Witchy Days 38: While They are Still in Dronningslund Pt 2

A few days later…

“You’re back!” Helena shouted as soon as her cousin stepped inside. “I missed you!”

“It’s only been a week!” Polina laughed. “What happens if one of us ever decides to move away for good?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Helena told her, pulling her into a big hug. “How was your trip?”

“It was pretty amazing. I can’t believe I had qualms about going in the first place. You totally need to visit Dronningslund, it’s such a pretty city.”

“I might have to take up that suggestion,” Helena listened carefully. “But come on, let’s go upstairs so you can tell me everything in detail.”

“It was so romantic,” Polina told her plopping down on the bed. “A bit scary at times, but worth it all in the end.”

“You did mention him falling off the boat,” Helena nodded knowingly.

“That was awful. I know it happened to him and not to me, but those minutes before we got him back up were the worst. A scary reminder of how close we all are to losing our loved ones.”

“But I bet celebrating his rescue was especially fun afterwards,” Helena winked.

Her cousin gave a knowing laugh. “Oh yes. That was the day of the concert. We were right up by the stage, I think the band was looking right at us. Do you wanna see heaven tonight? Underneath those lights you will look so beautiful ♫♪♫”

“Still feeling it?”

“It’s sort of our song,” Polina laughed.

“Hot.”

Her eyes drifted to her cousin’s hand. Wait, where did that come from?

“Hey is that what I think it is?”

“What do you think it is?” Polina asked, hiding her hand behind her head.

“A ring?”

“Maybe it is.”

“Can I see?”

Polina sat up, showing her the new piece of jewelry.

“So, is it just a ring or?” Helena prodded.

“It’s an engagement ring,” Polina told her. “And no, we didn’t go to Dronningslund with the intent to get engaged. It sort of happened.”

“That’s how it always happens, isn’t it?”

“I suppose. I guess we’ve both realized we really don’t have any reason not to get married. I didn’t expect him to propose so soon, but he went for it.”

“Spill everything.”

“Well, you know Atherton, he did it in his typical style.”

Two days before the end of the trip, Polina fell asleep in the middle of the day, after they spent hours walking around the city. She woke up to Atherton quietly shaking her awake.

“Hey! I want to show you something cool,” he told her.

“Ok, what is it?”

“It’s not here, but it’s close by. Just wear something comfortable, especially the shoes.”

“Ok?” Still groggy, she threw on some clothes and followed him out the door.

“We’re here,” he told her when they came to a mansion not far from their place of stay. “Let me help you, we need to climb over that fence.”

“What?!”

“It’s not hard, I promise. Here, let me help.”

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” he caught her, as they climbed over the fence.

“Not the climbing part, but things won’t be so fun once the owners catch us,” she looked around searching for security systems. A mansion like this would not be unguarded.

“There are no proper owners right now,” he told her. “I think this property is up for sale, so no one but the real estate company would care. And there aren’t any security cameras.”

“You’ve scouted it out,” she realized.

“Of course, I didn’t want our date to be interrupted. It sucks to deal with angry security people when you’re having a mouthful of cake.”

“Cake?” And there it was, the cherry-chocolate dessert she liked so much. “When did you manage to get it here?”

“While you were asleep,” he smiled. “I have some plates too.”

“This is really sweet,” she told him, as they enjoyed the baked goods. “Both the idea and the cake. But why this house?”

“I just saw on the way home and thought this place looked really romantic,” he explained. “And climbing over the fence, being here in secret – it all kind of makes it more fun.”

She couldn’t disagree with his reasoning. Old Polina would’ve balked at the idea of sneaking into a strange property. But these days, she quite liked the occasional thrill. He knew her well.

“It is romantic. And those lanterns really make your eyes twinkle,” she told him.

“No, that’s all your doing.”

“What’s got you so quiet?” she asked as they stood looking over the fountain.

“Just thinking about how far our lives have come in such a short time,” he told her.

“Things do change really fast,” she understood. They didn’t even talk that much before this winter. Now, they were together the majority of their time. “I’m liking the changes, though.”

“Me too. And this place is pretty amazing as well. Want to throw in a coin so we come back here some time?”

“Sure,” she tossed a penny in. It was a silly tradition, but she kind of liked it. Going someplace and seeing all the coins in fountains made her think of all the people who have been there before her.

“There,” he tossed a coin in as well. “Ever wonder if people throw more than just coins in these fountains?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” she laughed. “Some people think you should go big or go home.”

“Well, they’re not wrong,” he argued. “Let’s see what treasures may be hiding in this fountain.”

And without much warning, he jumped right in.

“Atherton!” she yelled, seeing him go underwater. “What are you doing?!”

Of course, he couldn’t answer while he was down under, but she could swear she saw him reach in his pocket while swimming.

