A / N
Hi guys.
I know it's been nearly four months since my last update and you deserve an explanation for my abscence.
Even though I said I'd return to my once-a-week updates after July 7th, the last day of my university exams, I couldn't because for the rest of July I was on vacation. Then, August came but I continued not to have my laptop in the summer house due to its techinal issues. That, combined with a few issues I had to take care of both concerning the people around me, but mostly me. I'm the type of person who when doesn't like something either about themselves or their life does their best to improve. But for that to happen, it takes time, and most importantly, time away from all social media which proved to be toxic for me from time to time.
So yes, I needed a break. I'm a person, a living and breathing human being, not a writing machine. I hope you can understand. Fortunately, everything is alright now and I can slowly get back to the habit of writing because I can't write if I'm not okay.
Also, I'd like to announce you a highly important detail for this story. A few of you may have been wondering why we're many chapters in and the love interests haven't exchanged a single kiss or why something more intense hasn't happened yet.
Well, to that let me tell you this:
This story consists of:
180 CHAPTERS = 2 PARTS = 8 ARCS IN TOTAL = 4 EACH.
I thought I should clear that up.
This lengthy note is reaching to an end. As always, a vote and a comment are always appreciated for they can truly motivate an author. And, to those who are still around and support the story a massive thank you. You're the ones I keep writing for.
Important inclusion: This chapter originally has two more scenes but they will be written in a third part because after 5k words and a desire to publish a chapter after so long, the author couldn't wait any longer.
Lastly, a synopsis of chapter 032.1
Previously on TCOS: Hilary leaves from the palace with the team, emotionally devastated by her conversation with Selene. She guides her friends to a hotel where they settle in without problems until another argument between her and Tyson takes place. In the end, Tyson shuts the door and waits in the hallway.
I hope you and your families are safe and healthy during the pandemic and happy reading!
Pavlina x.
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THE MOMENT TYSON shut the door Mariah stepped out of the room. The strained atmosphere combined with the grimness on her friends' faces had her jovial smile fading.
Her forehead crinkled with confusion as she looked around. Tyson's absence was evident. She brought her wandering gaze back to the team and stopped at Hilary. Her features had morphed into ire. Even though she had a vague idea, she couldn't fathom the reason behind an argument taking place.
At last, she settled for simplicity. "What happened?"
Hilary was in a bizarre state. Half of her was here and the other was drifting far away, lost into her space of thoughts. She was relieved she wasn't entirely out of it and heard Mariah. "Tyson happened."
Her tone of indifference laced with bitterness and a sour aftertaste didn't provide a satisfying, fulfilling answer. Mariah shot her a pointed look, a clear sign to elaborate. "And?"
Hilary shifted her body towards her. She rested her head on her balled fingers. Tyson being the main topic of conversation was exhausting. "He didn't agree with my desire of personal space so he stormed off. Long story short, he was his usual, troublesome self."
Mariah let the situation sink in. Tyson's stance piqued her interest. He wouldn't just pace out of a room if he wasn't truly pissed. It would be his last option, the last bit of sense before he unleashed his anger and caused a scene. This wasn't him. Hilary may have brushed off his behavior as another act of attention-seeking, but if one thing Mariah had come to learn and accept was that her instinct never lied.
With that reminder in mind, she listened to the voice guiding her for the better. "Are you sure? It's unlikely of Tyson to walk away unless he really tries to control himself and not to lash out."
"I'm not his friend to know, and frankly I don't care. He's brilliant in putting quite the performance and drawing the spotlight on him though."
Her disinterest baffled the rest of the team. They wished they hadn't heard right, but Max's sky-colored eyes on the brightest of daylight held a deep disappointment. Kai didn't supress his explosive nature and rolled his, while Lyla refused vehemently to sit and watch Hilary insult her best friend for a making a justifiable point.
"Hilary," Lyla told her, "You won't like this, but Tyson's right. You shouldn't go through this alone as much as you shouldn't have been so harsh on him. If you could've seen past your annoyance his genuine intention to help, none of this would've happened."
Almost no one could insult her stubborn character, except for a bunch of selected people she valued and Lyla belonged to it. Sometimes, she envied – in a positive way – her grounded and fun personality. On her good days, she aspired to share some of her best traits with her. Her loyalty struck her the most – that feeling of being a part of something greater only a few knew.
She lowered her eyes, abashed, her face heating up. She wanted to say something, anything to have the last word, but her mind was blank.
