Page 54 of Yours to Conquer

I groan inwardly and take the walk of shame to my bedroom. Ished my work clothes and don my flannel pajamas. I pick out tomorrow’s song and set up the queue to have it sent automatically. I decide to do that for the rest of the week. I already know what I want him to hear.

Wednesday, he’ll hear “Dreaming with a Broken Heart”by John Mayer. I know it’s a song about a man, but I believe he felt that way when I blindsided him by my distrust.

Thursday, I’m sending him “Still into You”by Paramore. The message here is that I still love him and want him back.

Friday, he will receive the song “Somewhere Only We Know”by Lily Allen. It’s almost like me begging him to go back to the place we were before we got here. Saturday will be the last song I send. I choose “Just Say Yes” by Snow Patrol. I hope it’s self-explanatory. I want him to say yes to the prom, but mostly to me.

It’s hard not knowing what someone might be thinking. I wish I knew what was on his mind.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Wednesday gives my heart a little leap of hope as I wake up to a text from Anthony.

I’m just checking in to see that you are feeling better.

If you are referring to my drunken madness from Monday night, then yes, I’ve finally recovered. Thank you for taking care of me. It warms my heart to know that you cared enough to come to my rescue. I only wish I’d been sober enough to have noticed. I miss you, and I love you. I’m sorry.

There has never been a question in my mind about my love and concern for you. It was that same love and concern that got me in trouble.

I was such a stupid girl.

Don’t beat yourself up; we all have our moments. Have a good day, Emma.

You too, Anthony.

The rest of the day has me smiling like a loon and dancing onair. It was just a cordial text, but it was more than I’d heard from him since our fight.

The next few days pass in a blur. I haven’t seen or heard from Anthony, and that makes my heart twist. I received an email from Tate and Layla. They were genuinely nice and gave me lots of information about their lives. We are planning a trip to get together soon. I keep forgetting to ask him if he was the one standing in front of my house. I’ll have to assume he was visiting since the stranger has not been back since I contacted them.

It’s Saturday morning, and I have no idea if I’ll have a date for the dance tonight. I haven’t heard a word from Anthony since Wednesday. I’ve tried to jump in with both feet. I’ve done what I can without being completely in his face. There is a fine line between letting him know I’m all in and kidnapping him to lock him in his house until he says he loves me. Maybe I should’ve gone with the kidnapping plan after all.

I let Roxy sleep in until two o’clock before I decide to wake her butt up. She has a prom to go to, and she doesn’t know Bobby Anderson will be there. I’m so excited he will come. He called my office yesterday and confirmed. He also asked me what color dress Roxy was wearing because he wanted to buy her a wrist corsage. I recommended white since that would go with everything.

“What are you wearing tonight?” I sit on the edge of her bed and bounce, forcing her to wake up.

“Do I have to go?” she groans. “I thought it would be fun, but now I’m not sure. I don’t even have a date.”

“I don’t have a date either. Roxy, will you go to prom with me?” I ask sweetly.

“I have nothing to wear.” She rolls over onto her stomach. I swat her ass hard, and she shrieks. “I thought about just wearing one of my regular dresses.”

“You can’t wear a sundress to prom. Get up. Between the two of us, we can come up with something. I’m bigger than you, but I likedresses cut on the bias, which means they hang well on most figures. You only need to get close in size. The cut of the dress does the rest.” I pull the covers back and look at her figure. She’s wearing yoga pants and a tank top, so it’s easy to see the shape of her body. “What color do you want to wear? I’ve got them all.”

“I’m partial to blue and silver,” she says as she stretches and yawns.

My lips turn into a wicked grin. I have the perfect dress for her.

“Emma,this dress is obscene. Are you sure the tape will hold my boobs in?” She looks at herself in my sinful blue dress. It’s the dress Anthony said was criminal and unfair to the male population of the world. Standing next to her, I feel like the duckling next to the swan. She looks beautiful.

“This dress looks amazing on you.” I add a little silver sparkle to her eyeshadow and call her done for the night. Focusing on Roxy has given me something to do. I’ve been able to spend my entire afternoon without once thinking about Anthony and whether he’d come tonight. I’m resigned to the fact that he probably won’t show up. I hurt him, and after what he went through with Roseanne, he’s probably once bitten, twice shy. I just hope we can eventually be friends. I want him to be with me, but if the only way I can have him is as a friend, then I will have to settle for that.

“Do you want me to drive?” Roxy asks as she peeks her head into my room.

“No, I ordered a car. We can’t drive ourselves to prom. What kind of date would I be if I didn’t take care of my girl?” I pull my hot-pink dress off the hanger, slipping it up and over my hips. It’s a ridiculous dress. It’s short and slinky, showing off lots of leg, and covers very little. It was hot in its day. I’m representing Generation Y. “Can you zip me up?” I turn my back to her, and she glides thezipper closed. I’m surprised it still fits. I slip on my strappy silver sandals and turn to look at myself in the mirror.

I’m not at the top of my game right now, but I’ll do in a pinch. I leave my hair in loose curls that fall down my back and touch up my makeup. I spray on an ample amount of perfume and declare that I’m ready.

The limousine dropsus off at the front. The doorman greets us, checks our ID cards, and stands aside for us to enter. We take the elevator to the third floor. The club is beautiful; it’s exactly the way I imagined it would be.

---