I can't watch them anymore. It doesn't matter if we aren't together, there's only one person Elliot is supposed to be with, and it isn't him. Reaching into the pocket of my jacket, I pull out the flask Oliver gave me earlier. He said I would need it and he was right—again.

After taking a long pull, I twist the cap back on. Oliver nudges my shoulder with his. "You cool?"

I shake my head. "Not really." I hold the flask up so he can see before tucking it back in my jacket.

His eyes drift to the dance floor where Elliot and Judah appear to be in an intimate embrace. "It's almost over, man. They're about to announce the queen."

My teeth clench as I continue to stare at what should be mine. I want all of her moments, not just the ones nobody sees. "I don't care," I say suddenly.

He raises an eyebrow as I hand the flask to him. "I have to get out of here." I look back to the dance floor again, and her eyes meet mine before I turn back to Oliver. "Cover for me, okay?"

Oliver grips the flask in his hand, his eyes narrowing. "You're really going to leave?"

I glance at Elliot and then back to him. "Please, Oliver."

"Okay," he says, uncertainty in his tone.

I shoulder past him before I can change my mind. It feels like I hold my breath until I reach the hallway right outside of the ballroom. I take deep breaths and pace around with my hands clasped on top of my head.

Is it wrong for me to want to leave before it ends? I know I told her it was over and she should move on, but it doesn't mean I have to watch it anymore. My hand reaches in my pocket, and I grip my keys. With one last glance at the doors I turn around and walk straight to the parking lot.

***

I drive to my apartment in silence. After all the music blaring from the dance, a little quiet is in order. Before getting out of my truck, I lean over and grab the six pack I got at the convenience store on the way here.

Sitting on the tailgate, I crack the first bottle. The way this night is going I'm sure there will be many. No matter how hard I try, my thoughts keep going back to her. Oliver was right yet again, whether I'm there or not, I'm still going to think about it.

I'm working on the second bottle when Oliver's truck pulls into the lot. I laugh because he must have bailed, too. I smile as I wait for him to get out of the truck. All the air escapes my lungs when Elliot does instead.

She walks over to me with her dress bunched in her left hand, her crown still on top of her head.

I nod to it as she stops in front of me. "Congratulations." I tip my beer to her before tilting it back. "But the dance isn't over yet."

"I know," she says softly.

"Then what are you doing here?" The sarcasm lacing my voice is unintentional, but I keep going anyway. Seeing her with Judah is something I'll never get used to, and maybe I carried some of that bitterness with me. "This is your prom. You only get one of them."

She smiles, but it's so painfully sad my own heart twitches. "I had to tell you something."

My stomach begins to twist up again. "And what's that?"

She takes a breath, stepping closer. "I came to tell you I don't care anymore."

That's when my heart completely stops. I clutch my chest to make sure it's still in there and am surprised to find it beating erratically against my palm. I swallow hard. "I get that."

She shakes her head, smiling a little more. I raise an eyebrow when she walks even closer. "I don't care if you think you're not good for me, because I know you are. I know I've spent every moment since you've been gone thinking of ways to change to your mind about us."

The heaviness increases with each word to the point where it's crushing me from the inside out. "Elle—"

She steps in front of me and places her hand on my knee. "Just let me say this first, okay?"

I nod.

"All I could think about since this day began was how important everyone thinks it is. It's like all of your high school memories come down to this one night, and everyone wants to hear your story." She takes a breath and then smiles a little. "Do you want to know what I want my story to be?"

I nod, slower this time.

"One day when someone asks me how my prom was I want to be able to tell them I had the perfect dress, the perfect date, and at the end of the night I had my last dance with the person I love."

I swallow the lump in my throat. "But that won't be true, will it? You basically sacrificed everything you've been looking forward to just to be with me, and I've been acting like a jerk the entire time."

"That's not true." She moves between my legs and pulls the bottle from my hand and sets it down beside me. "For the first time in my life I listened to my heart, and I'll never regret that." She laces her hand with mine and pulls me off the tailgate. "So, what do you say—will you dance with me?"

Elliot nods her head to the empty parking space between our vehicles, and I laugh. "Right here?"

"Yeah, there's still time. It's not over yet."