At her pause, Lyla released a weary breath and lifted her coat from the arm of the sofa. "We should get going. The festival is probably in full bloom."
They marched over to the door in agreed silence. Lyla patted one pocket of the coat to affirm she carried the card of the room with her and halted her step to throw one more glance at her. Hilary was watching them with eyes indecipherable and a veiled desire to remain in the company of herself.
Once they left, she found a moment of peace.
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"How were we missing this for so many years?"
Tyson's question of excitement mixed with wonder brought a smile on Lyla's face. On the surface, his gloominess had subsided. He was okay. Tyson had returned to his cheerful and careless spirit despite the seconds his façade would slip and the corners of his lips would turn downwards. Lyla had been by his side long enough to have the confidence that something continued to bother him, even though he did his best to prove otherwise.
She made a mental note to confront him about it later and focused on the festivity around them. The Starlight Festival honouring the three thousand years of light Selene had been gracing the Sky Kingdom with was extraordinary. One could expect that the Winter's harshness and unrelenting nature would rob some of the fun, but the surprising gentleness of the wind resembling a soft spring night was astounding.
Fairy lights caged in beautiful celestial-themed ornaments were hanging above them, connecting one side of the buildings of the city to the other. Multiple counters displayed delicious food and beverages, along with the ones of talentedly crafted items and jewerly. The plethora of colors and creations wherever they set their eyes on was so pleasing. Lyla had no doubt it could warm even the coldest of hearts.
She moved her attention to one person and suppressed a sigh. Maybe not all hearts.
She sworn she couldn't understand him sometimes at all. Kai Hudson possessed the ability of being one moment so expressive that Lyla's grin reached ear-to-ear, her chest heaving with happiness. Then, he would become a tightly shut shell and no one could hazard a guess as to what he was thinking.
Unfortunately, today was that day.
Not one to steal rights, Lyla gave some well-deserved points. He didn't mask his disgruntlement for Mariah's outfit, or his perturbance at Hilary's rudeness of excluding them from a decision that should've been taken from all parties. However, she wished for him to limit his neutrality at moments like these, moments like now where one couldn't confirm whether he was happy or sad, whether he was fine or under that aloof exterior was hiding a different kind of pain.
"Hart?"
Lyla blinked. She had been gazing at him as if she'd been lost into an alluring dream.
His gruff voice pulled her out of her trance and for the first time, Lyla couldn't find it in her to feel ashamed. Beginning to grow fonder of the reality around them once again, she noticed they were lagging behind. Since she wanted to avoid suspicion, her fingers hugged his wrist and tug him forward. The rest had stopped at one of the games where they could win stuffed animals. "Come on, let's go check it out."
A flash of surprise with underlying anxiety crossed his eyes. He hadn't anticipated such a bold move from her. Although his heart was beating faster, Lyla relieved him from the tension. She was quick to drop his arm after she motioned him to follow her with her words.
They walked closer and Lyla's mirth heightened. Johnny was shooting rapidly all the moving targets. They fell into the water one after the other – after all he was one hell of a skilled sharpshooter.
"This is one of the most difficult games, but you make it look so easy!" a voice from the crowd said as he and a few other people who gathered for the show cheered on.
"Well, not for me," Johnny told him, his voice dripping with arrogance intertwined with pride.
Lyla watched Mariah whose eyes were glued on Johnny with hope, her enthusiasm overloading. "Show them who's boss, Johnny!"
Tyson and Max were part of the crowd who encouraged Johnny's thriving conceit, fuelling his success. It didn't matter so many people had gathered. As long as he had those few, irreplaceable ones he had the strength to pull off anything.
Lyla's focus was short on the game. Her attention was on Kai again, only this time, his sharp gaze landed on her. The corners of his mouth resisted hard not to form into a smirk.
"What?" Lyla asked with a playful yet challenging tone. "You're not going to tell them how stupid you find all of this? I wouldn't have imagined the protocol of not acting like an eight-year-old was dismissible so easily."
Maybe she would never know, but sometimes, his soul was on fire once it met hers. "Contrary to popular belief, Hart, I do know when to enjoy a Festival."
"I forgot silently brooding qualifies as entertainment."
Kai shook his head, smiling wryly. "You haven't seen how brooding is like."
"And I don't plan to," she agreed. "It wouldn't hurt if you let loose though."
Tyson overheard the last bit and dropped his two cents. "He's probably a grouchy, old grandpa. No alcohol, kids," he mimicked with a weird sound, causing both himself and Lyla to laugh.
