Cydney broke into a smile. "Sure."

"Oh." Lyn was so happy she did not know how to react. "Okay."

A frown tugged at Cydney's brows. "You're not drunk again, are you?"

"I'm not! I'm- I'm completely, a hundred percent, sober."

"Okay." The smile returned. "Let's go, then."

"Right- Right now?"

"Yeah. Do you not want to?"

"No, I do! I do! Of course I want to! Let's go, let's go right now!" The more Lyn spoke, the more she was going to combust in nervousness; she had never felt more flustered in her entire life.

"Okay. Meet me in front of Jen's coffeehouse in about two hours." Cydney's eyes scanned Lyn, before she added, "Could you... Could we let our hair down for the day?"

Lyn blinked. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Cydney beamed in response. She peeled her gaze away and closed the door.

At that moment, Millie and Irene appeared, as if they had teleported right next to Lyn.

"What happened?" Millie squealed.

"Did it go well?" Irene asked. "Did she close the door on you in a good way or a bad way?"

Lyn staggered a little on the spot; her heart rate had increased to an unhealthy level.

"She just..." she whispered while breathing in and out in an attempt to steady her heart. "She just agreed to go out on a date with me."

"Wait, really?" the two concerned friends exclaimed—Millie, in excitement, while Irene, in disbelief.

"Yeah... I'm- I'm meeting her in two hours in Downtown Boston."

Irene narrowed her eyes. "This went almost too well. You sure you didn't feed her a love potion or something?"

"Wha- Where would I even get that?" Lyn huffed.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Millie's hands found Lyn's arms again. "Let's dress you up for a date!"

Once again, before Lyn could react, Millie dragged her out of the hostel and back to her apartment, with Irene trailing behind.

Two hours was usually more than enough time for Lyn to prepare, but with Millie around, that was barely enough time. After a quick shower, Millie spent what felt like forever brushing and styling Lyn's straggly hair. Occasionally, Lyn screamed out in pain, while Irene chortled at the side as she cleaned the apartment.

"And done!" Millie exclaimed, much to Lyn's relief. "One last thing, take this!"

The conjurer summoned a tiny box to her hand and threw it at Lyn.

Catching the box, Lyn's face flushed red in embarrassment—it was a pack of mints.

"T- Thanks, Millie..."

Millie giggled. "Have fun, okay?"

"Not too fun though," Irene added from the other side of the apartment.

Lyn rolled her eyes and left, heading towards the cafe Cydney used to work at. When she reached, a gasp escaped her throat.

Cydney was in front of the glass window. Her silky, black hair flowed down to her waist, and her outfit—a simple shirt and jeans combo that was unassuming yet charming—was enough to take Lyn's breath away.

Her heart rate shot up. Cydney looked so cute with her hair down—so, so cute.

Noticing her, the petite woman gave her a shy wave and trotted over. "Lyn. Your hair is really pretty."

"So- So is yours."

"What do you want to do now?"

"Oh. I- I don't know..."

Cydney raised her eyebrows. "You asked me out on a date and you didn't plan anything?"

Lyn gulped. "Erm, I mean... we can go... erm... I don't-"

A small smirk tugged on Cydney's lips, as though she was holding back a laugh.

"I've always wanted to try this Italian restaurant in Back Bay," she suggested, saving Lyn from further crashing and burning in embarrassment. "Should we try it out for lunch?"

"Sure!" Lyn quickly answered. "Anywhere you want to go."

The rest of the day was an utter dream to Lyn. She felt like a balloon, clinging onto Cydney, floating to wherever Cydney wanted to go. They ate lunch and dessert at the Italian restaurant, had two additional rounds of desserts at two other cafes, and, after a long walk in a park and tons of window shopping, finished the day off with dinner—and even more dessert at another restaurant.

Throughout the day, they talked about anything and everything that popped into their mind. They talked about Lyn's time in Dawn Avengers, Cydney's life in Boston for the past two years, her various shopping trips with Millie (although Lyn had seen the way Millie spent on her shopping trips, so she was honestly wondering how Cydney was keeping up with all that) ...

