He shook his head. “That wasn’t everyone. Turns out a lot of Adena’s supposed supporters voted for someone else in spite of her threats—and a big chunk of them chose you.”
“I find that a little hard to believe.” I scrunched up my face. “It’s not like I’m that popular.”
“Maybe not. But you’re infamous. And sometimes
that’s just as good.”
I chuckled, digging my fingers into his back through the smooth fabric of his dress shirt. “Yeah? You’re speaking from experience, I assume.”
“You better believe it, Princess.”
There was a wicked gleam in his eyes, but before I could give him any more shit for just how infamous he was, he let go of my hand and caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger.
“If you’ll be my Bonnie, I’ll be your Clyde.”
“I hope that doesn’t mean you’re planning on a career as a bank robber,” I whispered, but I was having a little bit of a hard time focusing on my comeback with his gaze burning into me so intensely.
The spark of heat that always hovered between us flared like a shooting star, and I wasn’t sure if he moved or I did, but the next thing I knew, our lips were fused together. My arms crept around his neck, and he curved his spine to meet me at my level so I wouldn’t have to go up on my tiptoes.
I had kissed Mason when I wasn’t sure I even liked him. I had kissed him after I’d recklessly told him I loved him.
But I hadn’t kissed him like this yet.
Slow and deep and… easy.
Like it was exactly what we were meant to be doing, and we had all the time in the world.
Like it was one of many more to come.
The song faded out, but our bodies kept swaying, and our lips kept moving. I only pulled away when a gentle hand settled on my waist.
“Mind if I cut in?”
The detailing on Elijah’s all-black tuxedo glinted in the light refracting off the disco balls, and his smile melted my heart. Mason’s grip on me tightened for a second before he pressed one last kiss to my lips and released me.
As Elijah wrapped his arms around me, a new song drifted up from the phone on the table. I hesitated as I listened to the first strains of the solo guitar, and when a voice joined in the melody, my eyes widened.
“Is that… you?”
He grinned, dropping his head, and I swore I saw a blush creep up his cheeks. “Yeah. I recorded it last week.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks.” He paused for a moment, then added, “I thought a lot about what you said that night after the fight. When you asked why I snuck around doing drugs instead of playing guitar—if I was going to be sneaking around anyway.” His hazel eyes grew serious, and I felt his chest expand with a deep breath. “And I think the truth is, I was still trying to make my parents happy, to fit into the life they built for me. Like I really believed them that the thing I loved most in the world wasn’t good enough for me.”
He shook his head, tugging me a little closer to his body.
“I don’t think I realized until I met you just how much my parents had fucked me up. How easy it is for our parents to do that. It took meeting you to make me see that.”
“Yeah.” I snorted a soft laugh. “I am the poster child for kids who’ve been messed up by their parents.”
“Maybe, but you didn’t let it define you. You didn’t let it change who you are.”
I felt his fingers stroke through the tendrils of hair at the base of my neck, making a pleasurable shiver run down my spine.
“You could be angry all the time, Tal,” he continued. “You could have nothing but spite and hate left in you. But you’re one of the best people I know.” His hand slipped down to press against my chest, near where my heart beat steady and strong. “And I don’t just mean nice. I mean good.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just let the music fill the space between us for a little while. It truly was beautiful, and I felt like I could hear Elijah’s heart in every strum of the guitar strings.