#Chapter 42: The Thrill

Celeste

“A… A date?” I stammered, the words feeling foreign in my mouth.

“Yes,” Matt said, his smile growing, his eyes alight with excitement. “A date. You, me, a nice restaurant. Or maybe a movie? We can just talk and have a nice time. Nothing needs to happen outside of that.”

I frowned, pulling away slightly, my heart aching with conflicting emotions. Matt’s grip on my wrist released, and I slipped out from between him and the wall to broaden the distance between us.

“I don’t know…” I murmured.

“Come on, Mystery Girl,” he said gently, still holding my mother’s necklace in his hand. “You know we had something special at the ball. Don’t you want to explore that a little?”

I swallowed, adjusting my mask on my face. “I do, but… I don’t know. You realize this can’t go anywhere, right?”

Matt said nothing. His face remained stony, determined. It seemed as though he wasn’t backing down.

This was dangerous territory. The logical part of me knew that getting involved with Matt would only lead