20: Fairy Tale

It was safe to say that the next morning was no longer awkward between us. No words were spoken between us as we got ready for work but were instead replaced by smiles and little kisses here and there.

Last night after the castle, we were both exhausted from the day's events. The party had tired us out, so we went straight to sleep, cuddling in each other's arms. This time, waking up in Jason's arms was a very welcome sight.

Today, it was back to normal as we had to go into the office to continue with our work. As much as I would have loved this to have been a holiday, this was still a work trip, and work still had to be done.

Luckily, the office was flexible in what time we came in today, considering it was a late night for everybody. Walking into the office, it was obvious that most staff were glad for the flexible hours. The once bustling office was now still. Most people had arrived, but there were several coffee cups lying around, everyone still feeling the effects of last night.

I knew that if I sat anywhere near Jason, I would get distracted, so I purposefully sat away from him, Jason's pout making me rethink my decision, as I knew I would have had a lot to catch up on . "Hey, don't give me that look. I need to get my work done. We can meet up at lunch" I scolded, smiling at the same time.

"Fine" Jason huffed "I get it. My good looks can be distracting"

"Don't forget, I have that video of you twerking" I smirked.

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going" he chuckled, raising his hands in defence.

At least I got one distraction out of the way, the other one I wasn't too sure about. My desk was facing the window, right in the eyeline of the castle. Today was a beautiful day, rare, according to Aisha. The bright blue sky highlighted the castle on top of the rocks it sat upon. Maybe knowing I would be visiting the castle later today would allow me to concentrate on my work.

It worked to some extent but there were times when my attention would be taken by the magnificence of the castle. Before I knew it, it was lunch time and Jason was by my side in a flash "Ready for lunch milady"

"Someone's eager" I laughed.

"I'm just hungry"

We walked outside, the nice cool breeze refreshing, as we went down to a local café not too far from the office to have our lunch. The café bustled with the lunchtime rush, reminding me of the café back home.

"How quiet is the office today?" Jason laughed as he took a sip of his coffee.

"I guess everyone is still slightly hungover. You can hear a pin drop in that office"

"Seems like everyone had fun last night. I know I did" he smiled.

I smiled, the memories of last night flooding back. I think if there was one word to describe last night, it would be magical. My heart fluttered as I watched Jason smile across from me. Never in a million years did I ever imagine that I would feel the way I felt about Jason, but for some reason, it happened, and I couldn't have been more elated about the whole situation.

"So, are you ready for tonight?" Jason asked. Tonight, we were planning to finally explore Edinburgh castle. We only had a couple more days here and were planning to explore as much as possible before we left.

"I'm looking forward to it. It'll be nice to finally see the inside of the castle this time" I joked.

Everyone else had their own plans in the evening, leaving Jason and I to explore the castle. I was kind of glad for that, as that meant I had some alone time with Jason. We entered through the archway, the Scotland coat of arms atop with the flags swaying in the wind.

"Can you imagine what it must have been like all these years ago, with kings and queens and servants and court jesters?" I asked as I looked around in awe of my surroundings.

"I think it would have been fun to be a king and have a queen by your side"

"I don't think kings were particularly kind in those days. I'll stick to being my own boss queen" I laughed as we entered the courtyard of the castle. The cobbled ground and the large building looming over us, made me feel like I had been transported back to the medieval times.

As we explored the castle, we discovered so many facts, such as King James VI was crowned king at only thirteen months old, and that pirates and prisoners were captured and held below Crown . Jason's hand was in mine the whole time, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

We walked up the many stairs to the castle until we reached the top, cannons placed inside the walls, showing the wars and fights that happened before. The green hills of Edinburgh could be seen ahead, the sun from the bright sky above bouncing of the green grass.

I sighed and laid my head against his shoulder as we took in the view "This is beautiful"

"Not as beautiful as the view I'm looking at" he smirked, looking down at me.

I could feel myself blush and buried my face further into his shoulder, his chuckle vibrating through me as he kissed the top of my head. The feeling of being with Jason was surreal, but it felt so right.

It seemed like we weren't the only ones that were feeling the magic of Scotland. Couples around us were all cuddled up, like penguins warming up in the cold, holding hands and laughing with one another. On any other day, seeing couples all loved up would annoy me, but today, with me being all loved up myself, I was happier than ever at the sight of love.

One couple were even more loved up than the rest, as the guy dropped down to his knee, pulling a ring out of his pocket as he proposed to his girlfriend. I gasped as I waited for his girlfriend's answer. She gasped herself and squealed as she said yes. I couldn't help but smile myself as I watched them hug and kiss.

"Awwww, that's so romantic" I cooed, watching as he placed the ring on his girlfriend's finger.

"I suppose there is nothing more romantic than proposing at a castle" Jason smiled "Its one way of showing you'll be king and queen forever"

"That's a nice way to put it" I smiled.

"But super cheesy" Jason rolled his eyes. I couldn't help but laugh. Of course, it was too good to be true that I could imagine that Jason would be a complete romantic.

But that didn't stop him from spending all his time with me during the rest of the week. We explored as much as we could in the little time we had left. After work, we would go out for walks, being tourists in the city of Edinburgh. I couldn't stop smiling all week being with Jason. Paris may be the city of love, but Edinburgh was a place of magic. There was so much to see and do, such as the Elephant House café which Aisha had recommended, The National Museum of Scotland and Camera Obscura just to name a few.

But all too soon the fairy tale had to end and our last night arrived all to quickly. I woke up that morning feeling completely dejected and Jason could sense my change in mood. "Hey, why the long face?"

"I've just loved being here and I don't want to go back yet" I sighed.

