Page 119 of The Tomorrows After You
“Shhh!” Graham hushed.
“Your fire.”Ibrusheda hand over her face,pushingher hair back.“Your beauty. Your intelligence.”Ileanedin andloweredmy voice so no one else could hear.“Your incredibly hot body.”Shesnorted, and itbrokethe tension, albeit slightly, thathadcreptacross her brow.“Iknewat that moment Iwantedto give you everything youdeserved. All the things you neverexperienced. I admire you, Nicolette.You’remy goddamn hero and I want you to know that today, tomorrow, and all the tomorrows after that. Your dreamsmadeyou grow up fast. I want to spend each day giving you back a piece of that carefree adolescence you don’t even know youmissed.”
Itooka deep breath,sinkingto one knee. Iwatched her eyes go wide in terror, shifting from me to all the members of our familystaringat us.“Nicolette Parker…”Ireachedinto my coat pocket.“Willyou do me the great honor…”Ipulledout the floral corsage,“of being my date to the prom?”
She blinked. Her face fell into confusion. For a moment I thought she was angry, and that I had read her all wrong, until she snorted and rolled her eyes, pulling me to my feet.
“You’rea dork. Don’t scare me like that.”
“I’m serious,” I said through the sheepish grin I couldn’t wipe. She stilled and stared dubiously at me. “You left before your senior year, which means you never went to your senior prom.”
Shenoddedin understanding.“Riot, you know that kind of thing didn’t hold a whole lot of value to me then.”Shearchedan eyebrow, and Inoddedin agreement.
“No, I know. But a woman as beautiful as you should get to dance at the prom.”Iheldopen the elastic on the corsage. Her smirksubsidedto somethingresemblinggratitude as sheslippedher wrist through it.
I led her around the cab of my truck where the illuminated campsite came into view. We had hung Edison bulbs from the trees, strategically weaving them around an open space to create a dance floor.
Her expressiontransformedback to that seventeen-year-old girl Iusedto pass in the hallways. The lightstwinkledoff her eyes, making them shimmer more than they already did.
Sheranher finger over the picnic table, which wehadcoveredin a bright plastic tablecloth. An obnoxiously large punch bowl (filledwith rum and Coke)satat the forefront with another equally large bowl of cheese balls.
And of course, a canister of Twizzlerssaton the end.
“Thisisridiculous, Riot.”But not even the Bloodhound of New England could keep theamusedsmile from her face.
I gazed down at her. Brennan pressed play on the speakers we had stashed in a low tree branch. The opening drums to “One Headlight” rolled through the late summer air.
“May I have this dance?” I bowed, offering her my hand. She stared at my outstretched palm with a funny face before taking it.
Wedancedall night, onlypausingto take a dinner break. Brennan, with the strategic help of Wash,hadcaughta few massive bass and Grahamknewjust how to dress and season the fish over a fire. Ismiledsadly,wishingour dad could see us now. Itookcomfort inupholdinghis promise to take Brennan fishing. Ifoundmyselfwishingour mom could see us too. Because even though thingswoundup tragically in the end, theyhadn’talways been that way.
There was a time when we had been a family. A happy one, or so I liked to think. Imperfect in our choices but devout in our love for each other. I gazed over at Nicolette who was catching cheese balls in her mouth that Brennan tossed at her face. Her dad kept score while her mom shook her head. My heart expanded with the distinct hope we’d be a real family again soon.
“Thank you for a wonderful prom, Riot Asher.”
Later that night, westretchedour bodies over thesleepingbag in our tent. Nicoletterestedher chin on my chest,gazingup at me with those eyes I would never get enough of.
“You should have seen your face,” I smirked. “You know, the sheer panic in your eyes was almost a little disparaging?”
She slapped me playfully. “You know what’s disparaging? Fake proposing to a woman. Besides, you caught me off guard. Everyone was just standing there. Listening and… gawking. It was all so… not intimate.”
I brushed my lips to her forehead before nestling intoher ear.
“Don’t you worry, Nicolette Parker. When I propose to you? It’ll be just you and me.”Her blushgoadedme on but the curl in her lipstoldme everything Ineededto know.“And therewilldefinitely be fireworks,”Iwhispered.
I sensed the smile on her lips, which proceeded to drag down my chest.
When our naked bodies found each other moments later, I knew it was going to be the last time I made love to her as my girlfriend.
After all, the fireworkswere already loadedin the back of my truck.
