NORA

"How much time do we have left?" Olive asks while dabbing setting powder on her pale skin.

I check my phone. "Five minutes, tops."

"Can't believe we're actually on time," she grins at me over her shoulder. "I was sure we'd be running like headless chicken at this point, nowhere near ready to go."

"Same," I pick up a can of strong hairspray and add a last layer over my fabulous hairdo. I've curled the dark strands and Olive has pinned it all up in an elegant low bun and added a silver rhinestone hair vine.

"Ta da!" Olive twirls on the spot, showing off her pale pink A-line dress. She looks absolutely gorgeous. The top layer of her long blonde curls have been pulled up with a pearl barrette, a few stands up front left loose to frame her face.

"Ah-mazing," I clap my hands giddily. We've been getting ready for hours, and now that the time is almost here, I'm starting to get really excited.

Olive smiles brightly. "Thanks. You know, Tyler is going to lose his shit when he sees you," she wiggles her brows at me wickedly.

I roll my eyes but can't help the smile that tucks at my lips. "Yeah, yeah, right."

"I'm serious," she sings, checking her make-up for the last time.

I purse my lips. I have no idea where Tyler and I stand, exactly. We've established we're in a relationship, but neither of us truly, completely trusts the other. And that's a problem. But then again, it's not something that can be fixed right this minute. We just need to give it some time and hope we can make it.

But tonight's prom. And prom's supposed to be this magical thing, and I want tonight to be perfect. I don't want to wallow in our problems when we could be having the time of our lives. Plus, this is kind of our first official date date. Which is why I'm kind of getting nervous.

The doorbell rings just then and we exchange a little panicked look before hurrying downstairs in our heels. 

I open the door with Olive right behind me, and my jaw drops down. Damn. Evan and Tyler stand on the porch shoulder to shoulder, but I only have eyes for the latter.

Tyler's wearing a black tux with a white dress shirt and a silky champagne vest and bow tie to match my dress, and he couldn't look better. He's undoubtedly the most handsome guy I've ever laid my eyes on.

His brown eyes are twinkling as he takes me in, his lips parted in surprise. 

"Hi," I'm the first to break the silence. "Come on in, guys," I step aside to let them pass and close the door behind them. I distantly notice Evan and Olive disappearing into the kitchen, leaving Tyler and I alone in the foyer.

"You look beautiful" Tyler gazes down at me. No one's ever looked at me like that before. Not with that intensity.

My heart skips a beat and I find myself twiddling with my dress. It's the color of champagne and has thin straps and leaves my shoulders bare. Shiny solid fabric hugs my torso and cinches at the waist, cascading down to the floor. A second layer, sheer and encrusted with glitter, tops the first and catches the light when I move.

"Thank you," I push a curled strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly nervous. "You look really handsome, yourself."

"I try," he grins, fixing his bow tie. "Give me your hand," he shows me a clear plastic cube I hadn't noticed. A corsage.

I smile and offer him my left hand and he takes out the flower arrangement and slips it in my wrist. It's beautiful. His fingers stay on my hand, slowly moving up my arm, sending shivers of pleasure down my body.

My eyes leave his wandering fingers and land on his eyes that are burning with desire. My mouth dries as I hold his gaze, his fingers moving up, up, up. He cups my cheek, his thumb moving to part my lips. His eyes drop. My heart tries to jump out of my chest, hammering so loud I'm sure he can hear it. He's so close.

His sandalwood cologne is intoxicating and I find myself leaning toward him, my eyes fluttering closed as his lips near mine.  Finally his lips press against mine, soft but unyielding. My hands reach out to his neck, pulling him closer.  I never want to stop.

But finally we part and he rests his forehead against mine, gazing into my eyes with a burning fever. "I could do that for days on end," he says, his voice husky with emotion.

I open my mouth but no words come out as a realization hits me. I'm absolutely in love with this guy. Absolutely, completely in love.

I search his eyes, wondering if I should say it, but chicken out. Instead I smile, turning my head a little to the side to plant a gentle kiss on the palm of his hand still cupping my face, and say, "Me, too."

"I hope you're decent!" Olive yells from the kitchen. "Because ready or not, here we come," her voice comes closer and we have just enough time to put a respectable distance between us before she and Evan appear in the doorway.

Evan's looking absolutely gobsmacked, his eyes flickering to Olive every few seconds, like he can't believe he's actually on a date with her.

I bite my cheek to keep myself from grinning and move to grab my clutch from the table I put it on earlier. "We should probably get going. I bet the others are already there." Some of our friends decided on going together as a group instead of with dates, and they rented a limo, which I'm sure has already taken them to the hotel the party is at.

Since Evan is driving, Olive takes shotgun and Tyler and I settle ourselves in the back. His hand reaches for mine and he intertwined our fingers, my pulse yet again racing. I'm going to have a heart attack at this rate.

The drive over to the hotel is only fifteen minutes, but those fifteen minutes are filled with stolen glances and slight touches, sending my nerve-endings on fire. I'm feeling quite hot when we finally arrive.

A beautiful arch covered in green vines and fairy lights stands in front of the open double doors, and a photographer stands across from it, waiting for the next couple to capture with his camera.

A few teachers are checking tickets close-by and we hand them ours before joining the short line to the doors. When it's our turn, I lead Tyler under the archway and he puts his hand on my waist, and together we smile for the picture.

