what you’re implying.’
‘That’s exactly what I’m implying,’ said Mr Chinn. He made a big show of looking at his watch. ‘Five minutes. That should be plenty of time to
Ryan reached for my hand and we walked around the corner to the small memorial garden. The sun was now low in the violet sky. We sat on one of the two benches in the garden. The other was taken by a group of girls who were swigging from a shared bottle.
‘How long till sunset?’ I asked.
Ryan glanced at his phone. ‘Twenty minutes.’
He slipped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him. Even through his tux, I could feel the warmth of his body. I breathed in the smell of him and reminded myself to live in the moment. This moment right now which was beautiful and perfect.
‘Eden,’ Ryan said softly.
I turned to him.
His fingertips lightly traced the outline of my face. ‘You are so beautiful,’ he said.
I held his gaze, drinking in the sight of his gorgeous eyes, even as I felt my own face begin to redden. He’d said he wouldn’t kiss me because that would make it harder to leave, but I didn’t want it to be easy for him to leave. And I didn’t want to face a future of regretting not doing the one thing I wanted more than everything else in the world. A mixture of desire and desperation rushing through my veins, I leant in and gently pressed my lips to his. At first he just received the kiss, his lips hard and unyielding. I pulled away, but before I had the chance to feel embarrassed or hurt or any of the other emotions beginning to emerge from deep within me, he slipped his arms around my neck, pulling me closer to him, and then he kissed me. His lips were warm and gentle and sweet. I ran one hand through his soft, brown hair and he kissed me harder, more urgently, as though we had a couple of minutes to cram in a lifetime’s worth of kisses.
When we came up for air, we just gazed at each other.
‘I don’t want this day to end,’ I said.
Ryan pulled me against him tightly. ‘If I had the power to stop time, I would stop it now and spend the rest of eternity with you here.’
‘That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,’ I said with a nervous laugh.
And then he kissed me again.
I shivered. Despite being a clear evening, the wind was cold. Ryan put his arm around me and we walked slowly back to the hall.
Mr Chinn checked his watch as we approached the entrance. ‘Just in time,’ he said. ‘I was about to send out a search party.’
‘We’re quite revitalised, thank you, sir,’ said Ryan.
I checked my watch: nine fifteen. ‘Seven minutes till sunset,’ I said.
‘The sky is still quite light. Twilight lasts for about sixty minutes at this latitude. I don’t think we have to worry too much for the next hour at least.’
Connor and Megan were slow dancing. Megan caught my eye and waved.
‘Connor’s dancing,’ I said.
‘Is that dancing? It looks to me like Megan is trying to keep him upright.’
‘This is a breakthrough for Connor. I have never seen him dance, ever.’
‘Shall we?’ asked Ryan.
I let him lead me out to the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I slid mine around his neck and we danced. For a few minutes I just closed my eyes and moved to the music, enjoying the feel of Ryan’s body pushed up against me, remembering the feel of his lips on mine.
‘Connor’s headed our way,’ Ryan whispered into my ear. ‘Remember your promise. No falling out.’
‘What if he tries to grope me?’
‘Just smile sweetly and tell him to keep his hands to himself. Anyway, from the way he’s been gazing at Megan all evening, I don’t think you’re the person he’d like to grope.’
‘Dance with me, Eden?’ Connor asked.
I laughed. ‘Now I know you’re an impostor. There’s no way the real Connor would dance with one girl, let alone two.’
‘You don’t want to miss this opportunity. This may never happen again. Tonight the stars are aligned just so and I have enough vodka in my blood and enough sentimentality in my heart, to break with tradition and . . .’
‘Fine, yes,’ I said. ‘Just stop talking.’
I didn’t know what to do with my hands. His waist seemed too intimate, his neck too romantic. In the end I settled for his shoulders while he rested his hands on my waist.
‘Are you having a good time?’ he yelled in my ear.
‘Great!’ I yelled back.
‘Where did you and Ryan disappear to?’
‘We just went to catch some fresh air.’
‘Is that what it’s called these days?’
I felt myself stiffen. Surely he wasn’t going to make an issue out of me and Ryan disappearing for five minutes.
‘So where did you stash your liquid refreshments?’ he asked. ‘Are you holding out on us?’
‘I don’t have any.’
‘You mean you really were just getting some air?’
‘Honestly. It was getting hot in here.’
I spotted Megan and Ryan dancing across the other side of the room.
‘Amy still has a full bottle under her dress if you want some,’ he said.
‘Maybe later,’ I said.
I didn’t want anything to drink. I didn’t want anything to interfere with my ability to remember this evening in every little detail.
‘I’ve been meaning to say thank you,’ said Connor. ‘For turning me down when I asked you to the ball.’
I wasn’t sure how to respond. Every time Connor spoke to me, I worried that it would turn into an argument.
‘Why is that?’
‘I never would have asked Megan if you’d said yes.’
‘Are you going out together?’
‘Not officially. But she’s my date tonight.’
‘Are you going to ask her out again?’
‘I want to. Do you think she likes me?’
‘I know she does.’
When the song ended, I danced with Matt and then I was back with Ryan again. The band finished and the DJ started and we all carried on dancing. It must have been ten thirty when we stopped to get drinks.
‘This is turning out easier than expected,’ Ryan whispered in my ear as we queued up for fruit punch. ‘Let’s see if we can keep him dancing until eleven.’
I took a plastic cup of the red punch and gulped it down.
Ryan took his mobile out of his jacket pocket and tapped in a number.
‘If you’d like a little punch to your punch, follow us,’ Matt murmured with a sly wink.
‘I’m just going to step outside to phone Cass and tell her to leave my car by the harbour beach,’ Ryan whispered in my ear. ‘There’s no reception in here. Stay with him. In fact, encourage him to drink. Then he won’t be able to focus.’
Connor, Megan and I followed Matt and Amy down the corridor and behind a bank of lockers by the dance studio. The high slit in Amy’s dress was a practical as well as stylish choice: she opened the slit to reveal the garter and bottle of vodka. Hurriedly, she unscrewed the cap and poured a large splash in everyone’s cups, except mine.
‘Still recovering from Thursday?’ asked Matt.
