One True Love
Two days later, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, Adrienne and Dina strolled down the shopping district in their town. They were partly window-shopping and partly giggling over Adrienne's good fortune in snagging Alex Evans' heart.
"I'm still shocked that you kissed him!" Dina said excitedly. "That's just so romantic and so twenty-first century, you know? Like, we girls don't have to wait to get what we want anymore. And you didn't. You just went for it!"
Adrienne's cheeks turned pink as she remembered how she'd been so bold during that downpour in the parking lot. "I don't think I could do it again," she admitted. "I was so freaked out about it afterwards. Gosh, what am I supposed to say to him now? And what about prom? Am I supposed to go with Alex now?"
"Well." Dina slid her a sly look. "If I were you, I'd make Alex work for you. Go with Zeke. Don't just let Alex assume that he can have you just like that. Even if he does know everything about you and says the most romantic things ever," she added with a dreamy sigh. "I wish I was as lucky as you. I mean, Dean is pretty great," she continued, talking about her boyfriend, "but he's so clueless sometimes. Alex doesn't sound clueless at all. He's just perfect for you."
"Yeah," Adrienne sighed, thinking of how cute Alex was and how he was hers. In all the years she'd known him, she'd never really stopped to look closely at him because he was just a pest to her. She'd known that there must have been something about him that was appealing because he attracted girls like crazy, but she'd never felt anything. At least, not until now. And now…
Dina tugged her arm. "Hey! Let's go pick out corsages from the flower shop. You know Dean and Zeke won't have a clue as to what would match our dresses. If we just picked them out and put them on hold, it would help them out."
"Oh, good idea. It's too bad being gay didn't give Zeke a better sense of style," Adrienne added with a giggle.
"Hey, now. That's stereotyping," Dina replied, feigning insult though her eyes sparkled with humor. She slid her arm through Adrienne's as they crossed the street and pushed open the door to the Magic Happens Florist Shoppe.
Instantly, the scents of dozens of flowers overwhelmed them as they stepped inside and let their eyes adjust to the light, dimmer inside than the bright May sun outside. Pots of colorful flowers were pressed together on shelves, large appealing flats of them were spread out on one side of the store, while floral arrangements ranged along the opposite wall.
"Over here," Adrienne told Dina and pulled her friend over to where plastic boxes containing corsages sat inside a refrigerator. "Now, we just have to pick the best one. Your dress is blue, right?"
Dina nodded, and the two girls peered into each box and tried to figure out which would work best with their prom gowns.
"Hi. Can I help—Adrienne?"
Adrienne spun around at the familiar voice and found herself face-to-face with Brody, who was wearing torn jeans, a faded t-shirt, and a dark blue apron and hat. All of which seemed to be covered in dirt, which also dusted his fingers, she noted upon closer inspection. He looked slightly shocked to see her for a moment before recovering and adopting the sneer she was familiar with.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes skimming past her to the refrigerated corsages.
She folded her arms over her chest. "It's none of your business. Why are you so dirty?"
"It's none of your business," he replied, smirking. "Are you buying anything or do you need help getting out the door?"
Oh, he was so infuriating, Adrienne thought with a scowl. She would've loved to smack that smirk off his face, but she didn't have the proper ammunition—Wait.
"What's the matter, Brody?" she asked sweetly, her demeanor changing instantly. His eyes narrowed. "Are you just being a sore loser?"
"What are you talking about?" He rubbed his hands on his apron as he continued to watch her with those unreadable blue eyes.
Adrienne had to suppress the urge to laugh. "Oh, come on, Brody. It's okay, it had to happen sometime. I won, and you lost. I figured it out before you and Alex could pull one over on me. I know your secret." Dina giggled behind her, but Adrienne ignored it and focused on the confusion that was beginning to sneak over his face.
"What the heck are you blabbering about?" he demanded, his voice sharp now. "Just cut the crap, Adrienne, and tell me."
"Alex is Prince Charming," she said simply and watched his eyes flicker slightly. Aha! She smiled to herself at how she'd finally beaten Alex and Brody at their game. "Don't feel too bad because I know I don't. I was pretty thrilled when I figured it out on Friday. Just don't be a sore loser, okay?"
His brows quirked. "You think I care about your stupid games, Adrienne? Because I don't." He leaned close to her, close enough that she nearly stepped back. "You think you've won, but you have no idea. Princess."
