Beautiful Beast (Enchanted Fairytales) (12 page)

She placed her hand in his. She looked as nervous as he felt. Together, they walked up the stairs.

* * * * *

Alex stood nervously by the food table.
Calli wished she had the words to make this better. She was regretting the idea of the party. She was tied up in knots, worried about everyone’s reaction to Alex. She didn’t want him hurt.

She’d called everyone individually, explained how he looked and
why
. She told them what a great guy he was, and how much she liked him. They all sounded sympathetic to his injuries, and promised not to gawk, but she didn’t know what they’d do.

The doorbell rang and she watched Alex stiffen. She wanted to go to him, be by his side. But she thought it would be better to greet them first and then introduce Alex.

Brittany, Brandon, and Jennae were the first to arrive, just as she’d asked them to be. Eli wouldn’t be able to come until later. She hurried over to the door, squealing along with Brittany and Jennae as they hugged one another excitedly. She hugged Brandon as well, then turned to Alex.

“Alex, this is Brittany, Jennae, and Brandon. Guys, this is Alex.”

Alex slowly lifted his head toward them. Calli clearly heard Brittany and Jennae’s intakes of breath. All three stood transfixed. Alex’s jaw ticked once, but he lifted a hand in greeting. Brandon stepped forward, hand extended.

“Nice to meet you, man.” Alex hesitated. Brandon turned to look back at the girls then grinned conspiratorially at Alex. “Sorry, dude, I’m not going to scream and hug you like they do.”

Alex laughed and took Brandon’s hand, giving it a single pump. Brittany and Jennae laughed and came forward, also shaking his hand. Then they began immediately filling Calli in on all the gossip she’d missed, pausing only long enough to explain to Alex who the people were they were talking about. Calli moved to stand next to Alex, slipping her hand into his. The gesture did not go unnoticed by the other three, but Calli didn’t care. As soon as she’d taken Alex’s hand, he’d grasped her hand tightly as if for support. She didn’t plan to let go.

An hour later the room was filled with kids. By the time they’d begun to arrive, Brandon, Jennae, and Brittany were comfortably talking and laughing with Alex. It didn’t stop the others from staring, of course, but it made him seem less strange to them. Calli knew that most of them had come out of curiosity, both of Alex and of being in the Monster House. She didn’t care why they came, she was just grateful they had. The music was blasting. Kids danced, laughed, talked, and ate Javier’s amazing food. And though Alex stayed close to the wall, he seemed relaxed.

He’d warned her beforehand that he didn’t dance, so she didn’t ask. She was aware that he didn’t want to give them something more to gawk at. She danced a couple of times with others when asked, but mostly she stayed near Alex, not because of obligation but because she wanted to. She enjoyed his company more than anyone else here. With Alex, she knew he liked her for who she was, not for her looks or for any other shallow reasons. He knew her better than anyone—even Brittany or Jennae.

She was surprised when a slow song began and Alex tugged her out onto the dance floor, pulling her into his arms and moving to the music.

“Jealous, Alex?” she teased. He just shrugged and her smile fell. He
was
jealous. What did that mean?

“Alex, I—”

“Let’s just dance, okay?” he said, pulling her closer.

Calli was stunned. She spent so much time with Alex, had become so used to the way they were together that she hadn’t thought . . . didn’t ever think . . . and then she realized she had. She
had
thought of him that way. Each time she looked at him, every time she held his hand or he put an arm around her. She thought about the warmth that suffused her each time she was near him, and how much happier she was when she was with him.

“Five minutes to midnight,” someone yelled. Alex released her as the music stopped and the TV was turned on to the channel showing the Times Square Ball being prepared to drop. Brittany began passing out the hats and blowers that sat on a table. Calli was aware of all of this going on, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Alex as the realization had taken hold.

She
loved
Alex.

* * * * *

Alex was aware of Calli’s scrutiny.
He shouldn’t have said anything. He felt foolish. She was his friend. He didn’t want to lose that, didn’t want things to become awkward between them because he’d given her a hint that what he felt for her was more than just that.

He took a hat and blower, and handed one to Calli. She took it absently, watching him.

“Two minutes,” someone called. Everyone gathered around the big screen TV. Alex stepped to the side, not wanting to be in the middle of the celebrating. Calli tugged on his hand and he looked at her. She waggled a finger at him, walking toward the door and pulling him with her.

