Chasing Blue

#34: Clueless.

Present

Isabella

"Don't look at me like that," I almost run away before Austin holds my wrists and pulls me to his chest.

"You should've thought this through before you dressed up like that," I hear him chuckle as I bury my face in between his blazer. I fake-cry and he only chuckles more at that. "You shouldn't get this close to me. I'm having inappropriate thoughts."

I tense but I don't lift my face up. "Like?"

He leans down until his lips meet my ears. "Like pushing my hand through the slit of your dress," he breaths and I clutch his blazer with both my hands, "Or tugging the zipper on your lower back and ripping this dress off you, or even skipping prom and forgetting the whole shit talk I told you in the lake house because right now, I don't care if your father's going to punch me in the face for making you want to cry from the pleasure I can give you."

I begin to consider his words before the door of my room opens and May comes out with her phone in her hands. I smoothen out Austin's black blazer, giving him a glare as I try to regain my normal pace of breathing. His hands rest on my lower back, casually grazing my skin above the hem of the dress.

"He's late," May says grabbing our attention. "I cannot believe he's late."

"Ethan?" Austin asks confused.

Liam gestures me to at the situation and gives me a smile. He's making me see how May's overseeing a red flag, in turn, how my advice was bullshit. Because Mia was still on her way to the resort, Liam came down to our room.

"Yes, who else, genius?" May lashed out at Austin, shutting him up for a while.

"Hey, maybe he's already at the hall?" I offer something to divert her eyes from puddling into tears. She looks too gorgeous to shed tears.

She checks her phone and shows it to me. She's sent a series of messages from this afternoon and he's replied to none of them. There's no double tick as well. He's not even seen the messages. I begin to worry and my eyes dart to Liam who's already giving me the I-told-you-so look.

"Here's an idea," Liam locks her phone and nudges her to keep it inside her clutch. "Fuck the dates, let's go together. All of us."

May breaths loudly and she looks away for a second. Her jaw clenches when her eyes are back onto us. She nods, "Yes. Let's."

"Umm," Austin looks at me and I shrug. "You sure?"

"It is the last event of school," I glance at Liam and May and return my gaze back to him.

"Okay then, we're going as a group." Austin nodded, buttoning his blazer.

I don't want to begin to eye this man because it'll only fuel his ego more than I already have. I would be lying if I didn't say Austin Cooper in a suit turns me on. His turquoise-blue tie matches my satin dress and I can't help but eye strips him, layer by layer. It'd be foolish of me to think he didn't already realize that.

"Yes, Jess, I'll meet you in the hall in ten," Jason says and we turn our heads in his direction. He waits with his phone glued to his ear. He smiles, "Can't wait." He says and ends the call. When he realizes we're still silently gazing at him, he pockets his phone and shrugs. "Are we doing this or what?"

So we do.

We walk through the main door of the hall, arm in arm. We're granted space as we enter the banquet hall, decked in stars and lights. I can see the heads turn and I can hear the entire senior year gasping as they digest the view.