The annoying sound of someone's phone alarm jolted me from my sleep. It took me blinking a few times to take in my surroundings and remember where I was.
My room. The heavy arm and warm body wrapped around me was Nolan. The giant heap of blankets and pillows on the floor was Bee and Gia. The alarm was mine.
After I told Nolan about my idea for a private prom we called Bee and Gia to help bring it to life. We spent the rest of the day hopping from store to store for decorations and calling catering companies for food and desserts.
We settled on an Enchanted Forest theme. I thought it would go perfectly with Alison's flower garden. We went all out on the theme. We had tree stumps to be used at tables courtesy of Mr. Barton. Gia had a life like backdrop of a forest printed out for our photo booth area. Bee ordered cupcakes that were iced to look like flowers.
More importantly, in all the chaos of getting everything ready, Nolan seemed to have forgotten why we were doing this in the first place. The way his face lit up as everything was coming together made it clear that this night wouldn't only be good for Alison, but for him as well.
We crashed in my room around three in the morning after spending hours on a slideshow of the Chambers' family photos and teasing Nolan about his naked baby pictures.
"Turn it off," Bee grumbled, pulling the covers over her head.
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, turning the alarm off through blurred vision. After rubbing my eyes awake I saw that it was twelve-forty.
"We have to get up."
"Five more minutes," Nolan mumbled, his warm breath tickling the back of my neck.
"Mr. Barton is delivering the tables in an hour," I pointed out.
"Then we get one more hour of sleep," Bee chimed in from the floor.
My bedroom door opened wide. Gia stood there, her arms full of fast food bags and coffee. Her face looked way to chipper. When did she wake up? How did she have so much energy after pulling an all-nighter like the rest of us?
"Wake up, people," she sang. "Those fairy lights aren't gonna hang themselves!"
"Gia, I love you, but I will smother you."
Ignoring her girlfriend's threat Gia set breakfast on the dresser and pulled out her phone. After a couple of taps and swipes a bubbly Taylor Swift song blasted through the speakers. "Let's go!"
I was about to point out that my mom might've been sleeping, before I remembered she and Rachel were at some spa for the weekend. Mom made it a point to keep busy during the weekends when Taylor was with Dad.
"Come here." Bee raised her arms out to Gia like she needed help getting up.
Gia took Bee's hands, ready to pull her up. Instead, Bee pulled her down to the their makeshift bed. Gia let out a shriek, giggling as Bee tried to put a pillow over her face. I'm pretty sure Bee was actually trying to smother her.
I turned my back on Bee's attempted murder, facing Nolan who still hasn't opened his eyes. He pulled me closer, nuzzling his face into my shoulder. I could stay like that forever. If there wasn't so much to do today.
"Are you ready for tonight?" I asked, my fingers absently playing in his hair.
"No."
"Are you just saying that because you're mad you have to get out of bed?"
"Yes."
I glanced over my shoulder to see that Gia successfully got Bee up from the floor and they were heading out, grabbing their half of the food in the process. I turned back to Nolan, a smirk on my face.
"What if I told you that my shower was big enough for two people?"
His eyes popped open, fully awake. I had to bit my lip to hold back the laughter. Boys are so easy.
It didn't take him long to realize I wasn't being serious. The excitement on his face melted away, replaced with a pout. "You're evil."
"I know," I stated proudly. Once I sobered up I asked again, "Seriously though, are you ready for tonight?"
The corner of his mouth curled into an half smile. "As long as you're there I am."
* * *
I still needed to find a dress for the real prom. For now I had Mom's closet. Bee and Gia sat on the floor of my mom's bedroom while I rummaged around her walk in closet. Half of that stuff still had the tags on it.
"We don't have all year, J," Bee sang, rushing me to make a decision.
According to my phone it was a few minutes pass five. Nolan said he'd be here at six-thirty. That gave me less than an hour. That wasn't nearly enough time to pick out a dress. Especially not from Mom's closet. Every dress looked perfect.
Thankfully my hair and make were done. I tried to recreate the hair I had on New Year's Eve since Nolan liked it so much. My mind wandered back to that night, remembering just how much he liked it.
