Cullen barely managed to stumble through the interviews for the TV show after the ceremony. He couldn't stop looking at his wife.

His wife.

Alistair and Eryn's description of her didn't do justice in the least.

Her red-gold hair was not the strawberry blonde they described and it shone brilliantly in the lights around them. It reminded him of how the wheat fields near his hometown looked as the sun was setting. The soft curls of her hair fell a little past her upper back and Cullen wondered if it was as soft as it looked.

Maker, he knew he could stare at her eyes all day if he could. They were heavily lashed and large. Their unique violet hue held a kindness and strength in them he didn't expect to see.

And her smile! She was radiant when she smiled. The hint of dimples would barely show on her cheeks and he couldn't help but think they were adorable. She didn't need magic to light up a room when her smile did the job for her.

Cullen knew he was quickly getting in over his head, but he couldn't find the gumption to care. He could act like a lovesick kid for one night, couldn't he?

He was finally able to get away from the cameras and he and Tessa were basically shoved toward the doors of the event room of the hotel.

The sound of music and many people talking could already be heard on the other side of the doors.

"Ready?"

Cullen looked down at Tessa and he took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."

A grin came to her full lips and she held out her hand. "Let's go then."

The TV crew members gave them the okay and they were finally able to enter the event room. Cullen was glad to see how small the crowd was. He saw all of his siblings and Mia's husband and children sitting at one table and Alistair, Eryn, Varric, and Marian were already waiting for them at the table at the front. A few of his friends from the police department were there and he assumed the rest of the people were Tessa's family and friends.

Most of the evening passed in a blur, both Alistair and Eryn read their speeches, which both basically wished them the best of luck and explained how they were trying to get them to meet for months and it took a darn TV show to succeed.

Tessa laughed at one of Alistair's jokes in his speech and Cullen found himself wanting to hear that sound again. It was clear and full of joy. Maker, he really had it bad.

Cullen found himself getting a little irritated as the night went on. He wanted to just talk to her with no cameras or people surrounding them. He wanted to know what she thought about all of this and how she planned to handle everything.

He wanted to know if he was the only one who was terrified.

Finally, the first dance was announced and Tessa shrugged before standing and beckoning for him to follow.

They made it to the dance floor and Cullen took the time to truly appreciate her dress. It had lace sleeves that made her arms look elegant and the lacy layers of the skirt looked beautiful as they trailed behind her. The back of the dress dipped down into a deep 'V' toward the small of her back and his whole body grew hot whenever he looked at it.

He held out his hand and she grinned at him before placing her hand in it. Maker, her hand was so dainty compared to his. A slow, romantic song Cullen didn't know started to play and he took that as the cue to start dancing. He pulled her close and rested his hand on the small of her back and she rested her free hand on his shoulder.

"I'm a horrible dancer, just warning you," he muttered as the music got louder.

Tessa shook her head. "I don't mind," she replied with a soft laugh.

Cullen tried to remember everything his sisters and Eryn taught him about dancing as they slowly swayed to the music. Tessa started to hum along with the music and Cullen had to hold back an amused smile at how some of the notes were a little off.

"Just laugh. I know I can't sing," she giggled, squeezing his shoulder a little.

He finally let his smile through. Alistair and Varric's advice suddenly passed through his thoughts and he spoke without thinking, since they told him to flirt. "I don't mind. I think it's cute."

Her eyes widened momentarily before looking away. She bit her lip as she smiled and Cullen was glad he didn't make a fool of himself.

The song finally ended and Alistair and Eryn swarmed them like moths to a flame. "Now stay out here and dance you arseholes," Eryn ordered when a faster song came on.

Tessa gave her a bewildered look.

"To make up for all the times both of you stood us up!" Alistair explained over the music.

Cullen arched a brow at them, but then Marian and Varric were joining in and it seemed he had no choice. Cullen only knew how to dance to certain songs. The Circles always held dances the mages could go too and sometimes the Templars were allowed to dance with them for a 'bonding' activity.

Cullen wondered if the Ostwick Circle had special dances for certain songs like the other Circles did.

He glanced at Alistair and Alistair somehow, someway, seemed to know what he was thinking. He winked at Cullen before making a beeline to the DJ.

"Where's the bugger going?" Marian asked for them all.

A familiar song called 'Sugar' started playing and Cullen felt playful for the first time in years. He held out his hand to Tessa, ignoring his friends' dropped jaws.

Tessa's face lit up and she placed her hand in his again. "You know this one?" she laughed as he pulled her close.

"Perhaps."

Cullen spun her out before pulling her close again, happy to know he didn't have to think to remember how this dance went. It was a modified version of swing dancing, since Templars and mages weren't allowed to slow dance with each other. Apparently the bonding activity couldn't allow too much bonding.

The beat of the music and the obvious joy on Tessa's face lifted his spirits and he almost forgot about the damn TV show for a moment.

At one point of the song, Tessa shook her hips more than necessary before he pulled her back toward him and that action did things he didn't know it could.

His whole body felt hot now and he held her close during the slow part of the song. His hand remained low on her waist and he started to sing the lyrics softly in her ear, causing her to let out a soft, breathless laugh in her own.

"I want that red velvet; I want that sugar sweet."

Oh how he did…he knew not soon, but he did.

The song ended with Cullen lifting Tessa in the air and twirling her, which took her by surprise. She was still laughing when he put her back down and her hands settled on his upper arms as she looked up at him. "I haven't danced to that in years!"

"What the shit, Cullen? You said you couldn't dance!" Marian laughed, digging a playful elbow into his arm before shimmying toward Varric again.

