The Truce

Epilogue

"I was right. That dress is killer," Natalie said, looking me over as I stood in front of the full length mirror.

I knew squat about prom dresses, but according to Natalie and the sales lady, my red lace dress was a mermaid style. I loved that it was flowy but not bulky, but I hesitated to buy it because I felt so exposed. The neckline was a little low anyway, but there was no back or sleeves. There were only two thin straps, holding the whole thing up and that crisscrossed across my back a few times.

Biting my lip, I had to admit, she was right. It looked great, but I felt naked.

"Just make sure Sebastian knows there's a zipper on the side when he goes to take it off you later," she joked, attempting to distract me.

I smirked at her. "Not happening." Not tonight anyway. I had no doubts about Sebastian. At some point, we would take that step together, but not while we had scholarships at stake. Mine wasn't as impressive as his - he had a full ride to the University of Pennsylvania. And I wasn't about to risk getting pregnant and put any of that in jeopardy.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you guys haven't done it yet. You two are sickeningly in love, and you know he's not going anywhere."

Except to college, I thought dismally. Thrilled as I was about our futures, we'd be almost one hundred miles apart in the Fall.

"I know," I told her. "But we're definitely not doing it just because it's Prom Night."

Natalie focused on her own dress in the mirror. She was way more adventurous than me, and she chose a black, slinky silk dress with a high slit up the thigh that looked amazing. After a moment, she moved to start on her makeup, and I became suspicious by her silence.

"What about you and Wes?" I asked, watching her closely.

She glanced at me quickly before focusing on her eyes again. "I don't know," she said. "We might..."

They'd started dating about the same time as Sebastian and I did, but I wasn't aware that they were there. As far as I knew, they hadn't even said 'I love you' yet.

"You're ready?" I asked skeptically.

When she looked at me again, I knew she wanted to say yes, but couldn't quite do it. "I could be," she said with forced confidence.

I put my hand on my hip. "Don't you dare do this because of some stupid dance. Wait until you're ready."

She chewed her lip, not wanting to agree.

"Promise me, Natalie."

She frowned and then huffed. "Alright fine. But if Wes is upset, I'm blaming you."

I laughed. "Deal."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Natalie was finishing up my makeup when her mom poked her head in the room.

"The boys are here," she said. After registering our appearances, she added, "you both look beautiful."

"Thanks mom." Natalie smiled at her. "Tell them we'll be down in a minute."

A moment later, Natalie was finished with me, and I slipped my shoes on.

"I'm going to break my neck," I complained as I took a second to get my balance. Natalie also insisted on these ridiculously high heels.

She snorted. "So make Sebastian hold you up all night. I'm sure he won't mind."

"That's an idea." I grinned.

"Go," she said, tucking a few stray hairs into her elegant twist. "As much as I love you, we're not sharing the spotlight right now."

"No argument there." I wanted Sebastian's eyes on only me for the first glimpse. All he knew was that my dress was red. Grabbing my small purse, I headed for the door.