January Dreams by Carrigan Richards (best fiction books of all time txt) 📕

doing? I’m a terrible person. I can’t tell Vincent about this. I want to cry and bury my face. Vincent doesn’t deserve me.

But no matter what I do, I can’t stop thinking about that kiss. It moved me like nothing ever has. It felt real. Right. The cruel wanting that has plagued me for months was filled. For a fleeting moment, I wish I was going to the prom with Casper. I can’t hurt Vincent. I can’t do this to him. It would crush him.

The night of the masquerade ball, I’m beginning to give up hope. I’ve been looking for the Jewel for six months and still, nothing. Even if I had the Jewel, how can I run back to the Elves? I have no idea where they are located. I will proudly die in their honor, but I have no Jewel to give them.

The music plays and I push my way through the masked people. Gold, glittery masks, silver ones, green, purple, blue. Every color imaginable. The dresses are intricate designs and big and long. Mine is white with heavy black and silver beads covering it. My hair is pulled up save for three curls that lie against my collarbone and I’m wearing a light blue and silver half mask with an elaborate design made from crystals.

Vincent has business to attend so I am left to wander around. He always has some kind of business lately and I fear another war will develop and he will leave me. I feel as if I don’t know these people, yet they are my kind. I’ve always been with them.

I feel a hand softly take mine and I turn. A man with a gold mask that covers his entire face except for his lips looks down at me. I meet his brown eyes and his blond hair comes just over the top of the mask. He has an angular jaw.

“May I have this dance?” he asks, kissing my hand. Something about his smooth voice is familiar to me. And his eyes…

“Yes.”

With a smile, he draws me close against his body and holds one hand at the small of my back and the other holding my hand up. Flashes of color whirl all around us, but I am glued to the brown eyes in front of me. They look at me with such desire and passion that it makes my heart flutter and my breath hold in my lungs.

We move rhythmically among the crowd, all while we gaze in each other’s eyes.

“You seem familiar,” I tell him.

He leans down and I feel his breath near my ear. I swallow hard. “I found you,” he whispers. “You’re safe, now.”

I draw in a deep breath and my heart pounds beneath my chest. The music seems to fade. The mindless chatter is lost in the air. The dancing people appear to pause. Casper. I want to scream his name. Wrap my arms around him. Pull him closer to me and kiss him. Give him my all. How is this possible? All this time, I thought he was dead, but here he stands, holding me, touching me.

Chapter Forty-Four

“I should probably choose a different color if I’m wearing a red dress, huh?” Cherry asks, holding up a florescent pink nail polish bottle.

“Sure.”

We’re at the nail salon for the start of our girl’s primping day since prom is tonight. My mind is elsewhere. Thinking of Casper’s lips on mine. The dream. My heart hasn’t calmed down since yesterday.

“Are you even listening to me?”

I turn and look at her. “Sorry. You should get a French manicure,” I say, then wince. My dreams take place in France. Why did I have to say French?

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Why?”

She cocks an eyebrow. “You’re the worst liar.”

We pick our colors and they set us up in the massage chairs. My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I can’t answer it. I don’t want to either. I don’t want it to be Casper, yet I do. I’m such a terrible person.

“Are you gonna spill the beans? You’re about to chew a hole in your lip.”

I stop biting my lip. “Sorry. I can’t believe we’re going to prom tonight.”

“I know. I thought for sure I’d go to my senior prom, but junior? I always thought it was a pipe dream. But here we are.” She squeals. “I can’t believe our junior year is almost over.”

“It’s strange.”

“Next year, we’re going to make it awesome. You, Vincent or Casper, Luke, and me will have so much fun. Oh! We should totally go to the beach house this summer.”

“Yeah.”

Beach house with Casper sounds amazing. Ugh. I need to stop.

“How did you convince your parents to let you out tonight?”

“I have be home by ten.”

She gasps. “What! Do they think things like that can only happen late at night? This is prom! Ugh.”

“Mom’s overprotective. She also doesn’t want me to have sex. She thinks if we go to dinner, then prom, then go home, we won’t have time.”

“Oh, you can make time.” She gives a wicked grin.

I roll my eyes. I was supposed to take the next level with Vincent tonight. Butterflies swarm inside my stomach. I feel their wings fluttering throughout my entire body. I try focusing on the lady filing my nails, but all I can think of is Casper soft lips on mine.

“Whoa. Are you okay? You look a little sick.”

“I’m fine.”

She lets out a frustrated sigh. “Tell me what’s up.”

“Casper kissed me,” I blurt.

She gasps again. “Oh. My. God.” We sit in silence for a moment. “When? How was it? What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know!” My vision blurs. “It was yesterday. I can’t stop thinking about it. Or him. Cherry, I’m in love with him.”

“Oh wow.”

“I have