My Ultimate OP System: Summoning All Dragons, Gods, Heroes & Villains-Chapter 44: First Kiss On Date Night

The first phase of the evening was the meal.

The waiters moved about elegantly, serving course after course.

Isabella took a bite of the roasted chicken and closed her eyes for a moment. "This is amazing."

Ethan grinned. "Glad you like it."

She opened her eyes and looked at him. Has anyone ever told you how good you look in a suit?"

She had meant to compliment him earlier, but the whole airship dinner had made her forget.

"Thank You." Ethan said, "you look absolutely beautiful in that dress"

Isabella smiled at the compliment. "Thank You"

They talked easily as they ate. About the Academy. About the ridiculous things some of their classmates did. About her friends, Esiyae and Marcus, and how chaotic they could be.

"Esiyae is convinced she’s going to get Cyran to ask her out by the end of the month," Isabella said, shaking her head with a smile.

"Cyran?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "The second year elf from the cafeteria?"

Isabella’s smile widened. "You noticed that?"

Ethan shrugged, trying to play it off. "Hard not to."

Isabella smiled again but said nothing more.

As the meal continued, their conversation flowed effortlessly. They laughed, they teased, and at one point, Isabella reached across the table to steal a piece of dessert from Ethan’s plate.

"Hey!" Ethan protested.

"You weren’t eating it fast enough," she said with a grin, popping it into her mouth.

Ethan shook his head, smiling. "Unbelievable."

——

After the meal, the waiters quietly cleared the table, and the two of them stood and walked toward the edge of the deck.

The city below them was vast and felt alive. The airship drifted gently through the sky, passing over rooftops, streets, and the glowing lights of homes and shops.

Isabella leaned against the railing, looking out over the view. "I’ve never seen the city like this before."

Ethan stood beside her. "Yeah. It’s different up here."

She pointed toward a cluster of lights in the distance. "That’s the palace. You can see the towers from here."

Ethan followed her gaze, then nodded when he confirmed.

They continued talking, pointing out different parts of the city. Isabella showed him where Ernie’s was, and Ethan pointed out the direction of his manor, though it was too far to see clearly.

At one point, Isabella turned to him and said, "You know, when you didn’t show up that evening, I thought maybe that was the end of our friendship"

Ethan’s expression looked amused as he shook his head in disagreement, "nah"

She smiled again, and after a brief pause they continued talking.

Their conversation flowing easily from one topic to another. At one point, Isabella laughed at something Ethan said, and without thinking, she placed her hand on his arm for balance as she leaned forward against the railing.

Ethan felt the warmth of her touch and found himself smiling even wider.

A few moments later, when the airship tilted gently with the wind, Isabella stumbled a bit. Ethan caught her by the waist, steadying her.

"Careful," he said.

She looked up at him, with their faces suddenly much closer than before. "Thanks."

She readjusted herself, but they kept talking, but the space between them had grown smaller. Every laugh brought them a little closer and every shared glance lingered a little longer.

At one point, Isabella turned to point at something else in the distance, and when she turned back, she found herself pressed lightly against the side of his chest.

She didn’t move and neither did he.

Their hands constantly found each other without either of them really noticing, and as the next set of laughter died down, they realized they were standing closer to each other than ever.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to fade.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Then that tension grew.

Isabella’s smile softened, and her gaze dropped briefly to his lips before returning to his eyes.

Ethan’s heart was pounding.

Right then, without thinking, without hesitation, they leaned in.

Their lips met in a deep, lingering kiss. It was soft at first, but then it deepened even more as Ethan’s hands moved instinctively, finding her waist and pulling her closer.

Isabella responded, raising both hands and wrapping them around his neck, drawing him in even more.

The kissing intensified as their tongues circled each other’s gently. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and his grip moved gently between her waist and ass.

Something just felt right about this very moment.

When they finally pulled back, they were both breathless.

Isabella looked at him and her cheeks flushed. "That was..."

"Yeah..." Ethan said.

She smiled, and he smiled back.

And as the airship flew through the night sky, neither of them said another word.

——

Eventually, the airship slowly circled back toward the dockyard.

Isabella, still leaning against his chest, let out a sigh. "I really don’t want this to end."

Ethan, his hand resting across her waist, replied, "Me neither."

She turned to him with a smile, then suddenly her eyes widened as if she’d just remembered something. "Oh no."

Ethan asked. "What’s it?"

"I sent my driver away," Isabella said, her hand flying to her mouth as she tried to stifle a laugh. "I have no way to get home."

Ethan smiled back, "Alright, hold on. I’ll fix this."

He scrolled through his contacts and tapped on Eduardo’s name. The line connected almost immediately.

"Master Ethan?" Eduardo’s voice came through.

"Eduardo, we’re heading back to the dockyard now. Can you meet us there and give us a ride to the palace?"

Eduardo replied, "Of course, Master Ethan. I’ll be there shortly."

"Thanks," Ethan said, then ended the call.

Isabella stared at him with an amused expression.

——

The SS Celeste descended gently back toward the dockyard. The landing was smooth, barely a jolt as the vessel touched ground.

Ethan and Isabella disembarked together, and sure enough, Eduardo was already there, standing beside the vintage car.

The moment Eduardo saw Isabella, he bowed slightly. "Good evening, Your Highness. It’s an honor."

Isabella smiled. "Good evening, Eduardo. And please, just Isabella is fine."

Eduardo nodded respectfully but didn’t say anything further.

Ethan walked over and opened the back door of the car for her. "After you."

Isabella gave him a playful look. "Such a gentleman."

Ethan grinned as she stepped into the car. He followed right after, sliding in beside her.

As the car began moving, Isabella let out a content sigh and leaned back into the seat. The wine from dinner had gotten the better of her, because after a moment, she let her head fall gently onto Ethan’s shoulder.

Ethan glanced down at her, smiled and just let her rest there.

From the front seat, Eduardo caught a glimpse of them in the rearview mirror and smiled a bit.

The ride back to the palace area was smooth and quiet. As they neared the palace, Isabella stirred slightly and lifted her head.

She blinked a few times, then looked at Ethan with a sleepy smile. "Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you."

"It’s fine," Ethan said. "You didn’t snore, so I’ll let it slide."

Isabella laughed and nudged him with her elbow.

When they reached a certain corner, right before the palace gates, Eduardo slowed the car to a stop. Isabella had asked him not to go any further, wanting to keep her movements as quiet as possible to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

She turned to Ethan. "Thank you for tonight"

Ethan only nodded in reply but still had that smile on his face.

She hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Goodnight, Ethan."

"Goodnight, Isabella."

She stepped out of the car and walked toward the palace gates. Just before she disappeared from view, she turned back and gave him one last smile.

Ethan watched until she was out of sight.

Eduardo waited a moment, then quietly drove away.

——

The ride back to the manor was quiet at first. Ethan sat in the back, staring out the window with a smile still on his face.

Then, suddenly, he remembered something.

Percival.

And his smile faltered.

He had just shared an intimate evening with the girl he was supposed to help his best-friend get.

He sighed and shook his head, knowing that was never going to happen now. Especially not after how this night went.

He couldn’t deny it anymore, He had feelings for Isabella.

His mind however couldn’t help but drift back to what Percival had said in the cafeteria earlier that day. "At this rate, I’ll never be able to get a chance with her."

Ethan sighed again, leaning his head back against the seat.

"I’m sorry, man," he muttered to himself.

Eduardo glanced at him in the rearview mirror but said nothing.

The car continued its smooth ride home.