The Pull of Destiny (30 page)

Blushing, he
said, “You see how bad I am at this?”

“You could be
better,” I agreed, even though I wasn’t too sure what ‘this’ was. He wasn’t
serious about asking me, was he?

“I haven’t done
something like this in a long time,” he said defensively. “I’m rusty, okay?”

“Something like
what?” I asked. Why is he talking in riddles?

“Ask someone
out,” Luke replied, looking at his feet.

“You’re asking
me out?” My heart thudded.

“Well, yeah. I
think so,” Luke said, biting his lip and giving me an endearing look.

I scratched my
nose, unable to believe what was going on. “You think so or you are?” I asked.

Luke laughed.
“I am, CiCi. You know. A friendly date. Platonically, like you suggested I
should do with Joanna.”

I waved my hand
in the air to stop Luke right there. Maybe I was denser than I thought, but
this wasn’t making sense to me. “Let me make sure I’m hearing this right.
You’re asking me to the gala.” Luke nodded, his eyes not leaving my face. “You
want me to be your platonic date.” Another nod. “Why?”

“Because-
you’re doing something nice for me, CiCi. You’re helping me with my list.”

“But- Luke.
What I’m doing for you- it’s not a big deal!” I said.
Was it?

“It is to me,”
Luke said softly.

“You don’t need
to invite me just because you feel obligated to me,” I told him, suddenly
seeing where he was coming from. He thought he owed me this.

“Trust me, I
don’t. And I’m not.”
Whatever that’s supposed to mean
. “I’m inviting you
because- I think you’re sweet, nice and you deserve a night out on the town.”

“Really?” My
eyes widened till I felt like Bambi.

“Yes. And
someone told me that if I can stand to be around you while you’re helping me
with my list, spending five hours with you at the gala should be easy.”

“And who was
this someone?” I asked. Who else knew about me helping him with his list?

“My doctor,”
Luke replied.

“You confide in
your
doctor?”

And you
refuse therapy? Odd.

“I told him I
didn’t have a date for the gala.”

“And he decided
to tell you to take me?”

You’re the
man, mystery doctor.

Luke nodded.
“Something like that. But- he’s right. Right now, I can’t think of anyone I’d
rather go to the gala with more than you. Seriously. I know it’s weird, but
you’re the only person I think I would have fun hanging with. Maybe the
aneurysm’s screwing with my head, I heard they do that.” Another crooked smile.
Be still my heart.

“Luke?”

“Yeah?” Luke
said. I stretched out my arm.

“Can you pinch
me?”

Luke gave me a
quizzical look. “Um...”

“Please.”

“Okay.” Giving
me a look that said ‘you are strange’, Luke pinched my arm softly.

“Thanks.” I
blinked up at him. “So you really
did
ask me to the gala.”

“Yeah. And I’m
hoping you’ll say yes.”

“Your friends
are going to be there,” I said. Wendy and Joanna and God knows who else. If
they saw me walk in with Luke-
dead Celsiana Sawyer would be.
“What’ll
they say when they see you with me?”

Luke narrowed
his eyes. “You sound like you’re making excuses.”

I shook my head
quickly. “I’m not! But people are going to talk. You know that.”

“I know. So
we’ll give them something to talk about.”

“Wendy and
Joanna are going-,” I started. Luke held up a hand.

“Look. It’s not
about Wendy and Joanna. They have nothing to do with this. I’m asking you to
the gala.” Luke’s voice was firm, even and oh so sexy. “That’s it. You can say
yes or no. If you say yes, I’ll deal with my friend’s questions.”

“And buy me a
coffin after your fan girls kill me.”

“A bright pink
one,” Luke agreed, grinning at me. “But- yeah. All I’m asking of you is to come
with me to the gala. No jokes.”

I couldn’t help
but smile at the hurt look on his face.
He’s so cute when he’s offended.