"Jade, do you need some help?" Gia offered.
Shaking the memory from my head I grabbed an olive green dress I'd been eyeing, putting it on before stepping out of the closet.
"What about this one?" I did a small twirl, the skirt flared out just above the knee.
"Oh, I like it," Gia exclaimed.
"Thanks, Gia" I looked at Bee expectantly. "What do you think?"
"Does it matter?" She shot back. "All you're going to do is change again."
That wasn't helpful. "Bee," I groaned, wanting a real answer.
"I liked the red-" She was cut off by the doorbell.
My heart dropped to my stomach, making me feel like I was going to be sick. Why was I so nervous? It wasn't a real prom and I'd just seen Nolan two hours ago when we were setting up the backyard. We thought Alison would discover us before we finished, but Billy was good at being the distraction and keeping inside and away from any windows.
"The wine-red dress with the sheer neckline," she said, standing and heading for the door with Gia in tow. "Just pick something already!"
I ducked back into the closet for the red dress and slipped it on.
Running back to my room I grabbed a pair of black heels and my purse and headed for the stairs. I could hear Bee complaining about my dress picking process. Of course she would.
I couldn't see Nolan from my spot at the top of the stairs. The butterflies in my stomach seemed to have turned into bats. Sucking in a deep breath I descended the steps as I exhaled slowly.
I saw Nolan before he saw me as he was too busy looking down at something in his hands. Nolan had always been attractive to me, but the way he looked tonight was next level.
The black suit was tailored perfectly to his body. His hair was slicked back, tucked into a low ponytail. An unruly piece of his hair hung just above his eye which he tried to sweep back in with the rest without much luck.
When he finally looked up, his lips parted slightly as his jaw went slack. Heat flooded my cheeks. The shy smile on my face refused to be held back. What were you supposed to do when someone looked at you like that.
"Shit. I mean, you look absolutely gorgeous." His eyes drank up every bit of me.
"You don't look so bad yourself," I told him, making him smile.
"Oh, Jade, we should take a picture for your mom," Gia said, already getting her phone ready.
"Yeah. Okay." I handed her my phone and stood beside Nolan.
He was still a bit flustered, his gaze never leaving me for more than a second. He had almost forget about the thing was holding until I pointed it out. "Do you know how difficult it is to find a corsage months before prom?" He said as he slipped onto my wrist.
It was made up of white and pink flowers tied together with a silver ribbon, matching perfectly with my dress. "I didn't know we were getting this formal. I would've gotten you the, the thing."
"Boutonniere," Gia assisted before ordering us to pose.
"That."
Nolan smirked as he snaked and arm around my waist, pulling my into his side. "Wait until you see the limo."
Now my jaw dropped. "The what?"
After Gia took a picture and I sent it to Mom we stepped outside to see the black limo that waited at the curb for us. We all climbed in once the driver opened the door. Us girls were fascinated by the interior and the mini snack bar.
"If you two don't win king and queen then the whole thing was rigged," Bee announced as she opened up a Reese's. "You two should win on looks alone. Hottest couple ever."
I looked over at Nolan and despite the dimly lit limo I could tell he was blushing at the comment. A flash interrupted my admiring him.
"Sending that to Bellcreek Baes," Gia said, tapping away on her phone.
* * *
The sky was an inky blue by the time we arrived and the backyard looked just as I envisioned it would. Fairy-lights were everywhere, hanging from the trees and stringed through rose bushes. The two tree stump tables were covered with white tabled clothes, smaller stumps with cushions on them were used for chairs.
The back drop Gia had printed was set up on one side of the yard, a banner that read "PROM" hanging just above it. On the other side of the yard was a tabled filled with sweets and tiny sandwiches.
The four of us stood in front of the back drop, ready to reveal the surprise to Alison. Nolan's grip on my hand was painful as Billy brought Alison out to the backyard. That's when I remembered that was the first time he'd seen her in days. He'd been we me these last two days and he only talked to his dad over the phone. I gave his hand a squeeze back, assuring him that everything would be fine.
"Can I open my eyes now?" Alison whined as Billy guided her down the porch steps.
"Not yet. Not yet," he told her, a huge giddy grin on his face. I'm sure I wore a matching one.
