“I’ve dated a few people. Some from the district, and some I’ve met while hanging out with Kelly and Hannah,” she takes another drink. “But nothing came from it. We didn’t have anything in common, and none of them compare?—”
She cuts off her words, not wanting to finish the sentence. Not wanting to admit what we’ve both no doubt done throughout the years. Pushed people away because they weren’t the person we truly wanted.
“Compared to what?” Am I being pushy by asking her to finish the statement? Probably. Do I care? Not really, because I want to hear her say it. I want her to say that even back then, I was the person she wanted even if she couldn’t admit it then.
She lifts her glass to her lips, only to realize there’s nothing in it. She stands and takes a step toward the bar, but I place a hand over hers. “Jaylen?”
“Fine.” She throws her hands up in the air. She’s not exactly angry, though bystanders may think differently. She sits back down and studies the table top. “They weren’t you, Patrick. Not a single person I ever dated measured up to you.”
12
Jaylen
I. Am.Mortified. There was no way to get around the conversation without admitting the one thing I refused to voice aloud. Even my friends knew the reason, but they never asked for confirmation. But Patrick wasn’t relenting until I told him. Now, it’s out there, and he hasn’t said a single word.
His eyes are trained on me, I can feel them studying me. The chair he’s sitting in shifts, and before I have a chance to react, he’s kneeling on the floor beside me. Oh God. What is he doing?
He places his thumb on my chin and lifts my face until I’m staring into his dark brown eyes. “That’s all I needed to know.”
Without pause, his lips crash into mine. The sweet, tender boy I’ve known my entire life is gone. Replaced by the man in front of me, claiming me with his mouth and tongue. His hands tangled in my hair as he takes what I’ve known he’s wanted for the better part of our lives.
My hands move to the front of his shirt, gripping the fabric. Holding him to me so he doesn’t drift away once again. Our tongues dance as he deepens the kiss. The moment I didn’t realize until recently I wanted is perfect. Well, almost.
Cheering and whoops fill the space around us, and I remember we are very much in public. My entire body flushes as the realization hits, and I slowly pull away from him. He leans his forehead against mine, breaths quick, as he calms down.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he chuckles, “just so you know, it’s been the same for me. Every woman I’ve ever dated, trying to forget you, never held a candle to you.”
“At least I know I’m unforgettable.” Part of me is hurt he tried to forget me. But I can’t blame him. I never gave him a reason to reach out to me. To try anything with me.
That one drunken night before we graduated, he professed his love for me. Told me if I gave him a chance, he’d stay. He’d find a culinary school closer to home to be with me. I couldn’t let him do that. He was going to the school he dreamed of. Holding him back would do nothing for him. At the time I didn’t realize I felt anything more than friendship for him. So, I stayed silent. Let him think the worst, and he left as soon as he could without a goodbye.
“There was never any doubt about that.” He grins.
“Can you, um, get up?” I glance around at the crowd gathering close to us. “These folks probably think we just got engaged or something.”
He moves off his knees, picks up his cowboy hat that fell, and sits across from me. “Sorry.” He ducks his head. There’s the shy guy I love. “I didn’t know how else to get your attention.”
“You definitely got it.” I lift my drink before remembering it’s empty. “Can you get me another one of these?”
“Sure thing.” He stands and bends down to kiss my temple. “I’ll be right back.”
Fanning myself with my hands, I try to cool down. It’s not that hot up here, but my body is on fire. I slide his drink toward me, there’s nothing left but watered-down ice and I take a sip to help. It does absolutely nothing.
A woman dressed as a pirate stops by our table and bends down. “Congratulations. It’s always been my dream to get engaged on Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday.”
“N-no, we’re not—” Before I have a chance to explain she walks away. I have a feeling this is going to be the talk of the party, and nothing even happened. Well, other than the mind shattering kiss I just shared with Patrick. If he can make me melt with only a kiss, I can’t imagine how it’s going to feel when we fall into bed together. Who knows, maybe I’ll get to find out tonight.
“What was that about?” Patrick sets my drink in front of me. I expect him to sit across from me again, but he moves the chair over until he’s beside me. He sits down and his free hand automatically goes to my knee. The reserved touches from earlier are no longer necessary. Not now that he knows I want him as much as he wants me.
“Oh, you know, just some random stranger congratulating me on our upcoming nuptials.” I shake my head and laugh because it’s all I can do at this point. The one time I’m the center of attention, it’s because I got my first kiss with my childhood best friend.
“My bad.” He doesn’t look sorry at all. The wide grin he’s sporting as he watches the people still staring at us says he’s pretty proud of himself. I don’t blame him, though. He never would have had the confidence to do that at eighteen. Now, in our mid-thirties, he’s sure of what he wants. Even if that person lives hours away from him, and has no idea how we are going to make this work.
“It’s all good.” I lean my head on his shoulder. “I’d say it was more than worth it.”
We sit in silence as the DJ continues to play music downstairs. There are still a couple of hours until this thing ends. And as much as I want to ditch the rest of the party and head straight to our hotel room, I know we should stay a little longer. Especially since our tickets were essentially free. I know the payoff will be fine with Kelly, though. This was her moment to play fairy godmother. Her way of making my wildest dreams come true.
“Want to see what else this party has to offer?” Patrick squeezes my knee. It might be my imagination, but I think his hand moved further up my leg. There’s a good chance he’s having the same thoughts I am. Both of us are too polite to voice them aloud.
