In the brief silence after the last note of our song, Tyler bent down and softly pressed his lips against mine. He lifted his head before I had a chance to kiss back. "That was our hello kiss," he explained, mesmerizing me with his megawatt smile. "Let's go find the chocolate fountain. I'm starving!"
We took turns dipping fruit and cookies into the flowing chocolate. I made certain none of the chocolate dripped on my dress. The chocolate-covered strawberries were my favorite, and Tyler chose the dipped vanilla wafers, which tasted like KitKats.
After eating our full, I wanted to wash my hands to remove all traces of chocolate. Tyler helped me locate the designated women's restroom, and he headed for the men's. We agreed to meet in the library when we finished.
I washed my hands in the sink and dried them with a thick paper guest towel, monogrammed with a P for Price. I dabbed my face with the now damp towel, careful to remove the chocolate, but not the make-up, although I had to reapply my pink gloss.
Since I was already here, I might as well use the facilities. I eyed the tiny, bathroom partition and then my wide, ruffled skirt. How would I keep the ruffles out of the toilet water? It was like wrestling a cloud, but I won the battle. I washed my hands again and told myself to not drink anything else for the rest of the evening. Someone should warn girls about the hazards of wearing ball gowns.
I left the restroom, navigated through the crowd, and managed to locate the library. Male voices stopped me from entering.
"I heard the same lecture earlier, from Jasmine's stepfather." That voice was Tyler's.
"Just remember," the second voice was Dean's, "if you hurt Jasmine, I will hurt you. Understand?"
"I like Jasmine. I have no intentions of ever hurting her. Do you understand?" Tyler just admitted that he liked me, but he sounded angry at Dean.
"Yes," Dean replied. "I think we finally understand each other."
I breathed a sigh of relief, so glad I didn't have to stop a fist fight between a Prince Charming and a Genie.
I stepped into the library and smiled innocently at Tyler and Dean. They switched their frowns to smiles.
"Who wants to dance with Cinderella?" I asked.
"I think it's my turn," Dean said. "Tyler has to help his mother with the award ceremony. We have time for one dance if we hurry."
Dean grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door before I could protest. Just like old times. When we reached the other dancers, he placed one blue-gloved hand on my back and the other in mine. "How are The Rents?" Dean asked, leading me around the dance floor.
"The same, but different. They allowed me to come here with Tyler. I'm still not sure why," I explained. "Of course, Jonathan had to interrogate him before we left the house."
"Of course," Dean said, nodding.
"What were you and Tyler talking about in the library?" I asked, changing the subject to catch Dean off guard.
He smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Duh. That's why I asked. Where's your lamp? I'd like to make three wishes."
"Sorry. I must've left it in the library." His smile faded, and his blue-gray eyes filled with empathy. "You know genies can't bring people back to life or make people fall in love with you."
"I know, but I appreciate everything you've done to help Tyler and me get together." If it wasn't for Dean, I'd never have gotten Tyler's attention.
"You're welcome." Dean bowed his head. "Umm. . . I may have told Tyler a few secrets about you."
"What?" I pulled out of Dean's embrace and stood there glaring at him, while the other couples danced around us.
"I didn't say anything bad!"
I marched off the dance floor and back to the library to find that lamp.
Dean raced ahead of me. He grabbed the lamp off the front of the desk before I could reach it, and then he ran behind the desk.
He looked at the window, at me, and then back at the window. He unlatched the lock, pushed up the window and the screen, and threw the lamp outside into the rose bushes.
"Why did you do that?" I yelled.
"If you try to get it, you'll rip your dress." He grinned, like a cat that caught a mouse.
"What did you tell Tyler? Tell me now, or I'm going to rip YOU!"
"Shhhhh. You don't want the Prince to hear Cinderella shouting," he whispered.
Nothing made me madder than someone telling me to hush. My temperature rose to the boiling point.
Dean knew he crossed the line. He swallowed. "Jasmine . . . I'm sorry?"
I did a visual sweep of the room, searching for weapons to throw at Dean. Besides hundreds of heavy books, there were a few bronze book ends on the shelves and a solid glass globe on the desk. But I couldn't risk getting blood on my dress.
I counted backwards from ten to calm my temper and noticed the music had stopped playing. I heard Mrs. Price announcing the names of award winners and people clapping.
The whole purpose of this evening was to confront Mrs. Price about murdering my father. Not to kill Dean. He always distracted me from my main objective.
"Do you swear you only told Tyler nice things about me?" I grilled Dean.
"Cross my heart and hope to die." He crossed his heart and slid a finger across his neck.
I stared into his eyes. He stared straight at me. He seemed to be telling the truth.
"Okay. Let's go see what's on the dessert buffet. All this arguing has made me hungry again."
At the buffet table, Dean grabbed an apple tart and I selected a slice of pumpkin pie, smothered in real whipped cream. While we nibbled on our scrumptious desserts, we watched Mrs. Price and Tyler hand out plaques to the deserving volunteers.
Dean's mother, Diane, won a plaque for her generous donation of young adult books. Dean and I disposed of our plates and went to congratulate her.
