Rosalie's POV

As we followed the sea of glittery dresses, feathers, suits and masks, I was full to the brim with excitement. I couldn't wait to see the setup, the lights, everything. Jesse smiled and greeted everyone we passed, some with a couple of words, others a wave or a nod-- all while his right hand was holding mine. My heart fluttered a little more when I glanced down between us. I couldn't believe tonight was really happening. It honestly all feels like a dream come true.

Soon as we entered the gym, we were immediately greeted by Mr. Montgomery who had a plastic cup with what I presumed had fruit punch inside. He was all smiles and looked like he was having a good time too.

"Ah, there's our golden boy! Looking dashing in that suit" Mr. Montgomery compliments his favourite student. I looked around, hoping to find Chloe or Sara. "And Rosalie, the homecoming committee did a splendid job. Congratulations on a successful night" he says, smiling at me.

"Thank you but I really didn't do all this" I told him, looking around the place. "It was all Chloe and her team"

"But still, I hear the theme was your idea. You must atleast take credit for that much" he tells me before disappearing into the crowd.

"Do you wanna go look for Chloe?" Jesse asks me, leaning in closer to my ear.

"I wanted to but I think after the stunt she pulled on me tonight, I'll let her come to me" I answered him and he gave me a nod.

"Dance with me then?" My incredibly gorgeous date asks me sweetly, tugging my hand gently. "Sure" I replied. How could I resist?

**

I wrapped my arms securely around Jesse's neck and he placed his hands around my waist as we swayed slowly on the dancefloor. Everyone looked at us like we were crazy because we were slowdancing to an upbeat, pop song. As I gazed up completely mesmerized by Jesse and how good he looked, nothing else mattered. Not the crowd, not the weird faces---- not even Lyla. In this moment everything was perfect. We were perfect. We moved to our own beat and I couldn't help but giggle. He's gonna be as weird as me now. I shifted my focus momentarily away from Jesse, just to really take in our surroundings. Above me was amazing, with rows and rows of tiny fairy lights covering the entire place, it looked like thousands of stars littering the night sky. So breathtaking.

The dancefloor looked proper with the giant disco ball hung brightly in the middle. To our left were several tables decorated to fit the theme even down to what looked like velvet table coverings. Of course the food table looked great from over here and I couldn't wait to eat something. I spotted Chloe standing and talking by the drinks table with Angus. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"You okay? You seem distracted" Jesse touches my cheek with one hand, making me shift my focus back to him.

"Just admiring the atmosphere" I answered him.

Few songs later we decided to go sit down and grab something to eat. There was a huge cake in the shape of the school and I wanted a big piece of it. Jesse gladly went over to get me some while I sat at the table and waited.

"Yay, you made it" An annoying voice rang in my ears. Chloe had finally come over. She sat beside me, grinning. Angus followed her, setting some drinks down and taking a seat beside his date.

"No thanks to you" I
exclaimed but she only laughed
even louder.

"I had to do it, okay? There was no other way" Chloe admitted, placing a manicured hand on mine. I sighed and gave up when I found myself beginning to smile again. I was too happy not to.

"See! You're happy! You're finally happy" Chloe squeals beside me, squeezing my hand tightly.

Chloe's happy face was soon replaced by a much more serious one. She glanced at me nervously and I followed her eyes only to find the source of her sudden mood change. Lyla.

Looking angelic in her flowy white dress and her hair pinned back elegantly, Lyla Watkins was cutting through the dancefloor with her eyes fixed on me. I gulped and turned to search for Jesse but there was a cue at the cake table so he was gonna be a while. I had no choice but to face her myself. It was bound to happen anyway so might aswell let it unfold now.

"Rosalie" she says my name with a smirk. "You look great."

"Well, you look amazing as usual" I complimented her lazily. It was true anyway, she did look stunning. She smiled at me and placed a hand over her chest. "Aww! thanks Rosalie,you're too sweet" she said.

I sat there blankly looking at her, wondering why she was still standing here. Chloe remained quiet but I knew she was wondering the same thing I was.

"Anyway Rosalie, I guess you've got what you always wanted, right?" She sneered. Ah, there's the Lyla I know and hate.

I looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Jesse, of course" she replied happily. "Too bad you had to pretend to be my friend just to get closer to him. Kinda low of you don't you think?"

"Low of me?!" I laughed in disbelief, rising from my seat. "Pretending to be your friend is nothing compared to all the shit you've done" I snapped back, pointing a finger at her. She stood there wide-eyed and embarrassed, shocked that someone finally had the nerve to answer her back.

Lyla cleared her throat and looked around us, probably to see if anyone was watching. "Anyway" she began, taking a step closer to me. "Enjoy it while it lasts because deep down you and I both know Jesse will always be mine and when I snap my fingers he'll come running back to me" she spat, glaring at me. My hand was shaking, I was just about to give her a slap when Chloe held it down forcefully.

"Rose, don't, Mr. Montgomery is watching" Chloe said quietly. She was right. He was a few tables away and eyeing us like a hawk. I calmed myself and sat back down, deciding to ignore Lyla completely. She held her head high and walked away with a smug look. She was so sure of herself and what she said.

I dropped my head in my hands and exhaled loudly. I wasn't even expecting her to be here. But then again, it's Lyla. Her words kept spinning around in my head and I wondered if it was true. Would he go back to her? Does he even have legit feelings for me?

