to hope that she’d change into her dress in here. I wasn’t sure I would have been able to resist the temptation to sneak a peek.
I lowered my hand, but my eyes stayed shut as I lay on the bed and waited for her. My house was always so quiet, but here I could hear soft noises wafting through the air around me. There was a small child giggling as they played next door, and I could hear a lawnmower buzzing in the distance. They were comforting sounds that made me feel quite at home in Clary’s room.
Clary cleared her throat, and the distant noises from outside seemed to disappear. “Okay, here it is…” she said.
I slowly opened my eyes to look at her, and my jaw dropped open. Clary’s prom dress was gorgeous. It was made from a deep red, silky material that rippled as she moved. A long slit ran up one leg, and it was nearly impossible to drag my eyes away. I knew Clary had amazing long legs, but this dress highlighted them in a way that was hard to ignore.
I swallowed as I stared at her, my chest feeling suddenly tight. I was almost too scared to look directly at Clary because I knew the look in my eyes would probably reveal my true feelings for her.
I was grateful when she gave a little spin—anything to disrupt the way I was staring at her legs. But the spin only made things worse. The back of her dress dipped irresistibly low, showing off her smooth tanned skin and making the desire I felt for her even stronger.
I was suddenly glad prom was canceled, because I wasn’t sure I could have handled seeing Clary in that dress and in the arms of another guy.
When she finished her small twirl and turned to face me once more, I made certain to focus on her face rather than the dress. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, and it was really hard not to stare at her when she looked so incredible.
As she looked at me, I could see how much she was enjoying wearing the dress by the sparkle in her eye. It was the sight of her nervous smile as she waited for me to respond that truly destroyed me though. She was so impossibly beautiful, and the thought that my opinion might matter to her was enough to send my feelings over the edge. I was speechless.
A hint of worry entered her eyes as I continued to stare at her in silence. “You think I look silly.”
“No.” My voice came out deep and rough, and I cleared my throat to try to make it go back to normal. “No, I think you’re beautiful.”
“I told you not to make fun of me.”
“I couldn’t make fun of you right now if I tried. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
“Now I know you’re lying.”
I stood from the bed and walked across the room so I was standing before her. I wanted to close the small distance that remained between us, but I couldn’t be the one to do it. Clary needed to come to me when she was ready—if she was ever ready. “I’m not lying. You would stop any guy in their tracks with that dress”
Her cheeks flushed, and she struggled to meet my gaze.
“It’s definitely too gorgeous to be wasted on just me. You deserve to go to the prom.”
“Well, that can’t happen now,” she murmured. She glanced down at her dress and ran her hands across the smooth material before she lightly exhaled and dropped her hands to her sides. “Anyway, I should really get changed.”
There was disappointment in her eyes as she looked down at her dress, and she seemed reluctant to take it off so soon. I wanted to say something to make her feel better, but there was nothing I could do that would fix this. I couldn’t exactly save the prom.
Or could I?
Clary gave me a sad smile before she went to the bathroom to change. When she returned, she was wearing the sweatpants and hoodie she’d had on before. Her stilettos dangled from one hand, and her prom dress was carefully draped over her arm.
“You should pack them,” I said.
“What?”
“Your prom dress and shoes. You should bring them to my house.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Why would I do that?”
I didn’t have an answer for that. Not yet. “Would you just do it? For me?”