Jay’s always been a good guy so he plays along with me and says, “No, I guess it’s not. Sounds like somebody pretty special, though. I mean, you could’ve just brought her to the restaurant, but you’re doing this instead.”
“Very special.” I smile, already thinking of Rose’s reaction.
“That’s great, man. We’ve all wondered how long you were gonna stay married to that school. I hope she’s the one.” Jay goes to the kitchen to get my order.
* * *
The patio is setand everything looks amazing under the real night sky. No paper stars hanging from strings for us. The food is in the warming trays, and the wine is chilling. All that is left is to somehow convince Rose to dress up without asking too many questions.
I call and she picks up on the first ring.
“Hi. I miss you,” she answers.
“I miss you, too. In fact, I miss you so much that I’m coming to pick you up in two hours. Drop whatever you’re doing and go get dressed in whatever dress makes you feel the most beautiful.”
“I’m serious about not wanting to go to that stupid prom,” she argues.
“I won’t tell you what we’re doing but I promise you that you won’t be going anywhere near the high school gym. Okay?”
“Two hours?”
“Yes, baby, two hours. Now, go get ready. I love you.” I hang up quickly to avoid any further questioning.
15
A NIGHT UNDER THE STARS
ROSE
Ryan arrives right on time and comes inside to escort me to the door.
“You look amazing.” He spins me in a circle and checks out the red silk dress that I wore to last year’s semi-formal. “The red heels are sexy, too,” he adds.
He takes my arm and leads me outside where a white stretch limo is parked on the curb.
“What is this?” I gasp. “No stinky gym, right?”
“No stinky gym? That’s how you react to a ride in a limo,” he laughs.
The driver opens the door for us and we climb inside. I’ve never been in a limo before and have always wondered what it would be like. Ryan gets in, and the driver raises the window that divides the front seat from the back.
“Now I can’t see where we’re going,” I mutter.
“I’m afraid that’s going to get worse for you,” Ryan pulls a blindfold out of the pocket of his black suit jacket and grins. “I promise I’ll try not to ruin your makeup, but this time, you need to wear the blindfold.”
“Now?” I’m equally intrigued and confused.
“No, not yet. Now, you need to come over here and make out with your boyfriend in the back of a limo. I’ll blindfold you when we’re close.”
We drive for close to an hour, and I begin to wonder if we’re leaving the state.
“Is it much farther?” I ask.
“I paid him for a two hour ride, baby. That way you won’t be able to track the distance to our destination,” he smirks proudly.
The driver cracks the partition and says, “Now, Sir.” Taking that as a cue, Ryan places the blindfold over my eyes. The car stops about three minutes later and Ryan helps me out. When we’re on steady ground, he picks me up and carries me a short distance. I can hear faint music, but it doesn’t sound like a band so I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s definitely not the prom.
He sets me down, and I hear what sounds like a gate swing open.