Music and Magic

He'd listen as she explained the situation, what her father might do if they'd kissed. "I'm sorry Lycia, this all must be really stressful for you," releasing her hand he'd wrap his arms around her in a hug." He wasn't sure what to do in this situation, princesses and kings were definitely new to him, so he was just following his good nature.

"I don't know how long it'll take for you to find your way home," he'd say, his arms still around her, "or how your father will react to things." He'd look at her, "and I know it all must be confusing, not knowing what to do."

Zeke would take her hands in his and give them a gentle squeeze. "So, if kissing might make trouble, then we'll wait for that," he like her to much to let not kidding be a problem. "Plus there's always the dream world," he'd say, blushing a little.

"Like I said, I don't know what's going to happen, but if you'll have me, I'll stick with you," he'd give her hands another squeeze, "we'll see together where this all goes."

Dating already seemed like a complicated thing, but he didn't mind, not even with further complications of royalty tossed in. He liked her, liked spending time with her, so he'd focus on that, deal with the other stuff as needed.

Yeah, ice cream sounds good," ending the hug he'd take her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "I know a place near here, has lots of different flavors, from all over the world," he wanted to do something to help her nerves, something she'd enjoy.

Zeke would start to lead her there, happy they'd figured some things out, even if they were still somewhat complicated. "Hey Lycia," he'd give her hand a gentle squeeze, "thank you for tonight, you're really fun to be around, I've been really enjoying it." It was the truth, despite what happened, it was the most fun evening he'd had in a long time.

He'd return the smile with one of his own, he wanted to make her happy, make her smile as much as possible. "All those cool exotic flavors from other countries," he'd say with a small grin, "and they give samples so you'll be able to try some before picking which ones you want."

Zeke would chuckle and blush when she purposely bumped into him. "And you're really kind," he'd say, his blush not being as bad. "I guess I developed a bit of a crush on you," he'd say, his blush again depending as he admitted it. He wasn't sure if she'd known, but he was ok sharing that information now.

The ice cream shop was just ahead, it had music playing and of course was decorated for Valentines Day. "Just ahead," he'd say with a smile, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as they reached the shop.

His face lit up with blush when she said she'd have already kissed him if she could. A tiny smile appearing on his face, the idea of a girl liking him that much was a nice thought. "Thank you Lycia," he'd gone from being isolated to dating someone.

Zeke would chuckle as the talked about the ice cream, she had an energy about her that was exciting. Her emotions were positive again. "Well, I like the ones flavored with pieces of exotic fruits," he'd name off a few of his favourites, "they also have some with different candies mixed in that's really good."

The young man would ask for a sample for Lycia, one of the exotic fruit ones. "Here, try this," it was sweet and tangy, "it's one of my favorites." He liked seeing her happy, liked feeling positive emotions coming from her.

He chuckled as the bits of ice cream flow about, one small piece landing on his cheek. "Careful Lycia," he'd laugh, "ice cream going everywhere." Grabbing a napkin he'd wipe hid cheek, "ok if I wipe it off your dress?" If she said yes he'd clean off the bits of ice cream, if not well it'd get washed off later either way.

"Yes let's try more," he'd get her samples of cookie dough next, "this is one of my favorites." Next he'd get her a sea salt caramel based ice cream, followed by butter pecan ice crea. "There's so many," he'd say with a chuckle, one of his arms wrapped around her as they moved from one flavor to the next.

"And once you've picked your ice cream you get to add extra stuff if you like," he'd smile, "sauces like caramel and hot fudge, also nuts and sprinkles." Seeing her face light up as they tried the various things was nice, it made him happy.