"Upton . .. thank you."
He brought his forehead to mine and our noses touched. "Like I really want any of these gits to see my girl half naked. You are all mine."
His words sent a shiver of delight across my shoulders, down my back, and all the way into my toes.
"Yes, I am," I replied. I pulled the large T-shirt on, then shimmied out of my dress. "Now let's get in the tub."
94
MY PARTY
"Are you crazy? You can't go in the pool after the hot tub! The water will be freezing," Amberly complained, shivering in her pink underwear as we all made our way down the hill toward the pool a little while later. "You're supposed to do it the other way around."
"I like to live on the edge," Kiran said flatly. "Go dry off if you don't want to come."
"Actually, I think I'm going to take that advice. You lot go ahead," Upton said, pausing halfway down the hill near the dance floor. My heart skipped a beat as Tiffany and West veered around us and kept walking, their bare feet making wet prints on the wood floor. "I need to get back. Are you all right here?"
I smiled, lifting my soggy hair over my shoulder. "I'm good. How long before I join you?" I asked, stepping forward so that our knees brushed.
Upton checked his watch. "I told the guy to come round at eleven.
95
You don't mind the idea of celebrating the New Year alone together, do you?"
I thought of what Kiran said about how what you're wearing when the clock strikes twelve sets the tone for the whole year. Maybe if Upton and I were alone together, wearing nothing at all, it would be a good omen for our long-distance relationship. The very thought of it sent a shiver through me. He reached out to rub my arms with his palms.
"I'm okay," I said. "Just thinking about later. And no, I don't mind celebrating alone together."
Upton's smile warmed me from head to toe. He leaned in and gave me a long, lingering kiss. "I'll see you soon."
Then he squeezed my hand once and headed down the hill in the opposite direction, toward the dock. I laced my fingers together under my chin as I watched him go, unable to believe how lucky I was. That incredibly gorgeous, sought-after, intelligent, worldly guy wanted to be with me. Just me. Tonight of all nights. New Year's Eve. He was goingto leave his lifelong friends at this kick- ass party just to be with me. It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. Instead I turned around and traipsed down the sandy walkway to join my friends at the pool. The guys were hanging out at a couple of high-top tables, munching on finger foods while the girls were in the pool, hanging out on the steps.
"Reed, that boy is so in love with you they should write Hallmark cards about it," Kiran said as I joined them.
I eased my way into the cold water next to Noelle, unable to wipe the grin off my face.
96
"You so won the Upton game it's ridiculous," Tiffany added. Every year, the girls competed to see who Upton would hook up with first. It was a lovely little holiday tradition that I tried not to think about.
I tilted my head. "Well, not officially. Not yet. "
Noelle's eyebrows arched. "Not yet. Reed, you do realize that implies that you actually intend to seal the deal."
I bit my lip and dunked my head under the water. Even so I could hear them all squealing and laughing. Then Tiffany grabbed my arm and pulled me up.
"Wait, so you two are really going to do the deed?" she asked.
I nodded, finding myself unable to speak past the bubble of giddy emotion that had welled up in my throat.
"I knew it! I knew that was the special occasion Upton was planning," Noelle said, grinning in a self-satisfied way.
"When?" Kiran demanded, splashing me in the face. "When is this happening?"
I spit some water out of my mouth and blinked. "Okay, first, thanks for that," I said. "And tonight," I adde
d, looking down at my T-shirt, which was floating up in the water. "That's why he just left. He'sgoing back to his house to make sure everything's set."