Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore Read Free Book Online Page A

born romantic.”
    â€œWell,” I say, giving him a pointed look, “at least Layla
has
a date for the prom . . .”
    He sighs. “You know, I don’t know who the hell came up with this whole prom proposal thing anyway. Whatever happened to simply asking, ‘Hey, wanna go to prom? Sure, sounds good.’ Seriously, why is it necessary to roll out the red carpet for a sure thing?”
    I stare at him. “So that’s what I am to you? A sure thing?”
    Tommy glances over at me. “That’s not what I meant.”
    â€œThat’s what you
said
.”
    â€œCome on, Mare, you know what I mean. We’ve been together long enough that prom should be a given, right?”
    â€œWell, that doesn’t mean a girl doesn’t want a romantic proposal to get her there. Prom’s less than a month away.”
    â€œWhatever. Let’s just drop this. I don’t want to fight with you.”
    We run by my house so I can feed the dog and write my parents a note. No one’s home when Tommy pulls into the driveway. He pauses, shifting the car into park.
    â€œWant me to come in with you?” he asks, looking over at me.
    I swallow. There are dueling Marijkes again, just like when I start a race. One Marijke says, “Absolutely I want you to come in—I want you to do a lot more than that!” The other Marijke says, “No ‘I love you’ means no hanky-panky. Period.”
    â€œDo you want to come in?” I ask, meeting his gaze. His lips spread into a sexy smile.
    â€œWell, I figured I could come inside for a little while and remind you just how romantic I can be . . .”
    He cocks an eyebrow, and I feel my resolve starting to thaw around me.
    â€œOkay,” I say slowly. “But we’re only staying for a minute.”
    We’re hardly in the door before Tommy has his handson me. I drop my bag on the living room couch just as he pulls me against him.
    â€œTommy,” I protest as he begins to nibble at my neck.
    â€œI thought you wanted me to be romantic?” His voice is a little gruff in my ear and a shiver passes over me.
    â€œI just don’t think we should start something we can’t finish. And the movie starts in less than an hour. This is important to me.”
    â€œOkay, okay.” He brushes a barely there kiss over my lips. “Then let’s get out of here so I won’t be tempted.”
    I scribble a note and leave it on the counter. When I glance over at the kitchen table, I can’t help but notice the stack of papers at my place that seems to be growing every day. I’ve been accepted to three different universities, but I haven’t officially made a decision yet. North Carolina State is my top choice and I should have mailed in my acceptance last week, but I’d been so caught up with practicing that I couldn’t even stop to breathe. Now is the perfect time to catch up, but let’s face it: I’m so caught up with Tommy that I haven’t had the time or desire to start filling out boring paperwork.
    So I leave it for another day. Again.
    Instead, I focus on
right now
—on making Tommy understand how I feel about him and putting him in the position to ask me to prom. Like Jack and Rose in
Titanic,
we’re meant to be together. I just know it.

As I leave school, I pull out my phone and hit the voice mail icon. I don’t know if Mom felt bad about going out almost every night this week or if she just wants to try and reconnect, but when she woke up this morning she was determined that we have a Girls’ Night In. Mac has soccer practice for most of the evening, so she promised to hit Redbox on the way home from work.
    â€œA good romantic comedy?” she’d suggested while packing Mac’s lunch. “Maybe something with Gerard Butler?”
    My mom has a thing for Gerard Butler—it’s actually more of an obsession than a thing. She talks to him when