The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story Read online

  “I’m…I’m sorry.” Tears welled in her eyes, but no clarification came. “I’m so sorry, Alec.”

  “I’m done,” he said in a low, tortured voice. “Okay? I’m done. I can’t do this anymore, Ellie.”

  “Alec, don’t go.” Her voice trembled with the tears that threatened to well over. When he moved toward the window, a whimper escaped her. “Alec, please.”

  He hoisted a leg out the window. Then he turned to look at her over his shoulder. “I just can’t be around you right now. I’m sorry.” With that, he disappeared into the night.

  He was just reaching the base of the tree when her sobs reached his ears. It took everything in him not to climb back up, envelop her in his arms, and promise that things would be okay. He couldn’t do it anymore. He couldn’t be there for her in the way she wanted him to be. Right now, the best thing for them was a little bit of space.

  Chapter Twelve

  Alec leaned stonily against the wall while his classmates danced and celebrated around him. It was prom night, and everyone in the building seemed to be having a fabulous time but him. Matty was out on the dance floor with Shannon, twirling her about while she giggled with delight. And Kara…

  Kara was off in a dark corner wrapped in an embrace with Tom. The two had been that way almost instantly after the group had arrived. It turned out Tom had come to the dance solo with the intention of winning back Kara’s heart. It hadn’t taken much convincing.

  Though she had tried to stay and keep him company, Alec insisted that Kara go spend some quality time with her once-again boyfriend. He knew he wasn’t the best company right now anyway and didn’t want to ruin the night for her. If someone was capable of having the fairytale evening, they should take it. He was happy for her, but this left him alone with nothing to do but glower in the direction of Ellie and Jake’s table.

  He hadn’t spoken to Ellie in a week, a record for them. Since they’d been kids, they’d spent at least some part of every weekend together. This had been the first break in that tradition. His life had felt empty and wrong, but he knew this was needed. Any time he’d seen her in the hallways at school, he’d turned and trudged in the other direction. He’d ignored the many text messages she’d sent him. It was too painful to deal with.

  He’d spent the week, instead, patching up things with his father. He and Jerich had bonded in a way he’d once thought impossible. They’d cleaned up the house. They’d gone out to dinner with one another. The two had openly and jovially discussed hockey without there being any bitterness on Jerich’s end. Most importantly, Jerich hadn’t taken a single sip of alcohol the entire week. Alec didn’t think things could be any better at home…which made the sudden tension with Ellie all the more frustrating.

  The principal’s raised voice drew his attention away from his internal struggle and back to the activity around him. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to announce our prom king!”

  Alec glared as she slipped her hand in an envelope with dramatic flair. If she said Jake Phillips, he was going to break something. He swore he would.

  She shifted eagerly from foot to foot, a grin of anticipatory delight on her face as she read the name in front of her. “And the boy you chose to represent Noble High as this year’s king is…Jake Phillips!”

  Alec’s shoulders bunched with fury. Jake Phillips had been handed everything in life. He got the girl. He got to be prom king. Someone might as well throw a few scholarships his way as well.

  Loud cheering erupted throughout the banquet hall. Sappy music poured through the speakers as if Jake had just discovered the cure for cancer and world hunger combined. Students were suddenly surrounding his table, clapping Jake on the back in congratulations.

  “Jake,” the principal called out loudly, “get up here! Come accept your crown!”

  Jake climbed to his feet and waved a hand in acknowledgement of the honor bestowed upon him. He grinned at the crowd, seemingly loving every moment of the attention.

  Alec glared, hating the other boy with every fiber in his being. He wanted Phillips to trip and fall on his smug face on the way up to the stage.

  No such luck. Jake made it safely onto the platform where he graciously accepted his crown and scepter, which was passed down to each prom king. “Thank you,” he said into the microphone, rewarding the crowd with one of his phony smiles. “This honor means so much.”

  He gave the crowd a moment to get the cheers out of their system. As he paused, his eyes locked onto Ellie’s before he took a deep breath.

