“I'll feel so out of place.” Myra grumbled.

Dacien's mouth fell open. Myra was standing in the doorway of her small house tucked behind the shop, her body comfortably wrapped in a metallic, silk, ginger. The straps were thin, framing the small yet angular shape of her collar. Small white pops of flowers decorated the skirt, matching the white and orange dried flowers pinned in the sides of Myra's short hair.

She was beautiful, and she definitely knew it. Dacien could read that much through her frown.

He held his hand out, ready to guide her down the steps in her ginger-heeled shoes. But she waltzed right past him. He didn't seem to mind; he was soon walking beside her.

“Thank you for joining me. You look stunning.” He smiled.

She eyed him hesitantly before facing the path again. “You don't look too bad yourself. Is that a floral tie?”

Dacien quickly grabbed the parts of his sage and pink tie exposed under his jacket. “I uh, thought you might go floral too. I got the colours wrong though.”

“Good. People won't think we're dating then.” She flashed him a smug smile to which Dacien pursed his lips. “I was worried I might be too overdressed. So I dressed down, just for tonight.”

Dacien snorted a laugh, unaware that Myra was being serious.

They walked down a few cobbled streets, Dacien awfully aware of Myra’s heels clacking on across the bumps. His worry was senseless. Myra refused to struggle even when she stepped in the tiny stone valleys. To stumble would be super not rad.

Soon, they approached a large building set in sandy stone, a handful of stairs leading to the entrance. It was grand and pretty, made only more so by the flower arrangements outside the bottom-floor windows. Even the grass was kept in small, neatly trimmed patches by the pavement.

Myra stopped abruptly. “So…What did you say your job was?” She asked without pulling her eyes away from the building.

Dacien felt her caution, it sat right next to his own nervousness. “I work for the council in the records room.”

“Wow, council job. Good for you.” Myra nodded.

“Thanks.”

After more seconds trickled by, Myra turned her head back to Dacien, who was also watching the building. Curious Myra thought, picking apart his tense shoulders and slight grinding of his jaw.

“Are we going in?” She asked.

Dacien shook off whatever mood had captured him and climbed the stairs. “Yes, this way.”

Myra followed him down corridors filled with fancy decor and dark colours. A real modern vibe. She almost couldn’t keep up with him when he reached a dark wooden double door and opened it without forethought. There the party was, on the other side.

He at least waited for Myra to stand by his side before shutting the door.

“Dacien!” A deep voice boomed through the chatter as a man bigger than Dacien reached his arm out to hook around Dacien’s shoulders. He was dressed up nicely, like everybody at the event, and Myra assumed his freshly trimmed beard was specially for the occasion too. “Last but not least, huh!”

“Really, I’m last? It’s only 6.” Dacein laughed with him.

While Myra wasn’t pleased about being at the damn party, she still wasn’t going to be a wallflower completely forgotten by her ‘date-not-date’. So she cleared her throat, smiled at the man talking only to Dacien and held her hand out. The man’s smile fell, but not into a frown. He looked…perplexed.

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Myra.” She kept her smile broad while taking the man’s limp hand. Shortly after shaking it, she dropped it again trying not to feel awkward.

“You brought her with you?” He said watching Myra, but facing closer to Dacien. “I cannot believe you did it.” His smile was soon back on his face.

“She’s actually pretty easy to talk to, you know.” Dacien said and readied himself for the impact of the man’s rough back pats. “Where’s Enderson?”

“Oh don’t worry, Enderson is going to see this! C’mon, let's get drinks.”

Dacien was pulled away as quickly as he entered the room, not sparing Myra even a glance. Her straight face wasn’t suprised, not even disappointed – at least not with him. He was a weirdo jerk in the pub all those nights ago, of course that wouldn’t change just because he knew she liked flowers.

Not one for sulking, Myra took her own pretty behind to the bar where she ordered some fruity ale. She took a seat at a table stocked with some expensive seeming appetisers that Myra might’ve helped herself to a whole plate of.

Two girls were chatting away nearby, about some townsfolk gossip – gossip that for once didn’t involve Myra – and she was quick to approach them.

“Sorry to butt in but Hannah Heartly did what?”

The girls stopped their speculations, quietly stared Myra down with the same perplexed look as Dacien’s friend. The smaller of the two, a curly brunette dressed in red, spoke first. “Um…She left her fiancee for another guy. Moved in with him and everything.”

“Oh, okay.” Myra huffed an awkward laugh, figuring she came on too strong for some pretty standard gossip.

Until the other girl spoke. “Yeah because her new baby is not her fiancée’s! She’s been cheating for over a year and no one found out until her sister found some love letters and posted them around town.” She swept her dark hair back, blue eyes sparkling with excitement. 

“Now that’s insane. Her own sister?” Myra relaxed a little.

“Apparently, now this is just a rumour, she did it because she’s in love with Hannah’s fiancee. It was an act filled with rage and jealousy.” The smaller girl said with a grin, leaning further towards the other two.

“No way! I can’t even imagine…”

“You’re Myra, right? The town witch?” The girl with blue eyes wore a dress to match them, and it really made them stand out. Myra felt caught in their gaze like a fish to a hook.

“I’m not a witch.” Myra smiled but pulled her own gaze away.

“Really? That’s ashame. Rumour has it you’ve turned many a men into frogs for trying to court you.” The girl laughed but Myra got the feeling it wasn’t at her. “I’m Kaylie. This is Amelia. It’s nice to actually meet you.”

“Uh, you too.” That was weird. Myra felt weird. She certainly didn’t expect this to happen when she walked over to the two; she had prepared for the worst.

“So who are you here with? You own a tea shop right?” Amelia asked around a sip of her drink.

Myra almost rolled her eyes at the thought of the man she was with. “Dacien.”

“Oh neat, he’s nice.” Amelia said.

“Is he? I haven’t seen him since we arrived.”

“Yeah, well. That’s kind of just how the men are here. I work with them.”

Kaylie tutted, nodding her head in agreement. “And I’m married to one of them. He’s not always a twat, but he definitely is when his friends are nearby. It’s like the moment he sees them he reverts back to his teenagehood.” 

Myra smiled, amused. But she couldn’t help herself, “Is that not that similar to us gossiping about everyone else?”

Amelia’s face flashed with worry, but Kaylie laughed. “I never said I’m any better than them! Even though I am. Anyway, you and Dacien? How’d that happen? If my gossip has told me anything it’s that you’re both famously single.”

“Famously?” Myra twirled a brow.

“Yeah well you know about yourself, surely. And people here have been attempting to set Dacien up with ladies for months now. We’re just curious is all.” Amelia clarified.

Myra felt the need to clarify some more. “Well he hasn’t succeeded. We are not dating.”

“What?!” Kaylie expressively threw her hands up. “Then what are you?”

“Uh… Friends. I guess. I just- I don’t date anyone. Not interested.”

The two girls hummed and watched Myra silently for a few uncomfortable seconds. “I suppose that is fair.” Amelia said, ending the conversation.

It was a refreshing change for Myra. Everyone she told about her lack of romantic wants always had a million questions – including her own sister – and Myra never knew why they thought it was their business. This change was nice and Myra let the positive feeling carry her through the group's conversations and second drinks.