Page 55 of Back to Me

A small smile spreads across her mouth, and my mind settles. Yeah, tonight will be everything it’s supposed to be.

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My sweaty palms run along the smooth, silky fabric of my plain black tie for the millionth time. This is it. This is the night my life changes.

Picking up the jacket of my suit, I slide each arm in, feeling the warmth of the crisp, clean fabric mold to my body. Staring back at my reflection, I’m overcome with a sense of nerves. I’ve never felt this way before. Suddenly, even as I’m staring back at a man who looks like me yet appears to be someone different, I feel something I’ve never felt before—self-pride. The weight of what tonight means injects itself into every pore and ounce of my being.

Still staring into the mirror, my jaw drops as I watch Sara emerge from the bathroom. Slowly turning, I stare at her in stunned silence.

Her bright yellow, floor-length gown hugs every curve and inch of her slender body as if it were made to be worn by her. Her tan skin glistens against the vibrant yellow, and I close my mouth and swallow, attempting to keep myself under control.

I bite the inside of my cheek when she smoothly walks across the room, picking up a necklace from the top of the dresser. She reaches behind her neck, trying to close the clasp of the chain. I briskly walk over to her, gently placing my hands over hers. Feeling me grab the necklace, she releases her grip and slowly lowers her arms. She turns her head halfway, so I can only see one side of her face.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

Her hair is tied into a low bun, two thick braids woven into her straight golden blonde hair. Gold powder is brushed against her eyelids, and deep purple-red lipstick is painted across her lips—my favorite color on her. Her cheeks blush against the setting sunlight, pouring in through the floor to ceiling windows of my room.

The corner of her mouth curls into a small smile, and I’m hard for her. Closing the clasp of her necklace, I ghost my fingertips along the delicate metal chain resting at the base of her neck, slowly tracing a line outward to her shoulders.

“You’re welcome,” I whisper against her ear, leaning forward, breathing her in. Goosebumps form along the skin of her bare back, and I bite back the temptation to unzip the back of her dress like unwrapping a gift on Christmas morning. “You look absolutely incredible, Sara. Beautiful.”

Spinning around, she wraps her hands around my tie, pulling me toward her. “Oh, I do not. Stop it.” A teasing smile appears on her lips, and my stomach fills with butterflies. If I had any doubts about Sara’s odd behavior, they’re all but gone now.

“You clean up pretty well yourself,” she adds. She grazes her purple painted nails across my freshly shaved jaw and pouts. “I kind of miss the scruffy, unshaven Graham.” She shrugs. “But this is nice too.”

Laughing, I place my hands on the small of her back and pull her body against mine. Pressing my lips to hers, I drink her in. Her lips taste like berries, and I part her lips with my tongue, sliding it against hers, taking her all in. Dipping my fingers into the flesh of her lower back, I press her into my hips, feeling the tension build in me. Remembering why we’re dressed this way, to begin with, I reluctantly break our kiss and back away. I pull back just enough to keep my arms wrapped around her.

“We should go soon,” I sigh. “Are you ready to do this?”

Drawing a deep breath in, she dramatically raises her shoulders before releasing it, dropping her shoulders. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Are you?”

Grinning, I nod and place both of my hands against her cheeks. Pulling her face to mine, I touch the tip of her nose to mine.

“We made it, Sara. This is it. It’s our time. Our time to show them all who we are.”

Her eyes are now glassy, and her lips part as she takes in my words. She stands silently. Shaking her head, she places her hands on my cheeks, her warm palm sending an electric current straight through me.

“No, it’s your time.”

She kisses me once more before turning around and grabbing her small purse from the foot of the bed. She’s making her way out of my bedroom when I slide my hands across her waist, wrapping my arms around her from behind.

“Before I forget, there’s a surprise waiting for you up in the loft when we get home.”

“Oh,” she coos. “What kind of surprise?”

Nuzzling my nose into her hair, I breathe her in, whispering into her ear, “Think of it as a celebration gift. A gift to show you how much you mean to me.”

Placing a gentle kiss on her shoulder, adrenaline races through my veins. Everything about tonight crashes into me at once. Earlier, while Sara was in the bathroom getting ready, I snuck into my closet and took out the painting I had done for Sara all those months ago, the one I had painted the day we started our exhibition projects. I couldn’t think of a better night to give her the painting than tonight.

Grabbing her hand, I say, “Let’s go.”

On the drive over to the museum, I never let go of Sara’s hand. I need her to keep me grounded, to keep my feet planted to this earth, reminding me of how all of my hard work was finally paying off. The closer we drove to the museum and the closer the time grew to the opening, the more I was aware of how real this was. This was my life, and it was finally beginning.

The parking lot is barely half full when I pull up to the museum and park near the front of the building. I step out of my car and take a deep breath, breathing in the slight chill in the night air. The stars are shining brightly, and the crescent moon hangs high, casting a white glow across the parking lot to the museum. I walk around the car, holding my hand out for Sara as she steps out, gathering the bottom of her gown.

Closing her door, I grab her quickly, pinning her body to my car, suddenly filled with adrenaline. Laughing, I kiss her beautiful purple-red mouth.

“I love you.” My nerves take over, my body igniting into a continuous round of fireworks.

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