She bites down on her bottom lip while she waits for my answer. I hold up a finger before reaching inside my truck to switch on the radio. I flip through the stations until I find a slow one and turn the volume up enough to hear it. Neither of us even know the song, but I don't think that's what matters.

As we move together in small circles on the pavement, I think about my future and how I can't picture it without her. She remains quiet in my arms and then she presses her head into the crook of my neck.

"Don't leave," she whispers.

When I don't reply, she lifts her head and searches my face. I gently place my hand on the side of hers. "I wanted to do the right thing for once, but I don't think that I can. I can't leave here knowing I left behind the one person in this world I can't live without." I lean down and kiss her once. "I love you, Elliot. I'm not going anywhere."

The smile that breaks across her face melts away all of the rest of the doubt still lingering inside of me. How can something that is supposedly so wrong feel so amazing? She doesn't give me an answer and she doesn't have to. Being apart was never the solution, and I think we both knew that. I'm just lucky she was strong enough to show me.

***

Graduation day holds a much deeper meaning for me than prom did. This actually signifies we can finally be together, and nobody can hold it over our heads anymore. When I watched Elliot walk across the stage earlier today, I felt relief. There were so many times over the past year I thought we weren't going to make it, and somehow, we remained strong. The bond we have is stronger than all of the obstacles that stood in our way and now we get to just—live.

I watch her load the last bag into my truck and it makes me smile. Although I insisted she attend the graduation party this evening, she convinced me to spend it at her family's lake house instead. To be honest, it didn't take much convincing.

"I think that's everything," she says with a smile, walking over to me. Her arms wrap around my neck, and she kisses me once. "We have the whole weekend to ourselves."

I run my hands up and down her sides before kissing her again. "You have no idea how good that sounds."

"Oh, I think I do," she says against my lips.

"Hey lovebirds," Oliver calls from the side door as he steps outside. "Don't leave yet."

He jogs over to us, and I let out a sigh causing Elliot to pinch my side.

"Ollie, we're kind of busy right now," I say in frustration.

His face scrunches up as he takes in our current position. "I can see that." He gives a shrug. "I guess it's something I'll have to get used to. I could think of worse things than being able to spend more time with the two people I love the most in this world."

Elliot's mouth drops open, and I pull my hand up to my heart. "Ollie, you love me?"

He scoffs and shoves me in the arm. "You know what I mean, asshole. I'm just saying it makes me happy you both are so happy."

Elliot narrows her eyes at him. "Oliver, are you on drugs?"

He laughs loudly, tossing his head back. "Um, no, actually. Over the past few months I've unwillingly been a part of this whole charade, and it made me realize how much you two actually love each other." He pauses, a smile hinting on his lips. "It made me think maybe that's not so bad."

"Love?" Elliot asks skeptically.

Oliver shrugs, but then he winks at her. "Yeah, well—you know for other people."

She gives him a knowing smile. "You'll never change."

He winks back at her. "And I have the testimony of countless women who thank me for it."

His insistence on playing the field can't last forever. I'm willing to bet one day soon he really will change his mind, and I'll be more than willing to help him through it.

***

After spending the majority of the evening in the bedroom, Elliot and I decide it's time for the fresh air. We grab a blanket and share a lounge chair down by the dock. I wrap my arms tighter around her from behind. "You cold, baby?"

She turns her head and presses her lips to mine. "No, I feel perfect."

Perfect. I couldn't think of a better word to describe how I feel right now. I smile and then lean down to speak close to her ear. "You know, I was thinking about what I want my story to be, too."

Elliot twists herself around so she's facing me. "Oh yeah? I'd love to hear it."

"Well," I begin, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I would want to tell them when I was at the lowest point of my life I fell in love with a girl who gave me her whole heart even though I'm not sure I deserved it."

Her face scrunches up, and I put my finger to her lips. "Let me finish," I say with a laugh.

She gives me a look to continue, so I do. "And I would want to tell them that despite all of our attempts to destroy each other, it only made us stronger."

There's a tear in the corner of her eye, so I brush it away and kiss her softly. I pull back and hold her eyes with mine. "But most of all, I would want to tell them that even though the journey we had to take to get here wasn't always pretty—in the end, it was beautiful."