CHAPTER 39: THIS IS LOVE

"You have a big heart, Lloyd. You always have. Since we were kids, and you were giving your food and snacks away to the other kids, to the early days of our adventuring careers, when you were giving your money away to townspeople in need. When you care, you care." Lyra held me closer. "That’s what I love about you, Lloyd."

"I love you too, Lyra," I replied, tone soft.

Lyra patted my shoulder a few times before standing to her feet, positioning herself in front of me. I tried to stand to join her, but she pressed down on my shoulders, leaving me there on the bed.

"It’s because you’re in love with Isobel that things don’t have to go as far as we probably think they will. She’s obviously upset with you, but remember, we haven’t gotten a single knock on the door from the Adventurer’s Guild telling us the sale is over. Isobel hasn’t even come by to slip any sort of formal sheets under the door. That means we have an opportunity to turn things around!" Lyra smiled. "Sure, things might feel bad, but we aren’t at rock bottom just yet. I know you saw that look she gave you last night before she closed the door." Lyra’s voice was slightly accented in a way to imitate Isobel. "Lloyd, I’m still mad at you, but you’d better break this door down and tell me how much you miss me or we’re over!"

"Is that... how you interpreted that?" I asked, a flicker of hope kindling in my heart.

Lyra smiled. "I’ve read enough romance novels in my free time to know that’s exactly what that look was. You’re right to have corrected me. Isobel Greaves is not the Demon Queen. She’s just an angry, scared, lonely young woman. You were, for a period, her comfort. Even if she’s angry at you, she’ll want that comfort back."

"So, what should I do?!" I asked, rocketing up from the bed.

Lyra laughed. "I missed this side of you. Isobel might like having you as her comfort, but I love being yours

. Don’t you go replacing me with her, okay?"

"I won’t, I promise."

"Good," Lyra spoke softly. Her eyes shifted to something I couldn’t quite describe for a split second before returning to the comforting expression they’d just been. "Honestly, I don’t think it’s that complicated. Isobel’s clearly a lover girl. Sweep her off her feet. That’s probably all you need to do."

"I’m not that kind of guy, Lyra."

Lyra crossed her arms before giving me an incredulous look. "Your relationship started because you swept her off her feet. We literally wouldn’t be in this situation if you hadn’t done that. Twice, I might add!"

"Both times she was in a mood. Plus, it wasn’t me intentionally trying to sweep her off her feet. It was all just ’Adventurer Flirting’. You know the kind. ’You look as gorgeous as ever, ma’am.’ ’You don’t look a day over thirty.’. The reputation boosters. I may as well have been reading from a textbook!"

"Even if you were, that didn’t matter to Lyra, because it was all coming from you. Besides, circumstances have changed significantly, haven’t they? Back then, Isobel was yet another woman. Sure, there was a desire to keep her from becoming the Demon Lord, but I don’t think it was love at first sight, right?"

"It wasn’t. I always found her attractive, but I wasn’t in love with her."

"Exactly! Now that you’re in love, you don’t have to read from the ’How to Make People Like You’ playbook anymore! You have memories now! Inside jokes! Experiences you can refer to! Things to say to her that no one else can!" Lyra narrowed her eyes, giving me a somewhat mischievous look. "If anyone can sweep her off her feet, it’s the man she’s so obviously in love with."

"Y-you think she is...? Still?"

"Again, Lloyd. The look last night. She’s madly in love with you, dude." She playfully jabbed my shoulder. "You’re a cute kid. I can’t see why she wouldn’t."

I blushed, finally allowing myself to latch onto the thread of hope that Lyra had provided me with. Maybe it was delusion to think that Isobel felt about me the way I felt about her, but as long as the possibility of it being true existed, I was going to see this thread through to the end, no matter what.

"What should I do? She said she had a busy day today..."

Lyra paused, considering. "I’m fairly certain that’s a lie. Sort of. Isobel’s calendar mentioned that she had to go to the library to read a few specific books. If I had to put money on it, I’d say she’s there now. That was the only thing listed, though, so if she isn’t at the library, she’s probably back at the House preparing for... something."

"I should leave now, then!" I shouted, hurrying for the door.

"Wait!" Lyra shouted back, grabbing my forearm before I could leave. "Just so we’re on the same page, we need to be clear on what’s about to go down between you two."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You can’t just go there, say sorry, then come back. You’re going to have to explain everything to her, Lloyd." She stepped closer, her face darkening slightly. "Everything."

The words hung in the air for a long moment before I spoke up. "Are you... comfortable with that?"

Lyra shrugged. "She already heard the annotated version. She may as well get the full story, and I imagine you’ll be a better storyteller than I. Especially when it comes to the whole ’killing her’ thing."

"And what if she doesn’t believe me? What if she thinks I’m a lunatic and wants nothing to do with me?"

"We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it, Lloyd. For now, let’s hope that she does believe you." Lyra smiled wide. "Now, get out there and flirt like your life depends on it, because, in a way, it does!"

I laughed softly, that gnawing pain in my chest fading even further. "I’ll try, Lyra. Thank you for this. Truly."

"Anything for my Big Brother~"

"Wouldn’t it be little brother? I’m younger than you."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "You ruined it. The inside joke is dead." She pushed me towards the door. "Get out."

"Aww, don’t be like that! It was just a question."