Faking It

Chapter 34: The Ties Were Black

Text to: Jake Morris-Whittaker, 10:42 pm

Soooo what exactly does one wear to a black-tie gala?

👀 Are you going to a black-tie gala?!

Yeah 😰

😲😲😲
I'm calling you!!!

~*~

The swoop of my stomach as the elevator rocketed up to the hotel's rooftop banquet room had nothing on the way it had been nauseously roiling all week. I'd barely been able to focus on classes, let alone that afternoon's soccer game, and it was like my game-time adrenaline spike had never gone back down. I'd jiggled and fidgeted the entire time Gyeong-Ja had done my hair and makeup, and she'd had to push me out the dorm room door after I'd caught a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror.

It had been like looking at an alternate-reality Ellie. An elegant one. A stylish one. I'd bought my very first formal gown—a black, sleeveless chiffon dress with a high, lace neckline—on a frantic trip to Nordstrom's with Audra, Gyeong-Ja, and Jake via FaceTime. My mother would kill me if she ever found out that I'd gone without her, but I couldn't face the barrage of questions she'd have fired at me. Especially when it was all pretend.

I did snap a mirror selfie though, if only to prove that I could transform into the pretty, perfect daughter she'd always wanted me to be. All it had taken was the sleek chignon and impeccable smoky-eye that Gyeong-Ja had meticulously created for me. And maybe a little photoshop to erase the giant purple bruise on my arm. It and my throbbing, twisted ankle were the only things tethering me to my real self—war wounds from that afternoon's brutal win and reminders that, under all the makeup and fancy clothes, I was still the Ellie who slide-tackled with reckless abandon.

Now, though, it felt even more like I'd slipped into some glitch in the matrix. Because beside my glossy reflection in the mirrored elevator doors was someone who had absolutely no business looking so good in a tux. Where most guys might've looked a little ridiculous with a bow tie, Theo pulled it off effortlessly. He was adjusting one of his cuff-links when he caught me staring for the bajillionth time.

He nudged me with his elbow. "You okay?"

"Yup," I replied brightly.

But I really wasn't. I'd been intimidated since I'd met him outside the dorms, in front of the idling black sedan his parents had sent. I partly blamed Audra—she'd taken it upon herself to give me a crash-course in black-tie etiquette while Gyeong-Ja had done my hair, which had only hammered home how ill-prepared I was for all of this. Sure, I could small talk. But when Audra had pulled up the latest high society blogs to show me what I was about to wade into, my nerves had wound taut. I had no idea what a venture capitalist was. I'd never sailed or golfed in my life. I didn't know when New York Fashion Week was, and I'd definitely never been to Paris or St. Barts. I couldn't even name three high-end shoemakers.

Mostly, though, I blamed myself. I was the one who'd risen to William's bait. It was my fault that we were doing this in the first place. If I'd just kept my mouth shut, Theo and I could be watching movies on the common room couches. Instead, I was in an elevator, on my way to high society hell.

"I don't buy it," Theo said, watching the floors tick away as we shot skyward. "You gonna tell me what's going on, or should I hit the emergency stop?"

I didn't get a chance to reply before the elevator slowed, launching my stomach into my throat. When his knuckles brushed mine, I seized his hand and relished its warmth. He squeezed my fingers, but I didn't dare look up at him, not when he looked so damned handsome. Not when he'd been my favorite Theo the entire way here, distracting me with idle chatter and his trademark sass. I'd made the mistake of meeting his gaze only once on our hour-long ride, and I'm pretty sure I'd flushed as red as a tomato. Because all I'd been able to think about was the last time we'd been alone in a car. What I'd wanted him to do. What I still wanted him to do.