The walk from the chapel to Simmons wasn’t that long, but tonight, it seemed to take forever.Accepted!kept flashing through my mind as I dodged patches of black ice, but so did my unspoken:You’ll tell him the truth?
I stopped in my tracks outside my dorm…because two figures were standing out front holding hands, and even though the guy had a hat on, I somehow knew he was Nick. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.
His girlfriend spotted me first. “Hey, Sage!” Emma called out. “Did you have fun tonight?”
“Oh hey,” I said, and forced myself to start up the pathway. “Yeah, it was tons of fun. Charlie and I got a standingOfor karaoke.”
“Which song?” she asked.
I shrugged. “‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside,’ but Paddy’s ‘All I Want for Christmas’ was definitely better.”
“Oh my gosh.” Emma laughed, but Nick kept a straight face.
Then, right as we found ourselves in awkward territory, the front door thankfully opened. “Em, get in here!” Lucy waved her inside. “We’re watching the Hallmark channel, and your favorite’s on!”
Emma’s face lit up. “The one with the Christmas matchmaker?”
Lucy nodded.
So Emma and Nick’s goodbye followed. “Have a good break, Nick,” she said, moving in for a hug (thank goodness, because I so did not want to see them kiss). Then Emma stretched up and pressed her lips to his. I glanced at the ground, knowing I should’ve gone inside, but also wanting to wait so I could congratulate Nick.
“You too, Emma,” he said after. “Let me know when your flight lands.”
Emma touched my arm before she went inside. “Get the girls and come watch with us,” she told me. “This movie is the cutest.”
I nodded, but at the same time felt my skin crawl. It was ridiculous how nice Emma was. I considered myself a pretty nice person, but I could never even hope to be as nice as her.
“Congratulations!” I blurted after she was gone. “Charlie told me.”
Nick smiled, and my heart twisted when his dimple appeared. I hadn’t seen it in so long, and he looked so thrilled. “Thank you.” He let out a deep breath. “It’s such a relief. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”
“You completely deserve it,” I said. “Are your parents happy?”
Nick nodded. “Yeah, Dad’s amped, and Mom was basically sobbing.”
“That’s amazing,” I said, and then it was quiet, except for a few shouts and laughs from inside the house.
“Emma, how is this yourfavorite?” I heard someone say. “I’m cringing! It’s so cheesy!”
Nick shifted from one foot to the other. “What about you?” he asked softly. “Any word…?”
“Oh, yeah…” I started, feeling my eyes well up again. “I was…”
Accepted!
Accepted!!
Accepted!!!
“Sage?” I eventually registered Nick saying. “Are you okay? You look…”
I snapped out of my trance. “What?”
“I’m sorry,” he said, assuming the worst. “Was it a no?”
“No,” I replied. “It was a yes. I got in.”
Nick broke into a grin. “See!” he said. “I told you!” He laughed. “Itoldyou they would see how epic you are!”
