"What the hell is a 'flower dance?'" I said, waving the envelope at Sam from the front door.
Ever since Sam realized that he could come here, instead of waiting for me to emerge from the farm, he practically hasn't left. For the past week or so, he's made himself quite at home—sleeping on my lumpy couch that is undoubtedly even more uncomfortable than my bed, and occasionally being helpful around the farm. Key word: occasionally.
"Oh!" Sam said, between mouthfuls of Cheetos. "It's an annual event down at Cindersap. The bachelors and bachelorettes all pair up, in these ridiculous outfits, and dance to some song."
I groaned. This is something that happens every year, and one day was the most notice Lewis could give me?
"So we can dance together, then?" I asked.
"No can do, Sadie," Sam said, with a sigh. "Penny and I have been dancing together since the dawn of time."
"Come onnnnn," I pleaded. "You can't leave me dateless!"
"You could dance with Alex."
"Who does Alex normally dance with?"
"Who do you think?"
"That's exactly why I can't," I said, rolling my eyes. "You can't dance with me, just this once?"
"Sadie, Pam will kill me if I leave Penny out to dry. She'd probably get Gus to poison my drink next time I hit the Saloon. You don't want that, do you?"
I crumbled up the invite, and threw it at his face. He laughed as it flew right by him.
"So what is this 'ridiculous outfit' you speak of?" I asked, already dreading the answer.
"Oh, shit," Sam said, sitting up abruptly. "You're gonna have to get Emily to tailor yours. I forgot you, like, just moved here."
I stared daggers at him, causing him to fidget uncomfortably until I looked away. "I think I'll just sit this one out."
"Sadie Simmons, no you will not," Sam huffed, launching himself off of the couch, grabbing me by the arm, and storming out of the front door.
Sam, although a string bean, was at least twice my size. Despite thinking that I was more muscular than him—thanks to the farm work—I was not doing a great job escaping his grasp. Practically dragging me behind him, my feet started touching the ground less and less as his stride began to speed up. The gentle breeze of the morning started to feel like a storm at sea—the sharpness of the air paralyzing me as we continued—now practically in a sprint.
"Where on earth are we going?" I choked out as the trees of Cindersap Forest whizzed by.
"Emily's, duh," Sam yelled breathlessly, taking an acute left turn after passing Marnie's ranch. I stumbled, struggling to keep up.
"Take it easy, up there!" I screamed, just as Sam came to a sudden halt in front of Haley and Emily's house.
"Shhhhh!" Sam hissed, cupping a hand over my mouth. "If my mom hears us out here, she's gonna want us to come over for dinner. Unless you want to be fishing all day trying to get a bass for her casserole, you better not let her hear you."
I stood straight up and flashed Sam a salute, earning me a slap on the arm. "Come on, dumbass. Let's get this over with—I'm choosing to spend a day with Haley for you. That means something."
I rolled my eyes at his comment, and knocked on the door. A pang of nervousness chimed in my stomach, maybe because I hadn't seen Haley since her birthday, or maybe because there was a chance Alex would be there, too.
"Sadie!" Emily exclaimed, as she opened the door. "What brings you by?"
"Emily," Sam exhaled as he pushed in front of me, still trying to recover from the run, "Sadie needs a flower dance dress."
"Oh!" Emily exclaimed. "Come in!" she said, walking towards the kitchen and gesturing for us to follow.
The sewing room was small—every nook and cranny occupied by some sort of cloth or thread. Unfinished pieces littered the area, the natural light reflecting off of their shiny fabrics and casting a colorful glow on the ceiling. In the middle of the room sat an elevated platform, which Emily instructed me to climb onto as she draped a long white gown over my head and reached for a measuring tape.
"Is that Sadie?!" A voice squealed. Haley quickly rounded the corner, her steps light and bouncy.
"Hi, Haley!" I grinned. "I've missed you!"
Jumping up and down, she wrapped her arms around my waist. Standing on the platform made me look like a giant in comparison to her.
"Sam," She said coolly, turning around to nod her head at him.
"Brat," Sam replied, mimicking her tone.
The two were locked in a staredown, until a smile started to creep onto Sam's face. From there, it didn't take long for them to erupt in laughter—Haley holding onto the wall for leverage.