Once he got her in the perfect position to see the entire backyard he told her to open her eyes. Alison's eyes widened as they took in the decorations. She was like a kid on Christmas morning, unsure of what gift to focus on first.
Her bony hand covered her mouth, holding back a sob as her eyes landed on her son. He tensed beside me, unable to quit meet her eyes which were currently spilling over with tears of joy.
"You kids did all of this? When did you do this? Oh my God." Her hands moved to her cheeks, her shocked expression still intact. She then turned eyes of daggers on her husband. "You knew about this?"
Billy looked slightly confused by her glaring. "Yes?"
"And you brought me out here in my pajamas?" She swatted his arms a few times before bursting into a laughing fit. "Oh my God," she repeated. "I'm in bunny slippers and you all look like you just stepped off a runway."
Even though she addressed all of us her eyes were glued to her son. His eyes were focused on his shoes.
"Don't worry, Mrs. C," Gia pipped up. "We'll get you all pretty for prom."
Bee and Gia lead Alison back inside. Billy followed close behind like he couldn't let his wife out of his sight.
Before I followed to help get Alison ready I turned to Nolan. "Are you okay?"
His mouth said yes. His hunched over shoulders and faraway look in his eyes told a different story.
"Then why are you crushing my hand?" I raised my hand, which he hadn't let go of since we got out of the limo, to his eye level.
He quickly released his grip. "Sorry." He brought my hand to his mouth, leaving kisses all over it. "So sorry." His smile was back, not to its full wattage but it was a start. I hoped it stayed the rest of the night.
The back door slid opened again. Billy stepped out. "They kicked me out. Said I couldn't see her until after the makeover." Nolan is a spitting image of his mother, but when Billy pouted I could see hints of his son all over his face.
I held back a laugh as I headed inside. "We'll be back out soon."
* * *
Forty minutes later Gia had Alison's hair styled in a pretty chignon, accessorized with tiny flowers to go with tonight's theme. Bee picked out a gorgeous floor length ivory colored gown. And I finished the look by giving her a no-makeup makeup look.
Excitement oozed out of every pore on Alison's body. She could hardly sit still or keep from crying again.
"My prom was dull," she said as we prepared to go out and meet the boys. "It was on a boat so it was freezing and the food was so bland. The only good thing to come from that night was the principal's toupee getting snatched by seagull."
"Hopefully this one will make up for it."
She smiled at me. "It already has."
Gia went out first and queued up some eighties pop song from the playlist Billy but together and using that preppy cheerleader voice of hers to get everyone pumped. "Are you ready to meet your prom queen?"
Billy let out an overly enthusiastic hoot, Alison rolled her eyes at her husband's antics, but I could tell she was enjoying. Bee and I made sure Alison's dress, hair and makeup was perfect before sending her out to show off her new look.
Billy had the same slack jaw look on his face that Nolan did. I could tell Alison was trying to hold back tears again. She pointed to the wireless speaker that was playing. "That's the song," she choked out. "The one that played the night we met."
"Twenty-five years ago my friends and I made a bet to see how many numbers we could get," Billy said, walking over to Alison, his gaze conveying just how much he loved her. "Yours was the first and only number I got. No matter what those idiots said, I was the winner that night."
I didn't think was possible to love someone that much after twenty-five years together. Dad certainly never looked at Mom the way Billy looked at Alison.
"Jade spent a lot of time on my make up," she said, looking up and fanning her eyes. "You're ruining it, William."
We shared a laugh. Gia was nearly in tears herself watching them. "My heart can't handle this," she cried. Bee wrapped and arm around her, kissing her hair.
I wanted that. I wanted to be so in love with a person that just looking at them could move me to tears. I wanted someone who could still make me blush after twenty years.
It was easy to imagine Nolan being that person. Waking up to him every day, coming home to him every night. I could never think that far ahead with other boyfriends. My past relationships always felt like flings. With Nolan, I couldn't picture a life without him there with me.
My eyes found his across the yard. It felt like my chest would explode from the buildup if everything I felt but couldn't put into words.