“All good!” he came up for air, and leaned on the edge of the pool. “I think I found something interesting underwater. What do you say to this treasure?”

And with that, he placed a little jewelry box in front of her.

“You seriously jumped into a pool fully clothed to ‘find the treasure’ and pull out the ring?” she sank to the ground, wondering whether her boyfriend still had his wits about him or not.

“Yup. And I’d do it again,” he grinned. “I wanted this to be fun for us. Isn’t that the whole point of a proposal?”

“I guess,” she smiled. “But please come out of the water now.”

“So, is that a yes or a no?” he asked.

“It’s a yes! Of course, it’s a yes!” she exclaimed. “And you didn’t have to go all out with the proposal, you know that, right?”

“But I wanted to. I want us to keep the romance alive.”

“So, every time things get a little dull and ordinary, you’re going to pull a crazy stunt like this?” she asked.

“Maybe,” he winked.

Oh? Is that so? “Deal. But keep in mind, you’re not the only one around here who can pull off a crazy stunt and shock the other.”

“Should I be worried?” he asked half-joking.

“Oh yes,” she winked. “Very much so.”

Kissing him, she pulled him up to his feet. “But now, we really should get back. Because I don’t believe for a moment this place doesn’t have some sort of a security system.”

“And that’s how it went,” Polina finished telling Helena about their wild evening.

“Come on, cuz, this is so romantic!” Helena sighed. “Big props to Atherton for doing it.”

“Yeah, totally. But I really didn’t need anything so over-the-top,” Polina shrugged. “Kind of sets the bar high for me, you know.”

“What’s with that smile?”

“Thinking of all the ways I could get him. I want to surprise him big time, sooner rather than later.”

“Well, you can always show up at his place in a coat with nothing under it,” Helena winked.

“Already did that, months ago.”

“No way!”

“What? You didn’t think I was going to play it all prim and proper with him, did you?” Polina asked her cousin. “What’s the fun in that?”

“You two definitely belong together,” Helena laughed.

“You should talk. I’m sure you and Sam used the empty apartment to the max.”

“Oh, yes!”

Nothing like R&B, Eastern sweets, and Portuguese wine to get people in the mood.

The best part about all the roommates being away – no need to keep your noise levels reasonable 😉

“Sounds like you two had a wonderful time.”

“Was there any doubt?”

“You did use protection,” Polina sobered up.

“Always. I’ve been using that potion since I’ve been 15,” Helena reassured her.

“I know, just making sure. Do you think you and Sam are going to get more serious too, soon?”

“Who knows? Maybe. I kind of like how things are already,” Helena admitted. “Not that I’m against marriage. But speaking of it, Matt and Terra are also engaged. I wonder who is going to tie the knot first, you two or them?”

“Well, about that…” Polina looked at her with a hint of guilt. “Please don’t be angry at me.”

“Why would I be angry?”

“Because you weren’t at my wedding.”

---

The last night before coming home from their trip.

The crew realized the singer from their favorite band is still in town and they ended up partying with him.

Well, at least some of them did.

While James was enjoying a nice dance with Elsa-Marie, Atherton and Polina were trying out the hookah bar at the lounge.

“Never thought I’d say that, but those rock stars can sure handle a lot of shots,” Atherton observed.

“I thought you were all about living on the edge?” Polina teased him.

“There’s living on the edge and there’s dying of alcohol poisoning. Besides I’ve learned that lesson the unpleasant way – the last time I tried to keep up with someone doing shots at that guy’s rate, I was hungover for three days afterwards,” he grimaced. “Think we need to pull the others away from Rory?”

“I think Trix will do it. She’s not a fan of drinking too much,” Polina shrugged.

“Hey, there’s a guy looking at you,” he told her.

“Is there?” Turning around, Polina recognized the man from the coffee shop. “Oh, hi! Fred, right?”

“Hi there!” he smiled. “I’m sorry, I never got your and your friend’s names.”

“I’m Polina. And this is Atherton, my fiance,” she introduced them.

“Nice to meet you. Fred Qvist. I saw your friend and her partner talking to that musician in the other room. Do you know them?”

“Only through their music,” Atherton told him. “You?”

“Nah, but a distant relative of mine ran off with his bandmate the other day,” Fred laughed. “You know, the one you saw at the coffee shop the other day.”

“We’ve heard,” Polina chuckled. “It seems to be the consensus that it’s for the best, though.”

“Yes. I can’t argue with that. Well, what about you two? Any solid plans yet?”

“Not really,” Polina shrugged. “We only got engaged a couple of days ago.”

“Ah! Well, take it from a friend – don’t let the whole world butt into your engagement and wedding-planning. I’ve seen too many couples get messed up by this.”

