A Shot with Prince Charming: A YA Romance Prequel Novella Read online

"In fact..." He licked his lips. "I like you like that."

  I stared at his ridiculously handsome profile for way too long. It was official. I'd finally lost my mind. And in a bouncy castle, of all places.

  He ran his hands through his dirty-blond hair, and now I knew he looked even more absurdly hot when it was tousled. He blew out a long breath. "Okay, I'm gonna need you to tell me what you're thinking because this silence is killing me."

  “You...you...you…” I stopped talking because it was clear the word ‘you’ was all I was capable of saying.

  He turned to face me, and the mix of amusement and fear was freakin’ insane. I mean, I’d never seen this guy so much as break a sweat over anything. But the way he was looking at me, like whatever I said next was crucial to his survival…?

  He arched a brow. “Did I just break your brain?”

  I nodded. “I didn’t think. I mean, I didn’t know…”

  “Clearly,” he said, and not without some sarcasm. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard him sound bitter before.

  It was kinda hot.

  He huffed as he faced straight ahead. “You thought I was dating Emily.”

  He sounded so offended, it was almost laughable. “Sorry.”

  “Emily?” He turned back to me with a look of anguish. “All this time you really thought I was dating her?”

  “Um…” Obviously I had. Hadn’t we been over this ad nauseum?

  “I thought…” I gestured helplessly. I didn’t want to talk about Emily. I wanted to talk about what he’d just said about me. But I was also terrified to go there because a very large part of me was convinced that I’d heard him wrong. “I thought...I mean, everybody thought…”

  “Nope,” he said quickly. “There you’re wrong. Everybody knows how I feel about you.” He groaned and rubbed a hand over his eyes as I stared at him, eyes wide with shock. “Everybody but you, apparently.”

  “Oh.” That was it. That was all I could come up with.

  “Yeah,” he said with a wry laugh. “Oh.”

  My brain was torn in half. One part of me was trying to come up with reasons for why I might be hallucinating right now. Or, at the very least, how this could potentially be some sort of dramatically large and well planned out practical joke at my expense.

  The other part of my brain was busy justifying my belief that he’d been dating Emily. I could remember every photo and post she’d tagged him in with alarming accuracy. I wasn’t a stalker when it came to Jackson, but it was rapidly becoming clear that I’d been paying a lot of attention.

  Like...a lot.

  But I couldn’t very well turn to him now and quote one of Emily’s posts by heart now could I? That would just be creepy.

  “I would give just about anything to know what you’re thinking right now.”

  I turned to see him watching me closely, his normally laid-back smile tight with tension. “Oh. Um...Oh.”

  His brows hitched up slightly, and I blushed. “Okay, well, I guess that’s my answer, huh?” He gave a rueful, sad little laugh that made my insides twist because rueful and sad sounded so wrong coming from him.

  He shifted as if he might try to wobble-crawl his way out of this bouncy house, and I panicked. “Wait!” My hand on his knee had us both freezing. “Don’t go yet. Please.”

  After a heartbeat of watching me, he eased back to sitting, and we both bounced a bit.

  “You just surprised me, that’s all,” I said.

  And that was the understatement of the century.

  “So this look going on here…” He waved a hand toward my face ala Vanna White. “Is this horror that I’m seeing right now? Because it kinda looks like horror.”

  I met his gaze evenly as I took stock of my facial muscles, which had apparently frozen into some sort of grimace, and I wasn’t sure at what point that had happened. “To be honest, I am completely unaware of what this is doing.” I repeated his Vanna White gesture, and one corner of his mouth hitched up. Amusement flickered in his eyes.

  Better. That was much better.

  I let out a long exhale and tried my best to relax. “In my defense, you two looked awfully cozy in those photos.”

  His smile grew. I knew then and there that I would do anything in my power to keep that smile happening. Even if it meant outing myself as a secret stalker. But hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. “You guys looked awfully cozy at that graduation party,” I added feebly.

  His smile was back. I was victorious.

  “A party you weren’t at, I noticed.”

  I shrugged.

