My first was Lester Breuer, a British transfer with a delectable accent that spent the last two years of high school in the states before graduating to the prestigious Oxford University.
"Needed a little time away from mum and dad," he had explained, running his fingers backwards through his dark brown hair. "What better place than a boarding school?"
All the girls had fawned over the new hottie on campus that was immediately sorted into Calum's table, myself included. Stacey was perhaps the biggest fan at our table, only recently introduced to the glorious world of British boy bands, although the rage died down when he made his interest in me apparent when he sat down next to me one day at lunch.
"I heard you're not taken, Reyes," he had told me that lunch, waving his table over, "so I hope you won't mind me trying my luck."
And so it went until Valentine's Day during junior year when I finally caved in and answered "yes" at last. It wasn't fireworks or roses blooming anew—in fact it may have been one of my worst nights, excluding heads-over-heels-drunk fiascos. I stayed away from the subject for a few weeks, disillusioned about the magical process that everyone seemed so enamoured with until I agreed to give it another shot— a experience so different that you'd think I was probably drunk out of my mind the second time, which may have been the case.
Lester and I never officially dated although we did go to the odd movie here and there and a few embarrassingly awkward—but memorable—double-dates interspersed by steamy sex. When his acceptance to Oxford arrived in the mail, it was the beginning of the end of what never began and never will. Neither of us were particularly sad— there was nothing to be sad about when he was the campus player and I was the pretty face that only dated the worthy.
The two of us are still connected on social media, chatting each other up now and then to reminiscence about the past or whine about the present or just find someone to listen—to sit through our complaints, absorbed like it was the first time they ever saw something so beautiful, so amazing. Every Valentine's Day we text each other the first words on our firsts— first awkward exchanges on the first date that was mostly comprised of throat-clearing and water-drinking, my embarrassingly innocent questions and his equally embarrassing answers on my first, and our firsts words to each other—spoken right before math class on the wednesday of his arrival:
"Breath-takingly beautiful blonde with emerald eyes— wait, let me guess— Stella Reyes?"
"Sexy Brit with dark chocolate hair and hazel-green eyes— wait, don't tell me— Lester Breuer?"
---
"Have I mentioned that you look gorgeous?" Jordan said yet again, taking a sip of his champagne, his grey eyes never leaving mine.
"Yes—multiple times," I told him smiling faintly. "And you've definitely had too much champagne."
"I can handle my liquor," he said, grinning. "You don't actually think that a cup or two of this can knock me out?"
"'Course not," I replied, looking around the room. Karen, Whitney, and Quinn were intermingled in the crowd, chatting with some guests by the living room; Tim and Hunter were making last-minute calls about the dinner and a DJ for the dance; Stacey and Chad were center high up on their thrones in the middle of the balcony of the imperial staircase, a fitting name for the elegant twin-flight design.
The party had begun nearly twenty minutes ago yet Calum was still nowhere to be seen. He had always been the punctual kind of person, arriving on the dot, so I was beginning to worry that something may have happened.
"Steady the line!" one of the 'guards' yelled, trying admirably to get the crowd to line up. Stacey had the brilliant idea of getting everyone to greet the Queen and her court. Chad was already half-asleep and—by the looks of the line—no one but Stacey liked the idea.
"I'm going to go talk to Stace about this idea of hers," I told Jordan before making my way over to the top of the stairs.
"Stella, there you are," Stacey said, spotting me. "I was just telling everyone how today was your 'special day.'"
"'Special day?'" I echoed, confused. Stacey elbowed Chad before continuing, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
"Dear, remember our prior agreement about how Princess Stella has to chose a suitor for her coming of age today?" Stacey asked, eyes boring into Chad's as he yawned, causing her to elbow him again and cough. "Dear?"
"Of course!" Chad said, evading her elbow as I shot him a sharp look. "Whatever you say goes, dear."
"Good to hear," Stacey said, smiling deviously at me. "You understand, right Stella dear? I'll give the announcement after dinner, and you'll have to meet the eligible princes."
"Am I one?" Jordan asked, having finally caught up to me.
"But of course dear!" Stacey said, eyes lighting up. "Be a dear and take the princess to the table, would you? Dinner's about to start."
"Where's Calum?" Chad asked, glancing around as Stacey shrugged and pulled out her phone.
"'Going to be late. Bringing someone,'" she read, frowning. "Did he not receive the memo that this is a private party?"
"He's probably inviting that girl—Kimmy or something, right?" Chad asked. He had never been good with names, especially those of girls he was disinterested in. A sign of a "utter douche," as Karen had aptly put it.
"Kimberly? Oops—did we somehow forget to invite her?" Stacey asked mock-innocently. She had been in charge of the guest list, as she always was, but I hadn't thought to check... Meeting Stacey's eyes, I realized that I hadn't—I don't—want Calum to bring Kimberly, because that would mean that he was interested in her. She wouldn't be the first, but...
"C'mon," Jordan said, guiding me back down the stairs as the cry of "Dinner!" rang about the room. The guests immediately abandoned the line to rush towards the tables, and I couldn't blame them. Karen was the self-anointed head cook, maid, and everything else that the castle needed, so the food was amazing. Her family owned a large fine-dining chain that she hired today to serve an elaborate medieval-inspired meal complete with ten pheasants and three turkeys, not that they had them then.
"Stella!" shouted a voice in the crowd as Calum appeared with Kimberly in tow. I ignored the fact that it was Kimberly who cried out to me and made my way over.
