Cross My Heart

8. TYLER

Chapter 8

TYLER

18 YEARS OLD

I t’s finally Senior Prom, and we’re all going together. “The Three Musketeers” as Scarlett says. And for the first time in years, Noah and I agreed with her. I was too scared to ask her to go with just me, scared to make Noah upset. So this was the best alternative—the only alternative. And Noah seemed to agree to anything we suggested. Too lazy to ask a guy out, he said. But I don’t believe him. I think it’s more than that. He just won’t admit to it, and I won’t push him.

It feels like there’s something between us. Especially after the way he kissed me just a few months ago. Noah was my first kiss—no one knows that. Not even Ashley. We had just started dating, and our first kiss was supposed to be that night, but then we began to play spin the bottle, and the rest was history. I took her home afterward and kissed her on her front porch. I felt more confident now that I knew what to do. I also felt guilty. I don’t even know why.

Noah makes me feel things I’ve never felt before, and it’s confusing as hell. Sometimes I think I want to be with him, but he’s so damn hot and cold that I don’t know if he wants it too. He seems jealous of Scarlett all the time, as he should be. Because the truth is, I have feelings for them both. Even if I won’t voice it. Both of them snuck up on me. One day we were all just friends, and then gradually, over time, I started wanting more. Who do I want to be with? That’s the million-dollar question. I can’t choose between them.

Maybe it’s because I’m not meant to be with either of them. It’s a recipe for disaster—I know that. No matter who I choose, the other will be hurt. I’m not stupid, I know Scarlett likes me back. I’ve known for years. I just also know if I go out with her, Noah’s and my friendship will be ruined beyond repair. He did warn me against it after all. I should’ve listened. But catching feelings for him and Scarlett was inevitable. It was also horrifying. Like watching a car crash in slow motion. Deadly. Because now I find myself in this predicament.

Him or her.

Her or him.

How do I pick?

Noah and I are standing in front of the stairs, waiting for Scarlett to come down. We’ve been here for about half an hour, and she’s fashionably late. According to her mother. We’re pacing back and forth, and we haven’t made eye contact once. Not that I haven’t tried, but Noah is being stubborn as a mule. I don’t know what the hell his problem is, but I want to shake him. Tell him to get his shit together. That we’re supposed to have fun.

There’s the loud clunk of heels as Scarlett finally makes her way down the stairs, and Amy—her mother—ushers us to meet her at the end of them. Finally, she comes into view, a fucking vision if there ever was one.

She’s wearing a long pink gown, a silky material that hugs her curves. The neckline isn’t too low, but her breasts are still visible at the top just the tiniest bit. When she finally makes it to the bottom, she spins slowly to show us the back. It’s a backless dress, strappy all the way to the curve of her lower back, and my mouth goes dry. Suddenly my body feels hot .

“You look—” Noah starts.

“Beautiful,” I finish.

Scarlett grins at us, and I present her with her white orchid corsage, her favorite flower. We planned this down to the tiniest detail, Noah and I. We wanted to make this night perfect for her. Especially since it doesn’t mean that much to us, but it does to her. It is our last hurrah, after all.

We spend the next thirty minutes posing for Amy. She must take about a hundred pictures, and by the end of it, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. She wants to get it perfect though. Her baby girl only gets one prom night, and she’s elated that we’re taking her. Her two best friends. The ones who would give their lives up for hers. If only she knew this was real for me. That this moment means something. That giving her this means something to me.

But I don’t say that.

Instead, I offer my arm and walk Scarlett out the door to Noah’s Mustang. He’s the only one who has a car, but it doesn’t matter because we’re inseparable. We’ve never wanted to drive on our own, it would be pointless anyway. We always end up back together at school. But now life is going to change. I know it. Nothing will be the same after this day.

