His shoulders loosen at that, relief flashing across his face, and that somehow makes it worse. Because he’s happy. Because he trusts me. Because this meant one thing to him and something else entirely to me.
He doesn’t see the way my hands curl tighter in my lap. Or how I swallow past the lump in my throat.
Of course he did it right.
He kissed me like he loved me.
And he does love me…just not likethat.
Which was fine up until three minutes ago and now it feels a lotless fine.
“We could leave,” I blurt out. “Go home right now.”
So you can kiss me some more.
Confusion flashes across Beck’s face. “What do you mean?” He checks his watch. “It’s only ten-thirty. The dance lasts another hour and then there’s all the after-parties.”
“Yeah, but…” I’m scrambling. Desperate to come up with a plan. Something to keep him with me, away from Esther. I fake a laugh, high and too loud, “It’s allsoboring. Right? We could go home. Watch a movie…”
My voice trails off because Beck is already shaking his head.
“No way. It’s our last prom, Gracie. We can’t miss it.”
Then understanding dawns on his face. Gentle. Thoughtful. Entirely wrong.
“Is it Jimmy?” he asks. “You can hang with my group if you don’t want to go with him.”
The fight drains out of me all at once. I slump, a sharp, sudden pain knifing into my chest.
“No,” I say quietly. “It’s fine. We’re all going to Miranda’s after this. There’ll be plenty of people there. I won’t have to see Jimmy.”
Beck relaxes. “Okay, good.”
He takes the crown off his head and hands it back to me. For a wild second, I want to fling it away. Throw it into the field for the cow to stomp on, but that’s petty. Childish. Impulsive.
Instead, I take the tiara and place it back on my head, adjusting it until it sits just right.
Beck helps without thinking, straightening it carefully. Then he smiles at me.
“You looked real pretty up there, Gracie,” he says softly. “When they gave it to you. I was proud.”
He squeezes my arm one last time. Familiar. Safe. Devastating.
“Let’s watch movies tomorrow, okay?” he adds. “We’ll be tired. We can spend all day on the couch. Have a marathon like we used to.”
I nod, barely holding myself together. Choking back the tears that threaten. I’ll let them fall later, once he’s walked away.
“Sounds good, Beck,” I tell him.
“Tomorrow.”
Gracie
Present
I chase Beck through the bar, past the pool tables, into the hallway that leads outside.
His legs are longer than mine. Plus he got a head start, so I barely catch up before he reaches the door.
