A Thousand Boy Kisses(94)

A crooked smile pulled on his mouth. “I told you I would,” he replied.

Rune took my hand and, as gently as he could, pushed my corsage onto my wrist. I ran my hand over the blossom leaves. I couldn’t help but smile.

Looking up into Rune’s blue eyes, I asked, “Is this real?”

Leaning forward, he kissed me and whispered, “You’re going to prom.”

A tear escaped my eye, blurring my vision. I watched Rune’s face drop, but I laughed and told him, “They’re good tears, baby. I’m just so happy.”

Rune swallowed and I reached out and touched his face. “You’ve made me so impossibly happy.”

I hoped he heard the deeper meaning of those words. Because I didn’t just mean tonight. It meant he had always made me the happiest girl on the planet. He had to know.

He had to have felt the truth of that fact.

Rune lifted my hand and kissed it. “You’ve made me so damn happy too.”

And I knew he’d understood.

The sound of my daddy’s voice unlocked our stare. “Right, kids, you’d better get going.” I caught the gruffness in my daddy’s tone. I knew he wanted us gone because it was all too much for him to handle.

Rune stood and moved around to the back of my chair. “You ready, baby?”

“Yes,” I replied confidently.

All of the weakness I had felt vanished in an instant. Because Rune had somehow made this wish come true for me.

I wasn’t going to waste a single second.

Rune pushed me to my mama’s car. He lifted me from the wheelchair and placed me on the front seat. I was smiling so big. In fact, I never stopped smiling during the entire drive.

When we pulled up at the school, I heard the music from inside drifting out into the night. I closed my eyes, savoring every image: the parade of limos arriving one after the other, the students dressed so smartly, all entering the school gym.

With so much care, as always, Rune lifted me out of the car and onto my chair, then moved before me and kissed me. He kissed me like he meant it. Like he knew that these kisses were as limited as I knew they were.

It made every touch and taste that much more special. We had kissed almost one thousand times, yet the final few that we were taking, they were the most special. When you know that something is finite, it makes it that much more meaningful.

When he pulled back, I cupped his handsome face and said, “Kiss nine hundred and ninety-four. At my senior prom. With my Rune … my heart almost burst.”

Rune took a deep breath and pressed a final kiss on my cheek. He began to push me toward the gym. The teachers that were chaperoning saw us arrive. Their reactions to me warmed my heart. They smiled, they embraced me—they made me feel loved.

The music blared from inside the hall. I was desperate to see how the room looked. Rune reached for the door, and as he wrenched it open, the school gym came into view … a view that was dressed in pastel whites and pinks. Beautifully decorated, perfectly themed with my favorite flower.

My hand moved to my mouth Lowering it, I whispered, “Cherry blossom-themed.”

I looked back at Rune. He shrugged. “What else?”

“Rune,” I whispered, as he pushed me into the hall. The kids dancing nearby stopped when I entered. For a minute I felt awkward when I was met with their stares.

This had been the first time most of them had seen me since… But the awkwardness was quickly forgotten when they began to come over, greeting me and wishing me well. After a while, clearly seeing I was overwhelmed, Rune pushed me to a table overlooking the dance floor.

I smiled when I saw all of our friends sitting at the table. Jorie and Ruby saw me first. They jumped to their feet and ran our way. Rune stepped back as my friends embraced me.

“Holy crap, Pops. You look so beautiful,” Jorie cried. I laughed, and gestured at her blue dress.

“So do you, sweetie.” Jorie smiled in return. Judson came up behind her, taking her hand. As I stared at their hands, I smiled again.

Jorie met my eyes and shrugged. “I think it was always going to happen eventually.” I was happy for her. I liked knowing that she was with someone she adored. She had been an amazing friend to me.

Judson and Deacon hugged me next, then Ruby. When all of our friends had greeted me, Rune pushed in to take his place at the table. Of course he took the seat beside me, immediately taking hold of my hand.

I saw him watching me, his eyes never leaving my face. Turning to him, I asked, “Are you okay, baby?”

Rune nodded, then leaned in to say, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you looking so beautiful. I can’t take my eyes off you.”

My head angled to the side as I drank in his look. “I like you in a tux,” I announced.

“It’s okay, I guess.” Rune reached up and fidgeted with the bow tie. “This was near impossible to put on.”

“But you managed,” I teased.

Rune looked away, then looked back. “My pappa helped me.”

“He did?” I asked quietly.

Rune gave a curt nod.

“And you let him?” I persisted, noticing that stubborn tilt of his chin. My heart raced as I waited for the answer. Rune didn’t know that my secret wish was that he would mend his relationship with his pappa.

He’d need him soon.

And his pappa loved him.