The breeze picked up and the sounds of the city flitted into our senses. Cars were slowing down, watching the parade of well-dressed kids waiting to go into prom.
“Shit. I forgot the tickets.” Gaze patted his pockets over and over.
“Don’t we have them on email?” I turned around to see if anyone else had this same issue. It seemed like every couple had a set of tickets in their hands.
“You know ol’ battle-axe. She’ll never move to email. She is single-handedly responsible for at least half of the world’s trees getting chopped down for worksheet packets.” He bit his lip and sucked on it, eyes darting around.
“Maybe they can check who purchased them at the door? Maybe they kept records?” I motioned to the front of the line.
“That’s possible. Stay here. I’ll go check.”
He strode off, long legs and sleek outfit making my heart jump.
As soon as he was out of sight, I felt something poke me on the shoulder, hard. I spun quickly.
Ashlin and two of her friends were standing there with expectant looks on their faces. “Okay, so we know you stole that dress. There’s no way you could afford it.”
I was so thrown by their opening, all I could do was look down at my dress. For an instant I thought they were reading a tag or something that I had missed. “What?”
“This is designer. I know a Hartsini dress when I see it.” Ashlin gave a smug look to her friends.
“I don’t even know what that is.” I took a step away from them.
Ashlin reached forward and grabbed at the hem of my gown, pulling it. “They’re worth, like, thousands of dollars. No way you have that kind of money to spend, so you must have lifted it. Or maybe blew the store owner. We know you have a lot of practice.”
Ashlin, ironically, had on the same blue Cinderella dress as the other three girls I had witnessed in line.
“Why don’t you go find your date and leave me alone?” My stomach lurched. I knew Ashlin would be at this event. She was the background of everything in my high school career.
Gaze was so good-looking, that when I was watching Ashlin see his face, I knew it was him. She tilted her head up, and then her features went from mean to smooth and a bit nervous. She began blinking her eyes furiously and pouting her lips.
Gaze slid his arm along on my shoulders. “Ladies, I assume you’re here to tell Pixie how ravishing she looks and then going on your fucking way.”
I put my hand up and entangled my fingers in his.
“Actually, we were just asking where she got her dress. It caught our eye.” Ashlin pushed one of her shoulders forward like she was posing for a selfie and looking for the best angle.
I gave Gaze a look to tell him she was full of shit. Gaze tapped his index finger against his lips for a few beats, then he shrugged. When he turned back to me and lifted his eyebrows, I got ready. I knew that look. He was going to get into some well-calculated mischief. He faced me completely and then wrapped his arms around me. He hefted me up so our lips were close. He kissed me softly but slowly, making a show of it. I wrapped my arms around him, one hand in his hair, the other around his neck. Thanks to the short front hem, I was able to wrap my legs around his waist. We kissed until it was far too awkward for Ashlin and friends to stand there and watch. And then longer still until a teacher came behind Gaze and cleared her throat. I started laughing as he helped me slide down his body and made sure my skirt was laying correctly.
We scurried up the space our display had created between us and the couple in front of us in line, holding hands the whole time.
I eventually peeked over my shoulder to see where Ashlin had wound up. She was at the back of the line, but she had her eyes on me, an evil smile in place. She gave me a little wave, but turned to her friend when Gaze followed my movement.
“Man. She has to be here for all my damn life. I can’t wait to get the hell away from that chick.” I sighed out loud. “Why does tonight have to have her in the background?”
Gaze looked back at Ashlin and then down at me. “Hey. Interesting development. They do not have a list up there, and I don’t have the tickets. What about we dump these fuckers and have our own prom?”
I thought about it for a few seconds. I didn’t register any disappointment with missing out on standing in the cafeteria waiting for Ashlin to drop her social media prank moment on me in my beautiful dress.
“I think I’d be cool with that. Like a lot cool with it. You sure?” Maybe this was ruining a big high school moment that he was hoping for.
“Oh, hell yeah. Let’s bounce the hell out of here.” He stepped out of line and bowed to me. “M’lady…”
He pulled me next to him and called a cab. He held the door open for me to slide in and made sure my train was all the way in before closing the door.
After he was settled in on the other side, he gave the driver our address.
“We could’ve walked.” I gave him a puzzled look. Taxis were for tourists.
“Ah, but then we couldn’t do this.” He leaned forward and asked the cabbie, “Hey, toot the horn for me, please.” Then he pointed out the window behind my head. When I turned my head, he whispered into my ear, “Let’s let her know what we think of her.”
I gave Ashlin the double middle finger with Gaze’s long proud fingers matching on either side. And that was how we headed to our own private prom, laughing our asses off while Ashlin gave us the wide eyes of surprise.
I fell back into his chest and Gaze wrapped his arms around me. I moved my head so I could see him—well, his chin until he tilted his head down to mine.
“I love you so much, Gaze.” And I realized it was the first time I’d felt it so deeply. He was my everything.
It was like he’d won the lotto and got superpowers in the same moment—just perfect joy across his face.
Chapter 65
Gaze
AND THEN EVERYTHING changed. Pixie Rae made a man out of me by just having trust and love for me in her eyes. Not the kind that we had for each other as kids, as family, but romantically. She loved me as the man I was about to become. I gave her an upside down kiss.
“You know I love you, too. Forever.” I lifted her head off of me so I could cuddle her into me. I was thankful for how tall I was now so that I could cover her like protection.
“So we’re going home for prom?” She wasn’t judging, just curious as I paid the driver and got out of the cab behind her.
“I’m starving. So hungry right now. The hungriest I’ve ever been in my life.” I pretended to eat her arm.
“Okay, fine. Pete’s will get us fed the quickest.”
I was about to argue that we should be getting something fancier, when she took off running in heels and everything. “Beat ya there.”
The carefree way she glanced over her shoulder and the impish mischief in her eyes reminded me of the younger Pixie. Before anyone had taken so much away from her. I took off after her. Halfway to beat her, halfway to make sure if she fell I could catch her.
She hit the front door of the pizza place and I was close behind her. I opened the door for her, and she was panting from the jog and laughing at the same time.
Pete, the pizza place owner, made a fuss over us as we walked in. “Oh my gosh! Look at you two punks. Cleaned up nice and shiny. Look at that.”