Time was up.
A small sliver of light entered the closet and we both moved away from it quickly. I wasn’t sure what Theo’s expression was, but mine was sheer panic.
“So,” Theo cleared his throat from by my side, his hand finding mine as he linked our fingers. “This is it.”
I nod in agreement.
“I think you should go first,” Theo says, his voice full of tension. “If I go first, I’d be too tempted to wait outside and pounce on you when you come out. That would ruin the plan.”
“Yeah,” my voice agrees, sounding sad and pathetic in the darkness.
Theo clambers to his feet, hitting his head on the railings again before he pulls me to my feet. He holds me tightly to him, his arms around me protectively and possessively as if he’d never let me go. Part of me would happily stay here for eternity, but if fate plays its part, that would be how this story, our story, would end regardless. In that, I put all my trust.
Don’t let me down, Fate. You’ve gotten me this far.
“I am in love with you, Theo,” I whisper into his chest, before I force myself away from him. “Close your eyes.”
I wasn’t sure if he had done as I had asked, but I had to trust him. I placed a palm on his cheek, caressing the contour of his face before trailing the outline of his chin. I needed to savor every last bit of him, needing to get my fill of him to tide me over.
After a long, drawn out beat, I finally pull my hand away from him, heading towards the door.
I push the door open slightly, fighting the urge to turn around and see him, to drink him in.
Keep moving,
I tell myself. And with that, I rush from the closet and return to the hustle and bustle of the crowd.
Despite having been gone for half an hour, nothing out here seemed to have changed. People were still knocking back drink after drink, gyrating provocatively against anyone who was within touching distance of them.
I scan the room, trying to find Georgie among the sea of bodies that I pushed through. Eventually I found her perched on Greyson Parker’s knee, her arm draped dramatically over his shoulder as he whispered into her ear.
Finally she looked up at me, her eyes widening as she took in my flustered appearance. My hair was a little mussed, my lips red and puffy and my eyes on the verge of becoming a water feature. I looked far beyond the girl she knew, so when her next question came, I blushed.
“What on earth happened to you?”