Julia smiled. “That’s so cheesy.”
“Dammit, I know.”
She took her keys out of her bag and played with them, rubbing her fingers over her keychain amulet.
“No,” she said firmly. “I appreciate the gesture, though. That’s nice of you.”
“Oh.” Brett lowered his head, nodding like he’d seen it coming.
“It’s been a pretty crazy few weeks for me. I need some time to just”—she gestured with the hand not holding her keys, searching for the word—“float.” The sound of that felt great. It put an image in her head of a lake on a windless day, not a single ripple on the surface.
Brett nodded, almost eagerly. “Fair enough,” he said, scratching at his chin, which, like Dave’s, could barely grow any facial hair. “That makes sense.” He lingered for a second before saying good night and turning away.
When he was about to turn away, Julia stopped him. “Thanks for keeping me company,” she said, standing on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.
Brett smiled, looking momentarily dazed. “Anytime,” he said finally, putting up his hand as a wave before going back the way they came.
Julia watched him retreat down the street, taking long, hurried strides to return to his friends. He pulled a beanie out of his back pocket and slipped it on before he reached the growing crowd of midnight-showing attendants, still visible among them thanks to his height. Julia opened her car door and slid in, taking a moment to mentally recover from the quick exchange, reassessing what she knew about Brett. Then she put the key in the ignition and started the car, buckling her seat belt in and lowering the windows. Her phone remained in the center console, quiet and ignored. The dads knew she’d gone to a movie, and they wouldn’t worry about her for a while. She had the rest of the night to just float.
PROM
DAVE AND GRETCHEN were walking to school, the sound of their dress shoes clunking down the sidewalk. Gretchen was in a blue dress, which was more of a nice dress than a prom gown. Her hair was done up in curls and she was wearing a light smattering of makeup. She looked beautiful, and Dave caught himself glancing thankfully at their hands clasped together.
Dave himself was in a tuxedo, a cliché he felt okay taking part in. He loved dressing up and often wished people still wore suits everywhere they went. It was light out, though, and tuxedos looked significantly less impressive during the daytime. Tuxedos were meant for the glamour of nighttime, and Dave looked forward to when the sun would set and the tuxedo would finally fit perfectly.
They’d skipped the limo, and the pictures on the front lawn. Corsages matched up with boutonnieres were tacky, so they’d skipped that, too. It seemed lame to show up to prom early, but it was in their nature to avoid being late, so they were walking there slowly.
“Do you think there’ll be snacks?” Dave asked.
Gretchen thought about it for a second. Her eyes flicked up, like she was looking for the answer somewhere right above the tree line. “I don’t know. I feel like prom at our school will be too classy for a bowl full of chips, but not classy enough for hors d’oeuvres.”
“Really? Half the reason I’m going to this thing is because I’m expecting fountains.”
“Oh, those will definitely be there. As soon as we get there I’m jumping into the milk-chocolate one.”
“Jumping in? Gretchen, what do you think a chocolate fountain looks like?”
“No, I know they’re small. I’m jumping in anyway.”
“Do I get to lick the chocolate off you?”
“Only the spots I can’t reach.”
“Awesome. Chocolate and elbows. My two favorite flavors.”
Gretchen laughed, grabbing their linked hands and playfully hitting his side with their combined fist. She was wearing a flowery perfume that masked the smell of honey, but he could still taste it when he kissed her. Sunlight danced on the leaves of nearby trees and Dave thought, That’s what this feels like.
o o o