The one time I was brave enough to have him over while my parents were at dinner, they came home early unexpectedly and caught us watching a movie in my bedroom. They took my phone away for a month and told me if I ever saw him again, they were taking me out of the school I love so much and putting me in an all-girls boarding school far away from this town. After that, I’ve gotten really good at keeping our relationship a secret from them. Ryder doesn’t like lying to them and says he can change my parents’ minds, but he doesn’t know them like I do.
Brooklyn has been my wing girl and covers for me when I go over to Ryder’s. I adore his family so much and have gotten close with his brothers. His parents have welcomed me into their home like I was one of their own. Savi, his younger sister, and I have become close since she’s only three years younger than me. They are the family I’ve always wished for but never had.
“Let me take one more, then you can go.” My mother snaps another picture of Michael and me in front of the big fireplace. She’s doing a really good job acting like a mother who cares in front of someone she already has her eyes on for her daughter. A doctor in the family would be something she could brag about to her friends. Sorry to disappoint you, Mother, but it will never happen.
I place a fake smile on my face just to get this over with. She finally takes enough to be satisfied. It’s not like they are going in a scrapbook or anything. I don’t even think I have one single photo album of me growing up. She’ll delete all of them from her phone except the one she will be showing her country club friends tomorrow.
We walk to the door, and Michael charms her with his goodbyes and promises to keep me safe. “Don’t forget, Mother, I’m spending the night at Brooklyn’s after the dance.”
“I didn’t forget. Have fun, dear. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiles at me, but the love never reaches her eyes. I turn and walk out the door, not giving her a second thought. I only have one person on my mind, and he’s waiting down the street for me. I quickly get in Michael’s car and breathe a sigh of relief as we pull away.
“So, how did I do?” He grins at me as we drive down the street.
“You were exactly what she wanted you to be. I’ve never seen her look so happy. Ever.” I laugh.
“Both my parents go to the country club with yours, so I’ve gotten real good at putting on a fake smile and feeding bullshit to a bunch of pretentious assholes.”
“Yeah, I’ve gotten real good at it myself as well. Thanks for doing this.” He pulls to a stop about a mile from my house, and I grin when I see Ryder standing there. He looks breathtaking in his suit and blue tie, which match my dress.
“You can thank your boyfriend. He’s the one paying me.” Ryder opens my door for me, and I immediately wrap my arms around him. Laughing, he hugs me tight.
When Ryder found out who my parents picked for my date, he approached him at school and made a deal with him. Michael was more than happy to get out of this forced date that our parents had set up.
“God, you look beautiful tonight. I’ve missed you.” He buries his face in my hair as I breathe him in.
“I’ve missed you too.” We saw each other at school yesterday but I couldn’t sneak out last night like I wanted to. “You look hot in that suit.” I finger his tie before grabbing it andpulling his lips to mine for a kiss. He moans softly against my lips as I eagerly kiss him back.
I hear Michael clear his throat loudly, and we reluctantly break away. “Can I get paid so I can leave? As entertaining as this is, I’ve got a party waiting for me and a girl who’s a sure thing tonight.”
“Sorry, man.” Ryder reaches into his pocket and hands him the two hundred. I tried to get him to let me pay, at least for half, but he insisted it was worth every penny.
“Thanks. Have a good night, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He grins and pulls away. Ryder grabs me in a hug and spins me around. Laughing, I meet his grey eyes that have become my whole world. He sets me down and takes my hand as we walk over to the car waiting on the side of the road. I gasp when I see it.
“Where’s your car?” I look at the sleek red one sitting in front of me. I’ve gotten to know cars a lot more since I’ve been coming up to the garage on days he’s working. Jimmy lets me sit and talk to Ryder while he works. I think Ryder told him about my parents and our situation. He seemed happy to help us out so we could see each other more.
“Jimmy insisted we go to prom in style.” His grin can’t get any bigger as he opens the door to the Corvette in front of me.
“Jimmy let you borrow this?” I run my hand over the roof of the cherry-red car.
“He did. You should have seen the look on my face when he handed me the keys today. I about pissed myself,” he laughs.
“I bet.” I giggle. I slide down in the cool leather seats as he shuts the door and gets in on the driver’s side.
He roars the engine to life and grins like a kid at Christmas. I love how much he loves cars and his passion for his work. I see it every time I watch him restore one piece by piece until a work of art is standing before me. He’s beautiful to watch, and I findmyself daydreaming a lot about his hands and how skilled they are. He’s taken things real slow with me, and besides making out and some touching, he’s been waiting for me to be ready. And I am. I’m so ready.
I just turned seventeen, and it’s the only time we are briefly the same age before he turns eighteen this year. A lot of the students, including Ryder and me, got hotel rooms tonight. Brooklyn and her boyfriend, Bryan, got one, too, along with Miles and his date. We left my phone at her house earlier, so my mother will see my location there when she checks later. She never bothers to call but loves to be able to track me. I think Brooklyn has had my phone this year more than I have, so she doesn’t get suspicious when I’m with Ryder.
“What are you thinking about right now?” He looks over and smiles at me, causing my heart to burst wide open.
“I’m just thinking about how happy you make me and how I can’t wait for tonight when we don’t have to leave each other sides until tomorrow afternoon.”
“You make me happy too. I want tonight to be special for you.”
“It already is.” I grin at him, and his eyes light up with love.
Prom waseverything I had hoped it would be and more. I was in Ryder’s arms all night long as we danced the night away with our friends. His brother Miles is a drummer in a band, and they even got to play for a bit when the one they hired took a break. I’ve never smiled or laughed so much in my life. I never want this night to end.
Ryder closes the door to our hotel room as I walk to the balcony overlooking the ocean. You can’t see it in the dark, but the waves can be heard pulling me into their rhythmic sounds.His arms come around me, and I smile as my head leans back on his chest.