"Cut him some slack you guys," Max told them, schooling his face into a serious expression that wavered soon.
Johnny and Mariah joined them shortly. A teddy bear was in Mariah's precedentently empty arms. She was hugging the stuffed animal in a lovely manner, her brown curls bouncing with joy at every movement.
"He's right," Johnny contributed to the conversation. "His beer consumption is quite something. I haven't seen anyone enjoy it as much as he does."
Lyla's head spun faster than the blink of an eye. "You went out for drinks together?"
Kai raised one brow and crossed his arms. "Am I detecting judgement, Hart?" he responded, fighting a smile.
The spark in her irises could melt his bones. "Pride, actually."
Tyson squeezed his body between Lyla and Kai. "Woah, woah, woah, hold up. You had drinks with him" —he pointed an accusatory thumb at Kai — "and didn't bother to give me a call? Now I'm heartbroken."
"You were babysitting your little sis that night Tys," Max reminded him.
Tyson was going to protest furthermore, but Johnny was having none of it. "Anyway," he cut in, giving a needed end, "how about we eat something? Sky Kingdom trips, encounters with Goddess of the Moon and fucking fantastic sharpshooting tend to open my appetite."
Mariah caressed the bear's head. "Sounds good."
"This is the first and the last time I forget to eat for your sake. Man, I must love you so much," Tyson told them and laughter ensued.
"I suppose this love doesn't include me."
Hilary striding towards them was another unexpected turn of events. Sure, she told them she'd find them later, but they hadn't believed her. They guessed she'd need more time to compose herself, reach a calm and worry-free state of mind before she'd socialize again.
They were glad she proved them wrong – Tyson included.
Tyson was divided between of being a damn justified ass and being nice to her for a change. Lyla wasn't wrong the one hundred and one times she had pointed out to him he should had been showing more comprehension and respect of the others' lives. Everyone was fighting a battle the rest hadn't a clue about.
In the end, he shrugged nonchalantly. "In the far future, maybe."
"Wasn't expecting anything better." She stopped beside Lyla and slipped her hands in the pockets of her coat. "Where are we heading to?"
"We were thinking about grabbing something to eat," Max filled her in, his concern about her not lessening. "Feeling any better?"
"A little, otherwise I wouldn't have come." After that, she was swift to change the subject. If she wouldn't, she might as well had stayed in the hotel and cried a river. "Follow me." She gestured with an airy movement. "We're going to dine to one of the best restaurants of the Kingdom."
Her surety surprised them and worried them all the same. It didn't have to do with the lack of trust – of course they trusted her – but with the psychology she was handling the situation. None of them wanted to witness Hilary breaking down without standing on her feet, yet the false composure was alarming. On the other hand, they couldn't blame her for reserving the emotions behind the mask for herself. They were a team of people whose egos tended to surpass their limits and that meant they were careful as to who was permitted to be there for them once vulnerability struck. The mask of glass would fall and shatter into a million pieces before it was glued to the illusion of perfection again.
Hilary guided them through the crowd, a genuine smile finding its way shyly to her face. "This restaurant is heaven on earth and that is confirmed because I actually tried its food once. There's no place like it."
Tyson's brows furrowed. "I thought you've never been to the Sky Kingdom before."
Hilary nodded. "I haven't, but Dad came back a few years ago one last time. When he returned, he carried this delicious bag of food. Needless to say, it was divine, and that comes from a difficult person."
Tyson patted her shoulder. "Glad you have self-acknowledgment, Hil."
She removed his hand from her, her annoyance resurfacing. "Only my friends call me Hil."
He shot her a stern look. "Don't tell me this is a reason for an argument because that death glare is promising and you ruin my fun."
"No. You ruin my fun with your lack of a brain. You should have known better than to say something that'll irritate me in a fragile phase of my life."
Tyson placed his hand over his heart in a mocking apology. "Forgive me for treating you as a stronger person than you are for your family's problems. Not that we don't have our problems, but you're right. You're the priority here. Excuse me for not pitying you sooner."
Hilary's breath hitched. She was determined not to explode, but Tyson's obnoxious attitude threatened to make her pull her hair. She wasn't going to play his game and act on her ire. Instead, she gave him a dismissive wave of her hand and resumed talking as if she'd never heard him.
She inhaled a calm breath. "Anyway, this is the best restaurant and the fact that during the Starlight festival everything is free makes it even more glorious."