"Hey, so what did I miss?" Jesse asks, setting my cake down on the table. He shifted his seat so he could be closer to me before sitting down.

Chloe uses that as her cue to abandon me and gets up to pull Angus towards the dancefloor. "Come on, dance with me" she says.

"You didn't miss much except for Lyla trying to start drama" I answered him. His facial expression turned from cheerful to worried and I began to eat my cake, not wanting to discuss her any further.

"Are you okay? You seem upset. I didn't know she would even be here" Jesse says, placing his hand on mine. I don't move it away but I don't look at him either. I don't want him to see that she's gotten to me tonight.

"Yeah well she's here alright" I half-laughed, forking down more cake.

"Let's step out for a bit. Get some air" he suggests and I nod. "How about let's ditch this place altogether?"

"If that's what you want Daniels" he smiles at me before taking my hand in his, pulling me out of my seat.

"Wait! My cake" I exclaimed, grabbing the remaining piece and eating it while we made our way out. I waved at Chloe who smiled proudly and gave me a thumbs up.

**

Outside was less dramatic and I was glad to be away from the crowd. Felt like I could breathe again. There was something nagging at the back of my mind and I wanted so desperately so get it out but I was afraid of it being true. Lyla had managed to ruin my night and now she had me overthinking. The only way to let it go was to ask Jesse myself and I didn't wanna beat around the bush anymore. I wanted to know if he was for real. If this was for real.

"Jesse, can we talk about something that's bothering me?" I asked him as we walked hand in hand down the stairs.

"Okay. Tell me what's on your mind" he answers me right away. I swallowed hard and pulled him down to sit with me on one of the steps as he eyed me curiously.

"Are you over Lyla? Like, completely" I blurted out, my heart hammering in my chest. This new 'saying what's on my mind' thing is unknown territory for me.

"I am over Lyla. Whatever she said to you, don't take it to heart. She's just messing with you" he answered me, nudging my side playfully. I accepted his answer but I kinda wasn't satisfied. If I was gonna dive into this thing head first and wholeheartedly, I needed to know she was completely out of his system for good.

"The last thing I want is to put myself out there and get hurt. I don't wanna get hurt" I said honestly.

"What?" Jesse half-laughed in suprise. "I'm not gonna hurt you,Rose. I never wanted to hurt you. Why do you think I took so damn long?"

I stared at him in confusion. "What are you on about?" I asked.

"I fell for you the moment we started hanging out but I couldn't pursue you. I didn't wanna hook up with you only to drop you when I got back with Lyla" he explained and I scoffed in reply, trying to process his words.

"It's stupid, I know, but at the time I wasn't thinking straight. All I could think about was Lyla" he told me, standing to his feet. I followed suit and we continued strolling around the packed parking lot.

"So when did you realise you were over her?" I asked him, ignoring the horrible feeling I get talking about Lyla.

"When I passed her one day and didn't feel anything. No butterflies. No rapid heartbeat. Nothing" he explained.

"So... if she were to rush out of that gym right now and say you two should get back together, would you consider it?" I stopped walking altogether just to see what his reply would be. He came to a halt beside me, his perfect brows knitted together as he processed my question.

Jesse sighed loudly at me and shook his head, chuckling lightly. He placed both hands on my shoulders gently and looked me in the eyes. I tried not to get side-tracked by how beautiful he was. Instead I stood firmly which was hard because I feel like jelly when he touches me and awaited his answer.

"When I see you I lose my cool. Like, seriously. I turn into the most uncool person. I stiffen up, I say all the wrong words, I tease you just to cover up the fact that I'm falling for you and don't know how to deal with it. I'm so lovestruck over you Rose, can't you see it?" Jesse tells me cheerfully, never breaking eye contact. "If Lyla rushes out here she can gladly rush back in because it's you I wanna be with, not her."

That's it. That's all I needed to hear. I didn't waste another second, I smiled up brightly at Jesse and kissed him. He smiled back at me and wrapped his arms around me, making me feel relieved. Lyla was wrong. Lyla was so wrong. Jesse's mine, all mine and man did it feel good!

We broke apart and Jesse gave me the tightest hug ever, smothering me against his hard chest. "So, guess you're my girlfriend now?" He clears his throat and asks, making me blush instantly at his words. I nodded and looked up at him, feeling so content. This moment was absolutely perfect. Just then a raindrop landed right on my nose. It was beginning to rain.

"You can't be serious! Raining? Now?!" I complained up at the sky as if it had ears. "Let's get back inside, we're gonna get wet" I said, attempting to head back inside but Jesse pulled my hand back, stopping me from leaving.

"Remember that night we got caught in the rain?" He laughs at the memory. "That was fun. We should do it again" he suggests, his eyes lighting up like a child with a bright idea. The rain began to fall more heavier now and I was definitely starting to get wet. I huffed in annoyance and rolled my eyes at him. I hated how I couldn't refuse him and he always uses it to his advantage.

I undo the ankle straps for my heels before removing them. "Take your shoes off too, then. You'll run even faster without them" I said to him and he removed them excitedly. I can't believe we're doing this. I can't believe I'm doing this. My makeup's gonna get washed off, my dress is gonna be ruined, my feet is gonna hurt like hell--- but here I am agreeing to do this crazy thing.

"Ready?" I shouted over the heavy rain that came pouring down on us.

"Let's go!" Jesse shouted back and we began running like two crazy kids. That same familiar route, all the way home.

❤