I couldn't help my face exploding into an irrepressible smile, and Parker mimicked me, his dimples softening by either side of his mouth. I wasn't sure what to say, my mind was overwhelmed with extreme joy. Was this really happening? Had I really made a crack deep enough in Parker's shell that he was going to let me inside? It felt like everything was right again, everything was how it was meant to be. We'd only spent a few months, a few very blissful months together, and now there was a chance to have it all over again, but in an even better sense: I wouldn't have to hide my love and adoration for him from other people, and now we had so much more time, with no tricksters like Heratio.
"So," I began, interrupting the comfortable silence. "What happens next?"
"Next, my sweet," said Parke
