Chapter Twenty
Matt
We usually went over to the Burkeley’s once every month or two for dinner.
Sometimes, my parents offered to host, but the space at our house was limited. It definitely wasn’t ideal to have eight people over for dinner.
Our dining table was a small round table, tucked away on the far side of the kitchen. With only four chairs, the kids would eat together first, followed by the adults.
The summer was a more ideal time for us to host at our house.
Even though our house was like a shoebox compared to the Burkeley’s, we actually had a good setup in the backyard.
Our bonfire pit and pool weren’t as fancy as theirs, but there was still ample space in the back, paired with a nice outdoor seating area.
At the Burkeley’s, they had a separate room just for dining. A long, elegant table sat in the center, and I was in awe every time I saw it, regardless of the fact that I’d been eating at this table for eleven years.
Ten grey, cushioned chairs, much sturdier than the basic wooden ones at our house, surrounded their dining room table.
And if I wasn’t studying El during dinner, who typically sat across from me, I was studying the opulent paintings of cherry blossoms on the walls or peering up at the glass chandelier above the table.
Today, when I walked into the Burkeley residence, I was expecting that same lavish vibe that filled the house as all the times before. But when I rounded the corner, I didn’t see El’s compelling smile or glowing aura.
Mentally, I took attendance. Everyone was here except for El.
With a quick pat on my back, accompanied by a fatherly smile, Mac greeted me. But before I could ask where his exceptional daughter was, his attention had turned to thirteen-year-old Jade.
“You’ve grown a foot since last month, kid!”
“No, I haven’t,” she giggled. “I might’ve shrunken actually.”
He laughed. “Well, in that case, get used to it, kid. You got your mother’s short genes.”
A hint of playfulness shone through my mother’s eyes as she gave a bitter scowl. “Thanks.”
He wasn’t wrong. Even though our mother was average height for a woman, both of our grandparents on her side were shorter and Jade seemed to take after them. Thankfully, I took after our dad’s side. Tall. Athletic. And built to take a punch or two. Or to pitch a punch or two.
Mac and my mom had a sibling type of relationship. Some people may have found that hard to believe, but even after all these years, I had never, not once, ever seen them look at each other the way I looked at El.
Speaking of El, where was she?
The temptation to scream over the group and ask was gnawing at me, but instead, I said hello to Elisa before beelining towards Lo.
“Hey,” I whispered. “Where’s El?
Her face fell, looking pained. She gave a wince, and I could feel my heartbeat suddenly spike, working overtime. I held my breath, waiting for her to answer while forcing myself not to show the apprehension that so badly wanted to slice across my features.
“She’s in her room.”
“Is she okay?”
Sighing, she slowly began to shake her head. Her eyes, a similar hazel to El’s, oozed empathy. For me or for El, I wasn’t sure. “Her prom date dumped her. She doesn’t have a date now and it’s next week. She’s really upset.”
Under my breath, I murmured, “Oh.”
“Yeah,” Lo said. “She hasn’t come out of her room in a few hours.”
“I’m gonna go check on her.” I ducked out and made the trek up the grand staircase, my pace slowing the further I got down the hall.
The only sound on this entire floor was the quiet whimpers echoing from her room. The door was cracked open, and when I stole a peek through the rift, the sight broke me.
El had her face buried into her knees, body shaking as she let out a small cry.
“El?” I announced myself, pushing the door open lightly.
When she glanced up, I froze like I’d been irreversibly maimed. My stomach plummeted the closer I got to her, and I sat on the edge of her bed, maintaining a few feet between us.
My voice rasped as I spoke softly. “Hey, you okay?”
“No,” she sniffled. “My prom date dumped me.”
Jaw tightening, I suddenly blazed with anger. I wanted to know who it was that did this to her. What a fucking idiot that guy was. I couldn’t imagine doing this to any girl a week before prom, let alone El.
Even with outrage swimming through my veins, I kept my voice steady, gentle. “Do you know why?”
Her bottom lip quivered in the slightest, and I wanted to reach for her and wrap her up in my arms like twine.
“I don’t know, I... I think he decided to go with someone else,” she let out. “I can’t go now. I’m going to be the only one in my friend group without a date and it’s going to be embarrassing.”
