“Do you wanna get something to drink?” I asked Sean.
“Yeah, I’ll go get them. What do you want?”
I told him my drink order and walked off. I looked around the dance floor. Everyone seemed to be having fun, and no one was staring. I just needed to calm down. Sean and I being at the reunion together wasn’t a big deal. I told myself it was time to have some fun.
Sean returned with our drinks and sat down next to me. I watched him as his eyes scanned the room.
“Do you wanna dance?”
“Oh! No, I was just looking,” he shook his head.
“It could be fun,” I teased. “Maybe we just need to get a couple more drinks in you.”
“Are you trying to get me drunk, Miss Whitaker?” Sean teased back.
“If it’ll mean you’ll dance with me, Mr. Falls, maybe.”
I noticed some of his hair got into his face. I reached out and brushed it aside. It took me a moment to realize how tender and intimate the action was. I quickly dropped my hand and looked out onto the dance floor. I stupidly glanced at where Tyler was and saw him glaring at me. It was actually a bit scary. I looked away, not wanting to think about him.
Needing to get out of this uncomfortable moment, I stood up and offered Sean my hand.
“Let’s go mingle.”
“I don’t know….”
I gave Sean a look. “Come on! Isn’t this why we’re here? To reunite with our old classmates?”
Sean seemed to be considering what I just said. He nodded. “I guess you’re right….”
“I know I’m right.” I held out my hand again, and this time, Sean took it.
“Just don’t expect too much.” I squeezed Sean’s hand as we approached some of our former classmates.
“Chloe! Sean! Did you two come together?” An old cheerleading buddy of mine, Alicia, greeted both of us.
“Uh, yeah. I bumped into him when his car broke down, and we thought it’d be fun to come together.”
“Ugh, how cute!” Alicia gushed. “You moved back, right?”
“Yeah, a few years ago. I run the local bakery. What about you?”
“Ended up moving with my husband when he got his residency. I work for the city. It’s out in Montana of all places. I thought I was going to lose my mind up there, but it’s been quite peaceful. I’ve grown to love it.”
“That’s great!” I noticed Sean wasn’t saying much of anything, so I decided to bring him into the conversation. “Sean lives in the city.”
“Oh! How do you like it?”
“Um,” Sean hesitated for a second before finding his footing. “It’s nice. I got my mom a house on Long Island, so she’s close by, and I work out there, so it’s all pretty convenient.”
“That’s so nice!”
He got his mom a house? That sounded expensive. Hearing that made me realize I didn’t really know what Sean did. He mentioned programming, but he didn’t say a job title or where he worked. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it did make me curious.
Our conversation with Alicia ended pretty soon after that. It wasn’t long before someone else was talking to us. In between people we danced and drank. As the night progressed, Sean came out of his shell. I was so happy that he was not only enjoying himself but enjoying himself with me.
“How are you holding up?” I asked him when we had a moment alone.
“I’m having fun. You?”
“Me too. Thanks for –” Before I could finish, someone else approached us.
“Sean!” It was Brad, another old classmate. “Dude, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I thought you’d be busy running Verge. I saw that article about you, and it looks like things are going really well.”
I turned to Sean with my mouth dropping open. I was shocked. Verge? That was a household name. They were behind so much new tech. Sean ran it?
“I was able to carve out some time,” Sean chuckled.
“So cool. You were always so smart. I wasn’t surprised when I found out you were the big man in charge. Super cool, dude.”
“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
My mind was racing; I barely heard the rest of their conversation. If Sean was the head of Verge, he had to be a billionaire. That was crazy.
Yet, it definitely sounded like something Sean could accomplish. He was always intelligent and ambitious, but what really got me was what he was doing with me? I wasn’t good enough for the likes of him. He could probably date anyone he wanted to – actresses, models, other billionaires. I was just a country bumpkin who ran a small bakery. We were not on the same level.
I was getting so anxious, I needed to step away.
“Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom.” I didn’t wait for a reply and just left the ballroom.
A few minutes later, I found the bathroom and locked myself inside. Thankfully, it was a single stall, so I could have some privacy. I looked into the mirror, and the first thing I noticed was how cheap my dress looked. When I had left my house, I was so happy with my outfit, excited to show Sean, but now I couldn’t help but compare it to red carpet looks. This was just some secondhand thing that I actually had to save a little money to buy.