Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
AVERY
Ty is beyond handsome. Every tiny movement, every unassuming breath he takes is mesmerizing. He’s beautiful. Impressive. A god among men.
Okay, Avery. Chill out, woman. You and Ty are friends. No successful friendship starts with one friend drooling over the other one.
And then he rubs his chin, his rough fingers scraping against the stubble he let grow out this week.
My eyes trail over his perfectly symmetrical jawline, down his throat, and hone in on his muscular chest. The top few buttons of his shirt are loose, showing off the dip between his pecs.
I have to bite my bottom lip to contain the screech that wants to escape.
Ty is so incredibly attractive, and my hands are in his mouth.
Which should be totally unsexy, but it isn’t because if Ty is involved in any capacity, it automatically makes everything sexier.
Especially since now I know exactly what that mouth can do.
The memory of what will henceforth be called “movie night” dances through my head.
After he left, I tried to memorize every tiny touch, every flourish of his tongue.
Because that was the first—and last—time that will happen.
So then why does touching him this way now feel like torture? I’m so close to him, I could just...
Hey, bimbo! Cool it. We don’t kiss our friends. Emphasis on the F-R-I-E-N-D part.
My thoughts rush together faster than crazed fans at a team meet and greet. Desperate to stop them, I open my mouth. “It means a lot that you’re here.”
“Couldn’t let you miss out just cause your date decided to be a loser.”
“Hold still!” I laugh. “And Ryan isn’t a loser.”
Ty grunts, his mouth still wide open as I apply the adhesive and wiggle each little tooth into place. The act is intimate, though it may be unconventional.
“When I mentioned the vampire teeth to him, he laughed. And not in a nice way.”
“Told ya. Loser.” Ty tries to keep his lips from running across his teeth, warping his words, but they’re still pretty clear.
“He’s not a loser, just has different interests than us.”
Ty’s eyebrows raise, his lips wobbling like he might have something else to say, but he stays silent. I wonder if the warmth that’s spreading through me has caught him too.
Us.
I hadn’t meant to say it, and maybe it isn’t a big deal, but it’s nice to consider that maybe Ty and I—despite all of our differences—do have a few things in common.
The thought makes me bolder. “My sister, Ellie, always acted like it was weird any time I’d go all out for an event.
But, hey, if there’s an excuse to wear a costume, I’ll take it every time.
Now don’t move for at least thirty seconds. ”
Ty’s eyes fly open, pinning me under a warm blue gaze. He appraises me, leaning into my palm that’s still pressed to his cheek. I whip it away, placing it in my lap. After his time is up, he speaks. “Nothin’ wrong with wanting to be festive.”
“I guess, but everyone else thought it was weird. You know I sewed my top. Didn’t like the way it was when I ordered it, so I changed it.”
His eyes dip to my neckline, tracing over the bits of black lace I added myself. “It looks… good. You look good.”
“Thank you. I tried.”
He leans closer. “You succeeded.”
My cheeks heat as our driver pulls into a parking lot, and for the first time, I let my eyes shift to the window.
“We’re here,” he says. If I didn’t know any better, I’d guess that Ty’s voice was rife with… was that disappointment?
The driver parks down the street as Ty instructed, rounds the car, and opens our door. Ty climbs out first, offering a hand to hoist me out. I grip his calloused fingers, savoring the warmth as I hop out onto my feet. Teetering on my heels, I steady myself using his bicep.
“You good?” he asks.
But I don’t answer because my jaw is scraping against the sidewalk.
The venue is beautiful. It’s regal and old and the architecture looks like something from a different time.
I’m not sure when, but I know it has too much personality to be from this day and age.
I watch as people filter in up ahead, passing keys to the valet as their dates escort them inside.
“Should we split up?” I whisper.
Ty leans closer, his voice lowering too. “Why are you whispering?”
“Because we aren’t supposed to be seen together.”
“Then we should probably put our masks on.” He pulls his over his head and wiggles it into place. “Problem solved.”
I stretch the elastic band out behind my head, easing it over my waves so as not to destroy them. Ty reaches over in an attempt to help but freezes when he realizes I’ve got it under control. His hands hover mid-air in a super-cute-super-awkward way, until I snap my disguise into place.
He finally drops his hands. “But now I can’t see your freckles.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you sound disappointed.”
“Maybe I am.” He smiles at me. Fidgeting with his sleeves.
Is he nervous?
Rolling them, he takes his time until they perfectly expose the ink marking his skin. Veins thread between the blackened images on his forearms, and I can’t tear my eyes away.
Just before the first drop of drool falls, he offers me his arm. “Ready?”
I nod, looping my hand through the crook of his elbow before abruptly recoiling. “Are you sure we shouldn’t go one at a time? Maybe you should go first.”