Johnny was sure his hearing was fooling him. "You get to eat food for free? Like without paying anything at all?"
"Yeah," Hilary affirmed, her smile wider.
"How is it possible?"
"Celebrating Selene's power and reign are a huge deal. They deem embarrassing to charge anything." She then looked to the front and beamed at them. "We're here!"
The restaurant they halted outside of was the epitome of timeless elegance intertwined with flares of youth. Asteria was written in sapphire blue italic calligraphy and Hilary's hesitant smile gave in to a grin. "You'd think it'd be the least of my likeable choices because of the name, but the food is exceptionally tasty to be true." She spun on her heel to ask, "Do you want to sit inside or outside?"
She was glad they preferred outside. Dining al fresco was her favorite. Even though it was December, the month itself didn't have a strong effect on deciding the opposite. The mild weather due to the Starlight Festival only prompted them to have a meal beyond the four walls of warmth.
"I can't believe it's a December night and there's barely any cold in the air," Lyla pointed out as she fixed her coat and sat.
Hilary lifted the menu from the table, scanning its content with zeal. "The festival itself holds a different kind of power that softens the atmosphere. Once it's over, it all returns to normal."
A waiter arrived shortly and took their orders. Silence with occasional interventions of laughter filled the blanks, synchronizing the team with the spirit of the festival.
Tyson – who was absorbed by the food – paused from tasting another heavenly bite at the vibrant rhythms of the music blowing out from the speakers.
"Hey, what time is it?" a random voice asked not to far from behind them.
Hilary's ears perked. She shifted slightly in her seat to listen to the conversation.
"It's past ten already!" another girl responded. "You know what this means, right?"
"Oh yeah!" the former female said and followed her friend on to the street.
Suddenly, more and more people began to gather and sway their bodies to the music. The Capital was transformed into a dance floor full of exuberance and heartfelt laughter. It was endearing to watch.
"So that was the part of the festival Dad wanted me to discover by myself." At the team's troubled looks Hilary elaborated, "I begged him for so many years to just tell me what it was, but no, he refused every time. I'm glad he didn't crack though. This was a surprise worth waiting for."
Most of the team had finished dining and stared at the street. The dance moves were quite simple and the spirit of the two fast learners whenever music was involved flared to life.
Between them, eyes spoke louder than words. With a tuned nod, Johnny and Mariah rose from their seats. "I don't know about you guys, but we can't afford to miss this," he told them and proposed his arm to Mariah, escorting her onto the street.
Max followed his friends' tracks. "We can't either. Right, Hilary?"
Hilary let out a breathless nod. "Absolutely." She adored Max's discreet nature and how he was always there for the people he loved and needed him the most. She may hadn't been in his company for long, but Max Johnson was a gem hard to find.
"Come on, Tys," Lyla said as she stood, "let's shake the dance floor."
She made to walk past Kai without sparing him a glance, but in the end, she couldn't. Lyla froze her step a little further than he was. Her chest heaved with air as she tried to keep her racing heart at bay.
"You're not coming?" she asked, even though she knew what awaited at the corner.
Kai motioned them to move along without him. "I don't dance."
Lyla wasn't ready to give up. She strode over to him with a false confidence, meant to deceive her underlying insecurity.
He was watching her with eyes indecipherable, prevailing the world to see his genuine surprise. This girl surprised him today countless times, more than anyone else. Her aura of surety she carried herself with, her smile full of cordial warmth and the undying spark of life lighting her hazel eyes captivated and magnetized him in a way words failed to describe.
She was beautiful inside-out.
Lyla stopped in front of him. Kai sucked in a deep breath. He wasn't going to deny his attraction to her anymore.
It was only natural, he thought. Girls like Lyla were almost impossible to find. Now that he'd found someone he was truly interested in, he wasn't going to let go, but he wouldn't lose himself either.
He wasn't going to become lovesick because of a woman – this wasn't a fairy-tale and he never supported the belief that there would always exist somebody to die for – but he wanted to push his soul to open up gradually. He wanted to become better.
Just not tonight.
Lyla took her hand in his, the warmth of her fingers filling him with a sensation inexplicable yet incredible. With a gentle tug she told him, "Oh, come on. You're not going to get embarrassed if you step out of your waters."
Was that what she thought? That he didn't agree to follow their flow because he was afraid of embarrassment? Perhaps, he gave her more credit than she was worth, otherwise she would've understood all this time they spent together as teammates that a Hudson had nothing to be embarrassed about.
