Page 32 of The Right Guy
Just as the words left her mouth, hands tugged her waist from behind. Chase drew Kim into his chest and kissed her neck. His floppy black hair fell over his brow and arms held her so close that I mimicked his movements to give myself comfort.
I missed Theo.
I shouldn't be here. I had to see him. I couldn't let him leave me. I’d rather we stayed friends than becoming a distant memory.
The hordes of students around me quickly became overwhelming and the tight fabric clinging to my ribs, felt restrictive and claustrophobic.
A swell of panic surged into my lungs, almost making me faint. “Ada?” A husky voice came to my left. I swivelled around, coming face to face with the ever-dashing Ro.
Ugh! Damn him and his megawatt smile that lit up the room and reflected off every surface. I was shocked to find him in a tailored tux, all handsome and dapper like James Bond. It molded his sporty physique with the finest soft sheen cotton, and his arm was free from the talons of Fia. “Can I have a word, Ada?”
“I have to go,” I blurted out. “There’s somewhere else I need to be.”
He studied me with stormy green eyes. They weren’t the eyes I longed to see. The urgency to beg Theo to stay became so powerful my hands trembled. I had to convince him he was the right one for me, even if that meant telling him about Rarity. I would give up my inheritance, and my life in Ireland for him.
Times have changed. Arranged marriages are outdated. Wealth doesn’t determine happiness. Life should revolve around love and happiness and friendship. Everything else is irrelevant.
“Are you okay, kid?” Ro rubbed my arm and for the first time there were no erogenous quivers. No indecent images. Nothing. “You seem anxious or strung out.”
“Look, Ro, what happened that night in my dorm—it was wrong. You're with Fia, and—”
He nudged my elbow and bobbed his head so we could walk to the corner of the room, out of earshot of his sister. Not that Kim could hear what we were saying when her lipswere lockedwith Chase’s.
“That’s what I wanted to speak to you about. What happened between us was daring and risky. A bit of fun. You’re hot, likereally hot, but I like Fia, warts and all.”
“She has warts?” I snickered.
“Only on her toes.” Ro winked. I knew he was joking, but part of me wished her toes had fungus—something that spoiled her perfect little body.
I stepped into him and whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry, I’ll not breathe a word. The only person who knows about our kiss is Theo.” As I pulled back, my brows snapped together. Icaught a glimpse ofa well-known reflection in the mirror to the side of Ro’s face. It resembled Theo, only dressed in a midnight navy velvet tux with his dark lengths swept up in a messy bun.
When I spun around, the spot where he stood was empty. A rush of panic swept down my back. If the vision was truly Theo and not my imagination, then he saw me with Ro Huxley.
“Was that Theo? Is he your date tonight?” Ro confirmed Theo had been in the room. I lunged into the crowd and shoved past the mingling students who came between me and my destiny.
“Excuse me.Pleaselet me through. It’s urgent. I need out.” I hurried out of the ballroom. Every breath chased my quick steps. From the top of the staircase, I spotted him by the exit. “Theo!” I yelled.
He didn’t glance back, only strode out like a tornado preparing to collide with the campus.
“Theo!” I shrieked, hitching up my dress. I yanked off the strappy sandals that onlyheldme back and pranced down each sweeping step. “Theo!”
Fifteen
Say something
Theo sped off on the Wasp. My eyes blurred when the taillight disappeared. He left before I could explain why I’d been speaking with Ro, and before I could tell him Ro and I didn’t belong together—because I was in love with my best friend.
The castle was swarming with silk gowns and flashy suits, yet there I was, barefoot and clutching a pair of painful sandals in one hand and a cell phone in the other.
Theo was number one on my speed dial. As if that hadn’t been a sign from the get-go.
“Pick up, Theo!” I hissed, suppressing my temper. I resisted tossing the unanswered cell phone into the sweeping bushes by the stone staircase fronting the castle.
I pressed ‘call’ on repeat, acting like a deranged psycho. But what is proper protocol when the first love of your life thinks you’re at the ball with the first lust of your life?
The ringing connected to his husky pre-recorded voice, prompting me or anyone whocalled,to leave a message and he’d consider replying, if he wasn’t too busy.
“Look, Theo—what you saw—you got it all wrong. Well, yes—I was talkingto Ro, but—”