  “If you’d been there, you’d know Emily was cozy with a lot of guys that night. In fact, she spent the better part of the evening making out with Kyle Lonnegan.”

  I blinked. “Oh.”

  He laughed. “You say that a lot.”

  I clamped my mouth shut to keep from saying ‘oh’ again. Work, brain, work! “I thought I knew…” I cleared my throat. “That is...I was so sure…”

  He shifted, and I bobbed right into his chest. He reached his hands out to steady me, and now his hands were on my arms and I was hot and flustered and...oh holy crap. This was really happening.

  “I’m curious. What else do you think you know about me?” he asked.

  “Um.” My brain was goo. A useless pile of warm, mushy goo. “You’re going to NYU.”

  He nodded. “True. I leave next week.” He leaned down a bit to catch my eye and force eye contact. “And you’re going to Columbia for photojournalism, which is where your dad went, and you’re going to live with family in Jersey for the first year to save money on housing.”

  I blinked in surprise. I mean, he’d mentioned Columbia and my major before, but that was something everyone knew. The rest was hardly a major topic of conversation. “You know all that?”

  “I’ve been paying attention.”

  My lips parted. “For how long?”

  “Since the first time I met you.”

  “Oh.” It came out on one long breath.

  “Yeah.” He laughed softly. “Oh.”

  His hands were still on my arms, and I had no desire to pull away. He didn’t seem to want space either. This bright yellow bouncy castle was suddenly the warmest, coziest, most wonderful castle in all the world.

  He leaned in slowly, so slowly I could feel every shift and wobble in the plastic beneath us. So slowly I was distinctly aware of the painful thud in my chest, in the way it echoed in my ears, in the way my breath was coming in weird gasps like I couldn’t get enough.

  He was so close I could feel his warm breath on my lips and then—

  “There you are!” Callie’s head burst through the velcro of the bouncy castle’s ‘door’, and her eyes widened at the sight of us sitting so close together. “Um...hey, guys.” Her cheeks flushed pink, and she bit her lip with a little giggle. “Sorry to interrupt.”

  Jackson sighed. I ducked my head to hide my flaming cheeks.

  “Did you need something, Callie?” Jackson’s voice was filled with warning.

  “Your mom was looking for you guys. They want a photoshoot with you and the birthday girl.”

  “Okay, we’ll be there soon.” Jackson sounded impatient, and that made my anxiety ratchet up about ten notches. He’d almost kissed me. My head could not process this information. I could almost hear the sizzle and popping sounds as the rational part of my brain shorted out.

  “Oh, and since this is the last gig of the summer, Willow’s having everyone over at her place afterward.”

  He nodded. “Okay, thanks.”

  Callie hesitated.

  “Bye, Callie.” Jackson’s voice held amusement and impatience.

  This was officially the most awkward moment of my life, which was really saying something. My stomach was twisting and churning with nerves and excitement and terror and happiness and—

  Gah! I really hoped I wouldn’t hurl.

  “Also, you should know that the moms are wrangling the kids and sending them this w
ay. So…” Her cute pixie features brightened with mischief. “Unless you want to scar those kids and give them an early lesson in the birds and the bees, I’d suggest you take this elsewhere.” Callie flashed Jackson an apologetic wince that nearly knocked me sideways. Was I seriously the only person who didn’t know that Jackson Messner liked me? Why didn’t anyone tell me?

  I turned to him. “Wait, Callie knew too?”

  He arched his brows. “Everybody knew.”

  Everybody knew. He’d said it before, but seeing Callie’s understanding of the situation and remembering Savannah’s knowing smirk… I squinted a bit as I thought that over. “Am I totally blind?”

  He laughed, and the sound filled the castle and my chest. “I wouldn’t say blind.” He shot me a teasing sidelong look. “But I think maybe you have a major blindspot.”

  I nodded. I was starting to think that too. In fact, a big part of me was wondering just how much of what I’d thought I’d known about Jackson and all my other classmates had to be reevaluated.

  He turned to face me fully. “Go to the party with me.” He paused. “Give me a chance.”

