by S. Celi
I shrugged, a grin still spread across my face. The truth was, I barely even noticed Nichole any more. I was too busy looking past her, at the end of the second row. Laine held my attention, because she was staring right at me, but I couldn’t read her expression. Did she hate me for what I said? Had I embarrassed her? Where did my words leave us?
“I love you,” I mouthed to her. I didn’t even try to stop myself. Not this time. I’d already come this far, and might as well go the whole way. I did love her, and I knew it at that moment. Even if she never wanted anything else to do with me, if she never looked my way again, I loved her. Laine Phillips had been the one thing that propelled me through senior year, and every cell in my body knew that. This wasn’t lust, or sex, or a random hookup at all. What I felt for her was love.
Nichole stood up as the applause died down, but again, I only saw her do this with my peripheral vision. I still had my eye on the girl I loved. And after what could have been a thousand heartbeats, Laine smiled.
She smiled right at me.
The rest of graduation passed in a blur. Of course, just to be polite, I did turn my head back to the front and listened to Nichole’s speech, but to be honest, I didn’t hear a word of what she said. Walking across the stage and grabbing my diploma became a foggy memory, too, even as I did it. I heard my name, of course, and I took the rolled up diploma from Mr. Langston’s hands, but I didn’t really remember that, either.
All I thought about was Laine, and her smile. She’d smiled at me. And that was enough.
Well, at least for right then.
After the ceremony my mom fished me out of the crowd, and forced me to pose for more photos with Blake and Bruce. They still weren’t speaking to me, but the finality of graduation must have put them in a charitable mood, because they didn’t protest as Mom posed us for photos on the stage, by the standing flag poles, next to the mural of the school seal, and outside the building with Heritage’s gothic glory posed artfully behind us. It didn’t matter that the crowds of crying students, proud parents, and curious well-known citizens blocked us from getting perfect photos. She directed us with a precision Steven Spielberg would envy, and for once, all of us just allowed her to do it without protesting.
She’d just taken the fifth photo of the three of us next to some of the landscaping when I felt a tug on the loose fabric of my graduation gown. I saw Mom’s smile get bigger, so I knew who it was before I turned around. Even so, my heart grew a few sizes when I saw Laine standing there, next to the large oak tree in the front of the school.
“Hey,” I said. Because, you know, that’s what you say to the girl you love. Something smooth. Like hey.
“Hey.” She grinned. “Is that all?”
“So.” I took a step closer to her, so we both stood underneath the tree. “I hope it was okay, what I said during that speech.”
“Well, if I thought I didn’t have any secrets before, I certainly don’t have them now.”
“I just needed to say that. I couldn’t let the moment get away from me.”
She glanced down at her black high-heeled pumps. “Sure. It came from the heart, didn’t it?”
“Well, I had a better senior year because of you.” I paused. “I meant that.”
“You did?”
I propped my hand against the tree right next to her head, and leaned in a little. “Yeah. I meant that.” I gestured back to my family, who, for all I knew stood about ten feet away, staring at us. “I spent too much time here hating stuff, and I didn’t realize I was missing out on just about everything.”
“I way overreacted earlier this week. I did.” She blushed. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just shut down.”
“It’s okay. It was a stupid prank. Bruce and Blake are idiots. I think they have mashed potatoes for brains.”
“Nice damage on Bruce. I’m guessing you did that?”
“Oh, sure, and he gave me this.” I pointed to my eye. “But it’s whatever.”
She laughed, and after a beat, I did, too.
Even though the red graduation gown swallowed her, there wasn’t a prettier girl on the lawn at that second, and that wasn’t because of Laine’s physical looks. It was because of the way her spirit flowed out of her. She had that something—that unforgettable charisma. Just being around it felt like being home. We might as well have been the only people on the lawn right then. I didn’t care about anyone or anything else.
“Did you mean what you said?”
“What? During the speech?”
She put her hand on my shoulder. “No, silly. After. When you sat down.”
I gave her a mock frown. “Hmm. What did I say?”
“You said you loved me. Did you mean it?” She grinned. “Or were you just trying to save my reputation, in some epic way?”
“Well, sometimes princesses need saving.” I sucked in a deep breath. “And I meant it. I love you, Laine.”
Now she broke into a wider grin, which painted her face. “Princess. There’s that nickname again.”
“It’s not a nickname. It’s the truth.”
“I love you, too, Geoff. I do.”
She stopped talking because my lips were on hers. I didn’t care about the crowd, or what people might see. I didn’t care if they gawked. I kissed her with force, pushing her against the tree so hard that when I pulled away, she sucked in a long deep breath as her face flushed. “I love you like I’ve never loved anyone else.”
“Good. Because otherwise I’ve made a pretty huge mistake with that speech back there.”
She laughed. “But what are we going to do about it? You’re going to UVA next year, and I’m going to Xavier.”
“I know.” I pursed my lips.
“I hate this. I wish—I wish I had figured this out sooner.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I replied, confident. I kissed her again, this time a lot faster, but no less passionate. “We’ll make it work.”
“You think so?” Her lips hovered above mine.
“I know so.”
She nuzzled her face in the crook of my shoulder, still smiling. “Wow. Well. I always wanted to find a Prince Charming.” She looked up at me. “I just didn’t think Prince Charming would be you.”
My hand caught her chin. “Of course I’m Prince Charming. And I’ve been here all along.”
Sometimes, fairy tales really do happen. Even to guys. I know, because one happened to me.
TO THE READERS of this book, thank you so much. I’m so happy to have a chance to share Geoff’s story with you.
This work would never have been possible without the amazing support of some awesome people. I’m in awe of how many people have helped me on this never-ending writing journey.
To my husband, Sean: every day I am so grateful for you. You make this life possible, and I can’t thank you enough. I love you more than you could ever know.
To my beta readers, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Tasia, Jamie, Lisa, Cynthia, and Amy, your feedback was especially critical in making this story the best it could be as I edited it. Thank you for your enthusiasm, kind words, and encouragement.
To Lauren McKellar, my editor, a huge thank you as well. You rock. You pushed this story to new heights.
Thank you to Mayhem Cover Creations for the superb book cover design, and to Amy Elisabeth Photography and Joel Geiman for the photo. What an unforgettable cover shoot day! You all saw my vision, and created just what this book needed.
To the members of The Celi Circle, much love to each of you. The excitement, joy, and thrill you each seem to get from my writing keeps me doing this. I don’t know what I would do without you all!
NEW ORLEANS BORN, S. Celi has lived all over the United States. She calls the Greater Cincinnati area and the Queen City home. She has spent more than a decade of her life working in journalism. She graduated cum laude from Western Kentucky University in 2004.
In her spare time, she likes to read, shop, write, travel, run long distances, vol
unteer with the Junior League, and fundraise for Cooperative for Education, a non-profit providing educational opportunities for Guatemalan kids.
Other Works by S. Celi
The Palms
The Undesirable
For more information about S. Celi and her books, visit:
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Website
Celi-bration of Life Blog
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Acknowledgments
About the Author