She was not going to let him startle her, Adrienne thought furiously. She had won this time, and it didn't matter what Brody Ryder thought because she was going to be deliriously happy with Alex. "Whatever, Brody. I don't care what you say because I know I'm right." She shrugged. "Why don't you just go back to digging in the mud and sulk about how you lost?"
"My family owns this place," he replied quietly. "I work here, and I was working in the greenhouse out back, for your information. Not all of us are lucky enough to have Mommy and Daddy pay our way through everything, you know." His eyes were gleaming with…something, but Adrienne was seeing red.
"Hey," she began, but Dina grabbed her arm and started dragging her towards the entrance.
"Sorry, Brody. We'll see you at school," Dina called over her shoulder. "Bye!" And she yanked Adrienne out the door and down the street.
Adrienne shrugged out of Dina's reach and nearly stomped her foot. "That boy makes me so mad! He's so, so…"
"Cute, hot, and you're totally into him?" Dina supplied with a smile.
Adrienne scowled. "No! Come on, Deen, you know me better than that. Ugh, he just goes around acting so superior and smug. I'd like to knock him off that pedestal he stuck himself on."
"Okay, tiger." Dina patted her arm. "Why don't we just go get some ice cream and forget about Brody Ryder? I bet ice cream will make you feel way better."
"Maybe." She sniffed, still annoyed with Brody. "Mint chocolate chip usually makes everything better."
Dina grinned. "Great! Let's go."
There was a school-wide assembly on Monday, and Adrienne was partially glad because it was at the same time as calculus, which meant that she wouldn't have to deal with both Alex and Brody at the same time. She hadn't talked to Alex since she'd kissed him, and she was starting to feel nervous about the whole situation. What if the Prince Charming thing had really all been a joke, and Alex had come to tell her the truth? What if she'd been really stupid by kissing him when he really didn't like her? Brody hadn't seemed as annoyed as she'd wanted him to be at her words, and she began to wonder if he and Alex were just playing a joke on her by messing with her emotions.
She snapped herself out of those depressing thoughts and let her eyes scan over the auditorium as students continued to file in and take their seats. Her biology class had arrived early, and, from where they sat, she could see everyone filtering in. When her eyes locked with Alex's, she froze for a moment before warily sending him a tiny wave. He just nodded before sitting down, and Adrienne wondered what was going on.
Looking around one more time, she spotted her friends, and they made faces at each other, indicating their annoyance with the assembly. She settled back down when the principal approached the podium and greeted them.
As he droned on about something or other about drunk driving and being extra careful on prom night, Adrienne's mind drifted. Alex hadn't approached her all day, and she'd seen him a few times. It was just another fact that added to her suspicion that maybe Prince Charming was just a giant prank they were playing. After all, if he'd really cared about her, wouldn't he have tried to-
The auditorium was suddenly plunged into darkness, and quite a few people screamed. Adrienne sat up and tried to look around, but there was no light. Not even the exit doors had windows on them, and everyone was panicking. She could hear the principal trying to shout over the confused mass of people.
Then, just as one of the teachers pushed open a door to let in light, music filled the room, and Adrienne froze.
"No," she whispered to herself as the very familiar opening chords played. Even though she knew no one could see her face, she blushed at the realization that Alex and Brody really did know who her favorite band was.
Her classmates muttered to each other about the song, wondering what was going on, but Adrienne sank lower in her chair. She could hear the teachers yelling to each other to get to the tech booth and turn it off, and the song switched from the opening chords to the chorus.
Wish I could tell her
You're one in a million
You're going the distance, babe
You're gonna work it out someday
I wish I could tell her
You're one in a million
But you never even look my way
If she hadn't been currently suffering from sheer shock and humiliation, she was sure she would've found the whole thing rather romantic, but she was dying instead.
If I could be the light
To guide you through the darkness baby
If I could be the one
To change the ending to your story
I'd be one in a million
I'd be one in a million
Someday I will tell her
You're gonna work it out someday
The song began to fade out as one of the teachers called to the others that the tech booth was locked, and someone needed to call the janitors. Even as they discussed it quickly, the lights were slowly coming up. Adrienne began to relax and breathed out a sigh of relief, reminding herself to go kill Alex and Brody. Enough was enough.
But, even as she began to plot their demise, one of her classmates poked her arm. "Hey, Adrienne, isn't that your picture?"
Face pale, she looked up at the projection screen on stage and found that a rather nice picture of her was displayed on screen, surrounded by the words, "You're my one in a million…PC007".
Adrienne screamed.
