After Angelina pointed him out, I decided that I would at least go over and find out what he had been up to since he dropped out of high school. There was no harm in it. Talking to him was a lot more enticing than returning to the table that was surrounded by relatives. Gina had done something I hadn’t ever been able to do—she seemed to be charming them. I gave her a glance and she gave me a slight smile-shrug that no longer screamed come save me. I walked across the room, and as I approached, Nate stood. He had a smile on his face and kindness in his eyes. He was bigger than I remembered, with broad shoulders and muscles pressed tight against his white cotton dress shirt. That was a strange look on him since all I remembered were heavy metal t-shirts and blue jeans.
“Harmony Carmichael.” His smile got wider. “I never thought I would see that beautiful face again.”
Beautiful? Me?
“Um, well, you did come to my sister
’s wedding, so…” I let my words trail off for a second.
“Yes.” He nodded. “It wasn’t easy to get an invitation, but I couldn’t pass up a chance to see you after all these years.”
Again—me?
“Did I borrow money and forget to repay you or something?” I tilted my head to the side. “I don’t remember having anything more than a friendly conversation with you in high school and it’s been six years since then.”
“No.” He shook his head back and forth. “Let’s dance. I’ll explain everything.”
“Okay…” I awkwardly took his hand and let him lead me out on the dance floor.
It was a slow dance and Nate held me close as we started to move across the dance floor. He was a very good dancer and I was average. Somewhere in the middle we actually managed to not look completely ridiculous. It was strange to be in his arms. He didn’t seem like the guy I remembered. Here was a fire in his eyes that I couldn’t understand. The way he looked at me was almost primal. The majesty of my sister’s moment just faded away and we lingered on our own stage. I felt odd—like a butterfly was trying to escape its cocoon in my stomach. I stared at Nate as the song ended and another one began.
“So, you said you would explain everything. We’ve already finished one dance.” I tilted my head to the side.
“Why don’t you tell me about Jimmy Adams?” He smirked and turned on his toes, pulling me along with the rhythm of the song.
“Jimmy Adams? The guy I went to homecoming with?” I raised an eyebrow and shook my head.
“You were so happy when you told me he asked you out.” He nodded and his eyes seemed to space out. “That was the last time I saw you.”
“Was it?” I tried to focus on the memory. “Wait, that was the day before you disappeared.”
“I had no reason to stay.” He turned on his toes as the music hit a high note. “The girl I was in love with found someone else.”
In—love with?
“Seriously? You barely even spoke to me. You never asked me out.” I felt the butterfly forming wings, flapping them furiously inside me.
“I wanted to.” He shrugged. “I finally worked up the nerve and then you leveled me with your admiration for Jimmy Adams.”
“You’re not about to tell me that you disappeared because I told you I was going to homecoming with him.” I shook my head in disbelief.
“No, I was always going to leave.” He sighed as the music came to a stop. “You just gave me the last bit of motivation I needed.”
“You’re serious.” I stared into his eyes.
“I am.” He nodded quickly. “If you’re not doing anything tomorrow night, I’d love to get the chance I missed out on back then. Provided that Jimmy Adams is no longer in the picture.”
“He’s long gone.” I blinked a couple of times and exhaled sharply. “But I’m only staying in Chicago for the wedding. I’m heading back home tomorrow morning.”
“Where’s home these days?” He smiled and tilted his head.
“Don’t laugh, but I still live with my parents. I mean, I went away for college, but I moved back in after graduation.” I sighed. “I don’t suppose you’ll be in Bakersfield tomorrow night?”
“If you’re there, that’s where I’ll be.” He nodded. “I’ve wait too long to let a few miles keep me away from you.”
Jimmy Adams was nothing more than a memory in photographs. We went to homecoming together, right after an awesome dinner, and that was the end of it. His interest began and ended with a date for homecoming. A few days after the dance, I found out that I was the fourth or fifth girl he asked. The others had turned him down and I was the next one on the list. I wasn’t surprised. I was never the first choice. I was the consolation prize when other girls said no. I never knew there was a guy sitting beside me in Anthropology class that was interested. I thought he was just being nice because of proximity. Finding out there was more it than that left me feeling confused.
I was excited when I started getting ready for my date the next day. Nate was an incredibly attractive boy in high school, but the man he had become was hot-as-sin. He didn’t date girls like me. He dated the bad girls that only went to the football games so they could hide behind the bleachers and smoke cigarettes. Sometimes he dipped into the goth-girl group that wore all black and hated their dads. Occasionally, he even hooked up with cheerleaders, but those brief relationships were only talked about in whispers. He wasn’t the kind of guy girls bragged about being with, and it seemed to be more of a badge of honor than anything. None of the band geeks I hung out with ever got to wear it.