While Polina and Atherton were catching up with Fred, Tessa and Toby were still with Rory. Like Polina predicted, after joining the musician for more shots that either one of them expected him to consume, Tessa decided that she and her boyfriend were here to have fun, rather than to drink themselves under a table.

They bade the musician farewell and walked away, hoping the guy knew how to pace himself.

Right of the bat, Toby noticed Tessa was in a certain kind of mood after their talk with Rory.

“His friends are getting hitched. Our friends are getting hitched. Man, it feels like everyone’s getting hitched!” she exclaimed.

“Maybe something’s in the air?” Toby joked. “Some sort of pheromone that makes people want to couple up?”

“That exists?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t be surprised – there are pheromones that affect the mood in all kinds of ways,” he supposed.

“I wonder what kinds of people it affects,” Tessa smiled at him.

“All sorts, I suppose. The level of effect probably depends on a whole array of biological factors though…”

Of course, thought Tessa. For all his book smarts, that boy could be really thick sometimes. To be fair, before their friends got engaged, she wasn’t seriously considering marriage, especially after observing her parents’ disastrous one. But ever since Polina and Atherton made their announcement, Tessa couldn’t help but wonder if something like that was in the books for her and Toby.

Unfortunately, her boyfriend wasn’t one to pick up on her hints.

But was she not a modern woman?

“Toby, pheromones and whatever is in the air aside, would you marry me?” she asked him outright.

“Hypothetically or for real?” he asked.

“For real!”

“Fuck yeah! But I don’t have a ring yet.”

“Me either. Who needs a freaking ring?” she shrugged. “I mean, pretty much all you need for marrying are the people involved.”

“And we’re here,” he laughed, suddenly getting serious. “Hey, you know what would be really romantic?”

“What?” she lowered her voice to match his.

“Eloping!” he laughed.

Maybe it was the effect of the shots they did with Rory, but that idea really appealed to Tessa.

“Oh man, I love it! Do you want to do it? Now?”

“I’m in if you are!” Toby got really giggly.

“Let’s go tell the others!”

“Hey, I’m leaving tomorrow, but I’d like to continue seeing you. Our cities are fairly close,” James told Elsa-Marie. “I can always come visit you.”

“I too think we can go somewhere,” she agreed. Starting off a relationship with a long-distance situation wasn’t ideal, but she was willing to try it.

Around this time, Toby and Tessa rushed in, grinning ear-to-ear.

“Hey, guys! We have an announcement to make!” Toby told them.

“We’re getting married!” Tessa finished.

“Congratulations!” Polina smiled. “You two are a great couple.”

“Thanks, hon,” Tessa told her. “Are you coming with us?”

“Where?”

“To the church! We’re doing it now!”

“Huh?” James gave his sister a funny look. “When did you decide this?”

“Just now! We just need to get some rings.”

“I know a store,” Fred chimed in. “They have great-quality wedding rings…”

The others gave him a look for jumping in so quickly, but Toby and Tessa were delighted at the idea.

“Yes, please, can you take us there?”

This was how, two hours later, the group ended up at that small church by the park, watching Toby and Tessa exchange rings and get married.

“Toby, I promise to always love and cherish you, for better or worse, to be your companion through life… and not to eat the last cinnamon roll in the pack like that one time!” Tessa told him.

“Tessa, dear, I’ll be your partner in life, for as long as you’ll have me. And I promise you’ll never wake up with a drawer full of crickets again!” he responded.

Watching their friends get married gave Polina an idea. Neither she nor Atherton had any solid plans for their wedding and once they got back to the Stoneshields, they would once more get bogged down with the daily grind.

But what if they were to get married tonight too?

Looking at him, she knew the same thought was running through his head.

“What do you think?” she asked him.

“We did buy some wedding rings,” he smiled. “And we can celebrate with family and the others once we return.”

“Atherton, we came scarily close to almost letting one another go and for that, I am mostly to blame. And I now promise you, I won’t let this happen again,” she vowed.

“Polina, so much has changed in the past year, but one thing has not – I want you in my life, for better or worse. And I promise you, you won’t regret marrying me.”

As the rings were exchanged, they knew marrying today was the right decision for them.

• 

• 

The newlyweds.

Helena was certainly taken by surprise, but she could tell her cousin was over the moon with happiness.

“Congratulations! I never imagined you’d get married so early, but hey, why wait, right?” she pulled her into a hug.

“So, you’re not mad?” Polina wanted to make sure.

“Hell no! You do you. Wait, have you told Mom and Dad yet?”

“No, I’m going to do it in the evening, when they are nice and calm.”

“Good call.”

“What about you? Have you ever thought about it?” Polina asked. “You and Sam are pretty serious.”

“Oh, we are. But I think we’re pretty happy where we are already.”