by Sable Sylvan
For dessert, there was gelato in traditional Italian flavors, but the twist was each flavor was based on an Italian dessert or beverage. There was a tiramisu gelato with chocolate powder, pieces of lady fingers, and real rum with a hint of coffee that Sage allowed Clove to try, thinking the rum and coffee would balance each other out as a depressant “downer” and a stimulant “upper.” There was limoncello, made of course with real limoncello from the Naples region, containing real Sorrento lemon zest with a sugar cane based simple syrup. There was one based on the traditional beverage carcadè, an herbal tea consisting of a hibiscus tea base with lemon and sugar added. There were rose hips and rose petals added to give the herbal tea a more layered floral and fruity taste. There was even a panettone inspired gelato, somewhat like cookie dough ice cream, based on the panettone fruitcake, which has less fruit than the English fruitcake, suspended in a vanilla flavored cake. This gelato tasted like a mix between cookie dough ice cream and birthday cake ice cream because it had a cake flavored base, but there were bits of panettone mixed in the gelato, along with amaretto.
Ordinarily, the amount of rum and amaretto in gelato would not be enough to get anyone drunk. However, the chef had not used artificial flavorings and had been quite…generous with the amount of alcohol used in the gelato, using high quality (and high alcohol content) spirits because cost was not an issue (after all, this was Bonimolean). Sage kept bringing Clove dishes of the tiramisu and panettone gelato and soon enough, Clove was a lot more relaxed and shut up about his thesis.
The dining hall was filling up, so the trio took the lift upstairs to their living room and finally opened their packages.
Each of them had received a care package from Alice and Herb. Inside the care package was the brand-new sauce that Alice and Herb had been working on. It was their new ‘No Bullshizz’ sauce, made with adobo chipotles! Extras had been included so they could share with friends. Sage intended to give one of his extras to Maggy to thank her for the earlier favor. After all, she wasn’t exactly supposed to give Sage the packages intended for Clove, but…she was a family friend, and she did know best, even if administration fought her on it all too often. Addy put one of hers aside to give to Minnie as a thank you gift for studying French with her and tolerating her awful conjugations.
Abigail had sent Clove a special care package, so Clove took that to his room, along with the book he ordered, and after opening his packages and sending Abigail a quick text to let her know he got the package, he hit the hay, without even getting changed into his pajamas!
Finally, there were two invitation envelopes, one for Addy and one for Sage. They had been mailed inside of sturdy plastic-lined mailers. Inside the mailers were the actual invites. They were black with silver gilded edges, with their names written in silver ink by a calligrapher by hand on the front of the envelopes.
“Is this what I think it is?” asked Addy.
“There’s only one way to find out,” said Sage.
The pair opened their envelopes. Inside were the invites to the Scoville Ball, with instructions as to time and place. There were also instructions for the pair regarding the private flight that would take them from London to Oslo.
“Holy heck,” said Addy. “I can’t believe the ball is in a few weeks.”
“I can,” said Sage. “It always is. It’s on my grandfather’s birthday.”
“His birthday?” asked Addy. “Do we need to bring a gift?”
“My grandfather is the kind of man that is notoriously difficult to buy a present for,” said Sage. “Don’t sweat it. I’ll ask Sabine to pick some stuff out.”
“No, whatever we give, it should be heartfelt,” said Addy. “Let me think about it, okay? There’s no rush.”
“Didn’t you just freak out about it being in a few weeks?” asked Sage, raising an eyebrow.
“It doesn’t take more than a few hours to figure out a good gift,” said Addy. “Trust me. I don’t know if you noticed but while us Quincy Sisters weren’t exactly poor before, we weren’t rolling in the dough, and we still had awesome birthday parties with great gifts. I can figure out something to give your grandpa. It’s no sweat. But…”
“But?” asked Sage.
“But I have never been to a ball,” said Addy. “I’ve never frikkin’ been to a dance before! If you haven’t noticed, I don’t exactly have a dancer’s figure.”
