Counting Down with You(117)

When he’s finished, I pin the lavender-themed boutonnière to the lapels of his suit jacket, next to his pocket square.

“Perfect,” he says as Cora knocks furiously on his door again. He sighs. “She’s definitely gonna kill us.”

“At least we’ll die together?”

Ace shakes his head but holds out his arm to me. There’s a crooked grin on his face that makes my knees weak. “Shall we?”

I place my hand on his elbow. “Onward.”

“And you say I’m strange,” he says, pressing a kiss to my set curls before walking us to the door.

“There you two losers are,” Nandini says in exasperation. She’s sitting with her date, Timothy Chen, on a chaise in the hallway.

Cora is pacing while her own date, Holly Harrison, watches fondly. Cora stops when she sees us. “Finally. Come on, let’s take our junior prom pictures! NCK first. Come here, Karina.”

I reluctantly let go of Ace and make my way to my best friends. “Ridiculous,” Cora mutters to Nandini. “She gets a boyfriend and becomes too uppity to take pictures with us.”

“Hey,” I say but Nandini is laughing as she wraps an arm around my shoulder.

“Leave her alone,” Nandini says, nudging Cora with her other arm.

Cora grumbles but there’s an unmistakable grin on her face. “I guess I can forgive you, but only if you let me take at least ten pictures.”

I sigh and nod. It’s all for show, because I’m beyond elated and grateful to be here with them. I wouldn’t trade this for the world. “If that’s the price I have to pay.”

She laughs and leans over to hug me. “I told you we’d all go to junior prom together.”

It feels like she said that a lifetime ago. Before I met Ace, before I told my parents the truth, before I made my future happen for myself. It was so long ago, and yet barely any time ago at all.

“You did,” I say, leaning my head against her shoulder. God, I’m so happy. “It’s no surprise you’re always right.”

Nandini snorts. “I don’t know about always.”

Cora flips her off before pulling away. “Come on! Pictures!”

I get looped into a half an hour of taking photographs on Ace’s lawn while Mia and her mother coo from the front porch. Ace FaceTimes his own mother for a few minutes amidst the chaos and I try not to blush too much when he shows me off, waving grandly in my direction.

“You’re too much,” I whisper, nudging him lightly.

Ace offers me an impish grin. “It’s not my fault you look like the sun brought to life.”

His mother’s warm laughter rings in the background.

After Ace hangs up, his father stops by to clap him on the shoulder and whisper something in his ear that I can’t hear. Even Xander comes by to adjust Ace’s tie, which is unnecessary since I spent a ridiculous amount of time perfecting it, but he’s trying, and it makes Ace smile, so I don’t say anything.

There’s even a moment where Xander says something to Cora and a wisp of a smile appears on her face before she abruptly stomps on his foot and walks away with her date.

Nandini meets my eyes over Ace’s shoulder and shakes her head as Cora mutters insults under her breath.

I laugh in response.

At one point, I slip my phone into the mix and manage to get a picture of Ace and me in our complementary outfits, which I text to Dadu with a heart emoji.

Daduuuu    :
Mashallah u look beautiful
Daduuuu    :
Love u
Daduuuu    :
So proud
I smile at the texts and put my phone away.

Despite all the hardships, things worked out for the better. I have a long path ahead of me, but each step I take brings me closer to my goals. For now, this is enough. I’m happy and my future is my own.

By the time we get to the venue, my nerves are hitting again. I lead Ace to the double doors marking the entrance and falter. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. I take a deep breath, and Ace squeezes my wrist lightly, a reminder that he’s here.

He’s always here.

“Ready?” he asks.

Ready for this? Ready for us? Ready for the future?

I exhale and straighten my shoulders. “Ready.”

Ten: Thunder shakes the world around us. I tremble, you glow. All I see is you.

Nine: I am not a princess. My hair grazes my waist. You scale an ivory tower.

Eight: Constellations tear through the sky. I am never lost. You are my true north.

Seven: The earth is cruel. It takes relentlessly. When I am unsteady, you ground me.

Six: Not every lock has a key. I am shackled. You learn to break chains.

Five: Bridges are meant to burn. You strike the match. I am a spark, a blaze, an inferno.

Four: My wings are crippled. Your touch is featherlight. I remember how to fly.

Three: I am buried in the dark. A lone candle flickers. Iridescent stars live in your eyes.

Two: My mind is elastic. It snaps. You mend the edges.

One: You love me. That will always be enough.

—counting down with you, k.m.a.



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

*Taps mic* Testing, testing... Not to be crass, but to be a little crass: holy shit, bro. I never thought I’d be sitting here writing the acknowledgments for a real book. I always hoped, but it never seemed possible. Isn’t it wild when dreams come true?