Chapter 4 #2
“Fourth,” Tate reminded her. “And I will luckily be the one with the best beauty on my arm.”
“The best thing about a male best friend, they can make you laugh about anything, and they keep your head up in the clouds,” she teased bumping him with her hip.
“And you don’t have to wait an hour in the bathroom for them to finish their makeup,” Tate added for her.
“Okay, I’m going to go change because there is no way I’m letting this dress get messed up. I’ll be right back out,” she told them.
“How do you plan on getting her back to the office with that dress on your bike?” Jordan asked.
“Ah, she’ll fold it over her arm and hang on with the other. We’ve done it a million times.”
“Is that safe?” he countered.
“Jordan you’re sounding very overprotective of your office manager. If you’re not careful someone might think there’s something else there,” Nicole teased before walking over to a rack of dresses.
“She has a point there,” Tate stated. “What’s your take on Mel?”
“She’s great, a god send really, why?”
“Because she’s my best friend and I don’t want anything to happen to her, anything at all.”
“You sound more like a father quizzing a teen before his first date with their daughter,” Jordan said trying to shut it down, so he didn’t spill just how much he wanted to be a part of Mel’s life—a real part of it and not just as her boss or friend.
He wanted everything with her but unless she made it clear that she would want it too, he couldn’t risk it.
If he couldn’t ever have her entirely, at least he could have her in his office.
“Maybe I should be, after all, she doesn’t have one.”
“I’m not going to lie, I like Mel. Probably more than I should but I’m not going to do anything about it, not unless she makes the first move.”
“Make sure you don’t,” Tate said spying her coming out of the dressing area. “All set?”
“Yup, I probably won’t eat for the next month with the price of it, but it’ll be so worth it to show up there in it.”
“You don’t like the people getting married?” Jordan asked.
“No, just some of the other guests,” she stated. “Bye again Jordan.”
“Bye Mel,” he said with a grin as he headed back to his sister.
“You are so in trouble,” Nicole said, shaking her head as she grinned at him.
“What?”
“You’re so completely in love with her, all it would take would be for her to lean over and kiss you and you’d be on your knees proposing.”
“That’s not true,” he argued.
“I know you little brother. I’ve seen you with every, alright maybe not every single girl, but the ones you bring home and the way your eyes are shining right now is nowhere near to the way you looked at them.”
“Alright…I like Mel. More than like her but she’s not going to go for me. We’re friends like her and Tate.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone who are friends like her and Tate.
There’s something different between them.
No, they’re not sleeping together but there’s some underlying connection, something that’s bound them together, and unless you can deal with that connection, you’ll lose her just as fast as you get her,” his sister warned, surprising him a bit.
“Why are you telling me this?” Jordan asked trying to stop her from asking about his feelings any further because she was right, he was entirely in love with Melinda, wanted her in ways he’d never wanted any woman he’d dated in the past.
“Because little brother I’d like to see you happy, and married, that way Mom can focus on you and your wife instead of on me.”
“Ah throw the attention off yourself because as the only other daughter you should be getting married now?”
“Naturally, how old did you say Mel was by the way?”
“Twenty-one…why?” he asked taking note of her tone and surprise at his answer.
“I don’t know, she just seemed younger I guess but who am I say that? After all people constantly ask if I’m old enough to drink and I’m twenty-eight for goodness sake.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jordan told her. It kept slipping through his mind as he helped her narrow down a dress. Was Mel hiding something? Maybe he should look closer at her background to figure it out.
∞∞∞
“You ready?” Tate asked her as they paused outside the ballroom door.
“Of course I am, it’s just the prom after all,” Mel stated as she grinned up at him.
“Alright beautiful, let’s see what this place thinks of you,” he stated pushing the doors open and walking her into the event.
The music was loud inside the room and Mel looked around wondering what they were really doing there.
It wasn’t the same feeling she’d ever had going to one of the conferences or dinners, even though she absolutely did not want to be at them either, especially not with Henry.
They all felt too old for her, but seeing the others inside the room here, it somehow felt too young for her, which was crazy since this should be the place she fit into—but it wasn’t.
They stopped and took photos making dumb faces for one before settling in and enjoying the other so his grandma would have a copy of it, then headed towards the rows of tables surrounding the dance floor.
“Feel like having your toes stepped on?” he asked leaning down so she could hear him.
“Why not, you’re only young once, right?” she said trying to remind herself that she should be here.
They made it to the dance floor, and she was aware of people casting sideways glances their way, but she didn’t care.
She knew she looked amazing and the shoes fit perfectly.
Her hair was swept up off her neck and secured letting the waves bounce as she did.
She’d stopped into the department store after work and had them apply her makeup, so she had no fears tonight.
The music changed to a slow song, and she sent Tate an eyebrow-raising look. He swept her into his arms and gave her a twirl before they settled down into the dance.
“Can you believe we’ve only got a year left?” he asked as she rested her chin on his shoulder.
“You mean only one more year pretending my mother’s just in the other room? Or one more year before I can tell the people here to shove off? Or how about one more year lying to Jordan?”
“One more year of being with you all the time, Mel. One more year of pretending not to hear what people say just so you can make fun of them later. One more year of being a teen,” he offered, and as much as she wished that last part was true, it just wasn’t.