And Lyn could see Cydney gradually opening herself up, just like that night after the sea-based quest in Portland, Maine. Every time Cydney gave her a genuine smile, her heart would flutter—and her heart had fluttered so much that Lyn was light-headed and breathless by the end of the night.

Soon, Lyn found herself back in front of the hostel, blissful, dazed, and satisfied.

Cydney opened the door to her room, before turning around. "Thanks, Lyn, for today," she said with a beam. "I had a great time."

"Same for me too." Lyn stuffed her hands into her pocket and pushed herself up with her feet. "So, erm, see you Monday, I guess? For our team meeting?"

"Yeah, I guess..."

A pause settled between them. Their eyes met and looked away, and met and looked away, until Lyn cleared her throat.

"Are you... going to sleep right now?" she asked, tilting her head to peer inside the room.

The petite woman opened the door a little more. "I'm sorry Lyn, I'd... I'd invite you in but... my place is too small. There's nothing in here other than some of my belongings and a bed."

Lyn frowned. She only managed to get a small peek into the place, and her heart was already crushed by its plainness and simplicity. Was that it? Was this all she was living with?

"It's okay, Lyn," Cydney explained. "I can't use basic magic so I can't operate the kitchens and bathrooms here anyway. That's why I live in this hostel, there's a common handicapped bathroom down the corridor that I use."

The explanation did not lessen Lyn's worry.

"Cinna." Lyn fixed her gaze on the pair of dark, round eyes. "Do you want to move in with me?"

Cydney stared back at Lyn incredulously. "Is this an American thing?"

"Huh?"

"We just had one date, and you're already asking me to move in with you?"

"Uh, n- no... It's a me thing..." Lyn's face flushed with embarrassment. She tried to amend her mistake by suggesting something else. "F- Forget that. Do- Do you want to come to my place tomorrow instead? For a- For a second date? I'll... I'll cook something for you."

"You know how to cook?"

"Yeah, of course! I've been living by myself since college, I'm very good at cooking."

Cydney's eyes lit up. "Sure! I'll see you tomorrow, then."

The door closed, and Lyn wasted no time in sprinting back home as fast as she could. She burst into her apartment and started emptying out everything in the kitchen.

"What the hell, Lyn?" Irene yelled from the living room. "You were gone the entire day, and then you come back and start messing up our place again? Just because you were on a date doesn't mean you're off your cleaning duties. Next time, you clean up after a party!"

Lyn did not bother replying to Irene as she continued looking through everything in the kitchen and mumbling out ingredients she needed to buy.

"Just what in the hell are you doing?" Irene walked over and peered exasperatedly over the kitchen counter.

"Taking inventory."

"What? Are you throwing a dinner party or something? Goddamn it, Lyn, I just want a clean apartment for more than a day, is that too much to ask?"

"I'm cooking for Cinna," Lyn answered with a wide, toothy grin. "She's coming over tomorrow, so I'm gonna bake her cookies, make her some fresh pasta, make her some soup... I'm making her everything I know, Irene, I'm pulling all the stops."

"Oh, okay." Irene's anger dissolved instantly. "Wow, your date must have gone really well, huh. Are you guys officially dating now?"

"Erm, I don't know, maybe?"

"Maybe?"

"Well, we went out on a date today, but we didn't kiss or anything, and to be honest, I'm still not a hundred percent sure if she's into me, but it doesn't matter, she's coming over tomorrow, it's going to be our second date, and I'm going to cook for her." Lyn rambled on like a little kid, brimming with excitement.

Irene stared at Lyn in complete bewilderment.

"I don't get it. You people are so weird." She shook her head. "Whatever, I'm going to sleep. Have fun, or whatever."

With that, she left her overly enthusiastic friend alone in the kitchen.

Lyn began to chop up some vegetables while humming, all the way into the dead of the night.