“Are you kidding?” asked Sage. “Nonsense. First off, I’m not gonna even start to unpack that last statement of yours. All I’ll say is, while you’re in Europe, we’ll have to see a certain ballet in Moscow, which happens to have a star dancer that you could share clothes with, if you catch my drift. There are curves to be found at the opera in Rome, and of course, the cabaret in Paris, where the gals are anything but tiny. Secondly, the ball is no big deal. You have clothes from Sabine, yes?”
“Yeah, but a ball means dancing. Does Sabine have some magical pair of shoes that will dance for me?” asked Addy. “Wait. Scratch that. We’re talking about Sabine. Of course she frikkin’ does.”
“All right, how about this,” said Sage. “If you haven’t noticed, music’s my thing.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean dance is,” said Addy.
“You know how I’m taking our English class because literature and music are kissing cousins?” asked Sage. “Well, all good dancers know about music…and vice versa. I’ll bet my bottom dollar that Mozart could waltz a mean Viennese.”
“A what now?” asked Addy.
“You have no frikkin’ idea what a Viennese waltz is?” asked Sage. “Maybe you are completely hopeless.”
Addy threw one of the throw pillows at Sage, who then tossed it back to her.
“Okay, I have a crazy idea,” said Sage. “You trust me?”
“I have to, don’t I?” asked Addy.
“You. Me. Dance practice,” said Sage. “My mother had me taking dance at an early age. I don’t do it regularly anymore, only a few times a semester.”
“Wow, a few times a semester,” said Addy. “Okay. Fine. I guess I trust you enough to let you be my dance teacher and my dance partner. So, where and when do we start?”
“My room, and now,” said Sage, getting up from the floor where he’d been opening his packages and taking Addy, who was sitting on the window seat, by the hand.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The roughness of the palm of his hand still shocked her. Sage was so warm and comforting now. He wasn’t the cold, cocky bastard she thought he’d be, even though he still dressed like one. She could barely recognize him…or herself. In a few short days, she’d felt more comfortable than she’d ever been before, in her own skin, in her environment, in her classes. She’d been worried about being bullied for being some no-nothing American human, but people had liked her, well, except for Georgina, but that was nothing.
Addy walked with Sage into his room.
“Sit,” said Sage. “And…give me a second.”
Addy sat down on the chaise. Sage pressed a button on his piano Addy hadn’t noticed before. It was black and blended in with the rest of the piano. The button opened a little compartment with buttons and a screen. Sage fiddled with them and then, started to play.
The song was not like the songs he’d played for her before. This was a song that was sweet, melodic, simple, but not saccharine and childlike. This song sounded familiar and made her feel unfamiliar things.
A white dress. She looked down and she was in a puffy white dress that made her look like a cupcake, with a toasted marshmallow topping, as the dress had gold sequins underneath a layer of white mesh and lace that was embroidered with flowers. On her feet was a pair of shoes that looked too fancy, tall but somehow easy to stand in, probably easy to walk in.
She looked up and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
There was an arch. The arch was made of white roses, a path of yellow rose petals leading to the archway, where there was one figure, wearing a white suit. The figure had hair lik
e spun gold with a streak of pure ebony, and his eyes were like two bright sapphire-blue topaz gemstones. He was reaching out to her.
Addy walked toward the figure slowly, but it felt like she was floating. She landed next to the blond man, who towered above her even in her heels, and he placed a hand on each side of her waist. She reached up to his shoulders, not just to see his face, but to hold her down and onto the ground because she felt as if she would just float away if he happened to blow on her neck a certain way.
The man leaned in and whispered, “It’s time for your dance lesson, my bride.”
“Bride?” asked Addy softly.
“But of course,” said the man. “Why else would you be wearing that dress?”
Addy was spinning, not like she was dizzy, but like she was dancing, moving and turning according to a rhythm that she could hear outside of her dream…
Sage got up, but the music kept playing.