“You know I haven’t been a teen for a long time, Tate. Not since I woke up on my birthday and found myself completely alone.”
“Never alone Mel; I’m always right here. Me, Dad…and I’m sure Jordan would include himself in that mix, we’ll all be right here whenever you need us,” he assured her, calming the unknown anxiousness that’d been running through her since they stepped into the space.
“Thanks Tate, have I mentioned you’re the best friend a girl could ever ask for?”
“Once or twice…same goes for you Mel. Without you at school I swear I’d have burnt it down by now, you keep me grounded.”
Mel shook her head at their conversation.
This was so not them even if she did know why he was trying to have it.
He’d been trying to get her to admit to her feelings for Jordan and the rest of her situation for months and she’d ignored it, but here, surrounded by everyone else was definitely not the time for that.
So the only way to stop it was to pull them back into their normal teasing space.
“Oh my god, listen to us. We should be having fun not acting as though our lives are going to end tomorrow.”
“What do you have in mind?” he asked seeing the mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Well you know how good you are at hacking into computers, think you could get me into the hotel’s system?”
“What are you thinking?”
“A little water works for when the king and queen are announced. Oh come on Tate, wouldn’t you love to see everyone in this room soaking wet and furious?”
“What about my tux and your dress?”
“We’ll take them to the cleaners in the morning. You know you’re dying to see if you can do it.”
“Alright but we need a computer,” he stated.
“I have my laptop in the room upstairs.”
“Perfect, think we can escape for long enough to set it up?”
“Yeah, no one’s paying attention to us,” she told him as they slipped out the doors and headed towards the room that she’d reserved to change in, glad they knew her thanks to working with Henry and didn’t even ask for her id upon check-in or realize they were with the group here for the prom.
The hotel wasn’t allowed to rent to anyone attending it which made it perfect for them to sneak away with ease.
They were laughing too much to notice the man on the other side of the lobby, but he recognized that laugh and his eyes were drawn to the couple.
“Junior/Senior Prom…” he read off the board outside the ballroom they’d come out of in shock. “What the hell are you playing at Mel?”
∞∞∞
“You’re sure no one can trace it?” Mel asked Tate as they waited on the far side of the dance floor. She’d set up the sprinklers to go off in five minutes, and she hoped they’d have the announcement done by then.
“Not a chance. The VPN installed on the computer will block any attempts to backtrace the hack if it’s even noticed.
Don’t worry Mel I wouldn’t let them bring you down for this,” he assured her and she leaned back against him not caring that the entire school would soon be thinking they were more than the friends they truly were.
She hated being touched by others, but she also loved physical touch, it calmed and soothed parts of her that probably didn’t have enough of it as a little kid.
Letting someone else into her space though…
that wasn’t easy for her, so she gladly accepted Tate’s hugs and holds, knowing it was entirely safe to relax into it.
“Good evening everyone,” Ms. Simmons said taking the stage. “It’s that time everyone…time to announce the king and queen of the prom.”
“Woo,” she said sarcastically rolling her eyes.
“Hoo,” Tate added in the like.
“And our King is…Brent Rackers,” Ms. Simmons announced and Tate poked her in the side.
“Ah just think you could have come to the prom with the prom king.”
“So not funny, I still maintain there was a bet and I’ll be damned if any of them win.”
“And our Queen is…Jennifer Neals,” their teacher announced and Mel checked her phone.
The one that Jordan insisted on updating when he saw her ancient one on the charger most of the day the second week she’d been working with him.
She pretended to take a picture, there was no point in drawing attention to them so close to the big event.
“Remember to act surprised,” she whispered turning back towards him to put her phone away. “Less than a minute now.”
They watched as Brent and Jennifer began their dance and she mentally counted down. Five, four, three, two...
“And cue the screams.” Mel laughed into Tate’s neck as the water began to spray.
She gave a little shout of her own and Tate jumped for good measure as the others began to race away from the dance floor.
They were almost to the doors when the second set went off, and she felt Tate laughing against her back as more screams sounded from the girls there.
“Everyone, please exit the ballroom,” Ms. Simmons stated as the management came in hearing the screams.
“Nothing like getting caught in the rain,” she teased Tate and he ducked his head to kiss her cheek.
“Come on, let’s get out of these wet things,” he said pulling her through the crowd and back towards the elevator.
Twenty minutes later, they were still laughing as they watched the movie Prom Night, the remake of it, on the TV.
“Now aren’t they glad that the only thing that happened was the sprinklers going off?” Mel stated as the killer sliced another person’s throat near the end of the movie.
“Definitely, I wouldn’t want to worry that someone out there’s trying to kill you.”
“And you’re so much better than the boyfriend, I mean you’d never fall asleep and let some psycho attack me.”
“Never,” he agreed holding her close as the credit rolled. “School should be interesting on Monday.”
“Let’s just hope they think it was a senior prank and not a junior or two’s,” she said as they began another movie featuring prom.
They fell asleep still wrapped in the hotel robes and midway through the night Tate slipped the comforter down to cover her.
“Night Mel,” he whispered against her hair as he pulled her against him. He hoped whatever was going on between her and Jordan didn’t affect her place with him. He didn’t want to lose his best friend. Not to another man or to the foster system if something came out about her situation.