Because of that Night (Book 2)

Chapter 48: Zooey

Twelve. Dani Dennis had touched Seth's arm exactly twelve times since they had arrived at the country club. And that wasn't even counting all of the times she had found ways to touch him while they took pictures at the Cooper's house. Zooey attempted to talk herself into not being agitated by it, but nothing worked. What helped at least was watching Seth inch as far away from Dani any chance he got. As soon as they had both finished their dinner plates and equally grimaced at the raspberry taste of the dessert, Seth had gotten up from his seat, held out his hand, and guided Zooey onto the dance floor.

Watching Seth dancing wildly, Zooey couldn't help but feel a massive smile spread across her face as she let out a big, full-belly laugh. Seth could make anything fun. Even when she was down and out, he found some way to brighten her back up. Seth was one of her best friends and being able to be at prom with him as just friends made the night simpler. But when the night finally did die down, Dani was too preoccupied with watching Jeremy's every move to bother with touching Seth's arm any longer. Lila and Michael were too lost in a sea of goofy grins of happiness with each other to notice the way that Seth looked at her – really looked at her – when all the pomp and circumstance of it all was over and done with.

"You ready to go?" Seth had asked her quietly into her right ear.

Zooey couldn't help but immediately look over at Lila for guidance, but she was far too busy staring up at Michael as they swayed back and forth with one another. Seth might have been one of her best friends, but Lila would always be the person Zooey turned to when she didn't know what else to do. To suddenly have her feel so distant from her even though they were merely a foot away felt like being tossed out into the wind. It was time she fended for herself, time that she made a decision on her own.

"Stop overthinking," Seth said, breaking Zooey out of her mental list of worries.

His hands were shoved in his pockets the way they so often were, but he smiled at her knowingly and his eyes were filled with understanding. Zooey's heart pounded in her chest rapidly. Being alone with Seth had never made her this nervous before. They had hung out alone plenty of times prior to prom, but something about it being prom night, him whisking her off to some surprise she didn't know anything about... it made her almost frightened. There was this feeling inside of herself she couldn't quite recognize, but looking at Seth then, she felt her mouth curl into a small smile that matched his.

"You're right," she finally complied. "Let's go."

Zooey said a quick goodbye to Lila, making sure to mention staying in touch with each other about where Lila and Michael ended up that night. Though from Lila's expression, she seemed to be fairly aloof. Lila's smile signaled much more than a simple acknowledgement. It said sure, if we see each other again tonight. But Zooey talked herself down from this. She was reading into things, overreacting. This was just a "friends" thing. Before she knew it, she would be texting Lila asking where her and Michael ended up that night so that she and Seth could meet up with them. And then things would be the way they had always been before: comfortable, safe. Friends.

But when Seth shut Zooey's passenger side door behind him once they exited the country club and made it back to Seth's car, she was left alone inside for a fleeting, silent moment. It wasn't like Zooey had never been alone with a boy before. There had been several times when she and Hunter would be driving some place, maybe to pick up Lila and Michael or when he had first gotten his license and would sometimes do Zooey's mother a favor and swing by to pick Zooey up from soccer practice since really, it coincided with when fall baseball ended for Michael anyways. But that was different. In those moments, Zooey had been secretly yearning for those silent car rides with Hunter to mean something more. But they never had. It was unreciprocated; once again, safe. It was always just a favor, just a friend being a friend. He didn't open the door for her the way Seth had that night. He didn't glance over at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention.