Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
Hushed whispers accompany the thundering applause. Two exes winning the crown, mere weeks after their breakup? We’ll be the talk of the town before the night is over. But I know everyone saw this coming. It could never have been anyone else walking up to the stage tonight but Sushant and me.
Natalie and Julien nudge me forward, and I lift both my chin and my dress just the slightest to ascend the stairs.
Ahead of me, Sushant walks to the stage in his formfitting tux and pink tie that matches my dress perfectly.
My heart leaps to my throat; a bead of sweat rolls down my back.
His date’s dress isn’t pink. What does this mean?
Does he still love me? Does he still hate me?
I study the wide smile on his face that’s clearly meant for everyone else. His beard is mercifully clean-shaven again, which makes him look healthier and more put-together than he has since our breakup. I hope he’s doing better.
Vice Principal Montgomery crowns us and places the prom court sashes across our bodies, after which we pose together. People cheer and click photographs. I sense Sushant’s gaze on me from the corner of my eye, but I stare straight ahead, fake smiling.
“Well, let’s see our king and queen’s first dance!” Hannah says, but Sushant stops her and gestures for the microphone. “May I?” he asks.
What’s this about? I swallow, my mouth dry.
He taps the mic twice, making sure it’s still on, then speaks. “So, uh, this is nice and not at all awkward.”
People laugh. Sushant grins and continues.
“I didn’t expect to be crowned prom king with my ex-girlfriend by my side, but, hey, a win is a win.
” He exhales, his eyes moving over the crowd until he nods at someone in particular.
I can’t tell who it is. “And for all of you gossip-hungry folks wondering, there’s nobody else I’d rather share the stage with. ”
When he looks over at me, I press my hand to my chest and mouth, “Me too.” And I mean it. How was I ever lucky enough to have this boy’s love?
He smiles as he adds, “It’s funny how sometimes you don’t realize you’re a secondary character in someone else’s story until you’re too close to the ending.”
The room is so silent, you could hear a pin drop, until murmured voices grow loud. My heart beats faster in my chest. Is Sushant about to tell people about Meera and me? No, I remind myself, there is no “Meera and me.” And he wouldn’t do that…right?
Slowly, Sushant takes my hand in his, a pained wince on his face, and people grow quiet again.
“I’ll find my own story someday. That’s not the point.
But, Lucy, as we stand together, quite possibly for the last time, promise me you’ll let yourself love and be loved by the right person.
Promise me you’ll give them a chance, even when it seems like the odds are against you or when it feels scary.
Because nobody deserves love like you do. ”
The audience bursts into applause. Sushant must have talked to Meera, probably that night when I saw them in his room.
Nonetheless, his words are so pure and unconditionally loving that I choke on a sob.
I distinctly hear Julien’s and Natalie’s cheers before Sushant steps away from the mic, a tear escaping his eye.
“Well, that was something,” Vice Principal Montgomery says, laughing, and then we’re shooed off onto the dance floor for our king and queen’s dance.
“Thank you for that speech,” I whisper, winding my arms around Sushant’s neck as romantic music swells around us. “But you don’t know what really happened.”
“All I know is, you love someone who loves you back,” he mumbles in my ear. “Doesn’t take a genius to see it.”
“I’m tired,” I admit. “Tired of loving her, of breaking your heart, of…this party. I wish I could go back in time and—”
“Hey, the past is in the past.” He shrugs. “And if you’re tired, go home early. Maybe…maybe think about what I said.”
“Maybe.” We sway to the beat in silence, letting the floor fill up with others who want to dance.
I rest my face on Sushant’s chest, soaking in the scents of cinnamon and soap on his tux, knowing we’re dancing far too intimately for two exes.
But he’ll never be just an ex to me. He’ll be a friend. A real one at that.
I spot Natalie and Julien slow dancing in my peripheral vision, their heads bent, foreheads touching.
He’s leaving for Paris on Monday. I don’t know what’ll happen between them, if they’ve already talked about trying to make it work despite the distance, but I’m glad they found each other, even if it was only for this short while.
The song ends, and Seth taps me on the shoulder. “May I cut in?” he asks Sushant.
“Of course.” Sushant smiles, and I feel a rush of love for those dimples and all the times they were directed at me. “My date’s probably waiting too.”
Seth and I dance for a few songs that get progressively faster and louder, after which my social battery dies and I bow out.
I look around for my friends, but they’re still slow dancing like nobody else exists.
Smiling, I slink out of the ballroom. I’ve had enough of prom night, and all I want now is to be calmed by books and music in the comfort of my room.