FIFTEEN
I pull Stacey into my side firmly, and a smile tugs at my lips when she lets me. Never in a million years did I think this could become a reality. That I could have the girl of my dreams cuddling into me while we watch a movie in my bed. Her eyes stay focused on the screen, her pupils dilated as the car chase scene roars on, fast and dangerous like she craves. Her adrenaline streak intrigues me, and I can’t help but smirk as I watch her completely enraptured by the fake gunfire and racing playing out in front of her.
This past week has been better than my imagination could ever drum up, and I don’t want it to end.
“I’m thinking about coming to the gala,” I tell her randomly, my hand fiddling with her soft blonde hair.
My mind wanders to what kind of expensive conditioner she must use to get it this silky, but then she looks up at me, a slight panic in her ocean blue eyes. “You never go to the galas.”
“Well, yeah,” I say. “But this time, I want to.”
I can see my declaration has made her nervous. “Stacey, talk to me.”
She shakes her head. “I’m scared. Please don’t go, it’s not time yet…”
Insecurity rears its ugly head. For years, I’ve put all my eggs in Stacey’s basket, but here she is, still not wanting to take this leap for me.
“You were always going to choose this town over me.” I shake my head, not able to look her in the eyes. “This town that doesn’t love you, not the real you. You’d rather be a shell of a person than let a single person in this town feel a little bit uncomfortable.”
“That’s not true?—”
“Yes, it is. I am willing to put on a tux and endure a few excruciating hours in that ballroom for you, but you wouldn’t even glance at me, would you? Say hi for even a moment because the wrong person might see?”
She sits up, her hair still perfect despite how casually we’ve been lying all day, her face a pearl of beauty. “This isn’t about you. Iadoreyou. I love everything about you, especially the things that make you different. This is about me. I’m scared of… I don’t know, being seen?”
My heart pinches. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know… but it feels like there is so much at stake. Like if anyone sees what’s really going on inside of me, I’ll deflate and no longer feel good in my skin.”
I place my hands upon her cheeks, steadying her as she shakes. “Stacey, butdoyou feel good in your skin? You’ve been hiding for so long, and hiding who you are can’t feel as amazing as you think it does.” A tear slips down onto my hand, and my thumb moves to wipe it off. “You’re at a threshold. I know you want to jump over it, I also know you want to avoid it. But you have to make a decision, and we both know which one will make you the most happy.”
Stacey hiccups as she tries to keep herself from sobbing.
“Being brave is scary,” I continue. “It doesn’t have to be overnight, but you deserve to know what it’s like to live authentically. You shouldn’t have to dim yourself so you don’t blind those around you.”
She nods, her cheeks wet and shiny, before she curls back into my chest and lets me wrap her in my embrace. We sit there for so long, her quiet cries bleeding onto my shirt. When she finally relaxes, the tears drying up, she leans up and kisses me. It’s soft and sweet and makes my heart pump.
She pulls back, no longer scared but still apprehensive. “This is more than just not wanting you to go. I want you to. I want to be on your arm. I want to see you in a tux… but I still need to break up with Brent.”
Fuck. I may have forgotten about the alpha. “What’s taking him so long to get back to you?”
She shrugs. “I have no idea, I’m actually a little bit worried.”
I try, but fail to not let the sneer show on my face.
“Oh, don’t be jealous. He’s a nice guy, but he’s not…myguy.”
“It took you falling for me to figure out you weren’t meant to be with a nice guy?”
She pushes me playfully. “Oh, shut up.”
“So,” I start, giving her a sincere smile. “You want to go with me?”
Stacey’s face flushes with the most beautiful pink tint, her teeth biting her lip. “Of course I want to go with you. I’ve always wanted to go with you.”
“You’re not going to let them dump pig’s blood on me and my beautiful tux, are you?”
She laughs. “They’ve tried something like that before, and I stopped it, so no. I’ll protect you.”
