Page 22 of Undeniable

EIGHT

Ivy

Thirteen Years Ago

“Twenty-two,”Shelby muttered, and I groaned.

“Don’t acknowledge him,” I argued and tugged her in the opposite direction of the guys. “He’s going to catch you looking.”

“No, ma’am, he’s not paying any attention to me. He’d have to be looking at me to notice me watching him, but he only has eyes for you.”

I chastised myself for the little flip my stomach did at the comment, and I willed myself not to glance to the right, where James, Brendon, and my brother stood on the opposite side of the dance floor. It was hard to hear my thoughts over the music echoing through the gym.

Shelby and I had gone into the city weeks before to find our prom dresses. The gold, floor-length dress she’d picked glittered against the colorful lights. The gold perfectly complemented her umber skin tone and if anyone was getting attention, it was her. Guys and girls alike couldn’t keep their eyes off her.

But that’s what usually happened when my gorgeous five foot ten best friend was anywhere.

“Twenty-three.”

I went from gawking at Shelby to glaring at her and couldn’t stop myself from glancing back in their direction. James was openly watching me, the glare he’d worn all night finally disappearing for at least a moment.

It was the same glare he’d had pasted to his face since he found out Brendon was my date to prom.

Only hours earlier, we’d all met at James’s house for the mandatory pre-prom pictures. Forrest asked Shelby, as a friend, apparently, but James was surprised to see me. I didn’t know how he hadn’t figured it out already. Brendon and James were best friends, and I assumed they’d discussed who they were taking to prom at the very least.

My mom refused to let Shelby and I walk next door to the Larsons’, so she drove us over. The moment I stepped out of the car, James’s eyes were on me. I could feel them on me the same way I’d felt every other stolen touch. Skating over my skin and leaving behind a chill in its wake.

“Hey,” I’d said with a smile, appreciating his outward gawking and the way his jaw hung open as I approached where he stood at the bottom of his porch stairs.

My dress was sapphire blue and hugged every inch of me. There was beaded detailing around the deepVneckline and along the straps. I’d never felt more beautiful or confident in my own skin. And by the way James was staring at me, he seemed to agree.

As had begun to happen in his presence, I felt the blush begin on my cheeks and my throat tighten. During the week since our nearly disastrous project, it was like most of James’s attention was directed toward me. He’d found reasons to touch me, whether brushing my hair out of my face or fixing my necklace. And it was hard not to notice his lingering looks or his uncanny ability to randomly be where I was. The tension had been building, and I felt like the moment I stepped out of the car, it had finally come to a head.

I fidgeted with the length of my dress, pulling it up so I didn’t accidentally step on it as I walked toward him and the house.

“Killer, you look…” James began, but his words trailed off and I didn’t get to hear the rest. The front door opened behind him and Brendon stepped forward, wearing a tux with a tie that perfectly matched the color of my dress. With the largest smile I’d ever seen from him, he hurried down the stairs.

“Ivy, wow. This dress… you look great.” I smiled at my date as I simultaneously witnessed James put the pieces together.

The look he’d had on his face only moments before—which I could only describe as awe-filled—shifted in an instant. Irritation and uninhibited annoyance took over his features as Brendon stepped forward with a large, ornate corsage that he placed on my wrist. James’s eyes narrowed at the flower arrangement and his jaw ticced.

He’d been glaring at the two of us ever since.

Even when James’s own date, Madison, had arrived, he’d only looked away from me and Brendon for a split second. He kissed her quickly on the lips and then turned back to watch us taking photos across the lawn.

And the trend continued through dinner and in the highly unnecessary limo Shelby’s parents had rented for us. The school was only five minutes from the steak house, but they didn’t think it was right to take the guys’ trucks to our one and only senior prom.

But it wasn’t until we’d finally walked into the gym and Brendon pulled me onto the dance floor with a hand around my waist that James’s glare had morphed. With his own arm around Madison, he stopped at the edge of the dance floor. Luckily, Brendon turned so his back was to his friend as the slower melody drifted through the speakers.

Brendon’s hands found my waist, and mine clasped behind his neck. We swayed to the song and the longer we were pressed together, the more on edge James appeared. Midway through the song, Brendon dipped down to whisper something in my ear. I remember the feeling of his warm breath against my skin, but I didn’t hear a word he said. I was too worried about James. His features were twisted in anger as he ripped his arm from Madison’s hold and stepped toward the floor like he was ready to pull Brendon off me.

After that, I’d politely told Brendon that I needed something to drink and hurried off to find Shelby.

I’d been trying to keep my distance from both of them ever since.

Brendon. Brendon is your date,I kept chanting the words to myself, but every time I looked over, my attention gravitated to James, who was undoubtedly watching me too. I was annoyed at the way his angry, heavy gaze made me feel. Like all the electricity in the room was siphoned into the look he was giving me. Like if there was an explosion, it would be nuclear.

“Okay, now you both look like you want to murder each other.” Shelby’s words cut through my thoughts, and I turned back to her with a long, deep breath.

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