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"Isn't being fashionably late a thing?" I yell back and he chuckles. I step into the living room and his eyes light up, making butterflies swoop around inside me.
"You're beautiful," he says. I grin at him, blushing at his praise. "Are you ready to get out of here now?"
I sigh and nod. "Tell me again how nice they all are please?"
He stands up, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from his suit pants. "They're all very nice people, I swear." He studies my face for a long moment. "We don't have to go if you're not up to it," he says, his voice understanding.
"No, no, you said you go to this party every year and you're expected. I don't want to make you miss time with your friends."
His green eyes hook on mine and he sighs. "I don't mind missing a year, Betty. But I really do think you'll have fun if we go."
I think it over for the tenth time. "We can go. I'll be okay. Just don't leave me on my own please."
He hugs me close, "I promise not to abandon you." He kisses my cheek and then adds, "Oh, and once we get there, trust me and do not under any circumstances eat the food on offer. I promise you'll regret it. We'll go to Polly's after."
"We're going to a party we can't eat at..." I trail off and bite my lip to keep from laughing at him, assuming he must be kidding.
"No eating unless you want to chance food poisoning. Trust me on this."
"Ok, if you say so."
This ought to be interesting.
* * *
A half-hour later, I'm standing between Gus and his friend Drake, listening to them banter back and forth. Drake is just as nice as Gus promised. He's about six feet tall, broad-shouldered with skin as dark as night. His eyes are big and beautiful, hazel.
If I'm being honest, he's drop-dead gorgeous.
No,really, he could be a model. He doesn't seem to notice, though. No, he's a joker. Loud and rambunctious. He dresses like he's still in his twenties, though he must be close to Gus' age.
While Gus is delicious in his suit, Drake is wearing jeans and possibly the ugliest Christmas sweater I've ever seen in my life.
He pulls it off, though.
Really, theybothpull off their respective looks.
The two of them must've broken their share of hearts back on campus.
Watching them now, I can easily imagine them back in college, how they must've played off of each other.
They're giving me a front-row seat to how it must've been right now.
"Oh, c'mon, Romeo, tell her about the time you locked me out of our room because you were–" I brace myself for a possibly raunchy tale but Gus cuts him off.
"Studying! I was studying. And thenyouwere found in the common room with Trudy Mellon having sex. I still maintain that was not my fault." Gus laughs as his friend looks appalled at his version of history.
"That's cold, man, so cold. You knew I didn't have my keys."
"Yes, I did, but I also knew you were going to Trudy's room, it's not my fault her roommate was around and I had headphones on when you came back."
I watch them go back and forth, my cheeks aching from smiling so much. Gus tightens his arm around my waist and tugs me into his side, dropping a kiss on my temple and I sigh contentedly. This is a good man. I have to keep reminding myself that he's mine.
Turns out I didn't actuallyneedTheo. Which doesn't mean I don't still wish she was here witnessing this. I'm just not as socially awkward as I originally thought I was.
I'm also dramatic.
Whatever. I came and I'm in a pretty dress and no one has pointed or laughed at me all night.
