Another Elite (Book 2 of Selection fanfics)

Chapter 4

The next few days seemed to revolve around lessons with Celia, sitting in the Women's Room, and meals with the other girls. The palace was busy with the impending arrival of the Italians: rooms were being prepared, windows waxed, and large bouquets of flowers stood in every hall. I didn't understand the big fuss, but I'd have to get used to it.

Outside, the weather was beginning to change as well. Most of the trees had turned vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow. Some of them were even bare, as the weather was transitioning from fall to winter.

The impending change of seasons was the only thing on my mind, not the Italians. I felt like I was counting down the days until the end of the year, waiting until the day that my family could come visit. I could only hope that I would be here until New Years.

Now that today's lesson was over, I sat in my room at the piano. I'd spent yesterday in the Women's Room and quite frankly, I couldn't deal with any of them right now. The Italians were the only piece of conversation besides Derek, so I'd decided to stay in my room for some peace and quiet. I relished the time that I had alone, considering I'd never gotten it at home.

The song Derek had played for me had been stuck in my head for ages, so I'd asked Derek for the sheet music. Two pieces of paper sat in front of me, but I couldn't quite hit the notes; I hadn't realized how complicated it was.

As I hit yet another wrong note, I groaned, slamming my hands against the keys. I'd never had the best patience, but it was surprisingly irritating that I couldn't hit the notes.

Someone knocked on the door suddenly and before I could respond, my maids were bursting through the door.

"Sorry miss, but this is urgent!" Cora rushed over and pulled me away from the piano.

I frowned as she stood me in the center of my room. "What's going on?"

"We've completely forgotten that we have to design a new dress for when the Italians arrive. You can't simply wear something from the closet!" Elisa shrieked, accidentally stabbing my side with a pin.

I winced but they kept at it. "What's wrong with the dresses you've made already? They're gorgeous."

"You can't wear a plain old dress with the Italians here," Beth scoffed as she wrapped measuring tape around my waist. "This is the first time you're meeting foreign royals. You have to make a good impression!"

"Fine," I rolled my eyes. "Why are measuring me then? You already know my measurements."

"We do, but we have to be absolutely sure that this dress is perfect. We only have a few days!" Cora complained as she held up fabric swatches to my eyes.

I smiled. "Well, I'm sure it'll be lovely. Your dresses always amaze me."

They smiled but said nothing, too busy sketching out ideas for dresses. I sighed and stood in the center of the room, letting them measure, draw, and accidentally stab me with pins.

The door opened again and Derek walked inside. My maids shrieked, dropping everything onto the floor.

I put my hands on my hips and faced the door. "You really have no idea how to knock, do you?"

Derek blushed sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't think your maids would be measuring right now..."

"We were just leaving." Beth announced suddenly as Elisa and Cora scrambled to grab their things. They were gone in seconds.

I giggled and walked over to the piano, motioning for him to follow me.

"Sorry about that. I really should remember to knock more often." He chuckled, sliding onto the bench next to me.

I rolled my eyes. "You think?"

He smiled. "So, remember how I told you that you could pick our next date?"

I nodded. "I do."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I've over-scheduled myself this week and...well, right now is the only time I have for our date. Did you decide what you want to do?"

I paused, realizing that I hadn't decided what I wanted to do yet. "Well...I want you to help me play the piano."

He raised an eyebrow. "Haven't we done that before?"

"Um, yes but..." I paused, and looked at the sheet music. "I can't quite figure out how to play this piece you gave me."

He laughed and stretched out his fingers. "Admitting defeat, are we?"

"No!" I nudged him on the shoulder. "It's just...slightly more complicated than I expected."

He grinned and took my hands in his, placing them on the keys. "Then let the master teach you."

For the next hour, Derek and I played through the piece over and over again, him guiding me through every note. Soon we were playing it in time with each other, laughing and smiling as we played. Too soon, the song came to a stop and we were smiling stupidly at each other, the the last note of the piece ringing in our ears.

He leaned over, tucking a piece of hair that had fallen from my updo behind my ear. I smiled softly, enjoying his warm hand against my cheek. Feeling bold, I leaned back in towards him, touching my lips to his. He grinned into the kiss, tugging me closer until we were both breathless and had to pull apart.

I think I have a new favorite song, I thought to myself.