Pieces of Love

Chapter 25

Emma

There was this sense of barely controlled excitement in the air on the night of the dance. We were currently at Lily's house, getting ready with the help of her mum. Sophie had already donned her dress, a dark blue dress that was layered such that the front was shorter than the black. She added a silver belt to add a pop of colour and was now lying stomach down on the bed, flipping through one of Lily's magazines. Lily herself was still in her pyjamas, but her hair and makeup was complete, and was now rifling through her closet for her dress.

I was already in my dress, a floor-length peach coloured dress that had a v-neckline, spaghetti straps and a slit up to my lower thigh. I was slightly self-conscious of that slit, but the dress was beautiful and I could tell that Lily had put in a lot of effort choosing this dress. Lily's mum was now twisting my hair into an elaborate side bun, leaving a few strands to frame my face. All our faces were make-up free except for some eyeliner, a faint blush and nude lipstick.

After piling into Lily's butler's car, we sped to school which was lit up with fairy lights for the occasion. I felt slightly uncomfortable as I stepped out, as I scanned the doors leading into the gym, where Isaac and I agreed to meet up. Dylan appeared out of nowhere, slinging his arm around Sophie's shoulders, making her smile sheepishly at me before they were both whisked away.

"Let's help you find Isaac," Lily said brightly as she looped her arm through mine, pulling me along to the direction of the gym. "Are you sure you will be okay by yourself?" I asked her anxiously, but Lily dismissed my question with a wave of her free hand.

"Don't worry about it, I already saw a few friends I recognise. Go enjoy yourself!" she assured me, before squealing, "Isaac's here!" I whipped my head at the direction that she was pointing, catching sight at Isaac standing there awkwardly, scanning the crowd with his eyes. Sighing in relief, I made my way to him, just as he made eye contact with me. A breath-taking smile took over his face and I grinned at him.

"Hey," he said softly. In my peripheral vision, I saw Lily drifting towards a big group of boys and girls. Making our way into the gym, I couldn't help but stare at the almost unrecognisable gym. Instead of draping the gym in pink that could pass it off as the property of a five year old girl, the school dance committee used a deep red as the colour scheme of the night, giving the air a sophisticated feel.

Majority of the students were crowded onto the dance floor, though there were a few seated at the circular tables and near the food and drinks table. After making one round around the entire gym, Isaac and I grabbed some punch and made our way to an empty table. We held a light conversation as we admired the decorations, but our talking was cut short when we were graced with the arrival of the entire class of Music elective students. Lily perched herself on the seat beside mine as Xavier and Jacob took the two seats opposite. I sent a smile in Jacob's way and he smiled back, although his eyes were trained on Isaac.

I was actually really surprised to see Jacob here considering that I turned him down. A sudden urge to be seating beside him instead of Isaac coursed through me and I almost got off my seat then and there. My eyes raked through his attire for tonight and one thought ran through my mind: he should be wearing a suit every day, because man, he looks good. My stomach felt like an industrial washing machine as it twists and turns whenever Jacob makes eye contact with me. His intense gaze burned into me and I had to look away. What the heck is this new feeling?

Sophie, Dylan and Nicholas soon joined us, but out of good fun, we shooed them to the table beside ours, stating that our table was strictly reserved for musical people. "I have musical talent too!" Nicholas whined and continued to prove his point by singing in a totally off-key voice. The occupants of the two tables erupted into laughter and I soon found myself breathless, leaning into Isaac's shoulder for support.

The night was filled with casual light-hearted laughter and mindless jokes, though I found myself looking at Jacob more often than usual. I wasn't the only one who was doing this; even Jacob was making more eye contact with me than what was considered normal. Sophie and Dylan had already left their table to dance, and Xavier had brought Lily for a dance, closely watched by Isaac, which made me smile at his overprotectiveness over his cousin.

The song All of Me by John Legend, a classic, started playing and I squealed in excitement, earning the attention of both boys. "This is my favourite song!" I exclaimed, starting to stand but stopped when Isaac grabbed my arm, just as Jacob stood up. Focusing my attention to Isaac, he said, "Let me dance with you." Jacob cleared his throat and I looked in his direction. "Actually, I was thinking of asking Em here to dance with me," he said pointedly.

I whipped my head between the two boys, their hostility against one another so clear that person would be blind not to notice. Confusion must have shown on my face for Isaac sighed, saying, "You can have her." He released his grip on my arm as I made my way to Jacob. Secretly, in my mind, I would choose Jacob over Isaac any day and my heart fluttered with excitement as Jacob intertwined my fingers with his.

Jacob snaked his arm around my lower back as I looped my arms around his neck. We were slowly revolving but the silence between us was awkward, until Jacob broke it.

"Why do you like this song so much?" He looked at me curiously.

"The lyrics are beautiful and the message it gives is simple yet sweet." I explained.

How many times do I have to tell you

Even when you're crying you're beautiful too

The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood

You're my downfall, you're my muse

My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues

I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you

Jacob's mouth formed an 'o' at that moment and a glazed look took over his face. Our conversation died down as Jacob stayed silent through this song and the next song.

"Are you okay?" I asked, staring into his eyes in concern as his eyes turned into a darker shade. Jacob bit his lower lip slowly and I found myself zeroing in on his soft pink lips. "Let's go," he said suddenly, tugging my arm as he pulled us through the mass of students. Emerging out of the gym doors, Jacob walked briskly as he led us to the school garden.

The school garden was basically a huge patch of greenery with a stone walkway down the middle. Jacob pulled me down onto the wooden swing set without a word and fixed his gaze onto the green grass below our feet.

The silence was deafening and I stared into space awkwardly, my brain coming up with nothing to say. I sighed. Only socially awkward people can understand this.

"Em."

I lifted my gaze to his and was taken aback by how scared he looked. He opened his mouth to speak and the five words that came out of his mouth had me shocked beyond words.

"I like you. A lot."