Cullen opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a tug on his arm. He almost groaned when he saw one of the TV crew members tapping her watch, signaling it was almost time to leave.

Both of them said goodbye quickly to their friends and family before they were tugged away by the crew members. Their room key was handed to them and they were shoved onto the elevator.

Oh shit.

Cullen's nerves were more than frazzled now.

What was she expecting? Did she want to…do anything? Or was this going to be platonic? Maker, he hoped she would want to take it slow.

What was he going to do if she didn't?

Tessa was going through the same agony.

The same thoughts crossed her mind. Was he expecting them to do anything, like a normal wedding night? Or was this going to be a slow process?

Tessa begged to Andraste or whoever was up there that he would want to take it slow.

The ding of the elevator pulled her from her thoughts and she peeked up at Cullen. He looked just as nervous as she did and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he gulped heavily.

They stopped in front of their room and Tessa couldn't seem to look him in the eye as he fumbled with their room card. He finally opened the door and held it open for her. "Thank you," she said, grinning up at him.

Maker, she didn't want to seem nervous, but she didn't want him to get the wrong idea either.

She stepped into the room, turning on lights as she went. It was a spacious, king sized suite, courtesy of the producers of the show. She knew the other couples had rooms just like this. And of course, there was only one bed. She saw all of their luggage stacked up in a neat pile in the corner and she curiously stared at how he only had three compared to her six.

The sound of the door shutting set an ominous mood, which wasn't good. Okay Tessa, he's probably as freaked out about this as you are if Alistair and Eryn are right about him. Give and take.

She turned so she could face him and her whole body felt hot when she noticed how he was looking at her. His mouth—his gorgeous mouth that she couldn't stop looking at—was slightly parted as he stared at her. He caught himself and cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I-I think we should talk," he suggested, gesturing to the king sized bed that dominated the room.

Tessa nodded and took a seat on the edge, patting the spot beside her. He wanted to talk? Was this a good talk or a bad talk? Was he regretting everything already? Shit.

He sat beside her and she noticed he put some room between them. She momentarily glanced at how broad his shoulders were before focusing on his face again. "I just want to know how you feel about all of…this, and how you want to go about it," he finally said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

Tessa felt what could only be described as pleasant surprise rush through her. "I'm nervous, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Eryn and Alistair spoke the world of you, after all. Silly me just had to be working all the time and could never meet you," she rambled, wringing her hands, "It's not like I never wanted to it was just I couldn't and then I get the email from the show and I was so scared at first but-"

She fell quiet when an amused grin came to his lips. She buried her face in her hands. "Sorry, I can't stop when I'm nervous."

"It's alright. I'm just as nervous, if not more," he paused and turned towards her a little, "Varric actually said something helpful before all of this."

Tessa let out a laugh, lowering her hands. "Varric being helpful? This outta be good."

Cullen let out a soft chuckle before continuing. "He said to think of this as a strange first date…so should we treat this as a strange form of dating?"

He looked so nervous and Tessa wondered if he was afraid of the same things that were frightening her at the moment. "I like that idea."

Cullen let out a long breath and his shoulder's sagged in relief. "Maker's breath, I was so worried you wouldn't for a moment."

Grinning, Tessa reached for his hand and gently held it in hers. Andraste preserve her, his hands were so big and warm. "I was too. I was more worried about tonight than anything else, which is silly, but I'm just so worried you would want to take this fast and—" she cut herself off, biting her lip before she could say anything stupid.

"You too? Thank the Maker."

Tessa couldn't help but giggle. So, he was what Eryn and Alistair said he was. Eryn had adamantly told her he would wait, and she was right.

"So, let's talk about how we want to go about this more," she said, scooting closer to him. Just because she didn't want to sleep with him right now didn't mean she couldn't get close, right?

"Like what?" he asked, arching a brow.

She was pleased to notice he didn't move away from her, he even moved closer to her. "Well, like boundaries and stuff? What's okay and what's not okay? Things like that."

Tessa just wanted to know if he would be okay with things like sharing the bed, kissing, hugging, and so on and so forth. She knew she was a person who liked to be close and touch her partner and she wondered if he would be bothered by it.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, tugging at the buttons at the top of his shirt.

"Well," Tessa felt more bold than she had in a long time, and she took a leap of faith, "stuff like this." She leaned forward and pecked his cheek. She almost shivered at the feel of his stubble against her skin.

An adorable flush that was probably matching her own was rising on his cheeks. "T-That's fine," he stammered, leaning toward her.

Tessa grinned when he pressed a soft peck to her lips. Well, this was off to a better start than she imagined. "So, little things are okay? Slow is okay?" she asked softly, tilting her head.

"Yes," he replied instantly, looking down at her lips. He didn't move away after kissing her.

"What about…" she trailed off and gestured to the bed. Maker, she hoped she didn't step over the line.

Cullen glanced back at the bed before shaking his head. "That's fine too."

Tessa held back an overexcited squeal before standing up. "Well, I'm glad the little things are settled." She turned and lifted her hair, revealing the clasp at the top of her dress. She really loved the design. It clipped at the top and then opened up around her shoulder blades and ended in a V at the small of her back, but she was ready to get out of it.

"Care to help?" she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder. Even though they decided slow was okay, he was still her husband.

Cullen stood and she glanced at their reflection in the mirror as he reached for the tiny buttons. Maker, he was at least 6 inches taller than her, if not more. She was wearing heels even. She bit her lip to keep from gasping when she felt the rough pads of his fingers brush against her skin. She held up the dress as soon as he got the buttons undone. She grinned over her shoulder. "Thank you."

She quickly grabbed her pajamas and hurried to the bathroom.