The Jewelry Box
Chapter thirty-one
Aurora Driscoll
I bend down and pick up a stray hair pin off the tile floor.
The classroom turned dressing room is quiet.
All of the girls are out with their friends and family.
I’m almost always the last to leave on recital nights.
After a constant barrage of noise, it’s nice to have a moment to decompress before throwing myself into a throng of people again.
Once I’ve picked up all of the trash and stray bits of costumes left behind, I head to my duffel bag and double-check that I have everything I need.
I eye my sweatpants with longing but know better than to change before my mom can get pictures of me.
With all the effort that went into the costume, hair, and makeup, it is nice to get some more wear out of it than such a short performance, but I’m ready to be in something less itchy and get all of the bobby pins out of my hair.
I’m zipping up my bag when the door to the classroom clicks open. I look up, expecting one of the dancers to be looking for something, then freeze when I see Hayes smiling at me.
“Your mom said you’d be back here hiding,” he says as he steps inside, juggling a pink gift bag and a bouquet with too many roses to count in one glance.
My lips part. I have no idea what to say. It would be stupid to ask if the roses are for me, because who else would they be for? But they’re so beautiful and extravagant that it feels like they can’t possibly be for me.
“I got these for you.” Hayes answers my unasked question. “I realized about halfway through the recital that I have no idea where you’re going to put them—” He laughs. “But I can buy you a vase, or several vases.”
I breathe out a laugh. He crosses the room, and they’re even more stunning up close. Each rose, both pink and white, is pristine. There are no torn pieces or brown-tinged petals. Pink lace ribbons tie the stems together and hang down.
“They’re beautiful,” I murmur. “Too much, especially for a children’s recital, but beautiful.”
He gives me a sheepish grin.
“I might have gone overboard.”
“Just a little,” I reply with a smile.
Hayes extends the pink bag, his green eyes twinkling.
“There’s more?” I take it from him. Our fingers brush in the process, and a fluttering feeling builds behind my rib cage.
“I saw it and thought of you,” he says simply.
I shoot him a curious look, setting the bag on a nearby desk so I can pull the tissue paper out.
“You were amazing tonight, by the way,” he says in a low voice. “And you look gorgeous.”
Heat crawls up my neck at his compliments. I’m about to stutter a thank-you, when I see what’s in the bottom of the bag. My hand grasps a small ceramic heart, with a miniature ballerina on top.
“A jewelry box,” I whisper. “It’s lovely. Thank you.”
I look up to meet his gaze. His expression is soft and warm. I don’t know what to make of it or this thoughtful gift. If I were in a store, this would draw my eye.
“Open it,” he says gently.
My brows draw together, but I do as he says. The top clinks and I gasp. There, on a bed of pink velvet, is a pair of silver swan-shaped earrings. I lift my head. Hayes is watching me like his next breath depends on my reaction.
“Hayes,” I breathe out, tears stinging my eyes. “I—”
The door slams open.
“Miss Rory, Miss Rory!”
A few of the little girls I teach come rushing inside, each holding an adorable teddy bear wearing a tiny tutu.
Behind them, I can see my family and friends gathering in the hallway.
Hayes must have been sent to get me, and when he took too long, they came too.
I quickly close the box and set it back in the bag, attempting to gather myself before the girls launch themselves at me.
I laugh and blink away tears, wrapping them up in a hug as best as my costume will allow.
“Look what your boyfriend got us!” one of the girls, Daphne, exclaims, and lifts the teddy bear.
“You got them gifts, too?” I look over my shoulder, and he shrugs like it’s no big deal. Like he didn’t just give me the best gift I’ve ever gotten and make a bunch of little girls’ nights.
“Girls, look right here and smile!” my mom says, pointing her phone toward us.
The corset I’m wearing feels too tight. I can’t catch my breath. There’s no time to process all of these gestures. I smile, and it’s real, but it’s not for my mom’s sake. It’s for the man behind me, who I’d really like to kiss right now if we weren’t in a room full of people.
“Oh, you’re all so precious,” Mom coos. “Hayes, come get in the picture. Girls hold your bears up high.”
Hayes steps beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist. I glance up at him to find him already looking at me.
A lock of auburn hair has fallen over his forehead.
I reach up and brush it back. He smiles down at me.
All the while, my mom is snapping photos.
Usually this is my least favorite part of the night. But with Hayes here, it’s not so bad.
The little girls hug us both before running off to their parents.
“Okay, just you two,” Mom says.
We smile in her direction. Then Hayes bends down and kisses my temple. I feel his touch all the way in my toes.
“Girls, you hop in. Hayes, step to the side for a minute please, honey.”
Hayes moves away and I resist the urge to frown. My friends surround me, and I’m beyond grateful they’re here. They tell me how stunning I am and how well I did, but my mind is stuck on the gift a few feet away and the man who gave it to me.
He got me flowers and a jewelry box in my favorite color. On top of that, which would have been more than enough on its own, he got me the most beautiful pair of earrings. He must have remembered our brief conversation about Swan Lake. But how did he know I prefer silver jewelry?
I glance over to where he’s leaning against the whiteboard. He winks at me and I blush, turning back to my mom’s camera.
After I get photos with every friend and family member present, I’m finally allowed to get out of this costume.
I could wait until I get back to my apartment, but it’s awful to ride in the car with all this on, so I decide to go ahead and change.
Everyone leaves except my mom, who starts to help me out of the contraption.
She’s got years of experience, so she makes quick work of the pins and laces with her nimble fingers.
“What was in the gift bag?” she asks, sounding like a teenager instead of a mom.
I can’t help the giggle that falls from my lips. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this happy before.
“A jewelry box and swan earrings.”
Mom gasps. “How thoughtful!” She helps me step out of the dress. “He’s a good one.”
“Yes, he is,” I reply quietly as I slide on my sweatpants.
“I just love seeing you so happy,” she gushes while I pull a hoodie over my head.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“You should have seen him watching and cheering for you, Rory. The boy is enamored with you.”
A blush heats my face.
“I don’t know about that,” I murmur, and zip up my duffel bag.
“Trust me, you’ve got him wrapped around your little finger. Why else would he get you and those girls gifts?”
She makes a good point, but she also doesn’t know that this is all technically fake.
Hayes didn’t have to get any of the gifts, and it seemed like the jewelry box was special, but I’m still not sure what’s real and what’s for show.
Did he just want to make sure my family wasn’t suspicious?
Or did he do all of this because he has feelings for me?
I want to ask him, but I’m also scared of the answer. If I misinterpret things, it could make our relationship awkward going forward. I follow my mom out into the hall, where Hayes is waiting and talking to my brother.
Hayes looks over and smiles. The concerns rattling around my head settle as he walks over and wraps an arm around me. I lean into him and hope that my mom is right.