Chapter 25
T o say I was a bundle of nerves in the school gym, which had been transformed into a glitzy ballroom, was a massive understatement. But it was a kind of nervous excitement, not just the dread I usually felt at events like this.
I’d talked to Peter quietly while Hazel was occupied with guests arriving, and we confirmed the plan to have her parents arrive later. I’d also confirmed all the party details and setup numerous times, so I had little to worry about in terms of logistics. Theoretically.
I talked to Mari for a while before Terry came and stole her away for a dance.
I was standing awkwardly (my default pose, really) when I realized I’d erred in not installing potted plants around the perimeter of the space.
In romance novels, the ballrooms always featured huge plants for wallflowers to hide behind when the need arose.
Instead, I patted my long hair trailing down my back in a loose, silvery hair tie, wishing I hadn’t let Hazel convince me to put it up tonight. If there was ever a time I needed that security blanket, it was tonight.
And then all thoughts vanished.
A man appeared from the crowd, impeccably dressed in a sleek black suit and bowtie. I resisted the urge to wipe my damp hands on my dress.
Jeff was gorgeous. Why had it taken me so long to notice?
You noticed. You just chose to hate him instead.
Did I? Or did his brusque personality just overshadow everything else?
Then again, he made it clear from the start that he disliked me. He might as well have been Mr. Darcy, who famously said, “My good opinion once lost is lost forever.”
The moment he spotted me, Jeff’s eyes went wide, his pupils growing as he strolled toward me.
Why was he looking at me that way? Did I have lipstick on my teeth?
Or maybe it’s that dress. You know you can’t pull off a strapless dress. It’s even worse than the one your mom saw you wear.
I looked away, my heart sinking as I wished I’d worn the older navy blue dress purchased the last time I was forced to attend a cocktail party. Instead, I’d chosen a strapless, knee-length teal dress that glittered under the soft lighting overhead and swished around my legs as I walked.
Jeff stepped forward, and his mouth moved but produced no sound at first. Finally, he spoke slowly, “You are beautiful.”
My eyes widened as I tried to form words. He didn’t say I look beautiful; he said I am . There was a difference.
Stunned, I started to feel a bit dizzy and wobbled in my uncomfortable heels.
“I’ll be right back,” he said as he pivoted abruptly.
I scanned the area, bewildered as he got lost in the crowd.
I decided to stay put; it’s not like I had anywhere else to be.
Danny was planning to text me when he was almost here in town, and I hadn’t heard from him yet.
I’d even checked my spam a few times, as I didn’t have his number yet.
I’d merely given him my address and phone number yesterday, forgetting that I didn’t have his, since we’d always chatted in the gaming site chat rather than through SMS. We hadn’t even exchanged real names yet!
I wasn’t even sure why. In any case, he’d warned me this morning that he might be late.
Within a minute, Jeff returned with a glass of ice water and handed it to me.
Conscious of his eyes locked on me, I drank quickly and then handed the empty glass back to him. “Thanks. That was thoughtful of you. ”
“You’re welcome.”
OK, time for small talk. Quite possibly the worst invention ever. “So, what do you think of the venue? I know it’s not as fancy as the resort ballroom, but you know Hazel insisted we find a different venue so we could make it her own. And I quite like it, actually.”
“It looks nice. Elegant but also whimsical. Like Hazel.”
I nodded as my eyes swept the room, which we’d decorated with hundreds of hanging candelabra and floating lanterns above us. “I agree.”
He looked out at the crowd and then turned to me and stuck out his hand. “Dance with me, Roxy?”
With my lips parted in shock, I stared into his deep, expressive hazel eyes.
Expressive? My heart skipped a beat. I’d never seen such feeling in him—a softness and even vulnerability.
I swallowed and nodded, placing my hand in his.
I felt a surge of electricity as the room narrowed to just him and me.
Our eyes were locked as he led me onto the dance floor, and suddenly, only he and I were in the room.
“Oh, uh, it seems they’ve put on a slow dance now. We don’t have to …”
He simply spun me around and wrapped his hand around my shoulder. He left a respectable distance between us, but it still felt too close.
And not close enough.
I hadn’t even drunk any champagne yet, but my head felt like it weighed nothing as he whirled me around with ease.
“You’re a good dancer, Jeffrey,” I said, aiming for a light tone.
His hand noticeably tightened on my waist. “Thanks. So are you.”
“You are a man of few words, aren’t you?” I said when the music slowed down even more.
His eyes looked darker than usual, and he leaned in to speak softly into my ear. “Maybe talking is overrated.”
I gasped and pulled back to see his face. His lips were parted slightly, and his eyes hooded. I breathed in his woodsy cologne lightly. “What would you prefer then?”
His eyes danced in the lower ballroom lighting as he squeezed our joined hands lightly. “Do you really want to know?”
Mesmerized, I felt my head bob up and down. “Yes, please.”
“So polite,” he said, dipping his head a bit. “May I confess something, Roxy?” He watched intently as I nodded again and took several shallow breaths while forcing my feet to keep moving. “My thoughts right now aren’t so polite,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
I swallowed hard as I felt him tug me closer, ever so slowly. “Well, that’s … I guess that’s OK.”