"So neither of you are willing to come clean about this?" Principal Thornton folded his arms over his chest and sent Alex and Brody stern looks. Adrienne looked between the two boys and the principal and willed Alex and/or Brody to just admit to something. They deserved some sort of punishment for ruining her life.
Brody shrugged. "I still don't know why you think we did it. Just because Adrienne is crazy enough to think that we've been playing tricks on her-"
"You have been playing tricks on me, and I'm tired of it," Adrienne cut in firmly. "Just confess, okay? I know it couldn't have been Alex because I saw him in the auditorium. Where were you?"
"With me," Mrs. Stone, the main secretary spoke up. "He was helping me fix the photocopier, since it broke again."
Principal Thornton raised a brow. "So he was with you the entire time?"
She nodded. "Of course, he was. Do you know how difficult that machine is? I keep asking for a new one, but-"
"Thanks, Linda." Principal Thornton turned back to the three students. "Look, I have no proof to pin any of the three of you to this prank. Miss Giambelli, I sincerely doubt that you would want to embarrass yourself by putting your picture on screen that way-"
"You can say that again," she muttered and glared at the two boys.
The principal rolled his eyes. "Anyway, there's no way I can exact punishment on any of you without proof, so I have no choice but to let you go back to class. However, I will be keeping an extra close eye on you." He studied them for another moment before handing them hall passes and sending them back to class.
As soon as they were out of the office, Adrienne turned on the two boys. "You guys are such jerks! How could you do that to me?" Her gaze turned pleading as she looked at Alex. "Alex, I thought-"
He jerked a shoulder. "I didn't say I did it, remember?"
"Yeah, but I thought, after Friday, that…" she trailed off, miserable.
"Yeah, what happened on Friday?" Brody asked Alex curiously. "She keeps bringing it up, and you haven't talked to me all weekend. What's going on?"
Adrienne waited for Alex to answer, but, when he just shrugged, she couldn't keep quiet. There was hurt swirling with the anger now. It had really been a joke, hadn't it? "We kissed, okay? Alex and I kissed, and I thought it was great, but, as always, I was wrong. There is no Prince Charming, is there? Neither of you cares one bit, and you obviously didn't think about how much your stupid pranks would hurt me. Well, thanks a lot," she said bitterly. "I guess I can keep on hating both of you now."
She spun away to stalk off to class, and Brody reached for her. "Adrienne, don't-"
Adrienne shot him a vicious look over her shoulder. "Don't you dare touch me. Both of you are slime."
And she left them standing in the hallway, shell-shocked.
The week passed quickly. The stares and whispers that followed her after the assembly incident soon quieted. There were no further notes, letters, flowers, or instant messages from Prince Charming, and Adrienne was glad that Alex and Brody had finally gotten the message. They didn't talk to her in calculus. In fact, they barely talked to each other, either. If she'd cared, she was sure she would wonder what was up with that, but she didn't care. She wouldn't let herself care.
On Friday, the day before prom, Brody didn't show up to school, but Alex was still there in calculus and tried to talk to her.
"Listen, Adrienne," he began, leaning forward so only she could hear him. She tried to ignore him, but he kept talking, so she had no choice but to hear his words. "I'm really sorry about everything that's happened. I know you think it was a joke, but it wasn't. Not really. I can't explain what I mean by that, but I can't. Not right now. All I can say is that I'm sorry that it felt like we, especially me, were jerking you around. Brody and I have always considered you a friend, and the last thing we wanted was to hurt you. I hope you can forgive us."
She was quiet for long moments before she turned around. "Fine. I forgive you, but only you. Brody can apologize for himself. Both of you were big jerks, and I'm still mortified by that stupid stunt on Monday."
Alex looked sheepish at the mention of it, and he reached out and gripped her fingers. "It was definitely over the top, but it got your attention, didn't it?"
"Yes, but how did-"
"I just wish we'd picked a different song," Alex continued. "I mean, I was all for using some crappy Justin Timberlake music, but Brody insisted that we use that song. I have no idea who sings it, but he figured it would get your attention quicker."
Adrienne frowned. "Wait, so you don't know what the song was?"
"No." Alex frowned, too. "Am I supposed to?"
"N-no." Something fluttered in her belly, and she tried to ignore it. "No, it's nothing. We'd better get back to work, though, before we get yelled at."
He nodded and squeezed her fingers again. This time, the gesture didn't cause any weird feelings to shoot through her, and Adrienne frowned. What was going on?
Adrienne stared at her buddy list and worried over what to do. She hadn't told anyone of the idea simmering in her mind because she half-hoped she was wrong. It just made no sense, but she continued to dwell on it.
