Page 78 of The Prom

The arrival of room service distracts us and we are soon wearing white robes as we eat on the balcony overlooking the mountains.

“I love this.” I admit as I sit with my feet up on Drake’s lap, chewing a French fry, as I stare on to paradise.

“Me too.” He smiles and massages my feet with one hand while he devours a sandwich with the other one.

“It’s not enough though.”

“What isn’t?”

I raise my eyes and he says huskily, “One day isn’t enough. I want all of your days, all of your smiles, your gentle looks and touch. I want to hear your voice when I wake and for it to be the last one I hear when I fall asleep. I want to know you are one touch away at all times and that scares the shit out of me.”

“What does?” I love how he speaks and I’m of the same mind and I don’t even consider we are moving way too fast on this. It’s as natural as breathing and as if I’ve met my other half, the one who completes me.

He huffs a despairing sigh.

“I can think of many reasons why we won’t find it easy.”

“My father?” I raise the subject we’ve been avoiding like the plague and shake the problem away with a toss of my head. “I’ll talk to him. He only wants what’s best for me and that is you. He’ll understand.”

“I have every faith in you, but I’ll be the one confessing this to him. I’ll not hide behind you, darlin’ and I never will. I’ll be the one standing in front of you, defending you with every weapon in my arsenal. I’ll take the pain so you don’t have to and nothing will change my mind about that.”

Seeing him now, massaging my feet, gazing at me with adoration and defending my honor like the hero he is, I can’t imagine ever being with another man and I will do whatever it takes to keep us together.

When you know, you know, as they say and I know, believe me I know, so I whisper, “We’ll be okay. I’m certain of that. Just you stay safe for me, Drake, because that fear works both ways.”

We fall silent because we are only too aware how dangerous the life of a Reaper is. They take out the enemy and sometimes they may be injured or worse. It hasn’t happened yet because they are good at what they do, but there is always a first time and I won’t allow that first time to involve either of us.

The restof our day is spent in bed, talking, sleeping and making sweet love as if we have all the time in the world. We takea deep bath together and the shower is put to good use, but most of all we enjoy every delicious second of this time we have when we are free to be together.

Leaving is bittersweet, and as we pull out of the lot, reality bears down on us like a baby desperate to be born. There’s no stopping it and we are unsure what we will find, but the nearer we get to the academy, the more anxious I get.

Drake drops me in the lane as before with the promise to be in touch if there is anything I need to know, and as I jog through the gates, I wonder what excuse I’ll give for my absence today. As it turns out, I don’t have to fabricate a reason because the house is deserted when I return.

It’s unusual and as I check my phone, I note there are no messages either. It’s as if something happened and everyone just up sticks and left.

I head toward the cafeteria, wondering if they are grabbing a snack there, and as I head inside, I spy at least one friendly face.

“Kennedy!” I call out and she waves me across.

She’s sitting with Amos, her boyfriend, who is always by her side, and she smiles as I approach.

“I thought you’d be with the others.”

“Where are they?”

She seems surprised that I’m unaware of their whereabouts.

“The Great Hall.”

“Why are they there?”

The Great Hall is, as its name suggests, the biggest space in the academy and was used back in the day as the monk’s dining room. Today it is used when they call the entire student body in to discuss matters of importance. It doesn’t happen much though, and I wonder if something big is going down.

“They called on The Elusive House to help decorate the room. They were caught on their way back from grabbingbreakfast in town and the principal insisted they do their bit and begin erecting the props and backdrop to the prom.”

She turns to Amos. “We get to help with the banners and are on the planning committee. Our stint is tomorrow once the props are firmly in place.”

“I should go and help them.” I’m relieved it’s as simple as decorating duty and I’m amused to see how the guys are handling that.

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