Dancing Days

by Val St. Crowe

  * * *

  Sawyer pulled bundled-up fabric out of a bag. He’d just bounded into the tweens and rebels enclave. The big feast and dance was set for that evening, and the sculpture of Catling was prominently displayed around the main fire pit. Nora had just gotten back from helping to make sure it was set up properly. Sawyer handed the fabric bundle to Nora and then pulled out another one to hand to Maddie. He had a huge grin on his face.

  “What is this?” Nora asked, unrolling the fabric.

  “They’re just a little something I made the past couple of days,” said Sawyer. “For you two. For the dance tonight.”

  It was a dress. It was made from the same fabric that the snow clothes had been made from, but Nora’s was a light blue and Maddie’s was deep mulberry. The sleeves, collar, and skirt were edged with fur. The bodice was crisscrossed with dark ribbon. “It’s beautiful,” said Nora.

  “I figure you should be able to size it with the ribbon,” said Sawyer. “I couldn’t measure you guys if I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “Sawyer you made this?” said Maddie.

  He nodded. “Well, yeah. It’s the winter dance. You need new dresses, right?”

  “Thank you,” said Nora. She’d never gotten a present from someone that the person had actually made himself.

  Sawyer shrugged, looking a little self-conscious. “You may or may not have noticed, but I’m not exactly the most popular person around here. The past couple of days, you’ve been hanging out with me, and...well, I wanted to say thank you.”

  “None of us are popular,” said Nora. “Are you kidding?”

  And then there was a lot of hugging. While Nora was squeezing Sawyer, he managed, “Don’t get too excited. I mean, you haven’t seen my dress yet.”

  As the sun began to set, pouring purples and reds over the white snow, they all retreated into their tents to get ready for the dance. Nora was pleased that the dress fit perfectly, but she wasn’t exactly surprised. After all, here in Helicon, things seemed to work out that way. She sat on her hammock, combing her hair and petting Catling, who was purring away in her lap.

  Someone pulled aside the opening of her tent. “Nora?”

  “Come in,” she said, thinking it was Sawyer come to see how well his dress fit.

  But instead it was Owen.

  She scrambled off the hammock, knocking Catling askew. “Owen. Hi.”

  Owen was taking in her dress, which hugged her torso and hips, but flared elegantly around her feet. “You look amazing.”

  Nora wasn’t sure if Owen had ever complimented her appearance before. Their relationship had not been a typical one. He’d never asked her on dates and she’d never pined away while watching him from afar. They’d always been...together. So she found herself blushing to know that Owen liked the way she looked. She smiled shyly, twisting back and forth so her skirt flared out a little. “Thanks.”

  “I saw your sculpture near the fire pit. It looks great.” He walked across the tent to her, brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. “You’re in your element here, you know. You’re a muse. You’re stunning. You’re not my little Nora anymore.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m the same as always,” she said.

  “No. I’m in awe of you.” When he kissed her, she let him tug her body tight against his. She breathed in the familiar scent of him, feeling safe and protected.

  “Owen,” she murmured into his lips.

  He kissed her forehead, his breath tickling her skin. “You’re happy, aren’t you? In Helicon, I mean?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said. “Thank you for getting us here. I almost didn’t believe anymore. I didn’t think we’d get here. And now that we are, everything is too perfect to be real.”

  “That’s all I ever wanted for you.” He slid his hands over her arms, settling at her fingertips, grasping her hands with his own. “It was my fault you were taken away. I wanted to make it right. To bring you back. We were only kids then, you know. I had no idea that I’d start feeling like this about you. That I’d fall in love.”

  She smiled at him. “How could you?”

  “I’m sorry about the other night. I never wanted to pressure you or anything like that. If I made you feel uncomfortable, that was the last thing I meant. You believe that?”

  She did. “Of course I do. And someday, Owen, we will. We’ll make love. Because I love you too.”

  He smiled too. “Okay, then. So, will you come to the winter dance with me?”

  She laughed. “Like you had to ask.”

  And his lips met hers again. They sent shivers all through her body, and she clung to him. Owen. Her Owen. Her everything.