Riley's POV
The music slows around us as we remain wrapped in each other's embrace, following Caleb's earlier request to stay close for countless songs. When the principal's voice crackles through the speakers, calling all homecoming court members to the stage, I feel a firm hand grasp my lower back. Mason appears beside me just as Caleb presses his lips to my forehead and reluctantly joins Silas and Ryan, a football player whose name I barely remember, on their way to the stage. Stella and her pack of followers glide to the opposite side, their practiced smiles gleaming under the gymnasium lights. I watch Stella's desperate attempts to catch Caleb's attention, but his gaze never wavers from mine, that familiar smile playing on his lips.
