Epilogue

Junior Prom wasthe best of nights and the worst. The best of it was that I got to go with Kenji, and I hadn't had to ask him, it was simply happening.

Because he was my boyfriend, and we were together.

The worst of it was wearing this suit, which I swore was trying to burst at the seams, having Mom popping her head around the corner of my door to check on me, Dad sending me an awkward text telling me to have fun, and both Soren and Felix sitting on my bed.

Yep, that was the worst bit, and not because of Soren, but because Felix was an idiot.

"Your muscles have muscles, future-NHL-Star-Shaun," he deadpanned, and Soren elbowed him.

"I've been lifting because I have the… whatever," I ended when Felix smirked and fell back on my bed. Why am I even telling them again? Leo had organized some guys from Penn State to watch me play, and he was convinced they would follow my playing with interest and offer me a hockey scholarship when the time was right. I told everyone, and for some reason, Felix got it into his head that he needed to call me future-NHL-Star-Shaun every time he spoke to me. Asshole.

Soren stood next to me and smoothed the arm of my suit. "It's fine."

I lifted my jacket. "But look how tight the pants are over my ass."

Felix snorted a laugh, but Soren shrugged. "Both my dads have that issue, comes with the hockey playing territory." Then, he offered Felix a hand to get up, and they snuck in a quick kiss.

"Photos here!" Mom made me pose at the bottom of the stairs—all I could think was that my pants were tight, the jacket gripped me like a glove, and the tie was going to kill me.

She was driving me to pick up Kenji, which meant more photos at Kenji's place, and Felix and Soren split to head out to the school gym where the Junior Prom was all set up with some James Bond theme. Hence the dark suits.

I'd been practicing my Scottish accent for my best Sean Connery, but it was shit. I decided I was more Austin Powers, than James Bond, but whatever, Kenji would still smile at me.

I needed his smiles like I needed to breathe.

Kenji's sobo opened the door, stepping back to let me and Mom in, then we all waited, and I wondered where Kenji was, until I spotted him coming down the stairs, distracted by his watch, which he couldn't get to strap up.

He hadn't meant to make a rom-com entrance, but wow.

He wore a suit like I did, but his was this unstructured flowing drape of shiny black, over a shimmery pink shirt that was more Lycra than plain old cotton. It glittered under the lights, and when he got to the bottom of the stairs and had his watch fixed, he met my gaze, and jeez… his eyes were smoky with liner, his lashes long, his lips shiny with gloss, and I was gone.

I mean. Gone.

"Wow," I said because words failed me.

He blushed.. "Is it too extra?"

I think my mouth fell open. Too extra? My entire body hummed with how gorgeous he was.

"It's perfect. You're perfect."

Only, he dipped his head, and I could see the hint of fear in his expression.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

He smiled up at me, then leaned there, all femme fatale. "You look so hot," he murmured, changing the subject.

But I wasn't going for being distracted, and everyone else in the hall, cameras out, talking, faded away. I took his arm and led him to the mirror and stood him in front of me. "Look at us," I said. "Together."

Kenji frowned, but his expression softened as I took his hand and placed our laced fingers over his heart.

"Perfect," he whispered.

I'd take that as a win because I was head over heels for Kenji Kelly, and he was my everything, and I would spend every hour thinking up ways to make him see how perfect we were. Starting tonight.