He looks over at me. His eyes are sad and wary, but at least they’re on me. “Why are you here, Evie?”
“I need a dance partner.”
“You came all the way over here in the middle of your dad’s wedding to ask me to dance with you?”
“Yes.” I leave the doorway and sit next to him on the sofa.
He hugs his guitar tighter and shifts slightly away from me. “I don’t know, Evie. You messed me up pretty bad.”
God, I’ve wasted so much time already.
“I know,” I say. I reach out and rest my hand on his shoulder. He doesn’t flinch, so I keep going. “I’m sorry. I was scared.”
“Of what?” he asks.
“Of losing you.”
He hangs his head down, not looking at me. “You don’t make sense. You’re scared of losing me, so you dump me?”
“It seemed safer.”
“You were never going to lose me,” he says, frustrated. “I tried to tell you.”
I stand up and pace a little, trying to find the right words. “I’m screwing this up. What I’m saying is I finally figured out that endings don’t matter nearly as much as I thought theydid.”
“What matters, then?”
I sit back down. “Beginnings are nice, but the best part is right now, in the wide-open middle. I made fun of you, but you were right this whole time. I should live in the moment and all that other stuff.”
He lifts his head and turns to face me.
Now I know the right words to say. “You’re the love of my life, Xavier Darius Woods. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you.”
His smile starts off small just at the corners of his mouth before spreading to take over his entire face. “I’m the love of your life?” he asks.
“You are. It’s terrifying, frankly.”
He laughs at that and then bumps his shoulder into mine. “You’re the love of mine too, you know.”
“I know,” I say.
He stands and tugs me up with him. “So you want to go dancing at your dad’s wedding?”
“I do. Will you go with me?”
He grins. “I ever tell you about my philosophy of saying yes to everything?”
CHAPTER 60
The Future
WHEN WE GETto the reception, the lights are dim except for a giant disco ball spinning silver light. The band is playing, and most everyone is dancing. Dad and Shirley are in the center of the floor. I think they’re doing the (slow, boring, English) waltz, but it’s hard to tell because they’re pretty terrible dancers. What they lack in skill, though, they make up for in happiness.
I look around for Danica and find her eating cake and talking to someone on the phone. I wonder if it’s Martin. I hope it is.
The song winds down, and I pull X along with me so I can ask the band to play an Argentine tango. Lucky for me, they know how.
At first, I’m self-conscious. I notice the way everyone notices us. I notice them studying our dance moves. After a while, I don’t notice anything but X.