  A chance to do what? I didn’t ask. I thought I knew. I nodded quickly before I could wuss out. “Yeah. Okay.”

  Six

  Jackson

  Willow’s parents were almost never home, so her house was the go-to place to hang when the troupe wanted to have a party. And by ‘party’ I meant a low-key hang because Willow was pretty strict with her rules.

  No uninvited guests. No alcohol. No loud music.

  These were her rules, not her absentee parents’, but we all knew better than to push her on this. Willow was a sweetheart, but she was as straightlaced as they came. Even now, she was dressed in a button-down cardigan, her long blonde hair pulled up in a bun. She’d swapped out her contacts for glasses, and she looked like a school librarian as she handed me a club soda from the fridge. “Relax, Jackson, she’ll be here.”

  I nodded, but I wasn’t nearly as sure. We hadn’t had a chance to talk privately for the rest of the party. We’d been too busy posing for photos and then cleaning up and stowing away the costumes for the next party.

  She’d left before me and without a goodbye. She’d said she’d come, though. I had to believe she would.

  Flynn walked in through the back door. “How’s our Prince Charming holding up?” he asked the room at large.

  Savannah laughed. “He’s freaking out.”

  Flynn patted my shoulder as he walked past me into Willow’s living room. “She’ll show, man. Just give her time.”

  I nodded, but none of their reassurances made much difference to this tension I couldn’t shake. Two years I’d been waiting for this moment. Our first date...sort of. Not that a group hang was much of a start, but it was something.

  Two. Years. It felt like a lifetime, and I was still kicking myself for not saying something sooner. In my defense, I’d been convinced she wasn’t into me. She’d been so aloof, so hard to read. Every time I’d tried to talk to her, she’d get this weird, wary look on her face like she’d rather be doing anything else. Sometimes, I was convinced she was hiding from me.

  But now I had to wonder. She didn’t seem opposed to me liking her. That was something. And if all this time she’d thought I was spoken for, then maybe she hadn’t been aloof, just ignorant.

  I hadn’t exactly come on strong over the years. This I knew. I’d never wanted to be one of those cocky alpha dudes who made girls uncomfortable with their flirting. I especially hadn’t wanted to scare Ruby off. But had I been too subtle?

  I fidgeted with the can in my hands. She’d thought I was dating Emily, so yes. The answer was obviously yes. I’d been way too subtle.

  I had a flash of that near-kiss, the kiss that Callie had apologized profusely for interrupting. Ruby hadn’t seemed like she was going to push me away.

  I mean, sure. She’d totally freaked at the idea of a public kiss when she was dressed up like a cartoon character, but that was different. Right?

  “Jackson, you need to chill.” Savannah stood in front of me with crossed arms. Her expression was no-nonsense. “Ruby would be crazy not to like you.”

  “I shouldn’t have waited so long,” I said.

  “No duh.” Only Savannah could say ‘no duh’ and not sound like an idiot. “But better late than never, right?”

  “She thought I was dating Emily.”

  Savannah wrinkled her nose. “Why would she think that?” It was no secret she wasn’t a fan. But then, they were sort of rivals, in a way. Savannah was one year younger, but we all hung out in the same crowd—a small town kind of made that mandatory—and they were both gorgeous and popular. But while Emily hit on any guy who moved, Savannah was way pickier.

  And by picky, I meant, she’d yet to find anyone good enough. Her words, not mine.

  “Everybody knows you and Emily were over before you even started,” she added.

  “Yeah, well, I guess Ruby didn’t get that memo.”

  Understanding dawned as Savannah nodded. “That’s because she never goes to the parties or, you know...interacts.”

  We shared a look that said it all. Ruby had been on the outside looking in ever since she moved to town. Not that anyone had ever outright excluded her. She just seemed to prefer it like that. Kind of like Flynn. But if you didn’t know any better, if you only saw our classmates through the lens of posts and pictures…

  Well, the truth was far less pretty and nowhere near as interesting.