A slow song began to play over the speaker. Billy asked Alison for a dance that she graciously accepted. Bee and Gia followed suit, the two of them holding each other and swaying to the music.
Nolan came over to me, his hands finding a place on my hips as I placed mine around his neck and we start swaying along as well. "I don't I've ever seen her this happy."
I glanced briefly at his parents. Alison looked like the personification of bliss.
"Thank you," he said, bringing my attention back to him.
"Hey, you helped pull this thing off as well," I pointed out.
"Not just for this." He pulled me closer, locking his fingers at my lower back. "For agreeing to my dumbass plan in the first place and putting up with me for months. Jade, before you I was convinced that I couldn't be happy. That no matter what I did I'd be stuck in this loop of everything going wrong the moment I felt like it was all finally falling into place. That...people would leave. When I'm with you I don't feel...temporary. I don't feel like we are temporary."
That level of vulnerability from him took me by surprise. There were no more walls between us. Everything was out on the table. It was then that I realized just how much we had in common. We both knew how it felt to believe someone would always be there and then have our worlds shook when plans changed.
I pulled back so I could meet his eyes, so there was no misunderstandings around my words. "I'm not going anywhere, Nolan."
A small smile graced his lips. "I know. That's why I'm so madly in love with you."
That was the first time he'd said it. At least with his words. He showed me how much he loved me every day. It was in the way I'd catch him staring at me during woodshop and when he showed up at my house with snacks and movies queued up on his laptop for no reason in particular other than he missed me.
But hearing him say the words was a song I could listen to on repeat for the rest of my life.
A wide grin appeared on his face, probably because I was starting at him wide-eyed and unable to form words.
His hands moved from my waist to my cheeks, guiding my lips to his. "I love you so fucking much, Jade Harris."
* * *
We danced to a few more songs, ate a few too many cupcakes that looked like flowers, and listened to stories from Billy and Alison's adventures in Europe. Nolan even managed to say a few words to his mom without getting too weird about it. I figured it was because we were all in a group and he didn't think twice about it.
But as the night was winding down and Nolan still hadn't had a one-on-one conversation with his mom I began to worry that he wouldn't do it all.
That's why when he came and sat next to me at one of the tables offering chocolate covered fruit I declined.
"It's getting late."
His brows raised in confusion. "Too late for fruit?"
"Nolan, I think you're forgetting the whole point of tonight." I looked over at Alison who was sitting on a bench with Gia, nodding at whatever words were flying out of Gia's mouth.
He followed my gaze before turning back to his plate of fruit. "I still don't know what I'm supposed to say to her."
"Maybe you don't need to say anything. Maybe she wants to do all the talking."
He considered that as he glanced over at his mom again. "What if I say something really stupid?"
"You won't."
"But-"
I clamped my hands onto his broad shoulders. "She's your mom, Nolan. I don't think there's anything you can say to make her hate you."
"You wouldn't happen to have a hard lemonade on you?"
I chuckled, shaking my head. "You'll be fine. Go. Save her from Gia."
We both looked over to see Gia gesturing wildly with her hands as Alison looked on clearly confused and laughed.
"Alright." Nolan stood and strolled over to them. They were too far away for me to hear them, but Gia got up and started walking over to me. He sat next to his mother, his head down as if the grass was the most interesting thing on the planet. Alison said something that made him look up and suddenly he was smiling. So far, so good.
"Where'd Bee and Mr. Chambers go?" Gia asked as she took the chair Nolan was just in.
I looked around, just realizing they weren't back there with us. Then the back door slid opened and they walked out, whispering about something. Billy froze when he saw Alison and Nolan together. His turned to me, a grateful smile on his face.
"What were you two doing?" Gia asked when they joined us at the table.
"Setting up the finally surprise," Billy announced.
The slideshow. I expected even more tears to spill from Alison.
"And hot chocolate because it's cold as balls out here," Bee complained. "I think we should go back in now."
Following Bee's lead the four of us went inside, giving Alison and Nolan some privacy. Stealing one more glance at them I noticed Nolan wasn't as tense as he was when he first sat down. His shoulder weren't up to his ears, he looked at her when she spoke, he talked back. I couldn't help but feel proud.
One prom conquered, one more to go.