Shooting out his hand, he raises it protectively covering them. His face disapproving when he leaves us for good.
“Finally,” I huff out, leaning against Xander’s shoulder.
We stay like that for the rest of the time. My head on his arm while his head rests on top of mine. It was nice.
After it was over, I walked him down to his car.
“Rory, there’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a while now.” He pauses, chewing on his bottom lip.
My heart beats a little faster at his indecision. It was almost cute how nervous and fidgety he got after opening his car door.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks with a shy smile.
I nod, matching his expression and his shoulders deflate. The nerves rolling off him in waves. Cole never asked, he always just took, so I appreciated his consideration.
Leaning in, he places his lips on mine. They were soft, warm.
Hesitantly, he adds more pressure, firmly pressing his mouth on mine and I follow suit.
The kiss tasted like reliability and sincerity. Sure, it wasn’t earth shattering like Iceman’s, but it had everything else I should want.
Uncomplicated stability. Something I’d hungered for since I was a child.
“Hey, friend,” Hailey singsongs, meeting me outside my class. “I’ve got some exciting news.”
I groan, if she was excited it meant I was about to do something I didn’t want to do.
“I set you up an appointment to pick out your dress and they just got back to me,” she radiates enthusiastically. Practically jumping up and down. “I knew you’d never do it, so I went ahead and booked it for you.”
“When is it?”
“Today,” she squeals. Caring more than enough excitement for both of us.
“Why do I need to go to this thing again?” I ask, hugging my book to my chest.
“Uh, because it’s only the biggest event next to Christmas, and everyone knows you’re a Casper now. It would look bad if you didn’t go.”
Right, I had yet to thank Cole for his little impromptu show, exposing me to the entire school. I was still peeved over that one.
“Plus, it’s for the whole ‘in memory’ kind of thing, so it’d almost be kind of rude not to,” she adds, rambling on.
My feet come to a halt as I shoot out my arm, stopping Hailey. Some person shoots us a look at my abrupt stop. I fire a worse one right back and they scamper off with their head tucked between their legs.
“In memory of who?” I ask, stiffening.
“You don’t know?”
“Would I be asking if I did?”
“No, I guess not,” she mumbles, looking down at her shoes.
Minutes ago, she was bouncing off the walls in excitement and now it was like she’d sobered up from her high. I was missing something.
“Who’s it in memory of?” Dread pooled around the bottom of my gut. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like whatever she said.
She draws out a huff like I’d restricted her airways. Her chin falling to her chest.
“The Kellet Fundraiser Gala is an annual event held every year in honor of Cole’s mom,” she delivers and my heart sinks. “It’s to help raise awareness for mental health.”