"Wait..." I suddenly connected the dots. "You two are...friends?"
The howling continued, the pair wiping tears from their eyes as they turned around to face me.
"Sadie," Sam said, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. "Haley is an absolute bitch."
The two laughed again, and I couldn't believe that that comment didn't get Sam killed. "But yes, we are friends."
"But...what...What about...When you...It seemed like you guys hated each other?!"
"That's just how they act," someone said, the front door creaking open. "It's hard to stomach."
Alex's stroll was confident, his attention focused on me as he walked between Haley and Sam. Your presence is hard to stomach, I thought to myself as the lower half of my body erupted in butterflies.
"Oh, Alex!" Emily exclaimed, grabbing a pin that was delicately placed between her teeth. "I'm glad you're here. You remember how we had to alter Haley's dress last year?"
Alex simply nodded, his eyes tracing my body from the floor to my face.
"Would you mind helping me do that again? I need to get her shoulders pinned down, and we're kind of in a time crunch here."
As my cheeks began to heat up, I looked over at Sam, who gave me a glance that screamed good luck.
Before I could even interpret his expression, I felt the warmth of a third hand on my back. It swept my hair to the side, shooting a chill down my spine. His fingers, though strong, were gentle; after moving my hair, they traced my collar bone—landing on my bra strap.
Running his fingers underneath it, he leaned down to the table, where a collection of pins sat. I briefly noticed Emily doing the same for my right shoulder, but it paled in comparison to my left, which felt like someone had lit it on fire.
After the sleeves were mapped out, Emily thanked Alex for his help and moved downwards to pin my waistband.
"You cold, farm girl?" Alex snickered quietly as he passed me, his gaze fixated on the goosebumps that enveloped my arms.
I stayed silent, my whole body now feeling as if it were engulfed in flames. The sensation of Alex's touch lingered, his comment only heightening it. As he sauntered away to chat with Sam, the only thing I could think about was Emily's proposal. You remember how we had to alter Haley's dress last year? Would you mind helping me do that again?
I wondered if he touched Haley the same way he did me. Was this just commonplace for him? Was he flirting with me, or simply doing what Emily asked him to do? Would he dare do anything out of the ordinary with Haley sitting right there? My mind raced around the possibilities, simultaneously longing for him to touch me again.
"Oh, Sadie!" Haley called, snapping me out of the trance I was in. "You should sleep over here tonight! We can get ready together!"
I nodded, internally groaning at the thought of spending the day with both Alex and Haley. Despite valuing their presence separately, I knew that I was betraying Haley by feeling this way about Alex—and maybe even betraying myself by believing that his actions meant anything. Alex was a flirt, and everyone knew this—if he had any intention of committing to someone, he would've done it by now. Instead, here Haley and I are, both seemingly wrapped around his finger—and both left wondering.
The remainder of the day went by fast, consumed by Sam and Haley's usual banter, Alex and Haley's flirtatious dynamic, and my typical 'sitting and observing' gig. Every time Haley nudged Alex, hit him for a comment he made, or leaned over to rest some part of her body on some part of his, I could feel the lusting flame from earlier start to get hotter behind my eyes. I was a jealous wreck—I hated seeing them act like this, but I couldn't look away.
"Alright," Sam sighed, looking at the clock. 10:53 PM. "I haven't seen my mom in like, a week. I better get going."
"We haven't seen you in a week, either," Alex complained.
"Actually, I've seen quite enough of him," I said, giggling.
"Consider yourself lucky, Sadie Simmons. My time is a precious resource," Sam said back, pretending to flip his hair over his shoulder. Sam's final blow was a double middle finger, and with that, he was gone.
"I should get out of here too," Alex said, standing up. "I'll see you ladies tomorrow."
Nobody protested this time, and before I could blink, he too disappeared through the front door.
"So..." Haley started, wasting no time. "Are you and Sam, like..."
"No!" I blurted out, almost too fast. "Oh my God, no."
She flashed me a look that said bullshit, and I rolled my eyes. "Try having Sam as your roommate for a week, and then let me know if you could ever see him in that light. He's disgusting."
"Men," she shrugged, earning a laugh from me.