PrinceCharming007 was online as he had been for the past twenty minutes, but he'd yet to make a move towards messaging her. She wanted so badly to talk to him and figure out if her sneaking suspicions were right, crazy as they were, but she was admittedly scared.
"Stop being stupid," she whispered to herself and clicked on his name.
PrincessA: Hi
PrinceCharming007: hi
PrincessA: You haven't messaged me in a while
PrinceCharming007: Didn't know I was supposed to. You don't like it remember?
PrincessA: Yeah but
PrinceCharming007: But what?
PrincessA: I don't know
PrinceCharming007: Let me know when you figure it out.
PrincessA: Wait! Are you mad at me?
PrinceCharming007: Wow, was it that hard to tell, Capt Obvious?
PrincessA: Why?
PrinceCharming007: Because you can't see what's in front of your face
PrincessA: I might if you just tell me who you are. Please
PrinceCharming007: You know me. You liked me for the longest time. Did you forget?
Adrienne sat back in her chair, staring at his last words. They'd made everything fall into place, and it was so obvious to her now. Her first and only crush had lasted for four long years before she'd decided it was pointless and tried to get over it. She hadn't realized that he might have had a clue.
Prince Charming was Brody.
"So what are you going to do?" Zeke asked as he navigated the streets to the hotel where prom was being held. Adrienne sat next to him, looking the best she'd known she had ever looked and feeling the worst she'd ever felt. "Are you just going to walk up to him and tell him you know?"
She shrugged. "He knows that I know. I didn't say anything after that, and Brody's not stupid. Gosh, no wonder he wasn't talking to Alex. His best friend kissed me, and he…" Her throat closed up at the idea of Brody liking her.
"And he likes you. He did this whole Prince Charming masquerade just for you." Zeke sighed, dramatically pressing a hand to his heart. "That's just so beautiful, Ri! You know you had a thing for him way back when."
"Yes, but I got over it freshman year," she reminded him. "It was a long, long time ago. I just don't know how to feel now. It is sweet all the stuff he did for me, but still."
Zeke patted her hand as they pulled into a parking spot at the hotel. "You have to admit that he is quite the hottie." He grinned when she wrinkled her nose. "Come on, Ri, you know it's true. How awesome is it that he has eyes only for you? He may have dated a bunch of girls, but I don't remember him doing anything like what he's done for you."
Adrienne sighed as they walked into the hotel and were immediately surrounded by everyone from school. She had to admit that Brody had never done something so blatant for his girlfriends, but it still made her stomach flutter when she thought of him arranging everything for her.
When she'd sat back and thought about everything he'd done, she couldn't believe she'd ever thought Prince Charming had been Alex. After all, Brody hadn't been in homeroom during that announcement over the PA system, he worked with flowers so he'd had easy access to all the ones he'd given her, and he had been suspiciously "fixing the copy machine," which she was sure was a lie he'd charmed out of the secretary. Who could resist him?
She wondered if she could.
In the ballroom, she and Zeke immediately met up with Dina, Dean, and a few of their other friends. The dance floor was already packed, and music bounced off the walls and beat enthusiastically. Adrienne tried to enjoy herself as she and Zeke danced with their friends, but she couldn't stop thinking about Brody.
When she spotted Alex by one of the tables, she excused herself from the dance floor and made a beeline for him. "Alex!" He turned to her with a surprised look on his face.
"Adrienne." His eyes swept over her before he smiled. "You look nice."
She waved the comment off. "Yeah, thanks. Listen, I figured it out."
"What?"
"It was Brody. Prince Charming was Brody all along." The expression on his face gave it away, and she continued on. "I know the two of you were probably not talking because I kissed you last week, and I'm sorry about that. I never stopped to think about things, and it all makes sense now."
Alex nodded, his eyes studying her face. "Good. Brody and I are fine, too, so don't worry about it. He understands, but…"
"But?" She frowned at the way he seemed to hesitate.
"He doesn't think you like him. Especially after he found out about that kiss and how angry you were, he's convinced that you'll never like him back." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's liked you for a while, Adrienne, and you have to be really honest with him. Do you know how you feel about him?"
Adrienne sighed and bit her lip nervously. "No," she answered truthfully. "I'm not at all sure. I thought, maybe if I talked to him, I would figure it out." Her eyes skimmed over the dancing couples. "Where is he? Do you know?"
Alex let his hand slide of her shoulder and grinned. "I know, but I'm not allowed to tell."
