Page 54 of Something like Desire

“Yeah, he’s fine,” Maren says, taking my arm and gently turning me toward her. “But areyouokay?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

“Good, because this day has beena lot. And when I say a lot, I meana lot, a lot.”

I rest my head in my hands. “Yeah, definitely won’t forget today anytime soon.”

Maren laughs. “Okay, queen of the understatements.”

“I’m ready to go back in there and finish the night,” I say, slowly standing to avoid any more dress rips.

Maren takes my arm, and we head back into the hall, straight onto the dance floor. A few people shoot me concerned glances, but for the most part, everyone seems ready to leave the drama behind and have fun.

A Latin song kicks in, and Maren grabs my hand, spinning me around with a huge grin on her face. We dance through hip-hop, country, and upbeat pop. A bunch of the guests begin kicking off their shoes as the night livens up.

After a while, I stop holding my slit closed, letting my thigh breathe since everyone’s too absorbed in the dancing to bother checking out my Spanx. Claire and Gia swirl together on the floor, Dad sits at the table with a small, quiet smile. Mom and Nicholas dance off to the side, as into each other as ever.

When a slow song starts, some guests drift back to their tables to sip drinks, but Mom and Nicholas, a handful of my aunts and uncles, and of course Gia and Mark stay on the floor.

As I make my way back to my table, I spot Zach entering the hall, dressed in a dark-blue suit tailored perfectly to highlight his muscular build. He brushes his hair back from his face.

He doesn’t see me at first, pulling his beard as he scans the room. His gaze lingers on his dad and my mom for several seconds before moving on and finally landing on me. The moment he spots me, his face breaks into a smile that makes my heart flutter, pulling me back to that intimate moment in the forest when I felt more energized, inspired, and alive than ever before.

I move toward him, and he moves toward me, as if we’re gliding in time with the music’s steady beat. I step into his arms, and he holds me close, steady and warm. We fall into the rhythm together, our movements easy and natural. For a moment, it feels like we’re the only two people in the room, like one of Zach’s photographs set in hyper-focus, while everything else around us fades into a quiet, soft blur.

I tilt my head to meet his gaze. His eyes hold a gentle glow, and they say so many things without him having to utter a single word.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I say.

“I’m glad I came, Lexi,” he says. His voice when he says my name does something to me, makes me warm inside, makes me feel a jolt of electricity.

“Lexi? What is this? What are you doing?” someone shouts and it takes me a second to place the voice. I swivel around, still in Zach’s arms, to see Jayden.

“Maren said Liv drove you home,” I say.

“That’syour response?” Jayden says, taking a shaky step toward us, his eyes flashing with hurt. “I was coming back to apologize. I told Liv to bring me back, and I’m glad I did. Now I’m able to see this for myself. I proposed to you fifteen minutes ago, and you ran out of the place straight into someone else’s arms. What’s wrong with you and your family?”

“Who is this?” Zach asks, his hand resting on my shoulder. “Why is he talking to you like that?”

“Who am I?” Jayden repeats. “Who am I? I’ve been Lexi’s boyfriend for nearly the past decade.”

Zach’s hand drops to his side, and he takes a step back. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”

“I don’t,” I say, moving closer to him. I reach to touch his arm, but he steps back again. “I broke up with Jayden. I told him about you.”

“Well, you didn’t tell me about him. How long ago did you break up?”

I take a deep breath. This isn’t going to sound good. Not at all. “A week ago.”

“A week ago, after ten years, and then...” Zach shakes his head, looking at me.

“Maybe we should take this outside?” Maren suggests, glancing uncertainly at Gia. Gia nods slightly but shoots me a worried look.

“No,” Jayden says, shaking his head emphatically. “I’m not going to do this anymore. Lexi, you and your family are a bunch of cheaters and I’m done. I can’t believe you broke my heart like this. No wonder my cat hates your guts.” He storms out of the hall.

The DJ turns up the volume, playing one of the songs that had everyone dancing earlier. A bunch of people return to the floor, leaving a noticeable space between Zach and me.

“I knew I liked you the moment I met you,” I say, meeting Zach’s eyes with all the honesty I can muster. “It scared me, but I let myself feel it. When I realized how much I liked you, I broke up with Jayden. I told him I had feelings for you. What happened between us, the sex, that all came after I ended things with him.”