“Whoa, slow down there,” Chad teased.
I made a face. “I’m nervous.”
He rubbed my back. “I know. Don’t be. You look amazing.”
I nodded and just then, my eyes met Trey’s across the room. He looked at Chad and then back at me, his eyebrows knitting. I glanced up at Chad and laughed.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said through a large smile. I clamped my teeth together and said, “He’s looking over here.”
“Oh. But so is Elyse.”
My eyes widened. “Shit.”
He laughed too and shrugged. “Maybe it’s working in both our favors.”
I handed him my drink with my eyes on Trey. “I’m going to talk to him.”
Chad bumped his shoulder into mine. “Good luck, gorgeous.”
Everything seemed to slow as I made my way across the ballroom. Even the music faded out for a quieter song. The crowd parted. Trey looked at me and nothing else. It was perfect. He stuck a hand in his pocket and scratched his head with the other, ruffling his blond hair.
“Hey,” he said when I was close.
“Hi.”
“Didn’t know you’d be here.”
I shrugged. “Is it a bad thing?”
“No,” he said immediately. “I’m glad.”
“Are you here with anyone?”
He nodded over my shoulder, but I didn’t look. “Tiff from our dorm.”
“Oh.”
“It’s not like you think. It was just a last-minute thing. I mean, I wasn’t expecting—anyway, you look really…did you get a haircut or something?”
I shook my head. “Not since the last time we saw each other. You know, the day you dumped me.”
He glanced at the floor. “Yeah.” He looked up over his shoulder and back at me. “What’s the deal with Chad? You here with him?”
“Maybe.”
“Would he care if we danced?”
I held my arms open, and his slipped around me. His cologne was familiar as I put my cheek against his. Dean’s arms when he’d picked me up were solid, like they’d never, ever drop me. Trey’s, on the other hand, rested limply around my waist.
“How was Mexico?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It was cool. Lots of drinking.”
“Did you hook up with anyone?”
He laughed near my ear. “Geez, Alex. We were broken up.”
