Page 58 of Falling Into You

After another couple of rewatches, he handed her phone back and leaned against the wall of the house, somehow avoiding both the cornstalk next to the door and the fake cobwebs pulled across the window. With a sigh, he looked at her, his expression unreadable.

“That might be my favorite video ever,” he said.

She smiled and shoved the phone back into the pocket of her jacket. “Happy I could entertain you.”

Jacob suddenly pushed himself away from the wall and stepped closer to her. “You know... I have two tickets to the dance upstairs in my room, just begging to be put to good use.” He looked her in the eye and her breath caught. “Wanna go?”

Rory

After running home to change and snapping a few photos in the living room with Jacob (Owen played photographer), Rory and Jacob managed to act like everything was normal on the ride over to school in his truck. Like they went places alone together all the time. Like him being in a suit and her in a gown was an everyday occurrence. They chatted and laughed and yes, Rory’s heart felt like it was full of raging fireflies, but the two of them put on a good show of being casual about it all.

Once they were out of the car and walking across the parking lot toward the twinkle lights in the windows of the gym, everything felt weird. Rory’s heart started to pound, and her stomach knotted up. Was she really going to walk into homecoming with Jacob Reilly on her arm? It was so public. Such a statement. Once they did this, people were going to talk. Part of her wanted to pause and figure out what to tell everyone first. But for the first time in her entirelife, she was honestly too excited and lightheaded to formulate a plan or make a list. She just wanted to be with Jacob.

The double doors to the gym were propped open, and she could see inside from where they stood on the sidewalk. Mrs. Kalish, the senior class adviser and one of her favorite English teachers, was manning the ticket table. The music was pumping, and the hum of conversation wafted out into the cool night air.

“You good?” Jacob asked.

“Sure,” she said, rubbing her sweaty palms together. “Great.”

Jacob pivoted so that he was standing right in front of her, his black-and-white Air Jordans crunching on the cement walkway. She looked up at him, shivering beneath her winter coat, feeling suddenly shy. “You sure you’re sure? Because we can just go get a couple milkshakes at the diner. Talk about what tools all these people are for participating in a cliché teenage rite of passage.”

Rory laughed. “No, it’s really okay. I want to go in.”

Jacob nodded slowly. “You look incredible, by the way. Have I told you that?”

Rory couldn’t help beaming. “You have not.”

“You do.”

“So do you,” she told him.

“Yeah, well, that’s a given.” Jacob touched the knot in his tie and sniffed haughtily.

She laughed again, and Jacob reached out and took herleft hand in his right. Her breath caught instantly at his touch, and she found herself staring down at their hands as if she couldn’t possibly look away.

“Shall we, Miss Graham?” he asked.

“We shall, Mr. Reilly.”

Arms swinging between them, they walked over to the door and Jacob handed Mrs. Kalish their tickets. She gave them an impressed look as she put them in her lockbox. “Can’t say I hate this development,” she said, winking at Rory.

“Me neither,” Jacob told her.

He took Rory’s coat and hung it on the nearby rack along with his own, then took her hand again. It didn’t take long for people to start to notice their entrance. They were pretty late, after all. Likely no one had come in through the doors in a while. As soon as they were spotted, whispers broke out, and Rory noted more than one set of wide eyes taking in her and Jacob’s clasped hands. Well, let them talk. She didn’t have to answer to anyone.

“Dude! You made it!”

Rory startled as Jacob’s brother Ford appeared as if from nowhere. He was wearing a suit with no tie and held the hand of Jessica Paige, one of the senior girls from the volleyball team, who wore a glittering gold dress.

“And you even have a date!Thedate,” he added, looking Rory up and down. “My little bro is all grown up.”

“Ford, I’m literally ten months younger than you,” Jacob said.

“Love your dress, Rory,” Jessica said.

“Thank you! I love yours, too,” Rory replied. “What do you meanthedate?” she asked Ford.

“Oh, just that he’s been in love with you since he was in diapers. NBD,” Ford said.