"Calum! Kimberly! You two are inexcusably late!" Stacey shouted from the top of the stairs as Chad waved with a grin.
"I apologize—there was an awful commotion down in the square," Calum shouted back, playing along. "Something about a rabid elephant."
"There are no elephants around here," Jordan said with a thin smile.
"Oh? Must have been my mistake then," Calum said before looking at Kimberly and grinning. "I can't get over how beautiful you are tonight."
And she was—she had on a lavender ball gown that accentuated her innocence with a sheer high neck that rippled into folds embellished with lacy roses, the dress—it occurred to me—must have been picked by Calum.
"Sorry, but I think I have the most beautiful lady here tonight," Jordan said, slinging an arm around my shoulders and drawing me closer to him before I struggled out of his embrace.
"But of course," Calum said, kissing the back of my hand. "Green is the color of envy, but only for others tonight."
As everyone was served buffet-style in a contorted line where spots were reserved and lost, I tried to ignore how flustered I felt from Calum's single compliment. It was utterly pathetic how elated I was from his comment when he had complimented Kimberly only seconds before. It was a simple, trivial matter yet I stayed silent for most of dinner, caught on that one moment.
"You okay?" Jordan asked, interrupting my thoughts as I met his steel-grey eyes. His jaw tensed as he excused himself to get some more champagne.
"Stella, don't tell me you're over him already?" Quinn whispered to me, brows creasing.
"What? No! And how many times do I have to tell you that I don't like Jordan?" I hissed back, but Quinn just cocked a brow and turned to rejoin the ongoing conversation. They were comparing ball gowns to tuxedos, and gowns were winning the one argument you hated that you could win.
"Corsets, Chad! Corsets!" Stacey practically shrieked at Chad, forgoing all queenly manners. "Try one before you open your mouth again!"
Decidedly refusing to be pitiful any longer, I thrust myself into the conversation—"no need to frighten the boys, Stacey"—and ignore the fact that Calum and Kimberly were, for some inexplicable reason, not present at the table.
---
I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream
The slow song lulled out of the speakers set up in the great hall, a groan echoing through the room as people retreated from the floor to avoid the dragging awkwardness to come.
"C'mon Chad," Stacey tugging the boy up from his seat. "Let's dance"
"We can't let them have all the fun," Jordan noted, rising and reaching for my hand. "Shall we?"
"Let's," I said, taking his hand and standing. Hooking my arm around his shoulder, I swayed slowly, smiling and mouthing the next words:
And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem
"Cute," Jordan noted, chuckling and clutching me closer as he whispered the lyrics into my ear:
You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream
"Adorable," I returned with a smile. The world felt warm and bubbly, soft and fluffy on the dance floor surrounded by lyrics from a princess movie. "I think I might be tipsy."
"That you probably are," Jordan said, laughing. "Who told you to drink my champagne for me?"
"I thought it was mine," I defended, laughing as well as I hummed along to the song.
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-aah mmh
Around me the crowd swayed to the beat, quiet and contemplative. I spotted Whitney and Hunter near the center of the room, holding each other and moving stiffly to the beat.
"Let's go help those two out," I said, patting Jordan and gesturing towards the awkward couple.
"M'kay, he mumbled, following me through the crowd. Glancing at him and taking in his relaxed face, I realized that he was probably tipsy as well. But then again, tipsy was good for slow dances—it undid most of the tension that would be present without the help of a little champagne.
"Whitney!" I whispered, patting her shoulder. "Let's trade partners for a sec."
"O—okay," she said, shakily letting go of Hunter.
"I don't bite," Jordan reassured her, taking her hands. "Hands here. And here. That's right, now nice and slow..."
"Now for you," I said, grabbing Hunter's shoulders. "Hands around my waist, Gatly."
I know you, that gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
"What's up with you and Whitney, Hunter?" I inquired after a few seconds, sway back and forth with him.
"I—" he started before cutting himself off and biting his lip. "I'm nervous."
"The best of us are," I told him, glancing at Jordan and Whitney, now completely in sync with the beat. "But you can't let your nervousness get in the way of you expressing your feelings. Besides, think about Whitney—she's just as nervous as you, and your hesitance is only going to cause her to doubt herself."
You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream
"I'll try," he said, letting me go as the song ended. Jordan rejoined me as Hunter made his way through the crowd to Whitney. We watched from the sidelines as they approached each other, shyly at first before each gathered up the courage to tell the other what they truly believed about the other.
"My lady?" Jordan asked, holding out a hand in an unspoken request for mine.
"My prince," I responded simply, taking his hand. As we danced, I glimpsed the romance unfolding around us: Quinn dancing politely with Tim, Stacey and Hunter kissing sweetly on the dance floor, and Calum and Kimberly laughing and slow dancing, absorbed in their own little world. I leaned up to kiss Jordan then, caught in a urge to do something—anything—that was at least somewhat close to what enveloped me in this room.
"Let's get out of here," Jordan whispered huskily in my ear, his breath tickling my cheek.
"Let's," I whispered back, laying a light kiss on his cheek as Kimberly and Calum shared a kiss that seemed to stretch on forever in the corner of my mind.
---
Author's Note:
Hi everyone! This story is tumbling along here. How do ya'll like it? Plz vote n comment to let me know (cuz I can only see those... and the view count lol)
Thanks for reading, per usual. Updates every Tuesday!
—Littlewhims