“I heard it wasn’t, but I didn’t believe anyone.”
“Well, you know now.” Charlie brushed my hair back. “Does everything feel all right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Just checking.” He got up and threw the condom away before he disappeared into the next room. He came back with a bottle of lotion and a snack.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Aftercare.” Charlie handed me a package of cookies. “I’d give you water, but we don’t have any.”
He uncapped the lotion and began rubbing it on my back. It felt so relaxing.
“You just come up with this?” I asked.
“I considered it often, a long time ago back when we were together.” Charlie worked on getting a knot out of my shoulder. “It was one of those scenarios I ran through in my head, trying to figure out what would make it best for you.”
I nibbled on a cookie. “That is seriously so sweet.”
“I figured it’d be one of those things that’s important for us.” Charlie massaged my entire back, my ankles and my feet while I had the rest of my snack. When he was finished, I was completely boneless on the bed and feeling totally blissed-out. Charlie covered me up with the blanket, wrapping it closely around me.
“Aw. You’re tucking me in.” I smiled.
“You should feel loved.” Charlie slid in beside me and wrapped an arm around my front. I held on to it, kissing his fingers.
“I do. I really, really do.”
I didn’t think he had any idea how much this meant to me. This day had started out with so much fear, but I wasn’t afraid of anything anymore. How could I be afraid when I felt this much joy?
Charlie was everything I wanted, and this marriage was a brand-new start for us. If this was just the beginning, I couldn’t imagine how wonderful the rest of our lives would be.
* * *
I didn’t think I’d ever been happier. The rest of October felt like a dream. Charlie and I couldn’t be kept apart. We spent every moment together when we weren’t forced to go to class, writing songs or lounging in bed.
The security I felt from our relationship was the best part of it all. I had someone who loved me and took care of me, and I could do the same for him.
I woke up on Halloween morning to an empty spot beside me. I momentarily panicked, wondering where he’d gone, but my heart settled when I watched him walk in moments after I sat up.
“Hey. Where’d you go?” I asked.
“I just had to go to the infirmary before class,” Charlie said.
“Are you okay?” I felt a thin icy veil of fear settle in around me.
“I’m fine. I got a prescription for birth control, since you can’t be on it,” Charlie said.
“They have that for guys?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah. The Institute only prescribes them for married inmates, though,” Charlie said. “It’s magical. Don’t really understand how it works, but if it does the job, I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“You’d do that for me?” So many guys would refuse to take birth control. They’d make their girlfriends do it.
“I’m doing it for us. We don’t know if we want to start a family, and we definitely can’t do that here,” Charlie pointed out.
I was undecided on kids. That was a big step, and with how severe my bipolar was, I secretly feared what kind of mother I’d be. “But don’t you want heirs?” My gut sank thinking of Charlie’s stupidobligationto the throne.
“Gotta find the Elves first, and save them after that,” Charlie said. “Not like we can have a baby running around the Institute, and I don’t think either of us want to end up like Opal.”
