"Ironically, it's because of mine."
Harper lets the tiniest frown come and go. "You guys became friends my senior year. I understand the ethical issues of dating the parent of a student, but come on. By the time you would've known you wanted anything else, I was about to grad—" She pauses and cocks her head. "When I was about to graduate, he got the job in New Jersey. Which means we're back to hockey and all of its bullshit."
I don't disagree with her general point—I've been in a fight with hockey for years—but she's also steeped in privilege. Her experience in locker rooms isn't the same as Jamie's. Her level of fame certainly isn't comparable. And whatever effect Danielle's apathy or Jamie's career might have had on her, I don't think she's known the pressure he's faced since he learned how to skate.
She can blame hockey's bullshit all she wants. I have. But it won't change how Jamie and I started, and how willing I was to wait as long as I knew where every line was drawn.
"He's never told you how we met?" I ask, curious how much longer this song will last.
"I was there. I introduced you. Back-to-school night, my freshman year."
When I look over Harper's shoulder, I see Jamie. He sees me. I sigh. "The Friday night before your freshman year started, I went to a dive bar to order takeout. Unbeknownst to me, the owner's best friend was there that night, too. I didn't recognize him, but we talked a little, and I couldn't look away. We got interrupted when a fight broke out, and he dragged me into the alley out back. Talking there wasn't enough. Saying goodbye didn't feel like an option. He asked me to drive him to a taco truck near the beach. We went for a walk afterward and ended up on a bench in the dark. I stayed with him until morning."
"Holy shit. That's—a narrative."
"Our connection was indescribable," I say. "I don't think I've ever believed in love at first sight, but after that one night? We both wanted it all, and I had no idea what he would've gone through to make it happen. I didn't realize what that would've meant for him, but hockey wouldn't have stopped him. Not then."
"It was me," Harper murmurs, and I hate that I can hear it over a ballroom full of her guests. It hits me then how intensely unfair we've been to her, allowing her to know something without telling her everything. We had our reasons when she was a kid, but no excuse in the years since. Someone comes up to us then, and asks her for a dance, but she makes him wait one more song and turns back to me as she squeezes my hand. "I'm sorry."
She might be referring to the interruption, but I don't think she is. "No, I'm sorry.We'resorry. And it was okay back then because we decided to wait for each other. We figured out how to be friends, and we spent time together when people weren't looking. By yoursenior year, we made the friendship more public, and we were close to being able to tell everyone. Then he got the job and moved away, and he asked me to keep waiting."
"What did you say? Because the two of you were still in touch after he left. He invited you to Taylor's one year. But then there were all those stories about him being out with different women, and you were with Logan. The two of you weren't talking for a while, and then you started talking again, and you spent Christmas together. And you love him. A lot."
"I love him, and he loves me. I've never, ever questioned that," I tell her. "But waiting for so long got complicated for both of us."
"And you don't want to wait anymore?"
I reach down to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and smile softly. "I don't think I can."
It's late, and the official reception will wind down soon, but the dance floor is still packed, and I've overheard plans to join Harper and Simon at the hotel bar for a party that could last another couple of hours. I'll pass on the extra drinks. Eventually, I'll need to get some sleep. For now, I lean against a wall and scan the room for Jamie, because I haven't seen him since he escorted his parents toward the lobby, and I want to make sure he's okay.
I don't have to wait much longer to find out.
"You're still here," he says, leaning next to me and into me all at once, his jacket gone too, and his bowtie hanging loose beneath the collar of his shirt.
"Hasn't that always been true?"
"I hope it never stops."
I take a deep breath and continue to watch the crowd on thedance floor. "You looked so fucking pretty tonight. Walking down the aisle."
"Yeah? You want to marry me?"
"I want everything. I've always wanted everything."
"You can have it," he says. "I'm not—we can have this. Anything. Everything. Tonight."
"Because I called you pretty?"
"Because right now, tonight is all we get."
There's a familiar tension between us, but as I roll toward Jamie, it licks at me like a flame eager to warm long before it burns. "You still have to leave tomorrow."
"Taylor called a press conference for Monday morning. There's a big announcement coming, and he needs me there."
"We're going to have to talk."
"Agreed."