“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” whispered Sage as he leaned in to take Addy by the waist.
“Wait, what?” asked Addy. “Huh?” Before she knew it, she was on her feet, and Sage was walking with her, in circles, back and forth.
She wasn’t walking at all! She was dancing!
It was a simple two-step. The song was still playing, even though Sage was dancing with her.
“How is the piano still playing?” Addy asked Sage.
“It’s a player piano,” said Sage. “If I play a song, it can be set to play the song over and over. This song is Pachelbel’s Canon in D. It’s not a dancing song, but it’s got a simple rhythm, and it’s suited for a simple two step. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
Sage and Addy went back and forth, with Sage leading, turning Addy in a small circle as they danced.
“Hands here,” said Sage, gently taking one of Addy’s hands in his. Her hands had still been at her side. He kept her hand in his for a few steps, then put the hand on his shoulder, before repeating that with the other hand.
“So this is what it’s like, what dancing is like,” said Addy. “Doesn’t seem too hard.”
“This is a two-step,” said Sage. “But, of course, the steps are only half of the problem. Dancing in public is, as you Americans say, ‘a-whole-nother frikkin’ ball-game.’”
“I didn’t even think of that,” said Addy. “Way to psych me out.”
“We can keep practicing,” said Sage. “Or…”
“Or…?” asked Addy.
“You can go with me to the school dances,” said Sage. “There’s one every Friday, you know. The one this Friday will probably be a bit crowded, but usually, they’re not. They aren’t too popular, because of all the night clubs around here, but it’s a good way to get in some public dancing time. We can practice here or in a dance studio on campus after classes, too.”
“You’d do that for me?” asked Addy.
“But of course,” said Sage. “Herb said not to get you into any trouble…but my grandfather did say to show you a good time.”
“Of course,” said Addy. “So, this Friday, you’ll go to the dance you previously said you were too busy for?”
“Well, that was before I knew I’d have a date with you,” said Sage.
“A date?” asked Addy.
“A date,” said Sage. “Call it what you want, but what else do you call it when a drop dead gorgeous, curvy American girl and a polar bear shifter who can be more than a little bit grizzly go to a dance together? You’ve seen those teen romantic comedies. You know what this is…so you can either deny it, or accept it when you walk into that ballroom on my arm.”
“I guess it is a date,” admitted Addy, just as the song ended.
“Then I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow,” said Sage. “Don’t you have a class to get to?”
Addy looked at the clock. She only had fifteen minutes to get to class! Time had flown hanging around Sage.
“Shiz,” said Addy. “Yeah, I gotta get to class and do some studying tonight. But Sage…”
“Yes?” asked Sage.
“Thanks,” said Addy. “For everything. I’m sorry I judged you. I was wrong. I guess…I let my prejudice get in the way, and that’s something I’m not proud of.”
“It’s fine, get to class,” insisted Sage. “I’ve got classes tomorrow, but I’ll meet you at the ball. Eight-thirty sharp.”
Addy grabbed her bag and left to go to class, but as she walked through the halls, she almost found herself to be dancing. She’d never felt like this before. She’d never had a date before, but she wasn’t about to admit that to Sage. She’d always been too busy to date, but now that she’d made the time to get to know Sage, maybe it was time to get to know him even better.
Addy didn’t have classes on Friday so she spent Thursday night working on homework because she had to get the work that she would usually get done on Friday evening done early. After all, she had a date.
It was still making her heart race. A week earlier, if she had been told she’d be going on a date with Sage, she would’ve laughed, but now it just seemed like the most natural turn of events. He had a way of making her feel more alive and awake than she’d ever felt in her life.
Now the only question was, what the heck was she gonna wear?
It was Friday afternoon, and Addy was looking at her large closet, figuring out what the heck was appropriate to wear to the school dance. Was a tea dress too informal? Was a glitzy gown too formal? There were two people Addy texted.
