Page 97 of The Year I was Almost Prom Queen

He nods. “And our last stop starts at a specific time.” Jaron glances at his phone again. “Maybe we can still make it work.” He gives our name to the hostess and we move to a bench and sit down.

Time passes quickly as Jaron and I talk easily about college, baseball, and the future. I don’t feel old enough to be having these kinds of conversations. I’m excited to get out of my house and live on my own, but the reality of it hasn’t really sunk in yet.

The buzzer on Jaron’s lap vibrates and he jumps. I laugh at him. He grabs the buzzer and puts it against my cheek. I squirm to get away from him and end up falling off the bench and landing on the cold, hard floor. Which, of course, makes us laugh harder. Several people are staring at us and I don’t even care. Which is a first for me.

Jaron holds out a hand and easily pulls me to my feet. Placing the same hand on the small of my back, he guides me to the hostess stand and we hand over the vibrating culprit. A hostess dressed all in black leads us to a small, two-person table. We sit across from each other as she hands us our menus. Jaron puts a hand up. “Just a cheesecake menu please.”

“Sure thing.” She hands us each a thinner menu and says, “Your server will be right with you.”

My eyes scan over our options and I know I’m in trouble. There are way too many choices that sound good.

“How am I supposed to decide?” I ask.

Jaron laughs. “Tell you what. Pick the two that sound best to you and order them both. Then we’ll share. Deal?”

I smile. “Only two?”

Jaron laughs.

I set my menu on the table. “You’re very sweet to me,” I say.

“Anything for my girl.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Hisgirl? My heartbeat quickens and my cheeks burn. I hold the menu up to cover my face. Jaron pushes it down slowly with his finger and forces me to look at him. His typical cocky grin seems to falter slightly. “What do you think?” he asks. Jaron reaches across the table and takes my hand again. “I don’t want to just take you to prom, Emma. I want to date you. Just you. No more competitions. Just you and me.”

My throat suddenly feels dry. I reach for my water and take a gulp. It doesn’t help. My throat feels like I’m stranded on a sandy desert. I like Jaron. A lot. But what about Ethan? And Austin? I take another drink.

Meanwhile, the way his finger is tracing along the back of my hand, turns my mind to mush. I can’t deny our physical chemistry. It’s there. But is that enough to sustain a relationship?

“I remember what we discussed in the library,” he adds quickly. “I know you still have to decide. I guess since I know I’m your last date, I’m hoping you’ll make a decision?”

“I really like you, Jaron,” I say.

Jaron releases my hand and leans back in his chair. “I sense a but coming.”

“Not a but,” I say, my face burning. I glance down. “Maybe more of an ellipsis.”

“A what?” he asks, cocking his head slightly to the side.

“You know, the dot, dot, dot at the end of a sentence. When there’s more coming, but it’s been cut off. Like a ‘to be continued’. I can’t give you an answer right now. But I promise to make a decision very soon. I just need to think about it. I owe it to you, and Ethan, and Austin, and even myself to sort through my feelings. That’s what these dates were for. I just…I need tothink.” I glance up at his strong jaw and searching eyes. His gaze makes me feel warm all over. “Without your handsome face staring at me,” I add.

Jaron’s cocky grin returns. “But if my face convinces you to choose me, then it’s not a bad tactic to use.”

I laugh. The waitress comes over to our table and I’m grateful for her interruption. I glance at the menu quickly before ordering an Oreo cheesecake and a lemon raspberry cheesecake. She takes my menu and promises to be back soon. I glance at Jaron, but I feel like the ease between us has tensed a little. I’m terrified if I take any longer to make a decision, I won’t have any guys left. Again. I’ve already made them wait for so long. I’m surprised they haven’t given up on me and all found other dates to prom by now.

Our cheesecake comes while I’m wrestling with my own thoughts. The sweet dessert helps distract us from the elephant in the room, who’s actively dancing around our table. We take pictures while we feed each other cheesecake, but the conversation feels more strained.

After Jaron pays and we leave the restaurant, I’m afraid he’s going to be done with me and take me home. To my surprise, he pulls into the parking lot of an older movie theater. We both step out of the car and I look up. The marquee reads: Jane Austen marathon. My eyes widen. I look at Jaron and he smiles.

“Seriously?” I ask.

“I know how much you like Jane Austen. When I heard about this movie marathon, I knew I needed to make it part of our date.”

I throw my arms around Jaron’s neck. “Thank you! Thank you!”

“I only got tickets for one movie though,” Jaron says, shrugging. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had time for dinner and dessert.”

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