For Always (15 page)

Twenty-One

My knees almost gave way beneath me when the doorbell rang. My mother stopped the picture taking and answered the door. My heart raced wildly. Without warning, old feelings of self-consciousness and uncertainty crept up. What if I didn’t look as good as I thought I did?

Luckily it was Maria, all decked out in prom attire. I had time to recompose myself.

“So, where is he? He better not stand you up!” she teased.

“He’s not going to stand me up.”

“You sound pretty sure of yourself. Could that be because you look absolutely fabulous?”

I laughed. “I do, don’t I?”

“You should dress like this more often. It does wonders for your confidence.”

Again the doorbell rang. This time I knew it was Jordan. Part of me, a very small, miniscule, part of me, wanted to run and hide, afraid to face him. Instead I dug my heels into the floor and stood firm, holding my breath, anticipating the look on his face when he saw me.

I saw him coming through the foyer, exchanging pleasantries with my mother when our eyes locked. His dark eyes looked awed. He blinked hard as if he didn’t believe what he was seeing. The corners of his mouth rose to a smile.

As good as I looked, he was my equal. His hair was parted to the side reaching down just above his eye. His large round eyes twinkled like onyx pearls.

“Wow.”

“Wow yourself,” I replied coquettishly.

“You are so beautiful.”

“That’s my girl,” my mother said. “Maybe she’ll be crowned prom queen.”

“Mom!” I snapped, sending her a warning with my eyes.

“This is for you,” Jordan presented me with a corsage in a clear plastic container. “It’s an orchid. I wasn’t sure what your favorite flower is, so I figured I’d go for an exotic beauty, just like you.”
“Look she’s blushing,” Maria chimed in.

I turned to her, my eyes wide, trying to shut her up. Although I wanted to kill her, at the moment I was grateful she’d kept quiet that long.

“I have something for you, too.”

I went into the kitchen and returned with a white carnation boutonnière. I wanted to pin it on him, but unable to still my trembling hands, I pricked my finger.

“Ouch!”

“Let me see,” Jordan took hold of my finger and kissed it tenderly.

My face flushed as did the rest of my body. I wondered if everyone else in the room felt as awkward as I did. The gesture wasn’t meant to be sensual but it set me on fire.

“I came early for pictures,” Jordan said.

“Terrific.” Mom ushered us into the light.

Jordan’s arms were around my waist in all of the pictures. I inched in close to him, feeling our bodies meld together and breathed in the spicy scent of his cologne. I felt his breath tickle the back of my neck and pathetically thought this the high point of my life so far.

Again, the bell rang. Rob arrived in the limousine we rented. I wanted Jordan to drive us instead so we could be alone and Maria wouldn’t unintentionally hog the spotlight. Since it was my special night, Jordan insisted on doing everything as I’d originally planned with Charlie, including the shared limousine.

Before leaving, Maria’s parents came over to take pictures, creating a barrage of flashes in our eyes. Pictures were taken of the girls, of the guys, of the couples separately, and of the four of us. Then there were pictures in front of the houses and heaven forbid, we shouldn’t have pictures in front of the limousine as well!

Luckily our dates were patient. It seemed like an eternity before our driver looked at his watch and cleared his throat trying to move us along into the limo.

“Have a good time,” my mother called after us.

“We will,” I called back aglow.

“Be careful.”

Jordan turned back to reassure my mother, “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her.”

Before we pulled away from the house Rob and Maria snuggled close together holding hands. They were so close you’d think they were Siamese twins joined at the hip. They’d been dating for five months and didn’t like air to exist between their bodies. Not knowing what else to do I looked out the tinted window.

I don’t know if Jordan felt as awkward as I, but he picked up a bottle of water from the bar. Before opening or drinking it, he held it for a while and picked at the label.

“I’m glad you came,” Maria said to Jordan.

“I’m glad I could be here.”

They continued to banter and catch up with each other acting as if they hadn’t seen each other in years, rather than a month or two. Neither Rob nor I said much in that time. We smiled and nodded mostly, affirming what our dates were saying.

The limousine stopped as close to the front of the hall as it dared go without endangering the sea of students lingering outside. The driver came around and opened the door waiting with an extended hand to help us out.

After greeting a few classmates we made our way inside, and followed the crowd into the large room. In the weeks before the prom, Maria and I scoffed at the theme, “Dreams Do Come True,” that is, until we entered the wonderland of imagination.

Thick white curtains covered the walls and doors entering the room. Once we walked through the curtains we found ourselves under a blue and white balloon arch, leading into another world, a world of fairytale enchantment.

On either side of the entrance were pillars and pedestals, courtesy of the set design crew. All around the room stood painted theatrical set pieces of castles, horse-drawn carriages, and scenes from popular fairytales, like Snow White, in her coffin, with Prince Charming bestowing a kiss upon her lips.

Dinner tables draped in sparkling gold and white dinner attire stood on the right and left sides of the room. A small fake pond placed in the middle of the room had a bridge crossing over it, leading to the dance floor.

A few huge pedestals in the shape of shooting stars were spread about the dance floor. Tiaras and stars hung from the ceiling. Fog and bubble machines had the room looking and feeling like one of heaven’s clouds.

It seemed the perfect atmosphere for magic to happen. And as far as I was concerned, it had. Jordan’s arm was planted firmly around my waist and he looked equally impressed by the dreamlike ambiance.

