That’s when I pulled Elisha into me, my hands holding her face, her skin soft beneath my finger tips, her smile transfixing me, a girl who made me quiver yet be strong, who’d opened my eyes and my heart and helped me to heal, to rise.
“You’re amazing,” I said, and it may have been the heat of the moment, the craziness of the evening, or the insanity of the situation, but the words slipped out with heartfelt truth. “I love you, Elisha,” I whispered.
Her eyes misted over in an instant, her hands gliding across my back. “You’re even more amazing,” she said, her lips closing in on mine. “And I love you too.”
The kiss coincided with the first drum beat of T&J’s next song, a slow rhythmic kiss, reaching a crescendo as the intro burst into the opening lyrics,“Just you and me...”
And right then and there it was just the two of us, together in a moment of magic...until we weren’t.
My shoulder jolted with a forceful grasp, Elisha and I pulled apart, only to see Mom standing there with a smirk on her face.
Mr. Frank boomed in a chaperone voice, “Distance please!” And he hooked his arm through Mom’s and winked at us as the two of them marched away.
T&J played for fifty minutes, ending their set with a Happy Birthday song to Beth before being whisked away in a helicopter. After eating from the lavish buffet and more dancing to a local band called The Bad, the kids were taken back to Main Street in the coaches. Maybe they went to Addison’s party, but we didn’t really care.
A bunch of small clear domed tents were dotted on the hillside, set up with pillows and blankets and platters and drinks, perfect for looking up at the night sky.
Beth’s excitement couldn’t be contained. “This is amazing!” She stared up in absolute wonder.
“Thank goodness it’s a clear night,” Elisha said.
“It’s so perfect,” Beth said, taking Elisha in a hug. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re welcome,” Elisha said.
I nudged her and teased, “So, did your father order that full moon up there?”
She laughed and poked me back, “Maybe.”
And with no sign of my Mom or Mr. Frank anywhere, I took Elisha in my arms and stole a kiss under the stars and the light of the moon.
******
THE END
