Blue Moon by Alyson Noël Page B

all of this time it’s been
me
who’s been worried about disappointing
him
.
    He places his finger under my chin, lifting my face until my lips meet his. And I kiss him back with such fervor, he pulls away and says, “Maybe we should head straight for the Montage instead?”
    â€œOkay,” I murmur, my lips seeking his. Regretting the joke when he pulls away and I see how hopeful he is. “Except that we can’t. Miles will
kill
me if I miss his debut.” I smile, waiting for him to smile too.
    Only he doesn’t. And when he looks at me with his face so drawn and serious, I know I strayed too close to the truth. All of my lives have always ended on this night—the night we’d planned to betogether. And even though I don’t remember the details, he clearly does.
    But then just as quickly his color’s returned and he takes my hand when he says, “Well, lucky for us you’re quite
unkillable
now, so there’s nothing that can keep us apart.”
    Â 
    The first thing I notice as we head for our seats is that Haven’s sitting beside Roman. Taking full advantage of Josh’s absence by pressing her shoulder against his and cocking her head in a way that allows her to gaze up at him adoringly and smile at everything he says. The second thing I notice is that my seat is also beside Roman’s. Only unlike Haven, I’m not at all thrilled. But since Damen’s already claimed the outside seat, and I don’t want to make a big show of moving, I reluctantly sink down onto mine. Feeling the invasive push of Roman’s energy as his eyes peer into mine—his attention so focused on me, I can’t help but squirm.
    I gaze around the mostly full theater, trying to get my mind off of Roman and am relieved when I see Josh heading down the aisle, clad in his usual tight black jeans, studded belt, crisp white shirt, and skinny checkered tie, his arms loaded down with candy and bottles of water as his black swoop of hair flops into his eyes. And I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, seeing how perfect he and Haven are for each other, and I’m thrilled that he’s not been replaced.
    â€œWater?” he asks, plopping onto the seat on Haven’s other side and passing two bottles my way.
    I take one for myself and try to pass the other to Damen, but he just shakes his head and sips his red drink.
    â€œ
Wot
is that?” Roman asks, leaning across me and motioning toward the bottle, his unwelcome touch sending a chill through my skin. “You suck that stuff down like it’s spiked. In which case, share the wealth, mate. Don’t leave us out here in the cold.” He laughs,extending his hand and wiggling his fingers, glancing between us with a dare in his eye.
    And just as I’m about to butt in, fearing that Damen’s so nice he might agree to give Roman a taste, the curtain unfolds and the music begins. And even though Roman gives up and leans back in his seat, his gaze never once wavers from me.
    Â 
    Miles was amazing. So amazing that every now and then I find myself actually focusing on the lines that he speaks and the lyrics he sings, while the rest of the time my mind is preoccupied with the fact that I’m about to lose my virginity—for the very first time—in four hundred years.
    I mean, it’s so amazing to think that out of all of those incarnations, out of all the times we met and fell in love, we never once managed to seal the deal.
    But tonight, all of that changes.
    Everything
changes.
    Tonight we bury the past and move toward the future of our eternal love.
    When the curtain finally closes, we all get up and head for backstage. But just as we reach the back door, I turn to Damen and say, “Damn! We forgot to stop by the store and pick up some flowers for Miles.”
    But Damen just smiles. Shaking his head as he says, “What’re you talking about? We’ve got all the flowers we