We change back into our clothes and make our way to the dining room. It's a lot less crowded today, probably because of the party later.
We find Miles and Sage waiting for us at our usual table. I see Marilla take a deep breath before sitting. I sit next to her and squeeze her hand under the table, hopefully in an assuring way.
"Hey, guys!" I greet.
Miles winks at me. Good. He did his part. I wink back.
"Are you coming to the party tonight, Sage?" Marilla asks suddenly. Her gaze is glued to the table. I give her hand another squeeze, hoping she gets the message. She looks up.
"I—Are you going?" He asks.
"Yes." I'm so proud of her right now.
Miles looks at me quizzically. Right. I hadn't told him about the party yet.
"Then I'm going." Sage says with a sly grin.
Marilla grins back, all her shyness from earlier gone. This is going better than I expected. Sage doesn't even spare either of us a look; his gaze is focused on Marilla.
"James. Walk with me?" I motion for Miles to stand. They need privacy.
We walk to the buffet, picking up food as we go. "What did you guys end up doing?" I ask him.
"We had a little heart to heart. He really does love her."
"I didn't even have to give her any advice. All she needed was help choosing a dress for tonight." My heart leaps to my throat when Miles leans over me to grab some food. Gods, where is my control?
"What will you be wearing tonight?" He asks. I shiver as his scent fills my nose. Vanilla. How does he smell so good?
"You'll have to wait and see." I whisper. I brush a hand over his body, making him let out a curse. I smile and walk away.
He follows me. "I'm going to love ripping your dress off of you tonight." He whispers in my ear, biting my earlobe gently. Another shiver dances up my spine. I pull his face down to mine for a quick kiss.
There's nothing quick about the kiss we end up having, though. For a second, I forget there are people around us. When we break apart, we're both breathless and smiling.
"Hey. Public space, remember?" Sage knocks his shoulder against Miles', making us laugh.
********************************************************************
Marilla and I walk back to her room after lunch. I'm still smiling ear to ear. It's hard not to when I'm this happy. I wonder how long it will last.
We dress up and put on makeup. I have to say, we both look amazing. I twirl in front of the mirror, especially loving the slit running down my left leg. It's stunning, and I can't stop looking at it.
"Come on. We're going to be late." She says from behind me.
I put on the shoes, reveling in my new height. I usually don't reach Miles' shoulder at 5'8. These heels add at least another four inches.
I can't wait to see him. Everything is moving so fast when it comes to him, but I just can't bring myself to care.
We walk to the ballroom, and yes, I'm still in awe at the fact that a ship has a ballroom.
We walk down the stairs, Marilla taking the lead. Sage waits for her at the bottom, taking her hand in his. He looks so surprised. He definitely hadn't expected her to wear a dress that short. He can't take his eyes off of her.
When it's my turn to walk down, I see Miles move to wait at the bottom, as Sage had done. I walk down slowly, scared to slip and fall. It would be quite embarrassing, especially with the entire ballroom watching.
Miles is slackjawed by the time I reach the bottom. I smirk at having him so shocked. "You look gorgeous as always." He whispers seductively in my ear.
I let my gaze take in the length of him. He looks delicious. It's the only way I can describe him. His tux hugs him perfectly, every line and angle. I can't imagine where he got a tux, but I'm thankful to whoever he got it from.
I take his offered hand, and we walk to the side of the room. "I'll get us a drink." He says before leaving me.
He comes back a minute later with two glasses of what look like champagne. He hands me a glass, which I take a sip of. I've never had any, but I've seen Melody drink it a few times. Bash mostly preferred wine. Red, if my memory serves me correctly.
It's quite bubbly and has this fruity taste that I hadn't expected. I laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Just four days ago, I'd been starving on the streets, and now I'm drinking very expensive champagne. How much weirder can life get?
"May I have a dance?" Miles asks. He looks suddenly shy—nothing like the boy I'd gotten to know in the last few days. I agree, and he takes my hand, guiding me to the centre of the room.