Noah is going to enlist at some point. We don’t know when since he hasn’t talked about it recently, but we know it’s inevitable. It is his dream after all. And then there’s Scarlett, who’s going to the community college nearby to study to be a phlebotomist. She’s finally achieving her dream of working in a hospital, stupid as it sounded all those years ago. But it clearly makes her happy. I asked her why she didn’t just go for nursing or something else, and she said she wanted to work as soon as possible, and phlebotomy was one of the shortest options.

And me.

I got accepted to every college I applied to.

Stanford, UCLA, University of Alabama, and Alabama State University. All on a full-ride scholarship to go play football. But I declined them all—last minute. I can’t leave. I don’t know why. But thinking of leaving them behind paralyzes me with fear. Especially Scarlett. She wouldn’t be okay without me, not really. I know that much. And I didn’t want to waste any time I have left with Noah either. I want to have him until the second he leaves. Which makes me selfish, I know that. But I just can’t fucking help myself. So I’m putting my dreams on the back burner for now.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

It’s just a gap year. I can always go to the community college next year and get started on the basic courses to be an English teacher. It doesn’t have to be forever.

The ride to the hotel is short. Of course we’d have a fancy ballroom for Prom. It is a rich town after all. Hell, half the population rides golf carts around the town to get around. Entitled pricks. I roll my eyes every time I see them. Scarlett and Noah are used to it though, and they get a kick out of me being annoyed over it. Guess they’re kind of entitled too.

Noah finds a parking spot near the back of the hotel. Away from the limos lining up in front of the lobby. And then we get out of the car. I offer one arm to Scarlett and so does Noah, and then we’re off, walking like the little trio that we are. Us against the world. Like always. Tonight feels like more. I just can’t put my finger on why.

The theme of the Prom is Vegas, and everything is decked out. There’s a huge casino sign where people are taking professional photos, and then there are circular tables perfectly placed around the room, red and black tablecloths adorning them. Cards are scattered on top like centerpieces, and an Arcade can be found in one corner of the room. It gives gambling vibes without the actual gambling.

It seems as if the entire student body is on the dance floor. Only a handful of people are currently seated. There’s even a bar that has mocktails, and I roll my eyes. Rich motherfuckers.

People are grinding to a song I don’t recognize, and I grab Scarlett’s hand and pull her toward the throng. Not exactly the most romantic thing. But she doesn’t seem to care, instead, she giggles and quickens her steps. Noah shakes his head and follows us, my free hand grabbing for his and then we get in a line.

Scarlett is to my front, her ass firmly pressed to my groin, and she begins to move to the beat of the music. Noah just stands there and stares, clearly unsure of what to do. We’re in a predicament. He’s either going to leave to find some other boy to dance with, or I have to take matters into my own hands. The latter wins out.

I pull him toward me until my mouth is pressed right against the shell of his ear, and he tenses. “Get behind me,” I murmur, and he rears back to look me in the eyes. I smirk. “Now.”

He shakes his head, but instead of walking away, he gets behind me and presses his dick right against my ass. His hard dick. My body suddenly feels like it’s on fire, and Scarlett’s ass against me feels like heaven. We move in unison to the beat of the music, and I realize that even though I’ve never done this before, we must not be half bad.

Noah holds on to my hips in a bruising grip, and I do the same to Scar. But I look over my shoulder to get a glimpse of his face, and his bottom lip is trapped between his teeth. I want to bite it myself. I want to lick it better. I want?—

He suddenly pushes away from me, face flushed and eyes flaring with something I don’t recognize. And then he walks away. I’m just about to go after him when the music changes to something slower. Scarlett turns around and puts her arms around my neck, and I sway her in a circle to get a better view of Noah. He’s going toward the bathroom, and my body deflates. But when I look back at Scar, she’s leaning in. She grabs the back of my head and pulls me down slowly. I have time to back out. I know that.

So why don’t I?

I lean in too, and she presses her lips to mine.

Scarlett, my best friend.

Scarlett, the fun girl.

Scarlett, the one who always makes the first move.

And she’s kissing me .

I close my eyes, slipping my tongue into her mouth, and she sucks on it hard. I moan, my stomach fluttering, a shiver running down my spine, and then she pulls away. There’s a dazed look on her face, her eyes opening slowly, and a wide smile takes over her lips.

