the sun was starting to set over the Staghorn Mountains, she swiped the keys to Nesta’s little, blue car and blasted the heat before backing out of the drive and heading up the mountain. The sun had come out today and despite it still being colder than any Velaris winter she could remember, the road was finally clearing up. It only took her a few minutes before the rustic cabin was coming into view and Aelin parked next to the truck in the driveway. She sat in the car, debating if this was a bad idea, if she should put it in reverse, go back to the cottage and pretend she’d never met Rowan Whitethorn.

But then the door flung open and all Aelin could see was shining silver hair and an adorable grin. “Miss Aelin!”

Aelin smiled as she got out of the car and Sutton bounded down the stairs. She crashed into her, wrapping her arms around Aelin’s waist. She hadn't been expecting such a forceful greeting, but she wasn’t able to stop the smile from growing on her face or her arms from going around the girl before her.

“Merry Christmas,” Sutton said, beaming up at Aelin. “I asked daddy if you were going to come see us, but he said you were probably busy. He’s going to be so surprised you’re here.”

The girl began to pull Aelin towards the house and up the porch stairs, but Aelin hesitated only briefly before crossing the threshold. “You didn’t tell him I was here?”

She shrugged, little shoulders rising and falling beneath her silver locks. “I was too excited.”

Trying not to focus on the rush of nerves that had just flooded her body, Aelin let Sutton drag her inside and shut the door behind them.

“Daddy!”

A door upstairs opened and closed, and then Rowan was hurrying down the stairs, coming to a slow halt when he saw Aelin standing just inside the doorway. He wore sweatpants and a t-shirt, and Aelin decided that she liked him casual.

A light came into his eyes as he looked from Aelin to Sutton and crossed his arms. “What have I said about answering the door?”

“Not to,” Sutton muttered, looking at the floor.

“Next time you come get me,” he said, then looked back to Aelin. “Although I’m glad we have a guest.”

“I’m sorry to show up unannounced,” Aelin said, hurriedly. “I just…I leave tomorrow and was worried I wouldn’t be able to see you again before I go.”

Rowan opened his mouth to reply, but Sutton said, “Can Miss Aelin stay for Christmas movie night, daddy?”

Aelin hesitated but Rowan only smiled. “If she wants to.”

“Oh, please!” Sutton yelled, jumping up and down. “We’re watching the Grinch.”

Well, she couldn’t say no to that, even if she wanted to. “I’d love to.”

Sutton ran through the house excitedly as Rowan finally finished descending the stairs. He stepped closer to Aelin and said, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” Aelin whispered, as a cabinet in the kitchen slammed shut and the sound of out of tune Christmas carols carried to them.

Rowan tugged on her sleeve, closing the distance between them as he gave her a soft kiss. It was sweet and innocent and over as quickly as it began, yet it woke something up inside of Aelin. She couldn’t deny her feelings for him, couldn’t deny that she loved him.

They stepped apart as Sutton’s little footsteps hurried back down the hall. “Daddy, the soup is done!”

Rowan gestured towards the kitchen. “Hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“We do this every year,” Sutton explained to Aelin, pushing her step stool around the kitchen and pulling out everything they would need for dinner. “Grilled cheese and tomato soup.”

“Sounds delicious,” Aelin replied, sitting down in the spot she’d sat the night she’d joined them for pizza. As Sutton brought her a napkin and spoon, she asked, “What did Santa bring you, Sutton?”

Her eyes went wide and the entire time Rowan was making grilled cheese sandwiches, Sutton regaled Aelin with an in-depth breakdown of each and every present she received. It spilled over into dinner itself and Aelin couldn’t help but smile at the young girl as she tore off a chunk of her sandwich and dipped it into her soup.

Every few seconds, Aelin could feel Rowan’s eyes lingering on her and she would look up and share a secret moment with him. It felt right. All of it felt right, being there with Rowan, with Sutton, eating soup in the kitchen on a cold, snowy Christmas night.

