The Weight of Love

Chapter 5

"Here's your sash, Lila," came Mr. Halsey's voice.

Lila blinked, pulled from her reverie. In the crowd of blue and white and colorfully festooned graduation caps, it was hard for her to focus on anything. But there was her sophomore-year English teacher, the head of the National Honors Society, holding one of the gold sashes that marked its members.

"You never picked it up on Tuesday morning during homeroom," he said by way of explanation, holding it out to her. "Would you like help pinning it?"

"Uh, sure," Lila said. She cast her eyes her eyes about for Emily and Victoria, but they had run off to the bathroom together.

Mr. Halsey draped the sash over her shoulder and secured it with a safety pin, bending over her. She felt the warmth of his breath against her neck and fought the urge to draw away.

"Ouch!" she said as he moved to pin it to the bottom of her gown. The second pin had pricked her hand.

"Oops. Must've gotten you," he said, holding up the pin. His eyes sparkled up at her. She could have sworn he was lifting the hem of her gown far higher than necessary, and taking his time at it, too. Finally he finished and straightened himself, dusting his hands off on his charcoal gray suit pants.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you later," he said, patting her on the shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.

Lila shivered, not only because of his unwelcome advances -- but also because she had come under the influence of a somewhat familiar sensation. She turned around and saw Cameron standing behind her, two yards away, a bouquet of roses in his hands and his eyes fixed on her.

She said nothing. He stepped forward and held the roses out to her.

"Thank you," she said stiffly, accepting them. She buried her face in the yellow blooms. Yellow for new beginnings. She had learned that somewhere. She jerked her eyes up and forced herself to meet Cameron's gaze. "You can go. I'm sure you need to rehearse or something. I know why you're here."

"I'm here for you," he said, guileless. He stepped closer, narrowing the gap between them to a couple feet, no more. "Who was that man?"

She frowned at him, thrown off-balance.

"What man?"

"The man pinning your thing," he said impatiently, tugging at her sash. "This whatever-it's-called."

She laughed despite herself. The Harvard graduate with his fifty-cent words suddenly couldn't remember a two-cent one.

"Sash. He's Mr. Halsey, the NHS sponsor." She sucked on her hand where he had pricked her before showing it to Cameron. "He stuck me with the pin by accident, see? And before you say anything, I know he's a creep. He's been obsessed with me since I had him sophomore year."

"Hmm." Cameron took her hand, his eyes locked on hers. He raised it and brushed his lips across her skin where she'd been pricked, the touch feather-light and electrifying. Then he dropped it unceremoniously back to her side. "Well, I got you the thornless variety. Of roses, that is. So you needn't mind any more thorns."

"Thank you," Lila said, squeezing the bouquet to her chest. Her heart thumped wildly. "Are you coming to dinner afterward?"

"Would you like me to?" he asked.

She swallowed. No one seemed to have noticed her conversation with this tall, handsome stranger. They were all too busy making last minute adjustments to their caps and gowns or running off to the bathroom before the ceremony began. She was lost in the crowd, and him with her.

"Yes," she said at last.

"Fine," he said. "Then I'll come. Congratulations, Lila."

She opened her mouth to say something more, but he had already turned away. She watched him ford his way through the crowd. The roses remained in her arms, the only tangible result, the only token, the only proof that their conversation had happened at all. She turned and saw that Mr. Halsey was watching her from where he was standing near the bleachers with a few other teachers. So someone had taken note of her interaction with Cameron after all. Her skin crawled.