Chapter 54
The car ride isn't as tense as I'd expected with Virgil making me laugh and almost forget my nerves and also filling me in about the others.
Apparently, Shana went to pick Mae up and I'm squinting my brain trying to remember if I've ever seen her drive.
Dale too had to pick up Elise and he obviously didn't sound happy about it, I was grateful to him because I know Elise would have made my life a living hell till she had her way.
Sooner than I budgeted, we're pulling up to school and the swarm of butterflies in my stomach has started to swirl around again.
I look out of the side window and I can't recognize the school entrance anymore, whoever did the design was really good at what they did.
There's a red carpet and an elaborately designed arch through which the red carpet went through, the arch blocked out most of the entrance giving it a doorway into a castle kind of look.
The sun was already setting and it was starting to get dark but the dance was just beginning, it would most likely last almost all night, I hoped we weren't going to have to wait that long.
As soon as Virgil finds a place to park the BMW, Elise appears from nowhere like she had been waiting patiently for Virgil to show up.
I flinch when I see her but she just goes around to Virgil's side and leans in through the window, she has a light blue dress on, the darker corset cinched tight around her waist. The neckline of the dress is really low and I look away with a faint blush on my cheeks when she bends over.
"Hi V." She greets him in a silky voice, nearly falling in the open window from how hard she's trying.
I glance up at Virgil to see him staring intently at me even with the flash work going on just right beside his window.
I blink at him, wondering what he could need. "What do you want?" I ask him softly, thinking he needed me to do something or he wanted to ask a question.
I was not expecting his reply though, not in a million years.
"You." He replies huskily, leaning forward to cup a hand around my face and lean closer.
Fireworks go out in my brain, something definitely short-circuited.
Virgil is kissing me…
I think I'm dying.
Wait, no, j just forgot to breathe.
He slants his head from the start, soft lips meeting with mine, one hand of his slips around my waist and the other clutches me at my nape to pull me even closer.
I want to be worried about Elise but I don't even remember she's still there, not with Virgil kissing me like he's trying to beat my wildest fantasy.
My hands fly to the front of his shirt because I feel like I'm falling, hard, and it's just a simple kiss.
It's almost like Virgil hears my thoughts because in the next second, his hand on my waist is pulling me closer, making me arch my back to keep up and the hand at my nape is slipping into the hair there to pull on them and angle my head backward.
Virgil raises his head to stare at me, I take one look at his predatory look and gulp, I wasn't going to live through this.
He dives in and claims my lips, harder than the first time and I gasp from the shocking difference and he doesn't hesitate to slip his tongue in…
Okay, wait… Back up! What??
Virgil is kissing me, right in front of Elise, this has to be a nightmare because dreams never take these kinds of unexpected turns.
He bites my lower lip and I take a sharply indrawn breath.
He lifts his head and kisses my forehead. "Always you." He gives me a slow smile, opening the door fluidly like Elise wasn't still on the other side, no doubt to come open the door for me.
My heart stops when he kisses my forehead and says those words but they restart painfully when I see Elise's face, she's frozen in horrific shock, looking like she just witnessed the devil tap dance.
I see her eyes flash silver in the dark but when I blink it's gone and she follows shortly after, I shake my head at what I had seen, it has to be a trick of the light, her dangerous expression was even more off-putting.
Virgil comes around to open the door for me and I'm either paranoid or he keeps looking at me like he wants to eat me.
I'm handed out of the car like we're back in the eighties and I'm in a carriage, it isn't fair for one person to be so perfect.
Virgil holds out a hand and I take it tentatively, I mean it's obvious enough that we're dates, me shying away from accepting the offer of his hand was just ridiculous.
"Are you okay?" Virgil asks me.
Am I okay?
I ask myself, panting slightly.
Hell no! You just kissed me like you wanted to knock me unconscious but what do you know I feel like I just woke up from a refreshing nap.
"Yeah." I murmur, unable to look at the dark look in his eyes.
He hums to this and I can hear the amusement in his voice, what was my mom saying again about Virgil taking care of me? He just might be the one to ruin me.
Other couples are moving towards the bright lights of the archway and I note bitterly that it's always a boy in his dapper coat and a girl in a pretty dress.
I look down at my silk pants, what am I doing?
"Hayden!!" Shana's voice cut short my internal crisis, I look up to see her holding hands with Mae who's in a pretty sun-colored dress that brings out the golden tone of her skin.
Shana herself is in a striking black dress, that has slits down the sides and knee-high boots, she's pulling Mae in my direction.
"I thought you weren't coming anymore." She pouts, huffing to a stop in front of us.
Mae smiles apologetically, most likely for her date's dramatics. "Hi Hayden, you look really good." She grins at me then winks at Virgil. "That's hard to say with a date like him." She flirts goodnaturedly.
"Okay, bye Hayden." Shana says quickly, already dragging Mae away. "I'm not about to risk losing my date to Virgil, see you inside." She waves happily, throwing an arm around Mae's waist to lead her away.
Virgil and I share a look of identical soft smiles and I've forgotten to have a mental breakdown over being a boy with a boy as a date.
"Let's go in." Virgil murmurs and we start off across the lawn.
I'm not sure what I expected but it was definitely not getting the attention of everyone when we step into the lighted entrance, unconsciously, I tighten my arms that are holding on to Virgil.
He tucks me closer to him and strides unbothered through the star-struck crowd, I'm not surprised that they don't notice me for a couple of minutes, Virgil is breathtaking like that.
After the death walk on the red carpet we bump into Dale at the doorway, he was standing beside Elise probably acting as the hosts. She was the chairman of the committee anyway and he's her date so he's bound to end up doing something like this.
They exchange handshakes and air kisses with the incoming couples and when it gets to our turn, Elise fake smile sours and she looks like she's choking on a lime.
"Hey V, my man." Dale claps hands with Virgil robustly and I grin at their antics.
Dale's eyes cloud over when he gets to me but he still grins brightly, moving to hug me.
Virgil stops him with a hand. "No touching." He says shortly, with equal amounts of teasing and seriousness.
Dale grits his teeth but puts out his hand for a handshake. "Hi, Hay." He whispers to me, flipping my hand to place a kiss at the center of my palm.
Elise looks murderous but I'm more interested in staring at Dale's leaf green eyes. "Hi, Dale." I greet in return, wondering when he's going to let go of my hand.
He eventually does, albeit reluctantly and Virgil takes me quickly inside, I just shake my head at this, already used to their ridiculous possessiveness.
The interior of the school is actually much quieter than it is outside, the red carpet littered with glitter stretching down the familiar hallway that doesn't seem so familiar tonight covered in fairytale design.
The red carpet stops at the school hall which has been converted to a ballroom from the regency era, there are large chandelier over the dance floor and the colorful dresses makes it look like a magnificent painting.