Page 42 of The Perfect Play

“None of your baseball friends decided to go to the dance?” I asked, taking a small bite from the cheesecake that had appeared before me. It was smooth and velvety, nearly melting on my tongue.

“Dax and Ben did. But since I’m a sophomore, I’ve got different friends outside of baseball and I decided to go with them. Hopefully that’s okay with you?”

I nodded, somewhat surprised to find he was a year younger. He meshed so well with the other juniors that I’d just assumed he was one. “I’m good. Enjoying this cheesecake. This will definitely be a night to remember.”

We chatted back and forth until the group stood to leave, and I found we had a lot more in common than I’d originally thought. I didn’t feel anything crazy when he touched me or put his hand on my back to guide me, but at least he wasn’t a creeper.

We all piled back into the limo and drove through the streets of town to the large city building where the dance was being held. Nate helped me out of the car and hooked his arm next to him so I could put my hand through it as he guided me into the building.

“Wow, Kate. You guys did a great job with the decorations,” I said, talking loud enough that she could hear me a few steps in front.

“We weren’t in charge of the decorations on this one, but the committee did do a great job, didn’t they?” She smiled and turned to glance around.

I took in the strings of white lights and tulle, the elegant flower decorations on several tables, and the beautiful marble that made up the floor.

We walked over to the dance floor, and Nate asked, “Would you like to dance?”

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck, making sure there was room between us as we swayed along to the slower song.

As the tune came to an end, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to find a guy I’d never met standing next to me. His hair was dark, and he had a similar build to Jake, but I shook off that thought as quickly as it came.

“Yes?” I asked, curious as to what he could want.

A girl I recognized as Shari Donovan came and stood next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and giving me a dreamy smile.

“I’ve been told that you mistook me and my girlfriend for someone else at the party last weekend. We were kissing in one of the chairs on the deck.”

I squinted, calling up a mental picture of that night. It had been dark, with the soft lights behind them backlighting their faces. But I’d been so sure it was Jake.

“You were in the second chair over?” The words seemed to loosen something within me, and I had to choke back a sob.

“Yep. That was us. We were there for quite a while.”

I nodded. “Uh, th-thank you for telling me that.”

The couple walked away, him practically carrying her as she held on to his side.

Nate’s hand touched my arm. “Are you okay?”

I held back the tears as much as I could, hoping to not break down in front of him. Kate would kill me if I ruined her makeup job before we’d even been there fifteen minutes.

“I’m sorry. I just need some air. I’ll be right back.” I walked in the direction of some large glass doors, feeling the breeze even before I made it there. I pulled the air in as though I’d been without oxygen for minutes, drinking it in as I stared up at the stars above.

“You look beautiful,” a voice said from behind me.

I froze, not wanting to believe it could be the person I wanted it to be. I didn’t move for several seconds, and then I saw him move into my peripheral, leaning on the small railing of the balcony. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a striped silver tie, and just one look at him made my knees go weak. I turned my gaze forward, hoping to steel myself against whatever he was going to say.

I glanced at him and back to the stars, unsure of what to say. “I thought you didn’t do dances.” I wiped away a tear as gingerly as possible, dabbing right under the eye with my finger.

“I swore I wouldn’t go to another dance after…well, after the accident. It brought back too many memories and guilt. But I knew that if I was going to break that promise to myself, I wanted it to be with you.” He looked up at me with hooded eyes, probably worried about how I would react. “I know I’ve been a jerk, Penny, but I want you to know I love you. I think I’ve always loved you. And after you went through all the crap with your mom, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“How would you have hurt me worse at thirteen than you did?” I turned so I was leaning against the railing but looking directly at him. As much as my mind wanted to dwell on the three little words, I had to resolve all the other doubts before he shut down or shut me out.

His jaw twitched, and I could detect sadness from the side of his face I could actually see. But when he turned to look at me, the chocolate-brown of his eyes pulled me in, just like they always did.

“That was the failed logic of a thirteen-year-old, Penny. I thought I was going to turn out just like my father, and I didn’t want you to be part of the destruction. And then he talked to me two weeks ago after you told me you wanted to go to this dance, giving me this story about how it would never work out if we started our relationship in high school. I’m sorry for being so weird and standoffish. I knew how much it had taken you to trust me, and I didn’t want to break that trust again.”

I allowed his words to sink in. I could only imagine what he’d gone through after getting advice from his father. “You actually listened to your father when it came to relationships?”

---