Page 197 of Forever

“Why?” I asked. I’d kind of been thinking about limo sex for the last few hours.

“I don’t know if you’ve looked outside recently, but the snow never stopped. It’s a mess out there.”

I smiled. “Snow is never a mess. It’s one of my favorite things.”

“I know. Nevertheless, it’s not safe to drive all the way to Delaware tonight. I-95 is definitely a mess, even if the snow isn’t.”

I looked out the window. It was really coming down. “So should we just go home?”

He slowly shook his head. “I have a better plan. Do you trust me?”

“With my whole heart.”

He smiled. “Give me one second. I need to go talk to Nigel.”

Before I could protest, Matt dropped my hands and disappeared off the dance floor. I wasn’t sure what our evening had to do with Nigel…

“May I have this dance?” Tanner asked, stepping into where Matt had been standing.

“Yes you may.” I laughed as he pulled me in a little closer. He put one of my hands on his shoulder and grabbed the other before guiding me around the room.

Dancing with him felt like I was in a Disney princess movie. I loved dancing, but I didn’t know any fancy dances. But it was like I did when I was dancing with him.

“He’s going to love you for a thousand years,” Tanner said.

“A thousand?” I laughed. “More like…sixty.” I pressed my lips together. I didn’t ever want to think about losing him.

Tanner cleared his throat. “Right. Hopefully longer than that though.”

“Hopefully.”

He spun us around the dance floor. “I just want you to know that I’m always here if you need a shoulder to cry on.”

“I know, Tanner.”

“When you first came to the city, I know you flirted with me quite a bit but…”

I laughed. “I never flirted with you.”

“You asked me out on several dates, Brooklyn.”

“I did not…”

“You asked me to go to a high school homecoming game with you. If that’s not a date…”

“Youaskedme.” It had been a ploy to get Matt and I back together. He was remembering it all wrong. “You’re ridiculous.”

He smiled. “I try. But seriously, I’ll always be here as your friend. Forever. A thousand years,” he added with a laugh.

“Thanks, Tanner. Honestly if Matt hadn’t asked you to be a groomsman, I certainly would have asked you to be a bridesman.”

He smiled. “Even though I brought the two of you together and it’s not technically my match, I feel like a billion bucks tonight.”

“I think the saying is a million bucks.”

“For commoners, maybe.”

I laughed. “You are definitely not a commoner.”

---