  Savannah patted me on the shoulder. Between her and everyone else with their words of encouragement, I was starting to feel like the world’s biggest idiot.

  I shook my head in disgust. “Seriously. Why did I wait so long to tell her how I feel?” It was a question for myself, but Savannah still took it upon herself to answer.

  “Because, Jackson, no one likes to be rejected.”

  Alarm shot through me, but she rolled her eyes. “Not that she’s going to reject you. She won’t.”

  I opened my mouth to ask how she was so sure, but Willow interrupted.

  “She’s here!” She turned back from where she’d been standing by the window and stared at me with wide eyes.

  My whole body felt electrified. She was here. And Willow’s panic on my behalf was not helping matters.

  Flynn came to stand beside me. “Told you she’d come.”

  Callie was doing a weird little dance in place, celebrating just because Ruby had shown up.

  It was a start. But I still wasn’t sure if she felt the same or if she was just here to be polite, or to let me down easy, or—

  “Don’t be weird, you guys,” Savannah said. “You’ll freak her out.”

  Callie stopped her dancing just as Willow turned to open the door and let Ruby in.

  “Hey guys,” Ruby said with that sweet little smile that never failed to make my heart race.

  Everyone was silent, so weirdly silent as they stared at her. I froze in horror as I witnessed the most awkward moment in history unfold before my eyes.

  Ruby shifted, her cheeks turning pink as we all just stood there staring at her like she was some oddity on display at a museum.

  Flynn broke the silence. “Way to play it cool, gang.”

  His low, dry comment broke the spell. Callie rushed a deer-in-headlights Ruby and tackled her with a hug. “I’m so glad you came!”

  Willow was right behind her, rattling off beverage options.

  It was Savannah who tore Callie off my date and steered her over to me by the shoulders. I wasn’t entirely sure it was a good sign that my date had to be frog-marched over to my side, but I was so freakin’ glad she’d come at all that I couldn’t bring myself to worry about it.

  “You two,” Savannah said when she and Ruby reached me. She nodded toward the back door leading to the deck. “Go talk. A conversation is way overdue.”

  Ruby winced, and I laughed, but neither of us argued the point. Ruby looked up at me, and I waved a
hand toward the door. “Shall we?”

  Her lips twitched. “We shall.”

  Once outside, I said a silent prayer of thanks that Willow’s parents were never around and that Willow was a fan of hygge. Yes, Willow had taught us the Danish word for the cozy esthetic, and then she’d proceeded to give us a thorough lesson on the subject when Callie had foolishly asked questions.

  But right now, in the warm glow of the lights strung overhead, with flowers surrounding Ruby, and with the candles on the deck table giving off some soft, inviting scent…

  I was officially a fan of hygge.

  Ruby’s smile as she took it all in had me making a mental note to give Willow a crushing hug and thank her profusely for her weird obsessions next time we were alone. “It’s beautiful out here,” Ruby said.

  “You’re beautiful.” Was it the smoothest thing I’d ever said? No. But watching Ruby blush, her eyes widen…

  I only wished I’d told her this before. Every day. Every chance I’d had.

  She looked down at her feet, and I tried to think of something casual to say. Something to put her at ease. “I was starting to think maybe you weren’t gonna show.”

  “Yeah, I had some doubts about that myself,” she said. Her eyes were wide. Fear was there plain as day. Ah crap. Maybe she’d only come here to let me down in person. I took a deep breath, trying to squelch the crushing despair that was looming over me.

  “I’ve never been kissed before.” Ruby clamped her lips shut, her eyes wide as she waited for me to...what? Yell at her? That’s what her terrified expression said she expected.

  Shock rendered me silent for a second, but then I managed an, “Okay.”

  It might have come out as a question.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, my heart was struck by lightning. That was how it felt every time she looked right at me like this. “Ruby…” I let out a long exhale. “You have this way of looking at people, did you know that?”

  Her brows shot way up. “What?”

  I grinned. “It’s amazing. Maybe it’s the photographer in you, but when you look directly at someone, it’s like nothing else exists. Like you are giving them your undivided attention. Like...like you really see people.”