Worst Impressions

Bonus Chapter - Prom

Waiting had been an agony like none I'd ever known.

I'd lost count of the hours I'd spent fretting about what to say to Beth when I saw her again, how I might feel if she shot me down on the spot and told me it was all a misunderstanding, that she still hated me for the things that I'd said at Christmas. Her face haunted me, her laughter, the way her eyes ignited in joy whenever she smiled. Those days we'd spent together at the beach when she'd dropped her guard had been some of the happiest of my life.

I wanted more of that with her.

A lifetime of laughter, arguments, apologies, trust and honesty.

Fear had kept me away. Like her, I'd built walls around my heart to protect myself from the worst possible outcome. I'd told myself that I loved her and that I would risk anything to keep her safe, but not once had I truly risked my heart. I hadn't held it out to her, raw and vulnerable, and told her it was worth all the hurt that she might inflict if, in doing so, I might also receive the greatest happiness that I'd ever known.

This was my last and only chance to ask Beth Bennett if she might love me in return.

All I had was hope, and it was that hope that saw me standing at the doorway to the Netherfield prom.

I'd worn jeans and a white shirt rolled up to the elbows. Hardly appropriate attire for a formal event, but I was no longer enrolled at Netherfield and, knowing Beth, I thought that I'd find her in something similar.

How wrong I'd been.

Even out of her trademark comfortable clothes, I'd have known her anywhere. Beth stood out in every room she was in. She could stand in a crowd of a thousand strangers and my heart would still lead me right to her. That was how I knew that the elegant young lady in the white dress, the absolute vision of grace and beauty, was her. The fabric wrapped around her perfectly, hugging her close and draping like a waterfall from her hips, the skirt cascading over her legs and brushing her toes.

I wanted time to stand still so that I could admire her from afar, trapped in a moment, this woman who held so much power over my heart, my soul, my everything.

Jenny was with Charlie and my heart just about burst with pride and happiness for them both. I didn't know how I could ever have thought they weren't perfect for one another. I'd never believed in soul mates but something told me that they'd been put on this Earth at the same time so that they would find each other. There could be no one better matched in all the world.

Wyatt was in attendance and, thankfully, staying away from Beth. Her friend Georgia had approached him to dance and he seemed only too happy to oblige her. Beth's other friends were still with her, talking amongst themselves. Lisa was hesitant and who could blame her after all that she'd suffered? She looked to her friends for support and guidance. I was glad to see that she'd found it. Italy hadn't damaged their love for one another. Such an event could make or break friendships. I was convinced that it had served to strengthen the bonds between the girls.

No doubt, they would love each other always.

I caught Meg's eye and she said something to Beth. Realising then as they hurried away that this was my moment, I entered the room and approached the woman who'd occupied my every waking thought, my every dream, my everything almost since the day that we'd met.

Once I was within reach, I placed my hand gently on her bare shoulder. As I moved around her and stopped, I noticed that she'd closed her eyes. A blush tinted her cheeks. I asked, 'Can't bring yourself to look at me, Bennett? Are you that angry at me for staying away?'

'It's not that,' she said. 'I just... I imagined you coming back so many times. What if I open my eyes and you're not really there?'

So, it hadn't only been me.