Head swiveling, I eyed the bubblegum pink dress hung on her closet door. Material fanning out, embellished with glistening studs and applique, it was a fairytale type of dress, so beautiful that it could’ve been a wedding dress if it were white.
Memories flooded my mind of El prancing around in dresses as a young girl, pretending she was a princess. No doubt she had been gearing up to wear that dress on the closet door, waiting to be worn. I was sure it probably cost more than my arm too.
The words slipped out so quickly, but I didn’t regret them at all.
“I’ll take you.”
The minuscule glimmer of hope that flickered in her eyes was everything to me. With another tiny sniffle, she peered at me in sheer disbelief. I wanted so badly to be her knight in shining armor that I hated how much doubt she had in me to play the role.
“You would?”
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“But you hate school dances.”
True. I wasn’t even planning on going to my own junior prom.
“I’m sure it’ll be fun,” I spoke.
A rosy smile broke her lips, and just the sight alone was worth the misery of a school dance that I was about to put myself through. I’d do anything to stop her from crying.
Her voice had a sweet ring to it when she agreed. “Okay.” Before I could react, she leapt up and tackled me with a hug.
“Geez, El,” I chuckled, catching her before she fell off the bed.
“Thank you, Mattie.” El nuzzled her face into the crook of my neck, and I would give no complaints if I spent the rest of my life right here, in this spot.
As she pulled away slightly, I couldn’t tell if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not. She looked at me starry-eyed, like maybe I truly was her knight in shining armor.
I reached up, my calloused thumb wiping a tear off the corner of her chin that had fallen just moments prior. Luckily for me, she didn’t notice the way I wiped it off in the shape of a heart.
***
Six of us stood at the bottom of the grand staircase in the Burkeley home, waiting for El’s big reveal.
Besides El, the only person missing here from our extended family was Lo, who had been helping El with her hair and makeup.
I knew El was excited for this, and I was happy to be the one putting a smile on her face tonight. But I was pretty sure no one was more excited than my own mother.
Her camera was already out, ready to go. She even kept it on a strap, laced around her neck for easy access.
“Okay,” Mom muttered, more to herself than anyone else as she stepped over to me, adjusting my tie even though it didn’t need adjusting.
“Mom, it’s fine,” I whined.
“I’m just making sure.”
“Here she comes!” Lo shouted, rushing down the stairs.
I’d admit, it was the most cliché entrance probably ever, straight out of a stereotypical romcom.
But I was sucked in nonetheless, as was everyone else.
Every part of her was so stunning that I didn’t know where to look.
Her caramel hair was pulled up in a classy updo, with a curled strand on either side of her face. Makeup kept to a minimum, she illuminated grace and natural beauty, with a tasteful amount of blush to brighten her features.
The part that really had me speechless was the dress. I’d already seen it, of course, when it was hung on her closet door just a week prior. It was beautiful on its own, but on her? I was in absolute awe. Flashes of her walking down an aisle to me zipped through my thoughts, and my breath hitched.
I hadn’t realized I’d been zoning out the overjoyed shrieks and cheers of our families until El was on the final few steps.
The clicks of my mother’s camera rang over my shoulder as my shaking hands opened the small case that held the corsage I’d gotten for El.
I chose the pink rose that matched her dress the best. It wasn’t difficult, granted the image of her dress had been engrained in my mind since I first saw it.
Every night before I fell asleep since, I’d imagined what it was going to look like on her. But my imagination could never do her justice.
Slipping the corsage on her dainty wrist, I awkwardly stepped back. I hated how our families could see through me right now— openly infatuated and struggling to hide it.
But El caught the sleeve of my tux, locking me in place as she closed the gap again, reaching for the cream boutonniere that her mom held out.
Carefully, she weaved the pin through the fabric of my tux. Her touch sent a jolt of electricity shooting through my body, placing the boutonniere just above my heart.
The backyard of the Burkeley’s house was the perfect place for photos. One would think it was the backyard of an heiress.
Vines with blossoming flowers hung along the sides of the house, and to the left, there was a stone walkway leading to a small gazebo.
My dress shoes clacked with each step, a sound that was echoed by El’s heels. I was thankful for my recent growth spurt, which shot me up from six-foot to six-two, keeping me a safe height taller than El in those shoes.
I’d be lying if I said the next twenty minutes weren’t borderline dreadful though, spent with cameras in my face, one coming from every angle.