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“Mmm,” I said, nodding.
“Well, they were on to something,” said Klassie. “I mean, not with you two, but with Vanessa. They suspected that she loved someone else more than she loves Bellamy, and they were right.”
“Does she have to give back her jewelry?” I asked.
“We can’t understand you with those whitening strips in your mouth,” said Alanna.
There was a knock at the door. “You know what that’s going to be, don’t you?” asked Deb, her eyes gleaming. “I’ll bet it’s invitations to meet Bellamy’s family!” She dashed across the room and yanked open the door.
Instead of a date card, Bellamy was standing there. It was almost midnight and none of us were prepared to see him or to be filmed, but he came with a camera crew in tow, as always. I pulled off my whitening strips and chucked them beneath the sofa, giving a quick swipe to my mouth with the back of my hand. Alanna gasped and stuffed her glasses into the book she was holding, simultaneously shaking out her hair that had been piled in a messy bun on top of her head. Klassie and Deb just smiled at him.
“Hey. Surprise,” said Bellamy. He looked tired and depressed.
“Hi,” we all said. I ran my tongue over my teeth, making sure they didn’t feel gummy.
“I’m glad you’re still up,” he said to us. “I was afraid I might wake you.”
“Bellamy, of course we’re still up!” said Alanna. She stood up and made her way over to him, faux-absentmindedly twisting her t-shirt into a knot until her entire stomach was exposed. “Do you know that you’re just totally my favorite person ever?” she asked him, giving him a little hug.
“Emma, could I have a word with you outside?” he asked.
My heart dropped. How stupid of me to think I could get away with having a phone conversation with Pete when there were cameras everywhere.
The other girls looked at one another, trying to gauge if this turn of events was in their favor or against them.
“Right now?” I asked.
“Yeah, right now,” he said.
“Sure,” I said. I grabbed my sweater and slipped my shoes on. I decided to let him do the talking, and he didn’t say anything until we were outside and had walked quite a ways down the street. I noticed the cameramen were lingering far behind us, which I thought was strange considering that a bunch of drama was about to get unleashed.
We walked and walked, in silence. I began to let my guard down, wondering if I might still be staying around longer despite my call to Pete. After all, Bellamy had made it clear that I meant nothing to him. That I was like a sister. That I was just a spy.
“Come this way,” Bellamy finally spoke. He took my hand, pulling me down a dark cobblestone passage. “Run with me,” he said, so I did.
It had just rained a little and the streets were wet. The air felt misty and the night felt magical. Despite the knots in my stomach, I couldn’t help but appreciate this magical place and Bellamy’s hand in mine as we ran. In the distance I heard music and people laughing, but where we were, there were no other people but us. I knew that if I looked back, we’d probably still be in view of cameras, but they seemed very far away. I looked up at him and he looked down at me. I realized he wasn’t tired and depressed; he was… emotional. It was the same look I’d seen on his face when he’d realized Alanna was in love with Antonio. A look of vulnerability and sweetness and heart wrenching agony.
We stopped running and faced each other. I knew he was going to tell me to go home. I deserved it, but now that I was in the moment of it actually happening I realized I wasn’t ready to go. I was ashamed of myself and dreading having to defend my actions. I looked down at the pavement but he touched my chin, tilting it up, forcing me to look in his eyes.
“Bellamy, I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Why would you say that?” he asked. “I’m glad.”
“You’re glad?”
“Emma, I know how you feel,” he whispered. His face was in
ches from mine. We were stopped now in a doorway and his arms were around me. “Bob told me that you love me. He wasn’t supposed to, but he did. It’s what I wanted to hear.” He kissed me. He was so tender, so passionate, that I found myself pulling him closer, kissing him back. I stood on my tiptoes, wanting to be even closer to him. We kissed for several minutes. Just as he slid his hand beneath my sweater and touched my back, I felt Bob’s camera lens bump my face.
“Whoopsadaisy. Sorry ‘bout that,” said Bob. I took a step back. Now we were surrounded by cameras.
“Emma, does this mean you’d like to come home to Denver with me?” asked Bellamy.
“Yes,” I said. And for the first time since I’d landed in Los Angeles so many weeks earlier, I really meant it.
Chapter 27
“I can’t believe it’s finally happening,” said Deb, looking out the window of the plane. “I had no idea Denver had mountains. This is so exciting!”