The first was Sabine, whose advice was 1.) to go big or go back to Fallowedirt and 2.) for Addy to take some much-needed dance and etiquette lessons in preparation for the Scoville Ball. While the first was a friendly suggestion, the second was an order. Luckily, of course, Sabine had an in with a local etiquette instructor who lived in the town of Bonimolean proper and Addy would be able to attend the instructor’s lessons at night for the next few weeks in preparation for the ball.
The second person Addy texted was Minerva. She had classes all day, but when Minerva got out of class, she made sure to catch dinner with Addy and discuss the options. After dinner, they went to Addy’s room and looked through her closet.
“All this stuff is either too fancy or not fancy enough,” said Minerva. “Well…except for this. I don’t know why Sabine didn’t pack you more party clothes!”
“I might’ve insisted on plain clothes and told her I wouldn’t be going out much,” said Addy sheepishly.
“Okay, well, that means you’re going to have to wear this,” said Minerva. “This is your only option. Our bust sizes are different, so none of my outfits are gonna match yours.”
“This?” asked Addy, looking at the dress. “Isn’t it a little…revealing?”
“Trust me, if you don’t have the confidence to pull this off at a tiny school dance, how the heck will you have the confidence to pull off whatever Sabine sends you for the ball?” asked Minnie, a hand on her hip. “I’m not trying to bring the sass, girlfriend, but it doesn’t take a runologist to decipher the signs you two are sending to each other. You’re nervous about what Sage is gonna think of you in that, and let me tell you, girlfriend, he isn’t gonna care. He’s gonna be all about this outfit, but he cares more about what’s in here.” Minnie put her hand over Addy’s heart.
“What’s in my heart?” asked Addy.
“No, what’s in your dang bra,” said Minnie. “Sage loves a woman with curves. All shifters do. But I guess your heart’s fine, too. I don’t care about this inner beauty shiz. But I know Sage does.”
“You think so?” asked Addy. “I know that it’s awful to judge someone on their appearance, but I still can’t stop seeing Sage as a bad boy rock star.”
“How the heck can he be a rock star without an album?” asked Minnie. “I know my cousin, and I know he puts on this whole bad boy attitude, but trust me. Inside of him is a polar bear looking for his fated mate.”
“Woah, now, nobody said anything about fated mates,” said Addy. “Do you know something I
don’t?”
“I’ve said too much,” admitted Minnie. “But I can say this. Sage is serious about you. Has been since before you even got here. You’re all he talked about with me last semester. It got on that girl Georgina’s last nerves.”
“So those two, they’re not a thing?” asked Addy.
“No frikkin’ way,” said Minnie. “Here’s the deal with Georgina. The Rosettis are an old Venetian merchant family. They were running the Silk Road before Marco Polo was a sperm in his daddy’s ball sack. The Rosettis and the Scovilles go back because the Scovilles ran their spice on that road and of course, to run that road you needed to be allied with the Rosettis. Now, interestingly enough, the Scovilles did not practice diplomatic marriage. You don’t have to be a history major to understand how frikkin’ odd that is. Their rule has always been to only marry their fated mates. They don’t force a relationship with someone that isn’t their true love, no matter what. It’s weird among nobles, not that weird among shifters, but shifter nobles are a whole different thing entirely.”
“Okay, I follow so far, so how’s Georgina involved?” asked Addy.
“Georgina has had her eye on Sage since they were little,” said Minnie. “After all, the Rosettis and Scovilles and all the other noble families are still tight. You wanna hear a joke? Social mobility. Anyways. Sage has known since his mark appeared that Georgina was not meant for him and that he wasn’t meant for her. However, Georgina hasn’t let up the chase, and because she’s a Rosetti, Sage has to be polite to her…however, if she ever takes it too far, don’t worry. He’d deal with her.”
“So she doesn’t like me because she likes Sage and she thinks Sage likes me?” asked Addy.