"Congratulations, Mom!" Dean said, giving her a peck on the cheek.
"Thanks, dear, but please call me Diane in public," she scolded. "I look too young to have a teenage son. Isn't that right, Jasmine?"
"Yes. It's true," I agreed. "Congratulations on your award!"
"Thank you. I always say, 'You can never have too many books or too much money!'"
We all chuckled. That was definitely true.
"You look lovely, Jasmine. Are you having fun?" Diane asked.
"Yes. I am."
"Good. Well, I need to go mingle some more. Dean, could you put the plaque in my car?" She held the plaque out to Dean.
"Sure, Mo-Diane." He took the plaque. "Jas, do you want to go outside and get some fresh air?"
"No. I think I'll just wait here for Tyler."
"Okay. I'll see you later." He headed for the front door.
After several minutes of waiting, I realized I should've gone for a walk outside with Dean. Every time Tyler tried to escape his mother's clutches to come talk to me, Mrs. Price steered him toward someone else. Dean returned from outside and immediately got asked to dance by one of the elderly award winners.
A half an hour later, Dean was on his fifth dance partner, and Tyler was still busy chatting with important guests. It seemed like I would never get another chance to dance with Tyler, let alone confront Mrs. Price about her crime.
I could retreat to the library to relax, but I decided to have another piece of pie. As I finished off the last bite, Tyler finally approached me, looking quite contrite.
"Sorry, about that. I had no idea it would take that long," he apologized. "Can you wait just a few minutes longer? I have a surprise for you."
I did not want to wait another second, but what choice did I have?
"Okay," I agreed.
"Awesome. Meet me in the library in five minutes." Tyler hurried through the crowd and up the stairs.
Why was he going upstairs? What did Dean tell him? Maybe, I should had pummeled Dean with a glass globe until he told me the truth.
I searched for Dean and found him on the other side of the room surrounded by costumed women of all ages. I tapped him on the arm. "Sorry for the interruption. But I need to speak to you, privately."
"If you'll excuse me, Ladies, I'll be right back." Dean bowed and backed away from his fan club.
I pulled him off to the side, away from any nosy gossips. "Tyler has a surprise for me. Do you have any idea what it is?"
He smirked again. "Maybe."
"You know I don't like surprises."
"You will like this one," he insisted.
His overconfidence annoyed me. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "Dean David King, I may never forgive you for this."
"Not only will you forgive me, but you will also be thanking me later."
I turned on my heels and stomped to the library before I made a spectacle of myself by slapping that arrogant grin off of Dean's face.
As soon as I sat on the love seat, Tyler arrived. His expectant expression reminded me of a kid waiting for a friend to open his birthday present. He held out a hand, which I grasped, and he helped me stand.
He kept hold of my hand as we strolled out of the room, through the crowd, and up the staircase. At the top of the steps, he let go of my hand and pulled a silk scarf out of his pocket.
"I don't want you to see the surprise until we get there," he explained. "Do you trust me?"
Maybe I was crazy, but I did trust him. Besides, he told Dean that he would never hurt me. I prayed he was telling the truth.
Too nervous to speak, I nodded.
Tyler gently tied the scarf around my eyes. He put his arm around my back to guide me, since I couldn't see anything. We took a several steps together, down the hallway I presumed, and then he stopped. I could hear him opening a door. I wondered if he could hear my heart pounding in my chest.
He led me through a long room with thick plush carpeting, and then he opened another door. We took a few steps onto a flatter surface. I could feel a cool breeze on my skin and smell the fresher air.
He untied the scarf. I could see the mansion's front entrance and yard between the white rails of the balcony. A few stars twinkled in the dark sky. We stood on a long rectangular, Oriental rug with gold tassels at the ends.
Tyler smiled shyly. "You have to use your imagination and pretend that you're Princess Jasmine and I'm Prince Aladdin." He pointed to the carpet. "And this is our magic carpet. Would you like to explore the world with me?"
As if on cue, the tune of "A Whole New World" began to play downstairs.
I nodded and threw my arms around Tyler's waist and hugged him. Every one of my childhood dreams was coming true tonight.
"Can this rug really fly?" I teased.
"No. I'm afraid not, but I do have another surprise to share with you. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long."
I gazed into his beautiful eyes, which were black in the darkness, and not revealing any hints about his surprise.
Until a loud pop, a whoosh, and then a thousand sparkling lights lit up the sky. I remembered Melaney said there would be fireworks after the Tournament of Bands.
I leaned my back against Tyler's chest. He wrapped his warm arms around me, and we watched the fireworks together, oowing and aahing at our favorite designs and colors. The perfect ending to a perfect evening.
I didn't get a chance to confront Mrs. Price, but I didn't care at the moment. I was happy.
Tomorrow would be soon enough for justice.
A/N: The video above is Light Up the Sky by the Afters.
"You're the bright and morning sun.
To show your love, there's nothing You won't do.
Light, light, light up the sky.
You light up the sky to show me you are with me!"
What would you do on your dream date? Let me know in the comments.
Forever Remember to Live, Laugh, and LOVE! - 3L