She stepped out onto a deck overlooking the town. From here, they could hear the excited noises from inside, but couldn’t see anything—or be seen.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Nothing’s the matter,” she said. She laughed nervously. “I just wanted to say . . . I mean, I wanted to ask you. . . Um, you know the tradition about a New Year’s Eve kiss? Supposedly you’re supposed to kiss the one you love at midnight to ensure a year of happiness together.”

Alex wasn’t sure what she was getting at. “Yes, I know the theory. It’s just an old wives tale, Calli. It doesn’t really mean—”

“Alex!” She interrupted him sharply, rolling her eyes. “You’re kind of taking the romance out of this.”

“Romance?” he questioned. He knew he sounded thick-headed but he didn’t know what she—suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Maybe she was telling him there was someone she wanted to kiss at midnight. Maybe she felt she ought to warn him since she lived at his house. Or because of his stupid words earlier.

Eli had showed up, and Alex wasn’t so blind he couldn’t see how much Eli liked Calli, or how angry he looked as Calli stayed next to Alex, holding his hand most of the time. “Calli, if there’s someone you want to kiss, you don’t need my permission,” he forced himself to say. The thought of watching her kiss someone made him physically ill. She didn’t need his permission, but he also wasn’t about to watch.

Alex hesitated, giving her the chance to change her mind. Instead, she turned her face up to him. He pulled her close, his mouth touching hers, gently, still giving her the chance to pull away. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head slightly in invitation. Alex didn’t need to be asked twice.

He wrapped his other arm around her waist, deepening the kiss as he pulled her even closer. He thought even if they became one person, it still wouldn’t be close enough. She opened her mouth beneath his and the world shifted. He lifted her, melding their bodies as tightly as their mouths. This kiss was no friendly kiss, nothing of gratitude in it.

It was raw vulnerability, a lifetime of loneliness being shattered, Alex fusing himself to someone in a way he’d never imagined possible. She met his passion and feeling with her own.

He pulled back, wanting to see her expression, to know if he’d imagined her feeling. He hadn’t. It was there in her eyes. He slowly lowered her feet back to the ground.

“Well, Alex, um, wow,” she breathed, smiling up at him. “If I’d known you had that in you, I wouldn’t have waited so long.”

Alex laughed and kissed her again.

* * * * *

“
I can’t believe you’ve never driven a car before.”

Alex shrugged at Calli’s statement. “Where was I going to go?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “For a drive? I thought every fifteen year old couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel. That was three years ago for you.”

“Okay, enough being a smart aleck—or I should say, a smart
Alex
.”

She ignored him. “Put your foot on the break before you put it in gear. Though in a car like this,” she mused, running a hand over the soft leather seat, “you probably can’t put it in gear without the break on. There are some advantages to being able to drive something besides a fifteen year old car.”

Alex pulled the shifter until the orange line sat over the “D”.

“’Kay, now ease your foot slowly off the break.”

Alex did so, then slammed the breaks again, repeating this pattern until Calli cried, “Stop!” He slammed the break again and kept it there. “Alex, have you ever even
ridden
in a car before?”

“I’m going to show you first. Then you can try. You know, Alex, you’re so . . . capable at everything, I just assumed you’d be good with this as well.”

“Oh yeah?” he said, leaning toward her. “I’m only
capable
at everything?”

Calli’s eyes dropped to his mouth and she smiled. “Okay, maybe there are some things you’re
good
at.”

And then she let Alex prove to her just how good he was.

* * * * *

Calli knocked on the door to Winston’s den.
She entered at his bidding, leaving the door ajar behind her. This shouldn’t take long.

That was an understatement. He was a completely different man than she’d left nearly six months ago. He’d stayed sober, was working for Mr. Stratford at the bank, and called to talk to Calli every day.

“If you hadn’t done . . . what you did, for him, I mean, then who knows how he’d be now? I was always a little afraid that he wouldn’t live long enough to see me graduate. Now, I think he’ll live long enough to be a grandpa someday. And I have you to thank for that. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own.”

Winston leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands over his stomach. “So my help brought your father back to you, and your help brought my son back to me. I’d call us even.”

“Not quite,” Calli said. He lifted a brow. “I mean, I owe you so much more. You brought me here, gave me a nice place to stay, gave me Mr. Palmer who’s taught me way more than any of my teachers ever have. But even more, you brought Alex into my life.”

“I don’t mean forever,” she said, holding up a hand. “I just mean until graduation. I admit the thought of going back to my school with all those teachers is less than appealing, but that isn’t the reason.” She looked Winston in the eyes, wanting him to see her sincerity. “I want to stay here with Alex. He and I can be in a graduating class of two.”