“I’ll be your
date,” I said, just to be rewarded by that insufferably adorable grin which lit
up his sexy green eyes. “Thanks for asking me.”

He gave me a
one armed hug. “Thanks for saying yes,” he breathed, his lips on my forehead.
“We’ll have fun. Don’t worry.”

Obviously, I
had no idea what was in store for me.

***

“OMG!”

I held my cell
phone away from my ear before I could be deafened by Shazia's uncharacteristic
scream, giggling uncontrollably as I plopped myself onto my rickety bed.
Obviously, Shazia was just about as excited as I was about the news I had just
finished telling her and Robyn about via three-way calling.
Probably even
more
. “OMG, Luke asked you to the gala! I can’t believe it!”

I continued to
giggle at Shazia’s enthusiastic reaction to my good news. Although Luke had
dropped me off about an hour ago, the lone fact that he, of all people, had
asked me, of all people to be his date for the gala still hadn’t sunk in. I
smiled ruefully at the spot where Luke had pinched me while we were still on
top of the Empire State Building. Even though it had faded, it was still a
reminder that I hadn’t been dreaming and Luke had indeed asked me out.
Asked
you to the gala, you mean. As a friend. Don’t forget that.

“I totally knew
he’d ask you,” the ‘unflappable’ Robyn said calmly.

I rolled my
eyes as a riled Shazia exclaimed, “No you didn’t! You were the one who was
fixing him up with Mary or whatever her name is!”

“It’s Meg,”
Robyn said, sounding as though Shazia ought to have remembered the girls name
at least. I glowed. Luke chose me over flirty Meg! “And I did that because I
knew that would push him to ask Celsi.”

I pulled off my
socks, trying to think how Robyn telling Luke to take Meg to the gala made him
take me instead. “How?” I had to ask.
That doesn’t make any sense at all to
me.

“Never mind
how. The important thing is that it worked, didn’t it?” Robyn said airily and I
grinned wryly. Whatever Robyn’s plan was to get Luke to ask me (
if she even
had a plan, which I seriously doubt)
to the gala, it didn’t matter because
I was officially going with him.

Shazia groaned
and I could imagine her punching her pillow. “I can’t believe she’s trying to
take the credit for this! Rob, you’re so shameless!”

“I gave him a
shove in the right direction,” Robyn continued, sounding as smug as ever as
Shazia gave a mock growl.

I shook my head,
a grin on my face as I said, “So I guess I should thank you then,” as Shazia
spluttered wordlessly.

It was supposed
to be sarcastic, but sometimes Robyn just doesn’t get sarcasm. This was one of
the times. “Yeah, you’re welcome,” she said gaily.

“Rob, you are
so lucky you’re nowhere near me right now,” Shazia said threateningly.

In an attempt
to keep things from escalating into a phone brawl (hey, it’s happened before!
Once, Robyn and I fought over our favorite pizza topping), I said, “But guys,
do you think he’s for real?”

Okay, so
avoiding an argument between Shazia and Robyn wasn’t the real reason I changed
the subject. Since Luke dropped me off home (come to think of it, since he
asked me to the gala), I’d been plagued by doubts. Although Luke had (ever so
blithely) said that his friends wouldn’t do anything if he showed up with me,
memories of that day in the penthouse still stuck with me. If Ahmed and Wendy
had torn into me unprovoked, I could only imagine what they would do if I
showed up at the gala, as Luke’s date. Something told me I didn’t want to find
out.

“What do you
mean, is he for real?” Shazia asked.

I shrugged,
feeling stupid just for bringing it up. “Maybe he’s planning something.”

Robyn yawned
loudly. “Planning what?”

Do I need to
spell it out?
“A prank.”

“We’re not in a
Stephen King novel, Celsi,” Shazia giggled.

“And it’s not
like he’s taking you to the prom,” Robyn was quick to add. “It’s just a gala.”