"Speaking of," I said, already hating myself for going there. "You and Alex?"
"I don't know, Sade," she sighed. For a second, relief washed over me—the uncertainty in her voice in combination with the nickname was...comforting?
"Why?"
"I don't know if I really like him, or if I just like the idea of him. I mean, we grew up together, so sometimes it feels like I could never see him that way. But then again, you're the first new face since he moved here, like, fifteen years ago. So my options are limited."
I nodded along, processing the meaning behind her explanation. "Has anything ever happened between you guys?"
"No," she said. "The most 'intimate' thing we've done is be partners for the flower dance, which was orchestrated by our families when we were, like, ten." She chuckled, and so did I.
"Emily must've really wanted you guys together, then, if she was setting you up at age ten."
"Oh, Sadie, no." Haley laughed. "My parents were here then—they were really close with Evelyn and George—Alex's grandparents."
I winced at the mention of Haley's parents, and regretted making the joke about Emily. I never even thought about who they were, or their potential whereabouts. To me, their family was just a family of two.
"Don't kick yourself for it," Haley said, sensing my concern. "Nothing bad happened to them. They're just traveling somewhere—they have to. For work."
I let out the breath I had been holding. "Where do they work?"
"Joja, like everyone else in this damn world." Haley huffed. "I'm glad you made it out. Most people never do."
She was right, and I knew it. Once you reached a certain point in the ranks, you stopped wanting to leave. That's what happened to Josh, and if I had clawed my way up the food chain, I would've probably stayed, too.
"So anyways," Haley said, clearing her throat. "Who are you going to dance with?"
"I tried to get Sam to. He said no."
"Because of Penny?"
"Yep."
Haley looked at me for a minute, seemingly pondering something. While she did, I examined her features—long blonde hair with every piece in place, blue eyes that you could get lost in. A rose colored tint slowly overtook her cheeks as the silence continued, causing her to eventually cover her face.
"God, Sadie, got a staring problem?" She giggled, throwing a pillow at me.
"Sorry," I said, snapping back to reality. "I zoned out."
"Dance with me." She said suddenly.
"What?"
"The flower dance. Sam might not be willing to ditch Penny, but I'm not willing to let you sit on the sidelines. Alex doesn't even like dancing. Nor is he any good at it."
I chuckled at the thought of Alex messing up the dance—a vision that somehow made him more charming. Before I could say anything, Haley sprung off of the couch, pulling me with her.
"One thing, though," she said. "You'll have to learn the guy's part."
Every waking moment from there on was used to teach me the steps. Similarly to Alex, I was not doing the best job retaining the counts. This persisted for the majority of the night, the song quickly becoming a headache inducer.
——————————————————
The flower dance itself was beautiful, colorful flowers lining the perimeter of the clearing. The townspeople buzzed at the line up of the dancers, and Alex stood on the sidelines, looking more relieved than ever. His blue suit hugged his body, accentuating the figure that I had come to know quite well—the other guys posing no competition. Even Sam looked like his suit was swallowing him—I suppose he should've had Emily alter his, too.
The dance started off slowly, my mind racing trying to recall which moves came next. Through dips, twirls, and elaborate footwork, I forgot to even think about Alex. Instead, counting filled my brain—the song merely background noise. Before I knew it, hoots and hollers filled the area, and I could breathe again. The dance was over.
"You're strong, Sadie" Alex remarked as he walked over to us, likely recalling the lift—which was executed perfectly, for the record. "All that farm work is paying off, huh?"
"Yeah, you'd better watch out," I responded nonchalantly. "You might not be the muscle in this town anymore."
"Ohhhhh, shit, Alex," Sam said, his hand covering his mouth. "You heard the woman!"
"Is that so, farm girl?" Alex said, stepping closer to me. His shadow overtook my whole body, his sharp jawline resting inches above the top of my head.
"Considering I was the one lifting Haley while you sat on your ass, I'd say so."
The group laughed, and I raised one eyebrow at Alex, a smirk plastering itself on my lips—lips that he was staring right at.
"Alright," I said, snapping Alex's eyes back up to mine. "See you guys in a few weeks."
And with that, I was on my way back to the farm.