Jason smiled, moving a strand of my hair and kissing me lightly on the lips. "I know, but we've got to go back eventually"

"Can I not just stay here forever?" I say burrowing further into Jason's chest, holding on to him and not letting go.

"I wish we could but first we've got to get to work" I groaned as Jason laughed, dragging me out of bed to get ready for work. "How about we go out for dinner tonight? Sort of like a date?"

"A date?" I smiled.

"I knew that would get a smile out of you. Right, lets get to work, you're going to make us late" he laughed, as he pushed me to get ready for work.

All day, I had been looking forward to my dinner date with Jason. As I got ready, I was glad Liz convinced me to pack in another dress, it came in handy. Thinking of Liz made me feel guilty. What would happen after we left here? What would Liz say once she found out about Jason and me? I didn't want to think about it anymore. I had a few more hours of freedom with Jason before we had to head back home, and I was going to enjoy it.

My white maxi dress flowed down to my ankles, the black floral patterns detailing the dress making my black hair stand out. I smiled in the mirror, my makeup light and my cheeks flushing pink at my excitement of tonight.

There was a restaurant not far from us, so I didn't have to worry about walking too far in my heels. The restaurant was cosy, with a fireplace at one end of the room lighting up the place. We were seated at a booth and I smiled, seeing Jason sitting across from me, not quite believing the situation I was in.

"What are you smiling about?"

"What's there not to smile about? I've had the best week of my life in the most amazing country and to end it off, I'm having dinner with the most amazing person ever"

Jason took my hand in his, leaving a small kiss on it and continued to hold my hand until our dinner arrived. "You're pretty amazing too. I'm glad I'm here with you".

Our dinner arrived not long after, and we didn't hesitate to dig in.

"Who would have thought we would be here, on a date, the two of us?" I shook my head.

"I never thought it would happen either but that night at the club changed everything"

I smiled, thinking about that crazy night. All I was doing that night was protecting my best friend so she could have her chance at true love, not knowing that by doing that, I was also pursuing my own true love. Did I say love? I shook my head and took a bite of my dinner, trying to shake that thought away.

"It really did. It was just so weird at first. I mean, you're my best friends' brother. My head was screaming that something like this could never happen."

"So, what changed?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

My face flushed just thinking about it. Opening up to Jason was making my heart thunder, but there was no one else I felt more comfortable talking to. "The basketball game. I think that's when I knew that I couldn't just look at you as my best friends' brother. That night made me question everything I ever believed in and I couldn't think straight after. I can't describe it but being with you now, everything makes sense and I can't imagine my life being any other way"

Jason grinned, his smile causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach. "You've been in my life for as long as I can remember. You've been my little sisters annoying best friend and, to be honest, I would get excited every time you came to our house. All this time, I've been looking for the one and she's been right under my nose this whole time"

I giggled like a little schoolgirl. I didn't know I needed someone like Jason to complete my life. I felt like I was living a fairy tale right now. I was on cloud nine and I couldn't have been happier than I was now.

Our dinner date soon ended, and we headed back to the hotel. I sighed as we walked in, knowing this would be the last night I would be able to spend with Jason without Liz and everyone else knowing our secret.

"What's going to happen when we go back?" I asked, my heart plummeting at the thought.

Jason sighed and shook his head "We don't need to think about that just now. Let's just enjoy what time we have left together" he said, placing his hand on my cheek and kissing me.

I stray tear slid down my cheek as I wrapped my arms around Jason, pulling him closer, intensifying the kiss. He was right, I didn't need to think about the future. I had to think about the here and now and right now all I wanted was to be with Jason.

Jason moved us closer to the bed, placing me gently down as he looked down at me, wiping my tear away. "We're going to make this work; I promise you this Rosie"

I smiled, stroking his cheek. "I'll do whatever it takes to make this work too" I said, reaching up to kiss him.

The kiss was intoxicating, and I wanted more. I ran my hands through his hair, forgetting about everything back home and focusing all my attention on Jason.

Jason's lips moved from my mouth and made its way to my neck, leaving a trail of butterfly kisses down my neck. I sighed, wanting more. I grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. I bit my lip as I placed my hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

Jason smirked down at me and I didn't have time to feel embarrassed about anything as I rushed to take my own dress off. Jason chuckled, seeing me struggle as I waddled around the bed like a fish out of water. All I knew was that I needed Jason more than I had ever wanted anyone in my life.

Jason placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me from scrambling about the bed, and lifted me back up, pulling the zip at the back of the dress with ease, not taking his eyes of mine. My heartbeat picked up with each millisecond his hand slowly moved down my back. I simpered, eager to get the dress off.

With a little help from myself, I shimmied out the dress until it fell to the ground, discarded like old trash. I smiled as Jason looked down at me appreciatively, biting his lip as he glanced over me, making my stomach swarm with butterflies at his intense gaze.

I couldn't hold back any longer and placed my arms around his neck, kissing him as if my life depended on it. Jason sighed into the kiss and placed me gently back down onto the bed like I was fine china.

His smile above me was what I wanted to see for the rest of my life, I didn't want this night to end. My thoughts blurred as we ended this perfect fairy tale night.

The next morning on the plane ride home, it was a completely different feeling than when we first arrived. Whereas before, the plane was full of life and excitement, it was now filled with silence. I think everyone was feeling the effects of leaving an amazing place. Either that, or everyone was just tired.

I myself couldn't get to sleep, thinking about what was waiting for us once we got home. I held on tightly to Jason's hand just as tight as he held mine. No words were spoken between us as I laid my head against Jason's shoulder. I didn't know what was going to happen between us back at home. Would things still stay the same? I knew I would find out soon enough...