Page 3 of The Marriage Pact
“How long do you think it’ll be until they get married?” Alex said.
Kaitlyn shrugged. “They’re practically married now. A ring isn’t going to make much difference, is it? They might take years about it. But they will, eventually.”
She had no doubt about that, and Alex nodded ponderously, playing with a drinking straw as he did so.
“Do you ever think about it? Getting married, I mean?” he asked.
Kaitlynhadthought about it, about marriage, at least, but if he was talking aboutthemgetting married… well, she’d dismissed that idea. It was all just wishful thinking. What was the point in pretending?
“Not really,” she lied.
He looked almost disappointed.
“You know… if there’d been another year left of high school…” he began, but Kaitlyn interrupted him.
“Don’t say it, Alex. Don’t spoil tonight… You know it’s impossible. We’re both going in different directions, and… I don’t want either of us to be hurt.”
She hoped she hadn’t upset him, but, to her relief, he nodded, and a smile came over his face.
“We’ll always be mathlete buddies.”
Kaitlyn laughed. “Always,” she replied.
“But if we get to thirty and we’re not married, the odds are against us. I worked it out. There’s a direct correlation between romance and age. The older you get, the harder it is,” he said.
Kaitlyn raised her eyebrows. “You mean we should agree to get married at thirty, if we’re not already?” she asked.
She said it as a joke, but behind the humor, she knew he was being serious. He was still playing with the plastic drinking straw, forming it into a ring, and now he took her hand in his and slipped it onto her finger.
“You said it,” he replied, grinning at her.
It was nonsense, of course, but the way he looked at her…
“All right, everyone. It’s time for the big announcement — the crowning of this year’s prom king and queen,” Principal Myers said, standing on the stage as he spoke.
Kaitlyn was relieved to have the distraction, even as Felicity Baxter and Joel stepped forward expectantly.
“She’ll expect us all to curtsey,” Kaitlyn whispered, as the deputy principal, Mrs. Hoskins, handed the principal a gold envelope.
“And this year’s prom king and queen are…” He paused for dramatic effect. “Rachel Kittburgh and Sean De-Lance.”
The look on Felicity’s face was priceless as a spotlight swung to pick out Rachel and Sean, both of whom looked astonished at having won. The Pinkies were already up in arms.
“It was supposed to be Flick and Joel!” one of them said with an indignant tone.
Principal Myers raised his eyebrows. “Student vote and faculty decision. Congratulations, Rachel and Sean, who’ve proved to be wonderful ambassadors for the school, particularly in the recent statewide chess tournament. Thoroughly well-deserved.”
Kaitlyn couldn’t help but feel pleased at the sight of Felicity fuming in a corner, before pushing Joel away and storming out of the auditorium. Rachel and Sean deserved the accolade, and Kaitlyn and Alex joined in the applause as their friends were crowned. It was a prom tradition for the king and queen to lead a dance, and, as other couples joined them on the dance floor — the Pinkies refusing in a show of solidarity with Felicity — Alex offered Kaitlyn his hand.
“Shall we?” he said.
Kaitlyn nodded. It would be churlish not to. She was trying her best not to let things go further, even as her feelings toward him were growing stronger. It felt impossible. He slipped his arm around her. Neither of them was any good at dancing, not like this, at least; he kept treading on her toes. But all Kaitlyn could think of was the fact that it was the last time he’d do so.
Who knows where we’ll be when we’re thirty. It seemed like a long way off, a lifetime in fact.
A lot could happen in twelve years, and, with change coming, Kaitlyn was sure of one thing: she’d be a very different person from the one dancing with Alex that night.
CHAPTER 1
