After closing the door Arstel flopped down onto the guest bed with a soft groan. What is he doing? He should know better, and she was right. It wasn’t moral to pursue a married woman, whether in jest or otherwise. He had seen her only as a fascinating companion at first, one who could help him learn about the world outside of his, but he couldn’t deny how his heart fluttered when she became flustered. He found himself smiling again, remembering how her face brightened when he kissed her fingers, how her heart pounded. How she opened up to him a little bit, and had let him hug her.

And then he frowned. This really wasn’t his intention. She is human, and he...it’s unheard of for his kind to have such companionship with humans. There were too many secrets to keep, too many she can’t ever know. But he found himself wanting to tell her all of them someday. And her husband...he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt her, or be any amount of unkind to her. And if he ever saw her with an injury...something burned hot inside of him at the thought. He might just lose his mind if that ever happened.

He turned over and breathed, trying to calm down, and then sighed. “What are you doing, Arstel?” he murmured to himself as his father snored softly on the other side of the wall.