  Directing his attention back to his peers, he said, “But before I accept this honor, I have a confession to make.” As the ballroom became silent, everyone latching onto his words, he bared his soul to every last one of the student body and staff. “I’m gay.”

  Alec felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. He suddenly found it hard to breathe. Jake was…gay? How? It didn’t make any sense.

  As a shocked hum whispered through the crowd, Alec felt heat racing up the back of his neck. Jake was gay. His eyes moved to Ellie just in time to see her give Jake a thumbs up. There was a smile on her face as if this admission was not something new to her. Alec was trying to piece it together, but it didn’t make any sense to him. Why would she be happy about his confession?

  Through the chatter, Jake’s voice filled the room once again. “Alec, I’m sorry. It was my idea for her to lie to you.”

  Then the reality of the situation hit Alec. She’d been playing him. She’d been lying and toying with him since the beginning. Jake was gay, and he’d been in on whatever this sick game was. The two of them had made a fool of him, of his feelings for Ellie. Anger filled him, hot and intense. He’d just experienced the most confusing and painful few weeks of his life, and it had been done to him on purpose. By someone he’d trusted.

  Ellie turned to him and by the ashen look on her face, he knew she could see his rage. “Alec—”

  He didn’t allow her to explain. He didn’t want to hear any more lies. Spinning in the opposite direction, he stormed toward the doors that would lead outside.

  Applause for Jake’s confession filled the room, but Alec didn’t linger to congratulate him on his brave declaration. He marched out the banquet hall doors, brushing past Matt before his friend could stop him.

  Outside, rain poured down from the heavens as if the angels were just as outraged at the outcome of this night as he was. Without any real sense of where he was going or why, Alec rushed across the street to where their high school loomed intimidatingly in the distance.

  He pushed forward through the torrent of rain, feeling the angry droplets sting his cheeks as he went. They soaked into his tuxedo, causing the white undershirt to cling against his chest. The chill of it cooled his wrath, but it left him feeling empty inside. It left him feeling alone and desolate.

  As he reached the bleachers of the football field, he slumped into the first open seat and dropped his head into his hands. He’d never felt so betrayed in his life. Ellie was the one person he’d thought he could trust, and she’d trampled on his heart.

  “Alec.” Her whispered voice filled the air, fighting to be heard above the pounding of rain against metal bleachers. That one word sounded so anguished, so afraid.

  Unable to resist responding to that voice, he lifted his head so he could look into her troubled green eyes. “Why? Why would you lie to me like that? Why would you use me like that? I just don’t understand.”

  Her lips trembled as tears welled in her eyes. “Things just got out of hand.”

  “How? Explain to me how…” He shook his head, unable to finish his sentence.

  “I fell in love with you.” She rushed the words out, as if saying them quickly would make it any easier. Then she clamped her mouth shut, and her eyes became impossibly wide.

  Her hasty words sucked the air from his lungs. He stared at her in silence, afraid to believe what he’d just heard.

  With rain trailing down her face, she poured
out an entire admission. “When Jake confessed his secret to me, I was already…” She looked away, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “I was already in love with you. By the time I had my date with him, it didn’t matter. I couldn’t think of anything but you. Jake grasped that right away. He knew how I felt about you. He had the idea to…” She brought her eyes back to his and held them. “He wanted to keep his secret, and I wanted you to realize you had feelings for me, too. I never meant for you to get hurt. I was just too afraid…” She let out a soft sob, her tears mixing with the rain as they trickled down her cheeks. “I was afraid to lose you. I thought if I confessed how I felt and you didn’t reciprocate the feelings…” She trailed off, unable to finish.

  Alec felt the rest of his anger melt away. Like snow relenting under the persistence of a warm spring sun, all of it receded like a forgotten nightmare. She loved him. She’d always loved him. “You would never lose me,” he confessed in a quiet voice. “You’re my best friend. Sure, I was mad at you, but I would never stop caring about you. Ever.”

