With a wistful smile, I replace it where it stays hidden and safe. Just as I back away and move to check my reflection in the floor-length mirror, my phone vibrates from where I left it on my bedside table. I hurry over to it, expecting a text from Dallas telling me he’s on his way. He should be here soon since we’re all meeting here to catch the limo to the dance.
Instead of Dallas’ name, though, it’s Hollis.
Hollis: Psst! Open your bedroom window.
I frown, wondering what the heck he’s up to. When I raise the blinds and see Hollis standing outside my window in his tux, all breath lodges in my chest.
His easy grin makes me smile. When he holds out his arms and does a slow turn for me, like he’s modeling, I roll my eyes with a little laugh before quietly unlatching and sliding open my window.
“What are you doin’?” I hiss quietly.
He moves closer and gestures for me to step aside. His hands grip my windowsill, and far too flawlessly, he swings his tall body into my bedroom. As soon as he plants his shiny black shoes on my carpet, he smooths down his tux.
“How do I look?”
Handsome as all get-out. That’s my initial thought. It’s funny how you can practically spend every day with someone yet not really see them. Every so often, I’m jarred by the fact that with each day, Hollis becomes less of a boy and more like a man.
His shoulders are broader, his muscles thicker, but not in a bodybuilder kind of way, and he’s grown even cuter. Dark scruff that would make most guys look messy and unkempt sprinkles his jawline, but it actually makes Hollis more attractive.
“You look handsome.”
His eyes sparkle before he surveys me from head to toe. Something indecipherable flickers in his gaze before he twists his lips in a disappointed frown.
“What?” I glance down at myself, wondering what could possibly be wrong.
“Somethin’s just not right.” He shakes his head. “You can’t go to prom like this.”
Alarm spreads through me. “Wh—” My response is cut short at the sight of what he pulls from his pants pocket.
A packet of cherry Pop Rocks.
I deflate in relief and swat at his chest playfully. “Hollis Barnes!”
His wide toothy grin is infectious, and he snakes an arm around my waist to tug me in for a hug. He ducks his head and dusts a little kiss to my temple. “You look beautiful as always, Shortcake.”
I close my eyes, relishing in the comfort of my best friend. “Thank you.”
“All right, now. Open up.” I back away and watch as he tears open the candy. I open my mouth, and he shakes some Pop Rocks onto my tongue, and instantly, the crackling starts.
He shakes some into his mouth, and then, crackling candy in our mouths, we grin at one another as though we’re sharing the world’s biggest secret. Once we’re finished with the candy, he glances around, as if looking for something.
“What’d you need?” I ask.
“Where’s the purse you’re bringin’ tonight?”
My brows slant together as I wonder why on earth he’s asking that. But it’s Hollis, so I grab the small wristlet purse hanging from its strap on the handle of my closet door. I hold it up to show him, and he waves me over, holding out his hand for it.
Suspiciously, I place it in his large palm. He flicks the clasp to open it and reaches in his pants pocket, withdrawing another packet of Pop Rocks. He drops the packet inside my purse, closes it, and hands it back.
His lips part as if to say something more, but his phone chimes once, and he reaches in his back pocket. He reads a text message and then responds quickly. With an apologetic expression, he leans in and drops a kiss to my forehead. “Gotta run and pick up Charlotte. See you in a few.”
“Okay.”
When he’s halfway out my window, I rush over and whisper-hiss, “Love you, Hollis.”
He pauses, head turning back to me, and his expression sends a rush of warmth through my veins. “But not like that,” he finishes with a sweet smile. Then he’s gone, striding quickly through the backyard without a backward glance.
I close and latch my window and right my blinds. Afterward, I gingerly sit on the edge of my bed and open my purse to stare down at what he placed in it, and I think back to Grandpa Joe’s recent sermon on unexpected blessings.
That summer when I was eight, I never expected I’d get my own version of a guardian angel and best friend.
With a small sigh, I close my purse and set it aside. Time to touch up my makeup before Dallas gets here. My mother and Roy want to take pictures before the limo drives us to the convention center, where our dance will be held.
As I add a little more lip gloss, I try to give myself a pep talk about later tonight. Dallas and I have talked about taking things further, and I think I’m finally ready. I mean, I love being with him, and even though he’s headed to the University of Alabama and I’m going to Auburn, I feel like maybe we can actually keep the relationship going. It’s not like we don’t have email and FaceTime and everything.
I stare back at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. “Tonight, you won’t be a virgin anymore,” I whisper.
I’d be lying if I said a mix of trepidation and excitement wasn’t plaguing me right now.
Tonight has been magical. Dallas has been so sweet, and we’ve slow danced to practically every song the DJ has played. He’s kissed me dozens of times, and they’ve been little tender ones that make me want more.
Charlotte is a blast to be around, and we’re dancing like crazy people and singing at the top of our lungs to Taylor Swift’s “Picture To Burn.” The guys are chatting off to the side of the dance floor, their amusement evident as we dance like madwomen and laugh at each other’s antics.
When it ends and fades to the DJ’s voice who says, “We’ve got a slow one, now, dedicated to Shortcake.” I jerk, my eyes immediately finding Hollis, whose mouth tips up, and he winks at me. “Shortcake, wherever you are, this one’s for you.”
Coldplay’s song “Everglow” begins playing, and suddenly, it’s like something surreal happens. The edges of my vision grow hazy when I focus on an approaching Hollis. I tip my head to peer up at him as he takes my hand in his and places his other at my hip. We settle into an easy slow-paced sway, our bodies moving as one.
I stare up at him in wonder. “You remembered.” After that day in the dress shop, I hadn’t brought up how I’d asked him to promise to save me a dance.
With a slightly confused look, a faint smile touches his lips. “Of course I remembered.”
For whatever reason, I release his hand to bring it up and rest my palm on his firm chest under the guise of first smoothing down his shirt. He’s since discarded his jacket, like Dallas has. His body heat radiates through the fabric. The hard muscles of his pecs beneath my hand make me wonder how it would feel without the barrier between us.
That wayward thought has me sucking in a sharp breath, and I avoid his eyes. He drops his head to bring his lips to my ear. “He behavin’ himself?” He leans back, waiting for me to meet his concerned gaze. When I merely nod, relief is evident in his features. Then he ducks his head again. “Remember to be safe tonight.”