The Neighbors

Chapter 20

"A year?! One whole year?" Harry practically whined after I told him about my proposal. "That's like  forever!"

"Not when you get to be my age," I smirked. "The years go by faster than you would think. I just think it would be wise to give ourselves a year to wait and see if we still feel the same after that." Even thought it felt like the right thing to do, I wasn't any happier about it than Harry was.

"I don't want to wait a year for us to be together, Lise. I want us to start now."

"I know, Harry. I do, too. But I don't have the luxury of dating just for fun. If I get involved in a relationship, I have to consider the serious implications pretty early on - you know, marriage and family stuff. I'm not really willing to go through a series of casual relationships. That would be difficult for my girls, especially if they grow attached to someone. They're already so attached to you, and if it didn't work out..."

"I'm not in this just for fun," he said solemnly.

"I believe you. But I also don't think it's fair to you if you rush into something now and realize later that you're in way over your head. Plus, a year will give us time to warm our families up to the idea. And think about it – you'll be done with one year of college. It will seem a lot less creepy than when you're just graduating from high school."

"So, I'm creepy?" He teased.

"No, you're insanely hot!" I laughed, which made him laugh, too. "But it's creepy for me to be saying that to a kid who hasn't even attended his high school prom yet! Besides, you will have a year to experience college life, time to meet some friends, and who knows? Maybe you'll find your soul mate...." My voice cracked as I drifted off at the end of the sentence. I hated the thought of Harry finding someone else, but I knew I had to at least give him an opportunity to know for sure.

"Impossible," he said, grabbing me by the waist and burying his face in my hair. "I've already met my soul mate," he whispered, his voice sounding so sexy.

We stood there for a moment, savoring each other.

Finally, he said, "I will agree to your outrageously difficult plan if you do one more thing for me."

"What's that?"

"Kiss me. I want something to keep me going for the next year."

"Gladly." I pushed up on my toes and pressed my lips firmly against his. He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me right off my feet, pressing his mouth solidly to mine. I started losing my breath and had to pull away, but he chased me with his lips and kissed me again.

"Oh, my, you're going to make this year extremely difficult," I pouted.

"Good," he smirked.

After we had come to terms with our plan, we decided to make a late lunch. We grabbed some leftovers from the party and went out to the patio by the pool.

Harry cracked open an ice cold Coke and asked, "So, will you go to the prom with me?"

"Harry!" I yelled with a laugh.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"You should take Holland," I hinted.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to," he said.

"I can tell she really likes you."

"I think so, too. I just don't want to hurt her, you know."

"Then just tell her you're not interested in a relationship. At least not with her...." I bit my lip. "Oh, that sounded kind of rude, didn't it?" I giggled. "But, seriously, girls like it when you're straightforward with them. They don't like it when you play games."

"Okay, then. Lise, I'm in love with you. Was that straightforward enough?"

I rolled my eyes at him and said, "The whole point of waiting a year is so that you will give yourself a chance to grow and meet other people. We aren't together, and we can't say things – or do things – that friends wouldn't normally do. Got it?"

"I know," he said, looking down at the ground like a little boy who just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"You will have a great time with Holland," I told him. "I went to the prom with one of my best friends, and we had a fabulous time. But I'd love it if you would come over so I can snap some pictures of both of you, okay?"

"Sure."

Harry somehow managed to smooth things over with his brother and his father so that I didn't have angry torch-wielding villagers coming to my house at night. And we managed to maintain our "friendship" for at least a few days.

However, I was surprised that I found it incredibly difficult to send him off to the prom with Holland. They came over, as promised, so that I could take some pictures.

They were both impeccably dressed, and I had to admit that they looked good together. Holland wore a silver gown that was fitted around her drop-dead gorgeous figure and then flared at the bottom. The sweetheart neckline showed just enough of her bosom, and the beaded halter straps hugged her neck perfectly. I really liked Holland, but at that moment, I felt jealous. Holland had the kind of body I had always longed for – tall, slender, curves in all the right places.

Harry wore a sport coat over a dress shirt with an intricate black and white design that made the shirt seem almost silver. He had silver pocket square neatly tucked into his coat, and a simple white carnation graced his lapel. 

I stared at Holland a bit longer. With her long silky blonde hair and her supermodel body, she was everything I wasn't. I wasn't prone to envy, but when I saw her next to Harry, I yearned to be the one on his arm.

Regardless, I snapped the photos and sent them happily on their way. Harry had begged me to come to watch the crowning of the King and Queen at 10:00 PM, so I had asked my mom to watch the kids for a bit. I assured Harry that I would be there.

I drove up to River Haven high school at 9:45 PM and I felt a little silly for walking up to a high school dance. But I noticed other "parents" arriving, so I just tried to blend in. When I entered the gym, I saw Harry dancing with a bunch of his friends. It was clear that he was quite popular.

Then he saw me, he hurried over and gave me a hug. "I'm so glad you came," he grinned. Every time I saw Harry smile, I thought of what I could do next to make him smile again because it was so overwhelming.

"Me, too," I winked.

Soon, I heard an MC announcing that the members of the prom court should take their places on the stage. All the boys lined up on one side of the MC, and all the girls lined up on the other side and awaited their fate to be announced.

After he had introduced all the members of the court – all 24 of them – he continued, "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, this year's Prom King is...Harry Styles!" I clapped and laughed, and when Harry looked my way, I mouthed out to him, "I told you!"

When the applause had died down, he said, "And the Queen is....Holland Bray!"

I knew it – they seemed very close, and they seemed to be two of the most popular kids in the school. I was happy for them, but when they danced together, I felt a twinge of longing.

What if I've made a huge mistake? I thought sadly. What if Harry really does find his soul mate in the next year? And what if it's not me?