  She stared silently at him. Her tears had stilled, but there was still fear behind her eyes. He felt a sudden urge to relieve her of it. “Ellie…” He looked down at the ground for a moment to build his courage. Then he climbed to his feet, closed the small distance between them, and kissed her.

  While the rain poured down around them, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with the love he’d been wanting to for weeks. And he was luckier than he could have imagined, because she returned it full force.

  * * * *

  With Ellie’s hand in his, Alec raced through the still pouring rain. His shoes splashed in puddles, kicking up water all over both of them as they ran.

  “Alec, this is nuts!” Ellie’s laugh followed closely behind him as he pulled her back in the direction of the banquet hall. “We’re both soaking wet!”

  As they reached the overhang of the building, he finally spun to face her. “I don’t care.” Grabbing her face in his hands, he kissed her firmly. “I want to dance with you.”

  She smiled, her eyes lit with emotion. “I want to dance with you, too. No stepping on your toes this time.”

  He rolled his eyes with a grin. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Tugging her hand, he pulled her back into the room where the party was still in full swing. Their dripping presence was met with a few gasps of surprise from nearby students, but mostly people just gave them a wide berth.

  Alec dragged Ellie to the center of the dance floor and spun her to face him. With a dramatic flourish, he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her in against his chest.

  Giggling, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. “Despite the rain and the wet shoes, I don’t think this night could be any more perfect.”

  As he began to rock her slowly to the soft tune that dispensed through the speakers, Alec smiled. “No. I don’t think this night could be any more perfect.” He lifted his hands to brush her damp hair back from her face. “This is all I’ve wanted. This. Us. You.”

  Placing her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, Ellie stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips firmly to his. “I’ve wanted this, too. Ever since that horrible fake date.”

  “Well, then thank goodness for clueless friends and fake dates.” His eyes all for her, he lowered his mouth to hers for another warm, loving kiss. One kiss turned into two. Then two turned into three. It wasn’t until someone nudged his arm that Alec pulled back.

  “Huh?” He glanced over to find Matt and Shannon dancing next to them. Matt had a wide grin on his face, and he nodded his head in Ellie’s direction. “So does this mean you’re done being pissy all the time?”

  Ellie gave a bark of laughter and shot Alec a questioning look.

  In return, Alec gave Matt a pretend glare. “Just shut up, Matty.”

  “Just shut up, Matty,” his friend repeated mockingly. A grin broke out across his lips, and he held a fist out to Alec. “Congrats, man. I’m happy for you.”

  Alec rolled his eyes, but he was grinning in return as he bumped his fist against Matt’s. “Thanks.” He shoved playfully at Matt’s shoulder. “Now let me be so I can make out with my date.”

  Matt and Shannon meandered off, and Alec took the opportunity to kiss Ellie again. She smiled against his lips and tightened her arms around his neck. “I never want you to stop doing that.”

  He went to kiss her again when he caught Mrs. Butterman heading in their direction with a frown. Apparently their public display of affection was bordering on inappropriate. That or the water they were dripping all over the floor. “Let’s get out of here,” he said suddenly.

  Ellie pulled back to gape at him in surprise. “I thought you wanted to dance.”

  “I did. But I think I’d like to have you all to myself…that and avoid detention with Mrs. Butterman.”

  Ellie glanced in the direction of their teacher before taking his hand and pulling him hurriedly off the dance floor. “Let’s go! Hurry.”

  Taking the lead, Alec hustled them out of the building and into the parking lot where he’d parked his car. Reaching into his pocket for his keys, he frantically jammed the button to unlock the doors.

  He and Ellie both dove inside, laughing the entire time. Once the doors were shut and relocked, they turned to look at each other with exuberant smiles. Without needing to say another word, they moved closer and their lips found each other’s once more.

  Alec wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, while Ellie practically climbed into his lap, her lips frantic on his own. He kissed her with all the pent up emotion inside of him. The kiss went on and on, transitioning from one kiss into a dozen.

