Darkroom: A Moo U Hockey Romance Kate Willoughby (read full novel .TXT) 📖

me up. I knew I shouldn’t compare, but the night Austin and I had planned to have sex, he hadn’t taken me anywhere. He’d just come over one evening while my parents were at Slice. He’d been wearing a T-shirt, jeans and athletic shoes. I think the one choice he’d made for the “occasion” was to take a shower.

Hudson, on the other hand, looked like a dream in a tailored gray suit. His tie had black and gold stripes to match my dress and his black shoes were polished to a high gloss. Hudson in casual clothes was sexy personified. Hudson dressed up in a suit blew every standard for sexy out of the water.

“Hello, gorgeous,” he said, kissing me.

“Back at you,” I replied. “Thank you for the dress.”

“My pleasure. You look…almost perfect,” he said.

“Almost?” I said in mock indignation.

“You’re just missing one tiny detail.” He whipped a corsage out from nowhere and presented it to me.

As I opened the box, I caught the sweet scent of gardenia. I held the delicate flowers up to my nose to inhale deeply before sliding it onto my wrist. When I looked up, he had a matching boutonniere pinned to his lapel.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“You guys look so great together. Let me get some pictures,” Ruby said.

After the mini photo shoot, Hudson thanked Ruby.

“Anytime. Where are you going?”

“That’s for me know and her to find out,” he said smiling at me.

Ruby scoffed. “Are you really not going to tell me?”

“I’ll let Indi tell you tomorrow.”

“I officially hate you, Hudson Forte,” Ruby said.

He took me to one of the nicest restaurants in Burlington, Hen of the Wood. It was a farm-to-table place with a menu that depended on whatever was the freshest or ripest. Inside, the ceiling was especially striking. Beams intersected to create deeply recessed triangles that housed the warmly glowing lights. The large bar was crowded and the delectable aromas of food made my stomach growl.

People glanced at us curiously as we entered. Although Hudson wasn’t the only man wearing a suit, no woman was as dressed up as I was. But as my mom always said, better to be overdressed than under.

“Reservation for two. The name is Forte,” Hudson said.

“Yes, Mr. Forte. Right this way,” the hostess said. “Prom?”

Hudson chuckled. “Yes. Prom.”

“I didn’t know they held proms in the fall,” the hostess said.

“This one’s special.”

“Hudson,” I said as he pulled my chair out for me. “why did you tell her it was our prom?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Maybe they’ll give us a free dessert.”

We drank some excellent champagne, ate amazing food like their signature mushroom toast, wood-fire roasted broccoli, hanger steak, and crushed potatoes with a tarragon aioli. For dessert, he ordered the ice cream trio and I got the honey tart and we shared. At the end of the meal, he refused to let me even look at the bill, and although it had to be the most expensive meal I’d ever consumed, I didn’t put up much of a fight.

The drive back to his apartment only took three minutes, but that was long enough for butterflies to show up in my very full stomach. After he put the car in park, he turned to me and said, “I need you to wait here while I get some stuff ready. I’ll be right back. Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Don’t argue. Just close your eyes and keep them closed until I tell you. No peeking.”

Even though I was dying of curiosity, I closed my eyes. A couple of minutes later, he was back, opening my door and leading me by the hand up the stairs to the door of his apartment. I stood at the threshold vibrating with excitement and nervousness.

“Okay…on three, open your eyes. One…two…three.”

A confusing curtain of colorful crepe streamers blocked my entrance. I bit my lip as I crossed the threshold then gasped in amazement. A reflective, rotating disco ball hung suspended from the ceiling, creating a kaleidoscope of dazzling color and light. More streamers arced across the room from corner to corner. A moment later, some upbeat music began to play and I saw he’d cleared a space in the center of the living room.

“What is all this?” I asked, still agape in wonder.

Smiling, he gestured with his finger for me to turn around.

On the wall behind me was a big, hand-painted sign that said, “Indi’s Prom: The Sequel.” Below that was a photo booth station with glittery props—his and her crowns, wacky eyeglasses, moustaches and beards and “My prom date is a hottie!” and “A Night to Remember” signs.

The corsage suddenly made sense. So did the prom comment at the restaurant. I turned in a slow circle, staring at it all, unable to speak. He’d gone to so much trouble to try and fix one of the most horrible nights of my life. I remembered the Monday after the prom having to lie to everyone at school and say I was sick. And when I’d returned the dress to the store, they gave me dirty looks.

Hudson came to stand beside me, a worried expression on his face. “Indi, say something. Do you like it?” he asked over the music.

I threw my arms around his neck. “It’s the most wonderful thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

Then I couldn’t help it. I started crying.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry,” he said, laughing.

“They’re happy tears,” I told him. “Very happy tears. My first ever.”

“I guess it’s a night of firsts. How about this song?” He raised his index finger. “I thought it was particularly appropriate.”

As I listened, he started dancing, snapping his fingers, kicking his feet out and singing along with “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.” Laughing, I took my shoes off and joined him. Dancing with him was free and easy, mostly because no one was watching, but also because he inserted silly moves, naming them as he performed them.

“Target!” He pranced forward and back pretending to put items into an invisible grocery cart. “Come on, do the