"What? Why?"
But, before Alex could say a word, the music suddenly crashed into silence, and there was a moment of absolute silence before the lights dimmed until one single spotlight shone on the unused stage. Adrienne glanced questioningly from the stage to Alex, but he merely squeezed her hand and gestured to the stage.
A figure was moving towards the spotlight, and she could hear the strumming of a guitar. Even as she opened her mouth, the shock of the chords being played had her closing it again.
When Brody stepped into the spotlight still playing the guitar, he took her breath away. His usually messy dark hair was neat, his formal suit looked impeccable on him, but it was the intensity of his gaze that rendered her speechless. His eyes swept over the crowd before finding her to the side and locking with hers. A small smile appeared on his face before he began to sing.
What he sang made her heart stumble and fall. It was her favorite verses from her favorite song by her favorite band, and Brody Ryder was singing it for plain old Adrienne Giambelli, and she couldn't help but fall for him.
Every little thing that you have said and doneFeels like it's deep within me
Doesn't really matter if you're on the run
It seems like were meant to be
I don't care who you are
Where you're from
What you did
As long as you love me
Who you are
Where you're from
Don't care what you did
As long as you love me
I'm trying to hide it so that no one knows
But I guess it shows
When you look into my eyes
What you did and where you're comin' from
I don't care, as long as you love me, baby
As Brody played the ending chords of the song, Alex turned to her, a mischievous grin playing over his features. "Your favorite band is the freaking Backstreet Boys? Jeez, Adrienne, that's a whole new side of you I didn't know. You've just given me years of blackmail, you know that, right?"
She was in too good of a mood to care. "Shut up, Alex," she muttered, her eyes glued to Brody. He was talking to the teacher chaperones, probably apologizing. Even as he followed them out of the ballroom, he turned his head to find her and smiled apologetically.
Adrienne didn't know what to do, so she simply sat as the music came back on. Alex left her after a while and disappeared onto the dance floor. Her friends came by to talk to her, squealing about how they couldn't believe it was Brody all along. Congratulating on her good fortune, they soon headed back to the floor, too.
Still, there was no sign of Brody.
"Miss Giambelli." Adrienne looked up into Principal Thornton's displeased face. "Come with me."
She blinked in surprise. "B-but why? I didn't do anything."
"It would be best if you stop resisting and just come along," he told her simply and gestured towards the door. Resigned, Adrienne followed him, her heart sinking. Would she never get to talk to Brody?
And then he was right there, in front of her, and she could do nothing more than stare at him speechlessly. The teachers vanished, leaving the two of them in the lobby.
Brody managed a smile as he played nervously with his guitar strap. "Hi, Adrienne."
"Hi," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
He shifted uncomfortably. "Um, so what did you think?"
She twisted her fingers together and looked away from his penetrating blue eyes. "How did you know they were my favorite?"
"I swiped your iPod a couple months ago," he admitted, and her eyes darted back to him. "I figured they were your favorites because you had whole playlists just for them. I couldn't believe it, but, hey, it's cool. They have good harmony." He fell silent and stared at the carpeted floor.
"Oh," Adrienne finally said. "Well, um, thanks. You did a good job with the song." Her knuckles were white as she squeezed her fingers together.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when he took her hands in his and soothed them apart. "Sorry," he apologized. "It's just that your fingers were going to fall off if you twisted them any more."
She blushed but left her hands in his. "Thanks. Brody, I don't know what to say to you," she admitted truthfully. "This whole time, I thought you didn't like me, and I thought Prince Charming was Alex, and I still can't believe I kissed him."
"He said it wasn't a big deal," Brody interrupted with a smile. "I won't hold it against you because I didn't exactly make it easy for you to figure it out. I mean, I tried to talk to you, but I guess Alex just has a more commanding presence, you know. You talked to him more, so it made sense that you thought it was him."
"Yeah, but it makes sense now that it was you who did everything," she told him. "I mean, the flowers, the song at the assembly—only you know those things about me. And Daisy's death anniversary, too. You're the one who found me at that pet cemetery two years ago," she remembered. "I just didn't put the pieces together."
Brody shrugged. "Well, they're together now." Suddenly, he looked nervous again. "I really like you, Adrienne," he began then shook his head. "No, I don't. I don't just like you. That's a lie. I've liked you for a long time. Since fifth grade, but you never had a clue."