He chuckled softly. “So it won’t surprise you if I kiss you at midnight?”
I stared up at this man, shock coursing through me along with … something else. My field of vision had narrowed to him. Him alone. “Yes,” I heard myself say in a breathy tone that sounded nothing like me. “I mean, no. It won’t surprise me.”
His eyes were nearly as dark as his suit now as he smiled briefly and looked down at my mouth. “Or how about now?”
“Now? In front of—people?” I had a fleeting thought about Danny arriving and seeing me with Jeff. But he was running late anyway , I reminded myself as my heart pounded in my chest.
Jeff’s shoulders lifted as he smiled faintly. “It’s only me and you. Let the rest fall away.”
All thought suspended, I felt my mouth form a smile. “I already have—” I started to whisper. And then he was leaning forward, and I forgot whatever I wanted to say.
His lips lightly brushed my forehead first and then my temple before descending to my lips. His mouth moved over mine, feather-light at first. The flutter gave way to a soft, warm pressure that I hoped would never end.
It was probably half a minute at most, but it felt like half a lifetime. I wasmeantto kiss this man, I thought hazily.
But far too quickly, he pulled back, his hands slowly falling away from my cheeks and landing on my shoulders for a moment before resuming their former position as his feet started sweeping the floor again.
I hadn’t even realized we’d stopped dancing.
As he whirled me around the room again, I realized the song was no longer a slow one, but we still danced close, taking slow steps around the other dancers.
Still buzzing with sensation from head to toe, I murmured, “That was … I don’t even have words.”
He flashed a wide smile that looked so odd on him but also so right . Our eyes remained locked. “I like you too, Roxy.”
I swallowed and struggled to regain my senses. “I—I always thought you hated me. But lately, everything I thought I knew …” I shook my head. “Who are you?”
The lingering smile faded, and I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. “It’s the opposite of hate, Roxy.” And then he pulled me close and whispered into my ear, “I’m already half in love with you, Mindy.”
My heart raced at his words. The kind of words I never thought I’d hear from a man. The words I never thought a man would want to say to me. I held my breath, studying his earnest face.
Wait.
I froze, the room suddenly starting to spin.
Had he called me Mindy ?
I retreated and looked up, searching his face for answers. I might have imagined it. I must have. “Wha–what did you call me, Jeff?”
His eyes were unreadable but never veered from mine. “Mindy,” he said softly.
My body was immobile except for my hands falling away from his shoulders. My mouth moved but refused to produce any words as my pulse jumped and breathing became more difficult.
I knew the answer already.
I knew .
But I heard myself asking, “Why—why are you calling me that?”
He breathed deeply, still staring into my eyes but not smiling. “Mindy, it’s me.”
“Danny?” I whispered so softly he couldn’t have heard me, but he could read it on my lips.
He nodded once and reached out to take my hand.
“But … how could this be?”
It couldn’t be.
Could it?
“You’re Danny?”
“Also known as CastGamer55,” he said, squeezing my hand.
“ You are the guy I’ve been talking to almost every day for months ? You ?”
Uncertainty clouded his face. “Are you disappointed?”
I shook my head. “None of this makes sense. You can’t be—you can’t.
And yet here you are, and he’s not.” My voice reached a higher pitch.
“I don’t understand how this is possible.
If you’re Danny, that would mean …” I trailed off, staring into his handsome face and seeing it anew.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as I glanced down at our joined hands. “You knew.”
He nodded and squeezed my hand again.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, anguish seeping into my tone. I dropped his hand as if scalded and stepped back. “Is this some kind of trick? Oh, look, Roxy’s such a fool as usual.”
His eyebrows lifted as he shook his head rapidly. “No, it’s not like that. I wanted to … I wasn’t sure how I felt until a couple of months ago and then—”
My eyes flashed. “You’ve known for months ? Or did you somehow plan this? Have you known all along?”
His jaw tensed. “Only since November.”
I gasped. “Before Thanksgiving?”
“Yes.”
My mouth hung open for a long moment before I pressed my lips together and asked in a low voice, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Initially, I was in shock.” He rubbed his jaw. “I wasn’t sure what I felt or what to do about it.”
My lips were set in a thin line. “But you ultimately decided the best decision was to lie to me .”
He frowned. “I wouldn’t say that. It was—”
“Just stop,” I said, shaking my head as my body raged with mortification and fury. “What an idiot you must think I am. An utter fool.”
He placed his hand on my arm, but I shook it off. The frown lines on his face deepened. “Not at all. I thought I made my feelings clear earlier—”
I scoffed. “For all I know, you like to date girls who are stupid fools. How would I know? I don’t know you at all, do I?” My voice was shaking as I spoke, but for once, I didn’t care.
His eyes shuttered as his jaw tensed, but he said nothing.
Despite the humiliation coming in stronger waves now, I mustered as much anger and scorn as I could while glaring at him and then turned on my heel and speed-walked away. Jeff didn’t deserve to see the devastation setting fire within me and the betrayal threatening to consume me.
I heard my name once or twice as he followed, but he lost me in the crowd as I found my way outside, just before the hot, angry tears started to fall.