“I’m not letting you walk down a dark street by yourself, Avery.”
“It’s like fifty yards away! You’ll be able to see me the whole time.”
He grips my hand, curling it back through his arm. “Safety in numbers, my friend.”
I roll my eyes but can’t ignore the butterflies that rise up inside at his insistence, which are immediately swallowed up by that pesky little word. Friend.
Once we’re through the doors, letting go of Ty is the last thing I want to do.
This place is so romantic. The lights are dim.
Faux candles flicker in sconces lining the long mahogany hall we venture down.
Up ahead I hear strings—real, live string instruments—echoing from what I assume is the ballroom.
Grasping Ty tighter, I let the atmosphere overshadow any creeping dread inside.
Tonight, away from the Kings and our responsibilities, we’re just us.
Ty and I crest the mezzanine, staring down to the floor below as we make our way down the stairs.
My breath catches in my throat as the excitement bubbles up inside me, and I’m not sure how to process it.
Am I about to cry? Everything is so beautiful.
Whimsical. Dancers oscillate around the floor like apples bobbing in a barrel, weightless as they move.
Music strums from a stage, wrapping us in a warm melody as we make our way to the dance floor.
Ty’s hand slides down to mine, and he jerks me back to his side before I can find a place among the revelers. Then he ducks to my level so I can hear him over the party. “Straight to the dance floor, really? Don’t you want a drink?”
I lean in, my lips brushing his ear as I say, “I can’t wait any longer. I’m dying to see you in action.”
Shaking his head, he lets me pull him to the floor.
We start with a little step touch. Ty’s shoulders are tight.
It’s cute how nervous he is. If anyone is judging him, it most definitely won’t be me.
My arms flail overhead as I do a little pivot in place, and even though I can’t hear it over the amp that’s a few feet away, I think he’s laughing.
After half a song, he relaxes, his movements becoming more fluid. When I reach my arms out to him, he grabs my hands, spinning me out then back to him.
“Ooh, fancy!” I lift my chin, and our eyes meet. “I didn’t teach you that. Have you been researching dance in your free time?”
“Maybe.”
“Again!”
A smile unfurls beneath his mask, flashing the sharp faux canines I just applied.
He attempts the twirl again. My dress swooshes, catching on his legs before I can get far.
Dropping his hands, I step back to free us both, straightening it out as the mood in the room shifts once again, and the musicians start to play something slower.
I crinkle my nose at him. “Sorry. I’m still adjusting to wearing something so massive.”
“That’s very Avery of you to take the blame.” He clucks his tongue as he offers me his hand. “I appreciate your attempt to save my dignity, but I already know I suck.”
I snort. “You’re just learning! You don’t suck.”
His lips part, and his tongue runs along his upper teeth. “These fangs say otherwise.”
A laugh burbles out of me as I swat his chest playfully.
He smiles back. It’s intoxicating. Last month, I never could have fathomed Ty could smile so wide. And here he is, shining those pearly whites down at me and me alone. It’s exhilarating to consider that I was the one who did that.
And then he wipes it away, a more serious tone coating his words. “You can be honest with me, Avery. I want you to be.”
Can I be honest with him?
Ty, I don't want to be “just friends.” And I don’t want to move out.
What would he say? I wish things were simpler, that we’d met on different terms or had different careers.
I wish there were someone else who made me feel so…
safe. Heard. Reassured. Like I can be myself in all my chaotic glory.
Constantly trying to hide things is draining.
Half the time, I don’t recognize myself.
I may be prone to smiling, but it’s become so instinctual that even when I have moments of doubt, that stupid grin settles into place, and like clockwork, a silly little anecdote about how things will start looking up soon pops into my head.
I never fully feel things. I can’t. In the past, it’s only brought on a barrage of anger and disappointment from others. Feeling things could be my downfall.
And I have a lot of feelings about Ty. So why am I not more afraid?
Taking my hand, he pulls me to his chest again.
He doesn’t let go as we begin to sway, his other palm pressing firmly into the small of my back.
I suck in a deep breath, his warm, spiced cologne filling my lungs.
Larissa was right. A ball is incredibly romantic.
The mood feels right too. If I were to choose to be honest—to confess—anything, why not now?
As Ty stares down at me, enveloping me in that comforting, deep blue gaze, I muster my strength.
Maybe I don’t know exactly what this is, but I’m feeling something.
His eyes drop to my mouth, and an internal struggle begins.
Last time I kissed him, I told him it was a mistake, and he agreed.
If I kissed him again, could I change his mind?
If I said what’s on my heart, would he reject me?
All I want is to feel as close to him as possible.
My lips part, but before I can do either one, something slams into my back, a rush of cold washing over my bare skin and pushing me into Ty’s chest.