  The windows of the car began to fog, but he was alright with that. He had nowhere to go and nowhere he would rather be than with the girl next door.

  * * * *

  As Alec snuck through Ellie’s bedroom window, he couldn’t keep the zealous grin off his face. He was still in his wet tux, but he hadn’t been able to wait to see her again. Changing would have wasted too much valuable time. She’d actually told him to give her five minutes, but even that seemed excruciating. He wanted to see her as soon as possible.

  He was so quick that he beat her into her room. With a wicked grin, he plopped himself down on the top of her desk, his legs hanging off the edge as he waited for her.

  When she entered the room half a minute later, her brows rose in amusement. “What happened to five minutes?” she asked as she eased the door closed and turned the lock.

  “I couldn’t wait.” He extended one of his hands in her direction. “Come here.”

  She went to him willingly, coming to stand between his knees. As he wrapped his arms around her, she gave a little shiver from the remaining dampness in her gown.

  He tightened his grip and pulled her close. “I’ll keep you warm.” He pressed a kiss to her nose before brushing his lips against hers.

  “I know.”

  With a soft smile, he moved his hands to her cheeks. With gentle pressure from his thumbs under her chin, he tilted her head back. There was no resistance from her, so he lowered his mouth over hers, deepening the kiss.

  Her fingers dug into the fabric of his tux jacket as she clung to his waist, adding to the already overwhelming sensations. One would think they might have grown tired of kissing each other after the car, but Alec was far from tired of it. He honestly felt as if he could kiss her forever.

  When he finally pulled back, she gazed up at him with a breathless smile. Her eyes searched his face for a moment before she reached into the drawer of her desk and produced a small, square piece of foil. Silently, she pressed it into his hand.

  His gaze fell to the tiny package and he sucked in a breath. “Ellie…” He looked at her with wide eyes. “I wasn’t… That wasn’t why…”

  “I know,” she assured.

  “We can wait.” His voice was an unsure whisper as his fingers closed over the condom she’d placed in his hand. The tho
ught of sex hadn’t entered his mind. He’d just assumed they would steal a few kisses before curling up to sleep. Holding her in his arms would have been enough.

  “I’ve waited my entire life to be in love with you. I don’t want to wait any more.” With that, she placed a hand to the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

  All resistance melted away from him. Tugging her forward against his chest, he let his fingers slide along the back of her dress until he found the zipper. Then, ever so gently, he drew it downward.

  Epilogue

  For the last fifteen minutes, Alec had been watching Ellie sleep while trying to fathom how he’d ever gotten so lucky. He’d just spent the night with the girl of his dreams. They’d both experienced things together that neither would ever forget.

  As her eyelashes fluttered open, he offered her a greeting. “Good morning.”

  She slowly rolled onto her side to face him. “Good morning.”

  She looked more beautiful now than he’d ever remembered her looking. She was downright breathtaking. His arm snaked around her waist, and he scooted closer in the bed to press his lips to her nose. “How are you feeling?” he asked with concern. She had seemed perfectly content the night before, but this was all new territory for him.

  “Perfect.” Her smile grew as his lips found hers in a lingering kiss.

  “That was…awesome,” he confessed. Sitting up in bed, he stretched his arms out in front of himself with a tired groan. He could have stayed in bed with her all morning, but he knew her mother was probably expecting her downstairs for breakfast soon. The sooner he was out of her bedroom, the better. “Seeing as neither of us had any clue what we were doing, I’d say we did fairly well.”

  “Neither of us?” Ellie asked with astonishment.

  He rewarded her with a smile. “I’d never done that before either, El.”

  “I was your first?”

  “Yes.” And he’d never been so glad he’d waited. He hopped out of bed and tugged the pants of his tux back on. “You were the first.” Snatching his shirt up from the floor, he began shrugging into it. “Maybe I was waiting for you, too.”