“Umm…” I hesitated, trying to remember what Aunt Vera had picked for the drink menu.
“I’ll surprise you.” He gave a deferential nod and walked away.
“You didn’t tell me you were bringing your man candy as your date!” Maci whisper gasped, appearing at my side.
“Hey, Mace. It was kind of a last-minute addition. When did you get here? I didn’t see you at the ceremony.”
“Ugh. Long story. I’m super bummed that we were late. I misplaced the wedding present. We showed up and slipped into the back row to not interrupt the ceremony.”
Maci looked over my shoulder, and I followed her gaze. Alex was standing at the appetizer table, loading two plates.
“How are things going with Alex?”
“I was kind of surprised he wanted to be my plus-one since things between us really aren’t serious. But I’m happy he’s here.”
“Yeah, totally,” I said, resolving to say hi to Alex and make sure there was no weirdness between us.
“Back to you. Holy swoon, Callan fills out a suit nicely.” She fanned herself with a hand.
I choked out a laugh. “The guy does know how to dress. Come on, I want to say hi to Alex.”
We made our way over to Alex, whose blond hair was slicked back for the occasion.
“Hey, Alex. How have you been?” I asked.
“B! Doing great. This wedding is really nice. Your aunt seems happy,” Alex said, his comfortable smile easing any of my concern about seeing him.
“Thanks, she is.”
“So, how has everything been with you? That’s Callan, right?” He nodded toward the bar where Callan was waiting in line.
“That’s right. You two met snowboarding last year. I’ve been well. Just busy prepping for this wedding and school and all that.”
Callan headed our way then, hands full with two glasses. “Hello, Maci,” he said warmly. “Alex.” He nodded in Alex’s direction. So he remembered him too.
“Nice to see you again, Callan,” Maci said. “Well, we better go find our dinner seats. I know you two are at the head table. Meet us on the dance floor later, okay?”
When she was out of earshot, Callan spoke, eyes on Maci and Alex as they walked away. “Speaking of dances, you owe me one.” He handed me one of the glasses.
“I do?”
“Aside from the free food and drinks, the perks of being a wedding date are the epic dances surrounded by elderly relatives and neighbors.” He pulled a test-tube-shaped vial of bright-orange liquid out of the inside of his coat. A bit of cork held it stoppered.
“What is that?”
“Just a little concoction of enhanced blood orange and blueberry. Nonmagical people are unfortunately dull in their drinking palate. Do you want to try it?”
“This isn’t going to make me do anything weird, is it?”
Callan mocked a disbelieving expression. “You think I would mess with you like that? You won’tdoanything weird. But your sensations might be heightened, just a little. These are a staple at magical botanist weddings. Don’t drink it if you don’t want to.”
That was a dare if I’d ever heard one. I took the test tube and poured half of it in my lemonade then chugged the drink. Callan tipped the remainder into his own glass and followed suit.
Within a few minutes, the pink and purple of the sky was so vibrant that I felt I was inside a fairy tale. Callan had been correct. I didn’t act any differently, and all of my conversations and actions were normal, but there was the slightest sense that everything around me was a little bitmore. The colors, the sounds, the warmth of the October breeze. It was as if we had taken a perfect evening and painted it with a brush of pastels and neons.
“It’s called the Elixir of Bliss. Kind of a clichéd name butaccurate. Some first-years accidentally invented it in a chemistry of plants class a decade ago.”
“I’m surprised people don’t take this all the time.”
