HE LOVED ME LAST

Chapter 59

*Alice’s POV*

I didn’t know how I got on that stage.

One moment I was hiding behind a balloon arch, joking quietly with Noah about sneaking out early, and the next, my name was echoing through the hall:

*“Prom queen… Alice Harper*

The crowd erupted. People clapped. Some cheered.

I froze.

Noah nudged me. “Go! Go!”

“I—what?”

He gently pushed me forward with a grin. “You earned it.”

So I walked. Heart pounding. Palms sweating. I could barely feel my heels touching the floor.

And then I heard the next name.

*“Prom king… Lucas Stone!”*

Everything inside me went still.

I didn’t turn around.

I climbed the stairs, the lights blinding me, the crowd louder than ever. I felt like I was floating—or falling.

I stood on that stage, barely breathing.

Then I saw him step up beside me.

Lucas.

Tall. Calm. That usual unreadable expression on his face.

But what hurt the most… was that he didn’t look at me either.

They placed crowns on our heads. Flashes burst from cameras. People chanted. I stared out into the crowd and smiled—but it was empty. A practiced curve of my lips, nothing more.

I didn't even glance his way.

Because I couldn't.

Because if I did, I might break.

When the announcer asked us to wave, I raised my hand politely. He did the same.

We were a perfect picture of two people who should’ve meant something to each other—but didn’t anymore.

Not publicly, at least.

We stepped off the stage in silence.

Lucas didn’t say a word.

He didn’t try to catch my eye.

And maybe that’s what hit me hardest.

He’d stopped trying.

He'd accepted it.

He'd accepted *me letting go.*

I went straight to Noah. Smiled. Laughed too loud at his jokes. Pretended I was okay.

But deep down, something twisted.

I wanted to turn around.

I wanted to tell Lucas the truth.

But I didn’t.

And he didn’t either.

So we danced with other people, avoided each other’s gaze, and let the night pass like strangers wearing crowns.

And just like that… prom ended.

But the ache?

It didn’t.

The music swelled, upbeat and dreamy, but I couldn’t feel it. Not the rhythm. Not the energy. Just the silence between me and him.

As we stepped off the stage, students clapped our backs, took selfies, dragged us into the crowd.

But I noticed it—the way Lucas moved away. Slowly, quietly. Like he didn’t want to be seen near me.

And I didn’t stop him.

Noah came up beside me. “You okay?”

I nodded quickly. “Yeah. Just… a lot.”

He smiled. “You were great up there. Even looked like royalty.”

“Right,” I mumbled. “Sure felt like it.”

But what kind of queen avoids her king?

I scanned the room one last time. Lucas was at the far end now, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, his crown already shoved off to the side. He was looking at the floor.

And not once had he looked at me again.

No tension. No sparks. Just… nothing.

He’d accepted it.

I’d given him every reason to.

And still—

I wanted to go to him.

I wanted to whisper, *I never stopped noticing you.*

But I couldn’t.

Because I’d drawn the lines. I’d said the words. I’d told him to walk away.

Now he had.

So I danced with Noah. I smiled when I had to. I laughed when others did. But when the music slowed, and I stood in the soft glow of the last dance… I didn’t feel like a queen.

I felt like a girl who’d lost something she never admitted she wanted.