Page 96 of Falling Like Snow

“Jeez, your dress needs a car of its own,” Micah laughs, pushing the mounds of fabric to my side of the back seat.

Hannah runs her hands self-consciously over her gold dress with its deep plunging V neckline—Ellis’s first ever attempt at a split maxi dress. “I feel like I need more dress.”

I lean over to where she’s sitting on the other side of Micah and nod at the design’s high side split. “Girl, you look hot. I’m going to need you to show off those legs to everyone tonight.”

“Seriously. I’m wildly jealous of all the dresses Ellis made,” Daphne says from the front seat. “I’m going to have to ask her to make me one for prom.” She turns to Asher. “If we go together, I’ll even let you pick the color.”

A pang in my chest takes my breath. In Bramble Falls, both juniors and seniors attend prom, but up until now, I hadn’t considered that Asher might go to our first prom with her instead of me.

I should be okay with that. I need to be okay with that.

Of course he was going to meet someone someday.

I clear my throat. “I’m sure she’d love to make you a dress,” I tell Daphne.

Asher catches my eye in the rearview mirror for half a second before I look out my window, afraid he’ll read my thoughts. Micah takes my hand in his and runs his thumb softly over my knuckle.

A minute later we park downtown and head into town hall, where rolls of shimmery artificial snow completely cover the ballroom walls. Glittery plastic snowflakes hang from the ceiling, and fuzzy fake snowballs are scattered across the floor, just asking to be thrown—or tripped over. Christmas lights glint off every shiny surface. It’s truly a sparkly winter wonderland filled with people of all ages wearing gowns and tuxedos.

Then the DJ, dressed like Buddy the Elf, starts the music, and our group of twelve all head to the center of the room, joining some kids from school. Jake is tearing up the dance floor, and Ellis laughs and applauds him while Fern watches him with an expression resembling a battle between attraction and caution.

“You good?” I shout to her over the music.

She startles. “What? Yeah, I’m great.” She turns to me and grins. “I seriously love this town. I totally get why Ellis decided to stay here the rest of her senior year.”

“When do you have to leave?” I ask.

“Told my parents I’d be home for Christmas, so I suppose I have to take off in the morning. I’ll be back for a few hours on Saturday to film the Falling Snow Festival, though.”

“Oh dang. Mrs. Yoshida is making Christmas dinner tomorrow, and she is the best cook.”

“I’m jealous,” she says. “I’ll probably be eating takeout from the Italian restaurant down the street from my parents’ apartment—just like every year.”

“I can drop off a plate to Jake for you. You know he’ll make the drive to the city if you ask.”

Fern lets out a little laugh. “It’s way too far for a food delivery.”

“This is Jake we’re talking about,” I say. “For what it’s worth, he’d do it for anyone, so it’s not entirely an infatuation thing. But… he does seem pretty into you.”

“Yeah, well, I’d rather not complicate things in Bramble Falls.” Fern glances over my shoulder, then back to me. “Your guy is waiting for you. Go dance.”

“You too,” I tell her. “Have fun.”

Fern gives my arm a squeeze and joins Ellis on the dance floor just as Micah comes up behind me and puts his hands around my waist.

“Everything okay?” he asks, his mouth close to my ear.

I turn to face him, and his hands slide to my back as I wrap my arms around his neck.

“Yep.”

He grins down at me. “Then let’s dance.”

For the next hour, my sweaty body moves as one with Micah’s. His hands roam over my ribs and hold on to my hips. Asher and Daphne are now across the room, where they’re dancing with Parker, Chloe, and Preeti. I do my best to ignore them.

To ignore her lovesick gazing. Her hands in his soft hair. The smiles they exchange.

Ugh, how did this happen? How do you grow up with someone and have no romantic feelings for them and then just one day, Bam!, there they are, puncturing you in the heart and stealing the breath from your lungs?