After dinner, they all snuggled up on the couch to watch The Grinch. Rowan and Sutton knew nearly every word, which Aelin typically would find annoying but now found charming and cute as hell. They had almost made it to the end when Sutton fell asleep on the couch and Rowan carried her to bed.

He was only gone for about ten minutes but Aelin found those ten minutes daunting. When he came back, she would tell him, would confess her feelings before going back to Nesta’s and leaving in the morning.

When Rowan came back, he found Aelin frowning on the couch and his joyous demeanor faltered. “What’s wrong?”

Aelin blinked, not even realizing he had come back into the room. As he sat down next to her, she shook her head. “Just lost in thought. I had fun tonight.”

“I did, too,” he said, draping his arm over the back of the couch. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I didn’t want to impose,” she admitted, settling closer to him. “But before I left, I had to…”

The words got stuck in her throat. I had to tell you that I love you. She hesitated for a second, not wanting him to notice her lapse and instead said, “I had to see you one last time.”

“I’m glad you did.” The movie played on in the background, the exciting conclusion to a heartwarming story, and as he leaned in to press his lips to hers, Aelin thought it was fitting. She’d come all this way to get away from her everyday life. She expected rest and relaxation and a chance to take a break. Falling in love hadn’t been in the plans.

Rowan pulled away, just enough to speak. “What time is your flight tomorrow?”

“Nine,” she breathed. “I have to be at Orynth International at seven-thirty.”

That was pushing it, knowing she was far from the only one traveling after the holidays, but any earlier might kill her.

His eyes found the clock on the mantle. It was just after nine.

“Twelve hours,” he whispered, brushing hair off her face. “Twelve hours until you leave and I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again.”

“I love you.”

The words burst out and for a second, Aelin wasn’t even sure she’d said them. As she took in the look on Rowan’s face, she knew she had.

For a moment, he said nothing. She couldn’t quite place the series of emotions that ran across his face. Her heart was racing and she had the sudden need to puke, but she would stand her ground. She said her piece, her truth. Swallowing, she watched and waited.

Until she couldn’t wait any longer.

“I know that’s sudden, and we haven’t known each other long.” She had a feeling this was the start to endless nervous rambling, but it couldn’t be stopped. “And I know we may never see each other again, but I have been happier in the last couple of weeks than I have been in a long, long time…and last night was perfect. I’m sorry if—”

“I love you too.” His words were soft, but there was a fierceness in his gaze that told Aelin the whole truth. He brushed his thumb along her bottom lip. “All I’ve been able to think about is you leaving and it’s been tearing me apart.”

Dropping her forehead to his chest, Aelin tried to will the tears forming in her eyes away. “I didn’t mean to fall for you. I wasn’t even expecting you.”

“And you think I was?” Rowan’s voice was full of laughter. “I was very content to continue the single dad lifestyle for a few more years.” He tilted her face up to his again. “But then this headstrong, brash girl from the city shows up and turns my entire world on its axis. And I know I should be thinking of Sutton before all else, but all I can focus on is that I don’t want you to get on that plane tomorrow.”

Aelin closed her eyes, but not fast enough to stop those traitorous tears. “I don’t want to go,” she breathed. “But I have to.”

His thumbs swiped over her cheeks, catching the tears in their tracks. “I know you do. We’ll figure something out, even if it’s not the easiest solution.”

Her eyes opened and found his, even as his thumb traced her bottom lip. “We will? You don’t want to…let this go?”

Rowan leaned in, just barely brushing his lips over hers. “Now that I’ve found you, fireheart, I don’t ever want to let you go.”

He kissed her then and for just a little while, they pretended she wasn’t flying home tomorrow. That the perfect couple weeks they’d had together wasn't about to end and fling them both back into the real world.

But they still had tonight.

#nessian #rowaelin #nesta #cassian #rowan #aelin #crossover #tog #acotar #fluff #holiday fic #christmas fic #snacmc collab

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