“And your cleavage looked amazing,” Raleigh Ann added.
Ali snorted. “Thank you.” The screen erupted in giggles, and for the first time in a very long time, everything felt exactly right.
Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince
Dylan
Dylan scrubbed the towel over his hair, water still dripping down his chest as he stepped out of the steam-filled bathroom. He grabbed his phone off the counter, intending tocheck the time—and maybe shoot his mom a text to tell her about those honey sticks from the farmer’s market.
Instead, a red notification banner caught his eye.
@ali.kat1995 tagged you in a post.
His brows pulled together.
She rarely posted. And if she did, it was usually a dog meme or something about her book club yelling over fantasy fan casts.
He swiped it open.
And froze.
It was a side-by-side.
On the left—a photo from college. One he remembered down to the minute. He’d just won the homecoming game, and Ali had been waiting by the tunnel, cheeks flushed and hair windblown. He’d barely let her speak before tugging her into his arms. Someone had caught the kiss—her smile against his mouth, her hand curled into his jersey.
On the right—the photo from this morning. Her in that blue and white sundress, him in his faded Tritons tee. They were both squinting in the sun, smiling, cheeks pressed close together. Her hair was wild and she looked so damn happy.
He didn’t move for a solid five seconds.
Then he exhaled—low and long—his heart thudding like a drum in his chest.
“Shit,” he whispered, a grin tugging at his mouth. He rubbed the towel down his neck and stared at the post again, heart swelling. “She really did it.”
His girl. His Ali.
She hadn’t just said it.
She showed the whole damn world. His heart squeezed tight.
He could hear the girls in the bedroom through the bathroom door—laughter spilling out like a champagne cork had just popped. Ashley’s voice was unmistakable, and Ali’s giggles followed.
His phone buzzed again.
Rocky:
BRO. Tell me that post is real and I didn’t hallucinate it mid this Bluey marathon. Naomi is going to have a meltdown when she sees this.
Kallie:
MAC! Pick up your damn phone.
Daisy:
Okay fine, this made me smile. A lot. You look happy, Dyllie. I’m glad. ??
(Replying to Daisy):
Appreciate it, but call me Dyllie one more time and I’m telling the kids you used to eat dry Ramen like chips.
