New Rings

Chase and Chione strolled across campus, their hands intertwined as they talked and laughed. Chione was already deeply in love with him—there was no slow development here.

"Are you going to drop out?" Chase asked curiously.

Chione shook her head. "No. I'm going to switch my classes to Athena's so she won't be alone. Since you and Artemis have all the same classes, I figured we should too."

Chase smiled, his thumb gently caressing her small hand. His third wife was incredibly tiny compared to him. He watched as she licked her ice cream, completely absorbed in the simple pleasure of it. The sight of her pink tongue flicking over the vanilla treat sent an involuntary shiver through him. His mind wandered—what if the ice cream were something else? Would she react the same way? The thought made his body heat up, and he forced himself to focus.

Chione noticed his sudden change in demeanor and tilted her head. "Do you want some?" she asked, offering her cone.