Page 66 of Old Acquaintances

“That was five days,” Wyatt awes.

I shut my eyes closed and push Tucker’s shoulder. “Get off of me.”

He leans back and I scramble upright, bushing my hair back, fixing the sweatshirt. Half of my butt hangs out of my shorts.

Jen has her eyes covered, but she must have pulled them down at some point. Her mouth hangs open in shock. Johnny’s eyes are narrowed, something possibly like anger, drilled into Tucker’s face. Serena drops her hand from her mouth. “Well,” she mumbles. “Looks like she finally got her seven minutes inHeaven.”

I inhale, adjusting my clothes. Tucker watches me. He’s cool and collected.

“You sleep on the couch,” I pant. “Iwin.”

Ritchie smirks. “Are you sure that’s where you want him?”

“Shut up.” I swallow. “Deal?”

Tucker nods, silently.

“Good.” I stand and my feet feel like jelly. His hand touches my leg when it buckles unsteadily. “I’m fine! I’m fine.” There’s chuckling on the couches. My empty wine glass sings when Iscrape it off the table.

Wyatt says, “She’s like a baby deer.”

“I’m gonna get another drink.”

“Look at her try to walk, she doesn’t know what dimension she’s in.”

I reach my arm back and offer him my middle finger.

Wyatt gasps, “Andwe’ve got a boner!”

Chapter Eighteen

Prom Night

We arrived at the Pine Place Conference Center, where the prom was being held. Tucker parked the car in the parking garage, and we walked in together, our friends nowhere in sight. He reached for my hand, still tentatively, still wondering if it was okay. I was visibly nervous but giddy. My face was so red because I kept trying to bite back a smile.

We stood in the elevator together, alone. The door closed and we looked at our reflection in the mirrors all around us.

“Well, this is a fucking weird sight,” Tucker laughed. I was glued beside him, my hand tied in his.

I laughed, too. Then I groaned, “Is it too weird?”

“No,” he said immediately to my reflection. He turned me to face him. “Please don’t take it back. Notyet.”

I searched the urgency in his face and the elevator doors opened. I heard the sound of music coming down the hall. I walked out, still holding his hand, and questioned, “What do you meanyet?”

“We haven’t even gotten to the good part.”

I blushed. “You can keep your condoms where you can’t reach them.”

He snickered, “My brain didn’t go there, but I like that yours did. You dirty,dirtygirl.”

I covered my face, “Elijah.”

He pulled my hand away and looked down the hallway, dragging me into a stairwell. I had flashbacks to our cruise. I thought: this is it. He’s going to kiss me again.Thisis the good part.

Tucker held both of my hands to his mouth, and he leaned up against the wall. He let out a breath. “Look, I’m trying to do first date stuff with you and that feels really, really impossible right now.”

“Why?” I wondered.

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