It was during a particularly fast song when Christian spun me, holding me close. His hands were hot on my back, gripping the fabric of my dress like he wished he could tear it off. His forehead leaned against mine as he whispered, “You really do look good, Elle.”
Was this the genuine Christian? Still, it was so hard to tell.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, saying nothing in response. What could I say? It took all of my self-control to not throw myself at him; feeling his hard-on constantly pressing on me wasn’t helping.
That’s when I saw him. Xander.
He’d just walked into the gym, wearing dress pants and a button-up black shirt, nothing else. No vest, no tie, not like the other boys here. His hands were in his pockets, and he was nibbling his lip ring as he found Alec.
I turned my head, leaning my cheek against Christian’s shoulder, meeting Georgia’s eyes. I gave her a tiny nod, and she scurried off, pushing past the throngs of high school students dancing, heading up to the front to the DJ.
The song ended, and a slow song took its place. I set my hands on Christian’s wide, strong shoulders, moving a few inches off him as his hands fell to my waist. Together, we swayed side to side, dancing to the slow beat of the song. As I gazed into Christian’s eyes, I knew, right then and there, that I had him.
This wasn’t a lying Christian. This wasn’t someone who was only doing this to break me. Over these past few weeks, Christian had come to care for me—really, truly care for me—and I was stunned at the revelation.
“Christian,” I whispered, something tugging at my heart. “I—” What was I about to say? What did I hope to say? Whatever it was, it didn’t matter, mostly because his lips had moved to cover mine, stifling any other word I could’ve said.
His lips were softer than I remembered, melding to mine instantly. His tongue swiped at my lips, and my mouth parted on its own accord, letting him in.
Not for long, though.
The music above us stopped, and a familiar voice—mine—entered the speakers, a picture of myself, sitting on my bed, coming onto the screen where the music videos were playing. A chorus of whats and confusion swept over the sea of students, and as Christian’s mouth left mine, I closed my eyes.