His tone was a pitch harsher as they met eye-to-eye. "I'm not embarrassed. I just don't want to."
Her smile faded just as quickly as it came and he bit his cheek. He shouldn't have been so brusque to her kindness and mindfulness for giving him the right boost to embody himself in their group and not feel excluded.
Too late now, he thought.
Lyla wouldn't let him see her disappointment. "Alright..." she trailed off with a sigh of resignance, "suit yourself." She then turned to Tyson. "Let's shake our booties, baby!"
They made their way to the dance floor. Tyson draped one arm around her waist, bringing her closer. With effortless ease, they began dancing together with him spinning her every so often, her positive aura touching his with happiness.
The atmosphere around them was amazing. So festive and lively that he couldn't stop himself from teasing her about the one thing that crossed his mind.
"So..." He made a start, his smile wicked, "what was that before?"
A crease of unfeigned bewilderment appeared on her forehead. "What are you alluding to?"
He lifted his arm and spun her body around. "You and Hudson. You were quite disappointed when he didn't agree to follow."
Lyla let out a nervous laugh as butterflies started to assemble in her stomach. "I wasn't disappointed."
His pointed look made it clear he was accepting nothing less but the truth.
"Okay...maybe a little," she told him with a heavy heart. When his fierce stare didn't waver, she admitted defeat. "Fine. I was disappointed a lot. A heck of a lot," she amended, "but how is this relevant to us dancing?"
Her trick to drive away his attention from her was futile. It had the opposite effect and his mirth heightened. "It isn't, but it certainly has to do a lot with your not-so-subtle crush on Hudson."
Her head shot up so fast to glare at him that Tyson struggled not to cackle. "Is it that obvious?"
"So, you're admitting you're smitten with him."
Realizing her slip, Lyla bit her lip and averted her head whereas Tyson's smile grew wider at her confession.
"God, you're the worst," she said when she gathered the necessary strength to face him, her forehead falling on his chest for a brief moment.
He patted the back of her head softly, for there were times her fragility came to the surface. "It's not that bad, you know." he told her in an effort to console her, but as she pulled away to shoot him a dirty look, he changed his mind. "Okay, it is bad, but you never know what can happen."
"Exactly what I'm fearing."
"Why?" he asked, his full focus on her as their bodies didn't miss a beat of the music.
"'Cause," she drawled, taking a deep breath, "he isn't the easiest person to approach. I'm usually outgoing when it comes to guys —and that isn't limited to the boyfriend scenario— but when it comes to him, I feel like I'm always losing my footing. I'm constantly on edge. And, the fact that whenever I'm sure of him about something he does in a magical, inexplicable way something else that changes the game entirely. It's almost impossible to keep up with him."
She reverted to reality and gauged his reaction. Tyson was skeptical before he responded, at last. "Maybe that's what you need."
"Come again?"
"A challenge. Something to push you, to shake you. Something you haven't experienced before. Something different."
Lyla huffed. "That's what I used to fool myself with once my crush with that asshole I was naive to call boyfriend wasn't going away. Let me refresh your memory with the conclusion; heartbreak, so no thank you, I'll pass the drama. I don't want to fix anyone again. It's their responsibility, their job, something they shouldn't burden another person with. Ever."
He knew she was referring to the complexity of Kai's family status with the rumors about the truth behind him living with his uncle and the mystery of his parents' deaths.
She caught his train of thought and nodded. "I don't want to deal with it."
He despised objecting to her, but he had to. "Don't you think you're being a little unfair here? From what I've seen so far he hasn't given the impression of needing others to fix his problems."
"Looks can be deceiving."
"Can't disagree with that one, but you shouldn't be quick to judge someone without seeing the entire picture and base his reactions on your past experience."
Lyla draped her arms around his neck. "Says the guy who's labelled Hilary with quite the variety of adjectives over the years."
Tyson rolled his eyes, exhaling. "I was an asshole, I know. Still am, but I'm going to fix this."
Lyla's curiosity increased. "How?" she asked.
He looked over his shoulder to where Max and Hilary were dancing. Bringing his wandering gaze back to hers, he told her, "I want you to switch partners with me."
Doubt took over startlement as Lyla processed his plan. "Are you sure? Don't get me wrong, but we both know how Hilary handles the unexpected. With you in it, it could be brutal."
His eyes moved to were Hilary swayed her body to the music one more time. "I don't see another way to save this — or whatever of it is left."
