Dancing in the Rain

II.c

Once we had discussed clothing, we discussed water and shelter before we moved on to discussing the upcoming Report. Before I knew it, it was nearly dinner time and the meeting was over.

At least it was more interesting than tablecloths, I thought to myself. I headed up to my room, hoping to freshen up quickly before I had to go down to dinner. When I opened up the door to my room, I saw my maids straightening out my bedspread. Mary and Paige turned to me as I stepped inside.

"Hello, Miss," they said happily.

"Hello, how are you guys?" I asked, flopping onto the incredibly comfortable chair of my vanity.

"Quite well," Mary responded. "We're working on a new dress for the Report this week. It's going to be stunning."

Paige nodded excitedly.

"I'm sure it will be," I said, smiling in return. Though Lucy had stopped being a maid shortly after the attack and Anne was gone, I was glad to have Mary still with me. And Paige was amazing as well.

"Do you need any help, Miss?" Paige asked.

"I'm just freshening up before dinner," I said. "Do you think I should redo my hair?"

"Here, allow me," Paige said as she walked over. She took my hair, which was starting to fall out of its half knot, and undid the pins holding it in place. With surprising speed, she brushed out my hair and let it fall in loosely around my shoulders. Then she took an elegant hairpin from the vanity and pinned a bit of my hair back, so that it joined in the middle.

"Maybe a bit simple for dinner, but you look beautiful," she said, stepping back to look at her work.

I smiled. "Thank you, Paige. I'll wear it like this tonight."

Dinner was starting soon, so I wiped off what little makeup I was wearing (it was really bothering me and was looking old) and put on a simple lipstick instead. After quickly brushing my eyelids with some slightly tinted eyeshadow, I decided I was ready.

"Thanks guys," I said as I got up to leave. "I'm meeting with Maxon after dinner, and I'll call you if I need help with anything."

"Of course," they said, curtsying. "Enjoy your date!" Mary added, her eyes glinting.

I rolled my eyes and left my room, heading towards the dining hall. I was feeling a bit tired, stressed with my work and dreading the minuscule details of the wedding that took hours to decide upon, and I wasn't exactly thrilled to have to spend another hour and a half with a ton of other people around so I couldn't fully relax. But, I reminded myself, afterwards I'd get a chance to catch up with Maxon, which I was looking forward to. Just an hour and a half, I told myself as I entered the dining hall. I could do this.

Seeing as I had been busy with the advisors' meeting and getting ready in my room, I was one of the last few to arrive to the hall. I made my way quickly to my seat, which was next to Maxon's.

He smiled at me as I sat down. "Hello, darling, how was your day?" he asked as I sat down.

I smiled, glad to finally be with him. It felt like we'd both been so busy lately, we hadn't had any time to talk. "It was busy," I said honestly. "I had a lesson with Silvia, worked on the caste elimination program, chose tablecloths for the wedding, and then helped out the advisors."

Maxon took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. I was still getting used to not having to hide our relationship from the palace. For months during the Selection, Maxon and I had mostly spent our time together alone, and were never really affectionate in public. Now was the first time in my entire life where I didn't have to hide or be discreet about my relationship - I wasn't sneaking to meet Aspen in the tree house or meeting Maxon privately in the gardens anymore. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed not hiding. I squeezed his hand back. "What about you?" I asked.

"Busy as well," he replied. "Since we're trying to smooth over the relations with New Asia, I spent most of my day in meetings with ambassadors and looking over treaties and trade deals." He paused, breaking into a small smile. "But now, all of that is behind us, my darling. We can relax tonight."

I smiled back at him. I opened my mouth, about to ask where we should meet for our date, but just then the servers arrived with our food. A plate of spiced meat, vegetables, and rice was placed in front of me. It smelled heavenly. After everyone at the table had been served, I grabbed my fork and dug into my meal. Throughout dinner, Maxon and I talked quietly about the tasks of our day - the things that filled our minds as leaders, or in my case, future leaders, of the country. I could tell there was more we both wanted to say to each other, but that would have to wait until we were completely alone.

Once everyone had finished and the servers had cleared the plates, people slowly started excusing themselves from the dining hall until it was just Maxon and I.

We turned to each other, ready for our date to start. Maxon pushed back his chair and stood up, holding my hand. "Let's go," he said, smiling. I couldn't help but smile back. "I'm ready," I said, rising out of my chair. "Let's have our date."