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They stood near the car in an awkward silence, the first in a long time. Brooke glanced at him, he was staring at her, taking her in. In his eyes, there was only person in the world, Brooke. He felt lucky, like the world was finally opening up to him. He realised he had been zoning out for too long when Brooke cleared her throat. Heat crawled up his cheeks in a slight blush.
"You look stunning," His hand rubbed the back of his neck. "Words don't come close to describe how beautiful you look today."
"If I look at you any longer, I might just turn into a poet." She chuckled softly.
"Or maybe a songwriter." Her chuckles turned into a full blown laugh and Alistair's heart skipped a few beats.
She thanked him for the compliment. He opened the door for her before entering from the driver's side and driving to school.
The ballroom in the hotel was wonderfully decorated, it looked like a royal ball out of a fairy tale. The chandelier shone a soft light onto the scene. The red curtains that covered the big windows darkened the mood. The moon shone brightly through the cracks between the curtains. Brooke was transported into another universe were nothing could ever hurt her or Alistair or her friends. The music was slow, forcing the students to enjoy the company of each other's arms. All she wanted was to be wrapped in Alistair's arms and sway with the melodies but she had to greet her friends first.
Izzy wore a yellow, short dress that looked similar to Brooke's except it had no sleeves. Mason wore black dress pants and a white bottom up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Sully had on a grey suit with a light blue slim tie that matched his eyes. They all looked beautiful, untouched by the world's horrors. They radiated love and gratitude, happy and thankful that they could spend this day – and hopefully the rest of their lives - together.
They went around hugging in an excited greet. They hadn't felt this alive and carefree for a while. They were teenagers again with nothing but the stars to guide them and the earth under to ground them.
They danced, talked, laughed and rejoiced. To be alive, well and loved, they cheered.
The next slow song that came up, Alistair grabbed Brooke by the hand and dragged her to the middle of the dance floor. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck softly, just like she does anything else, with grace and love. They swayed and soon the dance floor disappeared, the chandeliers became stars and the room became their little pocket universe.
"I am glad I met you and I am especially glad that we were able to be friends again," Alistair smiled. A smiled that entranced Brooke, that stopped time, her heart and her lungs. It wasn't a big wide toothy smile, it was a small, secretive one that felt like it only belonged to her. It was filled with affection that made her heart swell.
"I am glad I met you too," Alistair's smile widened and her heart fluttered but the sentence wasn't enough to express how she felt. Her feeling were flowing out of her in colourful swirls around them, or at least that how she imagined it. The song was ending but she wasn't ready to let the moment go so with her left palm pressed against the back of his head, she lifted herself up on her toes and pressed her lips on his.
Alistair's whole being froze, his soul flew out of his body happily and returned just in time to kiss her back. The arms that were already wrapped around her waist tightened, clinging to her like a life line, a robe that was pulling him out of the darkness that surrounded him as a teenager with depression and no idea what to do in the future.
The softness of her lips reminded him of a rose petal. He felt like a rose petal floating in the air as his chest lightened.
They pulled away for a breath, yet they remind close, their foreheads resting on each other. She smiled at him with so much love, it broke his heart a million times and mended it together. He never thought someone could hold this much love for him. Ordinary, sad Alistair.
"You are beautiful," He whispered. He meant it, she is the most beautiful thing he has ever come to known. Her soul, the way her brain works, her heart that beats for others. If he believed in angels, then she was the reason why.
Brooke was again at loss of words, a hint of frustration rising inside of her, swallowing what little words were left.
She pulled him closer to her, her head on his chest. His hands wandered up and tightened around her. His head rested on top of her and they stayed in their little universe for the rest of the night.
