And that was when it hit her, what this all meant. It wasn't just tying to life to Quin's. It wasn't just the wedding and how much she absolutely loved him. There was the expectation of what this night and many nights would hold. Dahlia felt herself flush, her body warming, her spine feeling as if it were on fire. But she nodded, "Y-yes." She tripped on the word.

When Mama had spoken on the subject last night Dahlia had been embarrassed, and perhaps a bit prideful. She had figured it would be so natural and easy with Quin. Afterall, Mama said kisses started it and well, Dahlia loved kissing Quin. But now faced with it in the moment she felt that perhaps she ought to have spent less time wishing she were elsewhere and more time listening to Mama. What had Mama said? Wine. Mama had said wine might help.

Which had Dahlia saying quite out of the blue, "Perhaps a glass of wine?" And glancing around the room in search of a bottle. Surely, someone would have thought to leave one in the room.