And then she winks at me.

I grin.

But then I look around frantically, eyes scanning the room. Noah is nowhere to be found, thank God. The last thing I want is for him to witness this.

Guilt slams into me full-force and it must show on my face because Scarlett frowns. But I just grab her hand and pull her after me. Getting off the dance floor to find a table and wait for Noah. He clearly doesn’t want to dance, and I don’t want him to be alone the entire night. I know he only came here for Scar, but it’s not fair to him to be ignored the whole time.

The next few hours go by fast, and then we’re getting in the car. We’re headed to Noah’s house now. His parents went out of town to the beach, coincidentally on prom night. It was their blessing to throw a party, but we’ve never been that social. Honestly, the thought of hanging out with other guys from our school isn’t appealing at all. I don’t have anything in common with them, except maybe football. They’re mostly assholes.

We finally pull up to Noah’s driveway, and Scarlett grins. She taps on the headrest from behind me, and I shake my head. What the hell does she want now? But I turn around and smile, then raise an eyebrow.

“Yes, Scarlett?” Noah looks back at her too.

“Let’s go skinny dipping!” she squeals, opening the car door and practically running to the front door.

Noah looks at me. Really looks at me. His sky-blue eyes are trained on my face and my stomach somersaults. But then he gets out of the car without a backward glance. He unlocks the front door, and Scarlett goes into the house. Instead of following her in, he looks back at me.

Are you coming?

I nod once and get out of the vehicle. He locks it, and I follow him inside. The house is dark and quiet, but instead of turning on the lights, we follow Scarlett through the living area and to the back sliding door. She takes off her high heels as soon as she makes it to the chair beside the pool, and then she’s unzipping her dress. My mouth goes dry.

“Scarlett,” Noah growls. “You can’t?—”

But she’s already letting her dress fall to the ground. And she’s not wearing a bra. I look away. But not before I got a glimpse of perfectly round breasts with the lightest pink nipples I’ve ever seen. I shake my head, and she laughs.

“What?” I don’t look at her, but I know she’s rolling her eyes. Because I know her. Really know her. “It’s just tits, chill out, guys.”

“Heathen,” Noah mutters.

“Why are you so pressed about it?” Scarlett questions Noah. “You’re gay.”

At the word gay, my body heats up.

I look at him. His eyes are narrowed on her, and he shakes his head. But then he proceeds to get undressed too. Not looking at me or anything, but it doesn’t make it any better. My body feels like it’s on fire, and I feel myself blushing.

“Awww, how fucking cute,” Scarlett coos. “Our little baby Ty is blushing. Have you never seen a girl naked?”

I scoff, “Yes.”

“Then this shouldn’t be anything new,” she replies.

I shake my head and begin to strip too, watching Noah intently. He turns toward me and his eyes dip down to my fingers as I unbutton my dress pants, and then he looks away. He gets in the pool slowly, his back muscles rippling as he descends the steps. His tight ass is on full display, and for just a moment, I wish he’d turn around and show me everything.

“Well, are you coming?” Noah laughs, and I shake my head for the hundredth time today. “Nobody wants to see you naked, Scarlett. Hurry up and get in the water. Put us out of our misery.”

“Shut up,” she growls.

“My eyes!” Noah shouts, covering his face. “They burn!”

“Oh, please!” Scarlett laughs. “Always so damn dramatic.”

But then Noah is looking at me, at my naked body, as I get into the pool. And he’s turning pink as his eyes take me in from head to toe. There’s something empowering about making eye contact with him the entire time, and once the water is up to my waist, he looks away.

Scarlett clears her throat.

My eyes snap up to hers.

But she just rolls her eyes in what seems to be amusement, a smirk on her lips. She swims to the deep side of the pool, leaving Noah and I all alone. And I don’t look at him. He doesn’t look at me either.

But we don’t have to acknowledge what just happened.

I know we had a moment.

I just don’t know what it is.