We continued to mingle in the crowd for a while. He made a point of waving to Jennifer and Christine, a big smile on his face. I took pleasure in being seen on his arm and strutted around proudly, as if I’d just been crowned Miss America.

I introduced him to a few classmates. From time to time, he’d whisper in my ear claiming I was the recipient of jealous glares. Imagine that. Who in their right mind would ever be envious of me?

We enjoyed dinner with Maria, Rob, and the others seated at our table. As long as the DJ kept the music playing, we danced. Our bodies moved together melodically, complementing one another in the same manner as a musician and his instrument, both bringing each other to a climatic high.

We laughed so much, at the end of the night my ribs hurt. For three glorious hours, I forgot the world that existed outside our slice of paradise.

Donna Summer played over the speakers for the last dance. I didn’t want the night to be over. All evening I put off asking Jordan to go to the beach for the after prom party. I knew the time had come. I could procrastinate no longer.

“Do you want to go?” he asked.

“If you don’t mind.” I bit my bottom lip in anticipation of his answer.

“Mind? Are you kidding? I don’t want this night to end.”

Twenty-Two

My mind spun like a tilt-a-whirl, trying to determine the deeper meaning of his words. The statement had been clear and straightforward. But why didn’t he want the night to end? Was he just having a great time, or could he not bear the thought of being away from me? I wanted desperately to ask him but found myself too chicken to get the words from my head to my mouth. I knew I couldn’t let the evening end without pushing the subject.

Jordan became noticeably more relaxed on the ride to the beach. He undid his tie and opened his top two shirt buttons, while teasing me relentlessly. The laughter in the limousine was intoxicating. Jordan had me laughing so hard recalling prank calls we made to a friend of his one night, pretending we were a Hollywood producer and agent calling for an audition, tears streamed down my cheeks. I felt so giddy, I laughed even when there was nothing remotely funny to laugh at.

Stretching out next to me, one of Jordan’s fingers brushed against my shoulder. I felt a strange ticklish sensation like butterfly wings fluttering against my skin. And my stomach, my insides, bubbled with desire like the fizz in a shaken bottle of soda. They were all the usual stirrings I’d felt for him, only accentuated, magnified.

Jordan took my hand, our fingers interlaced, sending a lightning bolt through my system so bright and brilliant, I felt my entire body was aglow. He looked at our joined fingers with a dreamy smile on his lips.

“Are you having a good time?” he asked.

I nodded.

“It’s about time,” Maria interjected.

At the sound of her voice Jordan cleared his throat, released my hand and shifted his weight closer to the door further from me. The moment was gone. Lost forever. And I had my best friend to thank for it. I exhaled feeling my breath steaming through my nose, hot and angry, like a fire breathing dragon.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” she explained apologetically, “you looked so happy and perfect together. It’s just . . . it’s about time.”

Rob interrupted and changed the subject, breaking the awkward tension in the air. Jordan gladly followed his lead.

Try as I might, I couldn’t pay attention to the conversation. Instead I looked at Maria with all the anger and hate I could muster. She did her best to avoid looking at or speaking to me, so I sent her hate messages using mental telepathy. We continued like that, her ignoring me, me seething, until the car came to a stop.

“Everyone’s meeting in front of the concession,” Rob instructed leading the way.

We couldn’t miss the large crowd forming on the sand in front of the red brick building. Music blared from a boom box connected to a pair of large speakers. Blankets were scattered about, some open, some rolled like carpets with coupled bodies cozy inside. Frisbees and beach balls flew through the air. A volleyball game ensued nearby.

Some people changed from their formal attire into shorts and t-shirts. Still, there were plenty of other couples like Jordan and me, still dressed in gowns and tuxes.

Jordan tossed his jacket aside and unbuttoned his shirt all the way, exposing his perfectly defined six pack. He pulled the shirt out of his pants, daring me, to touch and explore his chest. At that moment in the bright light of the full moon, he looked like a model in a magazine ad.

We removed our shoes and joined the crowd taking part in the festivities. Frisbee was fun. Especially when while both calling for the flying disc, we collided and tumbled to the ground.

Jordan rolled on top of me forcing the sand to mold around my body. At first he made no move to get up. He pinned me down holding my hands just above my shoulders, his eyes locked with mine. The right side of his mouth crept up as did his left eye brow, making him look mischievously delicious.

I stared into his large black eyes, frozen. Entranced. One with the sand. Without warning he jumped to his feet and extended a hand to help me back onto mine.

“A bunch of us are going skinny-dipping,” Maria ran over to inform us, “want to come?”

“I’ll pass.”

“You sure?” Jordan grinned, his hands around my waist, “It could be fun.”

I froze. Half panicked, half in a state of shock, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t expect Maria to ask and I certainly didn’t expect Jordan to consider it. I didn’t want him to think I was uptight and prudish but I couldn’t strip down to the bare essentials in front of all these people. I’d die of embarrassment.

I looked down at the sand afraid to answer. “You can go if you want,” I offered, “I’ll wait here.”

“Nah,” he laughed, “I just wanted to see if I could get you out of your clothes.”

My heart hammered against my chest. It was working overtime.

Once some of the others began to shed their clothing, Jordan suggested we take a walk. He rolled up the cuffs of his pant legs and led me to the hard, wet packed sand. The cool, white sea foam rolled over our feet every now and then. Again he interlocked his fingers with mine. We walked, talking over the evening’s events, holding hands in the silvery moonlight.

“Let’s sit.” He motioned toward a ten foot tall lifeguard stand.