After Olive and Evan have taken their photos, we take a few silly ones with the four of us, then head inside to find the rest of our friends.

The ballroom is absolutely beautiful. Our theme is enchanted forest, and the prom committee has really outdone themselves. There's fake trees and real trees and  flowers and vines and garlands everywhere with mini lights strung over railings and walls and embedded into floral arrangements. Lanterns with soft yellowish light are hung from the trees and  giving the place a magical vibe. I even spot a few small fountains in the midst of all the green, and small round tables covered in white linen and flowers sit below the trees. It's easy to forget we're actually inside.

"Wow" Olive's eyes widen as we take in the sight.

"You've got that right," I nod in awe.

"Wicked" Evan grins, giving a thumbs up.

"Let's go find the punch," I take Tyler's hand again and start treading through the people to the long table I've just spotted on the far wall. 

We walk by a DJ booth with people in line to get their requests in, and see several familiar faces, but only spot our friends when we make it to the refreshments.

"I should've known we'd find you here," I grin at Lindsey and Lexie, who're standing by the table with plastic cups in hand. Lexie's wearing a pale blue tulle dream, while Lindsey's in a sophisticated black mermaid gown, her coppery strands vivid against it.

"That one's spiked," Lindsey smirks and nods at the largest of the bowls filled with red liquid.

"Of course it is," I laugh, and decide to skip that one.

"Just how I like it" Evan moves toward the punch while I peek curiously at the one next to it.

"It's virgin" Lindsey winks at me, seeing me hesitate.

"I doubt anything present is virgin" Evan chuckles and Olive elbows him.

Tyler's cheek twitches like he's really hard trying not to laugh.

"Ha-ha," I set Evan with a look, but can't help but smile. I'm apparently all smiles tonight. Wonder why. My eyes go to Tyler and find him staring at me with a huge grin. "What?" I ask, suddenly self-conscious. Is there something on my face?

"Nothing," he shrugs, still smiling. It's contagious.

"Stop it," I swat at his chest playfully.

"Stop what?" he asks, clearly amused.

"I don't know, that," I make a vague motion toward his beaming face.

"What? Smiling?" he chuckles, the sound making my toes curl.

"No, I mean, stop looking at me like that," I squirm under his laughing eyes. I've never seen him this joyous. "You're acting weird."

"That's because I'm enjoying myself," he steps closer to me and his hands find my waist. "You make me happy, Nora," he's suddenly serious again and my cheeks heat up. It's suddenly a hundred degrees in here.

I take a quick peek around us and thankfully notice that our friends have left us to our own devices. I so do not need an audience for a moment like this.

"I..." my voice catches. "I do?"

"Yes," he says with such conviction that I have no choice but to believe him.

"You make me happy, too," I bite my lip to keep from grinning like an idiot. I'm sure my face is lit up like Fourth of July fireworks, though, so my efforts are going to waste.

He seems to be thinking along the same lines. He's about to answer when the song changes from an upbeat pop song to a romantic slow one, and he seems to change his mind. "Want to dance?"

My brows shoot up in surprise. "You dance?" He is so not the dancing kind.

He grins like the devil himself. "Not usually, no. But for you... I'm willing to make an exception."

I don't know how to answer that, not that I could make a sound if I wanted to, so I just nod and let him lead me to the dance floor already brimming with couples. 

I spot Jordyn, Michelle, and Zoey close-by and give them a little wave before Tyler twirls me around and then pulls my body against his in a slow dance. We gaze at each other in our own little bubble, stealing kisses here and there, dancing to several songs before taking a break to get some punch. We're then dragged back to the dance floor by our friends and we spend the rest of the night doing silly dance moves and laughing until our stomachs hurt and eyes water.

At some point Connor and Audrey are crowned prom King and Queen, which comes as no surprise, and we holler along with everyone else as they take the floor in an air of elegance. I'm having so much fun I don't even care when I see Zane and Jenny whispering in a corner, sending looks of pure anger toward me and Tyler. I send them an air kiss and a broad sugary smile, then turn my back to them and join in on laughing at a joke Lindsey just made.

The night goes by so fast it's over in a blink of an eye. Evan and Olive drop us off at my house, since mom's on a business trip again and Mads agreed to spend the night at a friend's.

I'm on such a high from the night that I feel like I've been drinking, even though I made sure to avoid the spiked punch. I catch my reflection on a mirror and see my cheeks are flushed and my eyes seem feverish, strands of my hair coming undone. The sight makes me grin.

"What are you thinking about?" Tyler comes to stand behind me and his arms circle my waist. I lean my head back against his chest and his jaw comes to rest on the nook between my shoulder and neck.

"Just how amazing tonight was," I catch his eyes in the mirror.

He plants a soft kiss on the tender spot on my neck and I close my eyes, leaning into the touch. "I'm glad you had fun."

I smile. "We can really make this work, you know. Us. We're going to work."

"I know," his mouth moves on my skin, trailing soft feathery kisses along my jawline. "You're mine now. And I'm not planning on letting you go."

Every sane thought leaves my mind as I turn around in his embrace and pull his lips to mine. I can feel his heart hammering in his chest as I press my soft curves against his hard lines, and the discovery that I affect him just as much as he affects me only fuels the fire inside me. I've never felt this strongly about anyone before. Never loved a guy. Now that I do, beyond any doubt, love him, I find myself utterly happy and beyond terrified.