THE VALENTINE PROPOSAL

Chapter12 ProvingGrounds4

LIORA

I went to my room and closed the door. Then I let myself cry. Quiet tears that I wiped away as fast as they fell.

I was so stupid. Of course he didn't feel the same way. This was business to him. A transaction. I was just the girl who proposed in a lobby and gave him a way out of his parents' matchmaking.

I hugged my pillow and tried to sleep. But all I could think about was the way he'd looked at me tonight. The way he'd laughed. The way he'd shared real parts of himself.

Maybe I'd imagined it. Maybe I'd seen what I wanted to see instead of what was really there.

Down the hall, Everett lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. He'd almost said it back. The words were right there. I'm falling for you too.

But Claire's face flashed in his mind. The check his parents wrote. The way she'd left without fighting for him.

Everyone had a price. Everyone left eventually.

But Liora wasn't Claire. She'd proven that today. She'd stood up to the board, to Ramsey, to everyone who said she didn't belong. She'd earned her place on her own merit.

She was brave and real. Everything he'd told himself didn't exist.

And he was terrified of her.

He got up and paced his room. He thought about knocking on her door and telling her the truth.

But what if she left? What if his parents got to her like they got to Claire? What if loving her meant losing her and he couldn't survive that again?

He sat at his desk and wrote instead.

You asked what we're doing. I don't have an answer. But I know I don't want you to leave. -E

He folded the note and slipped it under her door.

Morning came too fast. I woke up to sun streaming through my window. And a piece of paper on my floor.

I picked it up and read Everett's message. My heart raced.

He didn't want me to leave. It wasn't I love you. But it was something.

I grabbed a pen and wrote back.

Then don't push me away.

I slipped it under his door before I could overthink it.

Breakfast was awkward. We sat at the kitchen island drinking coffee and not talking or looking at each other. I was pretending to be scrolling on my phone.

Margaret walked in and broke the silence. "Mr. Montague, your mother called. The charity gala is next Friday. She expects both of you to attend."

"Of course," Everett said.

Margaret left. The silence came back.

"We should go shopping," Everett said finally. "For the gala. You'll need a dress."

"Okay."

That afternoon we went to boutiques I'd only seen in magazines. Places where you needed an appointment just to walk in. Everett knew all the owners. They brought out dresses in every color.

I tried on at least twenty. But they were either too tight or too loose or the wrong color or wrong style.

Then I put on an emerald green gown. It fit perfectly, making me look like someone who belonged in Everett's world.

I stepped out of the dressing room. Everett looked up from his phone. His breath caught. He just stared.

"That one," he said. His voice was rough. "Definitely that one."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." He couldn't stop looking at me. "You're beautiful."

My face got hot. "Thank you."

We bought the dress and drove home, still not talking about what was happening between us.

That night I checked i********:. Diella had posted. It was photos of her and Everett from college, laughing at some party. They stood with his parents and looked like the perfect couple.

Some bonds can't be broken. #memories #family #truefriends

The comments were brutal.

She's so much prettier than that other girl.

They look perfect together. What is Everett thinking?

Diella is clearly the right choice. Just look at them.

I closed the app and tried not to let it get to me but failed.

My email dinged. It was a message from Flynn.

The subject line said: Please Read This.

I almost deleted it. But curiosity won.

Liora,

I know you probably hate me. You should. I was terrible to you. Sage meant nothing. I was using her. I was using you too. I took credit for your work and cheated on you and I'm sorry.

But I need to warn you. You're in over your head with Montague. That world will destroy you. I've seen how they operate. His parents. Diella. All of them. They'll chew you up and spit you out.

Come back to reality. Come back to people who actually care about you.

Flynn

I showed Everett the email at dinner.

"Am I in over my head?" I asked.

He looked at me. "Do you want to leave?"

I should say yes. The smart answer was yes. Get out before I got hurt worse.

"No," I whispered. "I don't want to leave."

Something in his eyes changed. He stood up and walked around the table, stopping right in front of me.

"Liora..." My name sounded different when he said it.

"We shouldn't," I whispered.

"I know."

But neither of us moved away. We just stood there, so close I could feel his breath, see the small scar above his eyebrow and count his eyelashes.

Someone knocked on the door. We jumped apart.

Margaret walked in. "I'm sorry to interrupt. There's an emergency call. Ramsey Bellamy has made another move. The board needs to speak with you immediately."

Everett swore under his breath. "I'll take it in my office."

He left. I stood there alone in the dining room. My heart pounding and my hands shaking.

That night I found another note under my door.

Don't overthink about those emails and posts -E

I held it to my chest, closing my eyes in bliss. That's all I wanted to hear. It was the reassurance I needed. Then I wrote back.

Then don't push me away.

I slipped it under his door and went to bed.

In the morning I found his response on my floor.

I'm trying not to.

Three words. That was all. But they made my heart race.

It wasn't I love you. But it was something. It was progress.

It was terrifying and thrilling all at once.