Twisting a
strand of hair around my finger, I huddled under my comforter. It may be ‘just
a gala’ to Robyn, but to me, it was something special
. My very first
prestigious New York City party with Luke Astor as my date.
If he
was
planning something, hopefully it would happen at the end of the gala so I’d
have a chance to have fun first.

“I wish I could
be there to see the look on Joanna’s face when you walk in with Luke,” crowed
Shazia.

I cringed. That
was
not
something I was looking forward to. Because if Joanna still
hooked up with Luke even after
she
had dumped
him
, she probably
still wanted him. Which meant that she might just claw my eyes out before
stringing me over a blazing fire with an apple in my mouth.
Curse my
overactive imagination.

“Thanks for
giving me something new to worry about, Shaz,” I sighed. “Just thinking about
that kinda makes me not wanna go.”

“What?” Shazia
sounded surprised. “Why?”

“Coz I keep
thinking that something will happen.”

“Like what? The
attack of the fangirls?” Shazia snickered.
Great.
Another set of
problems to deal with.

“Like- maybe
Joanna will do something to me,” I said softly, deciding to focus on the
scariest thing for now. Fangirls were bad but a jealous ex was much worse.
“She’s not called the biggest bitch on campus for nothing.”

“She’s a skinny
skank, I could take her,” Robyn said scathingly.

“I’ll go hide
in the bathroom if she gives me the evil eye,” I decided.

“I’m sorry I’m
not going, I would have been your bodyguard,” Shazia offered, sounding wistful.
“With karate chops- take that, Joanna! In your face, Wendy!”

I burst out
laughing, my head hitting the headboard.

“Well, I’ll be
there for you, Celsi. If either Joanna or Wendy starts something, I’ll finish
it,” Robyn said defensively.

Smiling, I
said, “Thanks, Rob.”

Even though she
was probably going to be so wrapped up in Todd that she wouldn’t notice I was
in the same room as her, it was the thought that counted, right?

“Enough of
that, though,” Robyn said dismissively. “What are you going to wear?”

My face froze
in the midst of a jaw stretching yawn. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

“Um-,” I started,
drawing a complete blank. In the excitement of being asked to the gala, I
hadn’t had time to think about one of the most important aspects of a date- the
outfit. What was I going to wear to an event attended by New York’s elite?
Unless my fairy godmother
did
decide to show, I’d be going dressed in a
burlap sack. “Well, I was thinking I could borrow something from you guys,” I
finished lamely.

The only formal
dress I had was the one from my 16th birthday and even then it had been second
hand from my favorite thrift store. I could just picture myself walking into
the Waldorf-Astoria in that dress. Security would run me out of town. Robyn and
Shazia had some nice dresses and since we were pretty much the same sizes
(although I was the taller one amongst us), I was sure I could get something to
wear from them.

“Celsi- you’re
going on a date. With Luke Astor. Wearing one of my old dresses is not the way
to impress the guy,” Robyn said immediately, sounding disgusted that I have
even broached the subject.

I rolled my
eyes. “I don’t want to impress him,” I lied, crossing my fingers. “And I was
thinking of your blue dress, Shaz. The one you wore at your 17th birthday
party.”

“But I wore it
at my 17th birthday party!” Shazia exclaimed. “As in people saw me in it.”

“I don’t mind.”
Shaz’s 17th birthday dress was absolutely gorgeous and I knew it would be
perfect for the gala. Rob and Shaz- they didn’t appear to think so.

“Of course you
don’t,” Robyn screeched. “You’ve never been to one of these things. The ladies
have eyes like hawks and they’re always checking out what you’re wearing.”

I laughed.
Sounds
scary.
“So? It’s not like they’ll ever see me again.”

“That doesn’t
matter!” Robyn sounded ready to pull out her hair. “They’ll talk about it if
you show up in a dress from last season! They always do!”

I sighed. There
was nothing I could do about that. It was either a hand me down or the burlap
sack. I couldn’t afford a brand new, this season dress. I couldn’t even buy
myself a new MetroCard!