Lyla nodded with comprehension. "Then go for it. But, before you do, I want you to know something."
They walked away from the street to sit on one of the benches to the side — after all, they needed a break. Tyson's heart tightened with pain, pounding slow and loud enough for the sound to travel to his ears. When he looked at her and her struggle to find the right words an overwhelming urge to pull her forward and protect her from everything at all costs in his embrace threatened to take over. However, he didn't act upon it. He waited because he respected her. He waited because as much as he tried to take his mind off of the reality, he cared for her deeply.
He was still in love with her.
She wet her lips. She made a decision. There was no backing down now. "I don't know how to start, but thank you." She swallowed hard, blinking away the tears that began to gather to the corners of her eyes. She didn't pay heed to the fire of her feet, aching from all the dancing. "Thank you for everything, for always being there for me, for not giving up on me. You're literally the best guy any girl could ask for. Tall, handsome, blue-eyed. Funny, playful, supportive, but with a side so precious you keep to yourself, that part of you that's smart, serious, determined and passionate."
Tyson stared at her with astonishment, hanging from every word of the lips he longed to kiss, but never would.
"You're a girl's dream and you can't imagine how many times I've beaten myself up mentally when it comes to you. How many times I wondered what was wrong with me, why couldn't I be attracted to you as something more than a friend, why couldn't I see you differently. Why every time I tried to visualize myself with you in a relationship something didn't feel right."
He opened his mouth to interject, to tell her she shouldn't have been thinking like this, but Lyla didn't allow him. She was adamant to finish.
"My instinct always stopped me. I always listen to it because it's never wrong and God, you can't fathom how much I hate it sometimes, how much I wish it wasn't right. I hate it and it makes me hate myself too in the process because it's not fair for you" — two tears slipped and glided on her flushed cheeks — "it just isn't. And having been there, in your shoes, makes it hurt tenfold. In the beginning, the chances I had to be together with that asshole —despite the end— were slim. There's nothing worse than a person emotionally unavailable. It's not your fault or the other person's, but I wish from the depths of my soul all people's feelings to be reciprocated by the person they want. The opposite is something I wouldn't wish even to my worst enemy."
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm so sorry," she said, her words a whisper the wind carried to the sky. "Being with you always makes me happy and I have no doubt that if we were together, I'd create even happier memories with you, but I can't. I wish I could, but I can't. Love shouldn't be forced," she told him, her voice almost inaudible.
She tried to fake a smile, but all she wanted was silence and privacy to cry. She wiped hastily with the back of her hands the remaining tears staining her cheeks, her head low, almost ashamed to meet his eye.
"Hey," He caught her hand in his and caressed it softly with his thumb, his moves smooth and curative to her soul. "You have to promise me that you'll never, ever, feel that way again. You said the truth yourself. It's not your fault or mine. And trust me, I'll get over it."
It was the last sentence that gave her the strength to look at him.
Tyson gave her a small, encouraging nonetheless smile. "I found the strength to fall in love with you, a strength I never thought it was possible to have. And just like that, I'll find the power to stop seeing you that way. But will I ever stop loving you as a person? Hell no. There's no cure for that."
He was grinning now and Lyla couldn't help but crack a smile too. She was happy. Maybe more than she deserved.
"What if I told you I don't want to be cured either?"
Tyson played the lost-in-thought card for a moment before he stood. "I see no problem," he said, shaking his head. He extended his hand to her and intertwined their fingers, giving hers a gentle squeeze.
The gesture spoke volumes, but he still wanted to say the words. "Thank you, Lyla."
Lyla didn't think twice. She looped her arms around his waist and lifted herself to her tip-toes to reach his cheek. She planted an intense, heartfelt kiss, watching with joy the tips of his ears to redden.
To save him from any embarrassment, she pulled him forward. "Ready for round two, featuring Hilary?"
As long he had the right support, he could pull off anything. "Honestly, no, but I'll try."
On their return to the dance floor, he couldn't stop thinking about all the things unsaid. He knew he wasn't the right one for her for God's whatever reasons. He knew from the moment he stepped foot on their training room that Hudson's chances with her were higher.
And it was okay.
He wasn't sure if he trusted God, if there was an actual God out there and not of a mythological kind such as Hilary's mother, but he trusted the Universe. He trusted its timing. Then again, he had all the time in the world, so why rush and ruin it?
Life was a ride, one he planned to make the most out of.