Hey, bimbo! Cool it. We don’t kiss our friends. Emphasis on the F-R-I-E-N-D part.
My thoughts rush together faster than crazed fans at a team meet and greet. Desperate to stop them, I open my mouth. “It means a lot that you’re here.”
“Couldn’t let you miss out just cause your date decided to be a loser.”
“Hold still!” I laugh. “And Ryan isn’t a loser.”
Ty grunts, his mouth still wide open as I apply the adhesive and wiggle each little tooth into place. The act is intimate, though it may be unconventional.
“When I mentioned the vampire teeth to him, he laughed. And not in a nice way.”
“Told ya.Loser.” Ty tries to keep his lips from running across his teeth, warping his words, but they’re still pretty clear.
“He’s not a loser, just has different interests than us.”
Ty’s eyebrows raise, his lips wobbling like he might have something else to say, but he stays silent. I wonder if the warmth that’s spreading through me has caught him too.
Us.
I hadn’t meant to say it, and maybe it isn’t a big deal, but it’s nice to consider that maybe Ty and I—despite all of our differences—do have a few things in common. The thought makes me bolder. “My sister, Ellie, always actedlike it was weird any time I’d go all out for an event. But, hey, if there’s an excuse to wear a costume, I’ll take it every time. Now don’t move for at least thirty seconds.”
Ty’s eyes fly open, pinning me under a warm blue gaze. He appraises me, leaning into my palm that’s still pressed to his cheek. I whip it away, placing it in my lap. After his time is up, he speaks. “Nothin’ wrong with wanting to be festive.”
“I guess, but everyone else thought it was weird. You know I sewed my top. Didn’t like the way it was when I ordered it, so I changed it.”
His eyes dip to my neckline, tracing over the bits of black lace I added myself. “It looks… good. You look good.”
“Thank you. I tried.”
He leans closer. “You succeeded.”
My cheeks heat as our driver pulls into a parking lot, and for the first time, I let my eyes shift to the window.
“We’re here,” he says. If I didn’t know any better, I’d guess that Ty’s voice was rife with… was that disappointment?
The driver parks down the street as Ty instructed, rounds the car, and opens our door. Ty climbs out first, offering a hand to hoist me out. I grip his calloused fingers, savoring the warmth as I hop out onto my feet. Teetering on my heels, I steady myself using his bicep.
“You good?” he asks.
But I don’t answer because my jaw is scraping against the sidewalk. The venue is beautiful. It’s regal and old and the architecture looks like something from a different time. I’m not sure when, but I know it has too much personality to be from this day and age. I watch as peoplefilter in up ahead, passing keys to the valet as their dates escort them inside.
“Should we split up?” I whisper.
Ty leans closer, his voice lowering too. “Why are you whispering?”
“Because we aren’t supposed to be seen together.”
“Then we should probably put our masks on.” He pulls his over his head and wiggles it into place. “Problem solved.”
I stretch the elastic band out behind my head, easing it over my waves so as not to destroy them. Ty reaches over in an attempt to help but freezes when he realizes I’ve got it under control. His hands hover mid-air in a super-cute-super-awkward way, until I snap my disguise into place.
He finally drops his hands. “But now I can’t see your freckles.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you sound disappointed.”
“Maybe I am.” He smiles at me. Fidgeting with his sleeves.
Is henervous?
