Page 100 of Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling

Yobani: And Regeldan, he just knew that if he could make this Delia love him, everything would be all right. All his problems would be gone.

Greg: So he ventured deep into the Fungaloid Cave to retrieve a fabled greatsword.

Yobani: With that, he battled the crooked, warty dwarf, Dickilus, in order to cross the great underground city of Khindarul.

Greg: From there he traveled to Delia’s kingdom, dodging cloud giants and diatrymas, and when he arrived, he could hear the notes of her beguiling ballads trickling down from her tall tower. And well, why don’t you tell us what happened next, Regeldan?

Reggie: Standing there at Delia’s tower, Regeldan—or I guess...Istarted feeling really unsure about this whole quest. What would this beautiful and brilliant bard want with a lowly elf like me? So at the last minute, I cast a spell—

Greg: The shapechange spell.

Reggie: Yeah, the shapechange spell, which cloaked my true form from Delia, making me look bigger and stronger and more impressive than I actually was.

Yobani: Homeboy was looking like a buffed-up dragonborn!

Reggie: But as soon as I presented myself to Delia and told her the tale of how I came to be here in front of her, offering my undying love, she wasn’t fooled by my spell. You see, she had truesight—a rare ability that allowed her to see through all illusions. And once she realized my deception, she rightfully sent me away.

Yobani: Regeldan had to work on himself, because no girl is about to like an elf pulling all this smoke-and-mirrors BS!

Greg: And so our hero returned to his kingdom, his quest unfulfilled.

Reggie: I thought I needed to be perfect, the ideal. I thought I would never be enough for Delia as Iam, but in trying to deceive her, I robbed her of the chance to make her own decision. I treated her as a prize instead of as her own individual. And I was wrong, so wrong. I know that now. I’m ready to be authentic. I’m ready to give Delia all that she deserves.

Darren Lumb: So Regeldan, er, Reggie... it sounds like you really love this girl, don’t you?

[long pause]

Reggie: I do. I really do. And, well, if she’s listening. I want to say—I know I might not deserve it, but I hope you’ll let me prove that to you. I’m so sorry, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes. And if there’s even a small chance that you might feel the same... well, you can step outside.

Delilah

I look at Georgia, silently asking her,Does that mean what I think it means?

She smiles brightly, clapping her hands and nodding fast. Mom and Andre are now staring at me with the same, if not more, interest than they gave that weird Netflix movie.

“Lilah-girl... uh, what was that?” Mom asks.

Andre points to the door. “Are you gonna go outside? ’Cause I’m about to go outside.”

I slowly stand up, but then I’m speeding to the door. I have a fleeting thought that maybe I should change out of the matching Black Santa pajamas that we’re all wearing, but it’s too late. I’m already out the door, down the first set of steps to the landing overlooking the courtyard.

And that’s when I see Reggie. Or at least I think it’s Reggie. It’s hard to tell at first, because it’s dark, but also because the figure standing below looks like... an elf?

But then the elf smiles that nose-wrinkling smile that makesmy insides flip and flutter.

“I did that!” Georgia calls from behind me. “Well, me and Harold in the costume department.”

“I don’t get it. Why is this boy dressed like that?”

“Just go with it, Annie!”

Before I even make the conscious decision to do so, I’m running down the rest of the steps until I’m standing in front of Reggie. Or Regeldan.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“That was really... something.”