"That's when I liked you, too." Her fingers laced with his and squeezed. "I thought you knew. I mean, yesterday, you said-"
"I didn't know until freshman year, but, by then, you were going out with Joey Harding. I figured you were over it." He shook his head. "I didn't do anything about it for the longest time, but, this year, I figured I had to let you know somehow and hope that you felt somewhat the same way. Because I love you, Adrienne."
Her jaw dropped. If it was possible, Adrienne knew it would have dragged on the floor. "Y-you do?"
Brody smiled, and she thought he was the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. "Yeah, I do. I realized that a couple months ago, and that's when I knew I had to do something. I can't believe you never saw it. I thought it was stamped on my face every time I looked at you or talked to you."
Adrienne just shook her head, dazed. "I had no clue."
"Well, now you know," he murmured, sounding suddenly unsure. "So…now I guess it's up to you to decide what you want."
"Oh." She looked down at their joined hands before looking up into his uncertain eyes. "Brody, this is just so much for me to take in all at once this way. I mean, I always thought you didn't like me, and, now, you do. I just don't know," she finished, seeing the flicker of hurt in his eyes.
He let go of her and stepped back. "It's okay. I get it. I guess I wanted the big chick flick ending where the guy gets the girl, but it's okay." His expression betrayed him and proved he was lying, but Adrienne couldn't find the words to say to fix things. "At least you know how I feel now." He smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek. "You look really great, and you should go and enjoy prom. I know you've been looking forward to it for a long time."
"Yeah, but what about you? Aren't you coming?" Her heart was racing, and she didn't want to leave him just yet. She wanted to somehow erase that heartbreaking look in his eyes.
Brody shrugged. "I got kicked out for hijacking the sound system today and on Monday, too. My punishment is no prom. It's okay," he added. "But you better get back in there before you miss it. I'll see you later."
Adrienne watched him walk to the doors then through them and pressed her hands to her heart. It ached, and she wondered what she was supposed to do now. Brody loved her. He loved her, and she didn't know how to respond to it. He'd sang her songs, sent her flowers, found out all of her little secrets and quirks. He'd serenaded her in front of the school, knew her favorite group was a "boy band" and hadn't made fun of her for it. He'd spilled his heart to her, and she'd let him go…
"What the hell was I thinking?" she muttered to herself as she smacked her forehead.
Hiking her skirt up, she hurried towards the main doors and pushed through them. Glancing around, her heart in her throat, she hoped it wasn't too late. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted him walking towards the far end of the parking lot. She broke into a run, ignoring the fact that her high heels were killing her.
"Brody!" she called out. "Brody, wait!"
When she was nearly fifty yards away, he heard her and turned, his face mirroring his surprise. "Adrienne? What are you-"
His words were muffled when Adrienne threw her arms around him and pressed her lips to his. She felt his heart leap and match the pace of her own. His arms slid around her waist and pressed her close as his mouth heated on hers. Her hands tangled in his hair, and her joyful sigh mixed with his.
"Well," he managed when they broke apart. They were still pressed together tightly, and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again. "That was sudden."
Adrienne grinned. "Actually, it was seven years in coming, so I thought I'd make it good."
His answer was another searing kiss, and he beamed at her when she tried to catch her breath. "I do love you, Adrienne."
She rested her forehead against his, her eyes on his. "I know you do. I think I might love you, too. I'm not sure, but I want a chance to see."
Brody brushed his thumbs softly over her cheeks and pressed a kiss to her nose. "I hope you know I'll do everything to make that happen."
"I know, and I want you to," she whispered and pressed her lips to his gently.
He deepened it before pulling away and sliding her into a dance. When she looked up in surprise, he shrugged. "You should be inside dancing, but, since you're not, I didn't think you should miss out."
And just like that, she knew. "Oh, Brody. I love you."
His steps faltered for a moment before she found herself wrapped up in his arms. "I love you, too, princess."
AN: The end! I know this chapter was three times the size of the other ones, but there was a lot that needed to be said. I know there's a lot of you that have been reading this, and I'd absolutely love it if you could please, pretty please with a cherry on top review! Tell me whatever you thought of the story. Whether you loved it, hated it, thought it was the biggest pile of crap ever, or think it's the cutest thing you've read...just tell me!
Also, the lyrics of the songs are all Backstreet Boys in case you missed that. I don't own them or their songs, "As Long As You Love Me" or "One in a Million". You probably think I'm nutty for using them, but they and their songs seemed to make sense as Adrienne's embarrassing favorite band. Plus, their songs fit the story pretty well, so they won the spot in the story. End disclaimer.
Review? Please?