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Yolanda grinned and said, “I actually got you one, too,” and produced another plastic box, which she’d hidden behind a pillow. It contained a corsage with miniature red roses and white ribbon accents. A sob slipped from JoJo as her wife placed the corsage on her wrist. Then Yolanda slid the orchid corsage onto JoJo’s other wrist and told her, “This way, you don’t have to choose.”
JoJo gave her a hug, and then she laughed and dabbed her eyes as she said, “I knew there was a reason I went with waterproof mascara.”
After I picked out a pretty yellow rose for myself and a red one for Aleksei, he led me back to the foyer. Then he kissed me before pinning it to my lapel. “Thank you for the flowers,” I said. “Everyone’s thoroughly enjoying them.”
He flashed me a smile. “I want your friends to like me, so I’m pulling out all the stops.”
“It’s a given. You’re very likeable.” I concentrated on pinning on his boutonniere, then tried to straighten it when it ended up almost sideways.
“I’m not sure that’s true.”
“Oh, it is. Trust me.”
He kissed my forehead before saying, “I feel like I missed something with JoJo. Why does this event seem particularly significant to her?”
“Because she’s transgender, and she didn’t begin transitioning until she was an adult. That means at her high school prom, she couldn’t be her true, authentic self, like Lark said earlier when explaining his outfit. But now she can, and it’s just really touching and beautiful.”
“Oh, now I get it.”
“Did you attend your prom?”
Aleksei frowned and nodded. “I went with Anya Petrova. She was the daughter of one of my mother’s friends.”
“It looks like you and Anya didn’t get along.”
“It’s not that. She was a lovely person, but I didn’t want to go. It was far too expensive, and my mother had to scrimp and save to afford it. But she got it in her head that this was an important American rite of passage, and that it shouldn’t be missed. I felt terribly guilty about the whole thing.”
“Aw, that’s sad.”
“Yes, and tonight’s not the night for that. Please tell me you went to your prom with a lovely boy and danced the night away.”
“Not quite,” I said, “but I did have fun. Seven of us went in a friend group—guys and girls who didn’t have dates or didn’t particularly want one. We were ahead of our time. Apparently it’s all the rage with kids these days.”
Lark called to us from over by the coffee table. He’d put a fluffy, pink corsage around the base of the stuffed unicorn horn on his hood, and he looked at Aleksei with wide eyes as he asked, “What’s going to happen to all the pretty leftover flowers?”
“You can have them if you want,” Aleksei told him. Lark squealed with delight, and by the time we were ready to leave, he was totally festooned.
It turned out my incredibly considerate date had one more surprise in store for us. A white, 1980s-era stretch limo was waiting out front, and I exclaimed, “It’s so perfect!”
“That was Maureen again, but I want you to know I thought of the flowers.”
I burst out laughing when Reuben appeared to open the door for us. Somehow, Aleksei had convinced his stoic driver to put on a mullet wig too, only his was auburn. As everyone piled into the back of the limo, I told him, “You’re a good sport, Reuben.”
“Mr. Volkov is paying me extra, and I only agreed to wear this thing for five minutes. The clock’s ticking.” He tried to scowl, but a bit of amusement crept into his eyes.
Once we were all settled in and on our way, I pulled Aleksei to me and kissed him. Then I whispered, “I feel so lucky that I get to share this amazing experience with you.”
He caressed my cheek and told me, “I was just thinking the same thing.”
The event was being held in a converted warehouse on a pier along the Embarcadero. The whole building was lit up beautifully, including a huge rainbow that was projected across the front of it. But even more dazzling were the droves of partygoers, dressed up and so full of joy as they congregated with their friends and loved ones.
The event started with cocktails and appetizers. A band was playing, and the dance floor was already crowded. Kitschy, prom-worthy backdrops and photo booths had been set up just inside the main entrance, and we all took turns posing for pictures in groups and pairs.
Pretty soon, Aleksei’s assistant and her family found us. Maureen crushed me in an embrace and exclaimed, “You don’t know how happy I am to meet you!” Then she introduced her wife and their two teenage daughters. I thought it was incredibly cute that all four of them had gone with flouncy, vintage prom dresses, blue eye shadow, and big 80s hair.
