The late afternoon sun slanted through Ever After High's grand music room, gilding the floorboards in a rich, honeyed glow. Dust motes floated lazily in the air, glittering like tiny spells half-cast. Along the walls, harps shimmered with ancient magic, while guitars gleamed with polished pride, waiting to be played.

Raven Queen hovered by the door, feeling wildly out of place. She was used to dark, stormy woods, secret rebel meetings, and grim fairytales — not pastel-colored rooms filled with tangled wires and blinking crystal tech.

But she was here.

Because Dexter Charming had asked.

And Raven would do anything — anything — to see that shy, hopeful smile light up his face again.

She watched him across the room, hunched over an amplifier, the hem of his hoodie snagged on a guitar stand. His dark hair was mussed from running his hands through it, and his glasses kept slipping down his nose.

He's so... Raven thought helplessly, adorable.

Dexter finally looked up and spotted her, and his whole face brightened, like someone had turned on a light inside him. "Raven! I... wow. You're actually here!" he said, straightening so quickly he knocked over a stool behind him.

Raven smirked and sauntered in, her signature purple and black outfit swishing dramatically behind her. "You sounded so desperate, I figured I'd better save your royal hide before you short-circuited yourself."

Dexter laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not desperate! Just... very... enthusiastic."

She chuckled, stepping closer. "So what's the plan, Charming?"

He pointed to a wicked-looking black guitar resting on a nearby stand. "I was kinda hoping you'd play bass for my... uh... medieval synthwave experiment?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, but there was no real judgment behind it. Only fondness.

"You do realize I've never touched a bass guitar in my life, right?" she said dryly.

Dexter grinned. "No better time to start! Besides, you're, like, naturally cool. You'll totally pull it off."

Cool? Raven felt her cheeks warm, and quickly masked it with a dramatic eye roll. "Fine. But if this goes horribly wrong, I'm blaming you."

She picked up the guitar — it was heavy and sleek, cold to the touch — and slung the strap over her shoulder. It looked good on her, somehow, like it belonged.

Dexter moved closer, close enough that Raven caught a whiff of his scent — like parchment and peppermint. Her stomach did a little flip.

"Okay, here, let me show you," he said, his voice a little unsteady. He reached for her hands, gently adjusting her fingers along the frets. His touch was featherlight, careful, as if he thought she might vanish if he pressed too hard.

Raven dared a glance up at him. Dexter's face was flushed pink, his eyes intensely focused on her hands — but every now and then, he'd steal these tiny, nervous glances at her face, like he couldn't help himself.

Cute, she thought again, her heart melting.

"Now strum—" he started, but before he could finish, Raven hit a string. A loud, awkward blang echoed around the room, and both of them winced.

There was a beat of silence. Then Raven snorted. Dexter cracked up a second later, and soon they were both laughing uncontrollably, clutching their sides.

When they finally calmed down, Dexter wiped a tear from his eye and said, "Okay, that was... technically a sound. So, we're off to a great start!"

Raven grinned, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. "Maybe we should just start a band called 'Epic Fails'."

"Or 'Destined to Be Off-Key'," Dexter added.

Their eyes met, and something unspoken passed between them — a spark, warm and thrilling.

They kept practicing, slowly but surely. Dexter showed her how to find the rhythm, and Raven, determined not to let him down, threw herself into it with fierce concentration. Every time she got a note right, Dexter would whoop and high-five her, sometimes a little too excitedly.

Once, when she managed a smooth run of notes, Dexter grabbed both her hands and spun her around in a little victory dance. Raven let out a surprised laugh as they twirled clumsily across the room, bumping into a music stand and sending sheets of enchanted music fluttering everywhere.

As they stumbled to a stop, Dexter's hands still loosely holding hers, Raven realized how close they were — how easy it would be to just lean in and—

Dexter coughed awkwardly, stepping back with a sheepish grin. "Uh, bonus points for choreography?"

Raven laughed, feeling her face flame. "You're such a dork," she said fondly.

"Yeah," he said, smiling at her in that way that made her insides turn to jelly, "but I'm your dork."

Raven blinked, thrown off-balance. Had he meant to say that out loud?

Judging by the way Dexter's face turned crimson and he immediately busied himself with tuning a guitar that didn't need tuning, probably not.

Raven bit her lip to hide a smile. Mine, she thought, a fluttering warmth filling her chest.

Hours slipped by without them noticing. By the end of the afternoon, Raven could play a few simple riffs, and they'd managed to string together a short song — a haunting, dreamy piece that blended old fairy melodies with sparkling magical beats.

As the last note faded into the growing twilight, Raven looked over at Dexter. He was watching her, not the instruments, with an expression so soft it made her breath catch.

"You're amazing," he said simply.

Raven felt her heart clench.

"No," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "You are."

Dexter smiled — a real smile, wide and blinding — and without thinking, Raven leaned forward, brushing a kiss against his cheek.

He froze, stunned.

Raven straightened, suddenly feeling every nerve ending in her body fire at once. "I—um—I should go!" she stammered, swinging the guitar off and setting it down way too fast.

Dexter finally seemed to reboot. "Wait—Raven—" he said, his hand reaching out instinctively, catching her fingers.

She stopped. Looked at him.

And in his earnest blue eyes, she saw everything she needed to know: Dexter Charming wasn't her destiny.

He was her choice.

And that made all the difference.