Chapter 269: Penny
The air outside the theater is cold, but I barely feel it. Glitter clings to my skin, my cheeks ache from
smiling, and the adrenaline still pulses like a second heartbeat under my skin. Everything feels
louder–brighter–like the world’s volume got turned up and hasn’t figured out how to settle yet. Everyone’s still here, still buzzing, still talking over each other and hugging and laughing, and I’m
just standing in the middle of it all, floating.
That’s when my mom reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “We made a reservation,” she says gently, as if she’s afraid to push too hard. “Just in case. At your favorite sushi place. We know it’s late and if you’d rather go home—”
I don’t let her finish. “Are you kidding?” I laugh, then throw my arms around her. “I earned sushi
tonight.”
Her eyes light up and my dad throws his hands in the air like a touchdown. Mila whoops. Boomer claps. Max starts rambling about eel rolls and champagne. We all break into motion like dominoes, each heading for their own cars, still giddy from the night. I slide into Asher’s car last, shutting the door with a soft click, my body sagging into the seat with the full weight of the night finally sinking
into my bones. My feet are sore and my muscles ache in that delicious, used–up way, but I can’t stop
grinning.
Asher’s hand finds my thigh the moment he pulls onto the road. I glance over and he’s watching me, his expression a kind of soft I only ever get to see.
“You good?” he asks, voice low over the hum of the car.
I nod. “I feel like I’m glowing.”
He smirks and doesn’t look away. “You are.”
I roll my eyes but smile, heart warm and fluttering in my chest. We drive through the city, windows
cracked for the cool breeze. Every red light bathes the car in a soft red glow, and every glance he
throws my way feels like another reason I want to keep tonight frozen in amber,
The restaurant is quiet when we arrive, but they’ve kept a private table waiting just for us. The staff
rush to rearrange things when they see how many of us there are, pushing tables together with clumsy excitement. I smell soy and sesame and fried tempura the second I step inside and my
stomach growls in protest. Asher places a hand on the small of my back as we walk in, guiding me through the narrow space like I’m breakable glass.
The waiter stops mid–step when he sees me. His eyes go wide. “Wait,” he breathes, looking between me and the rest of our group. “Are you–were you just-”
“Penelope Vales,” Mila says, smiling way to much. “Yeah.”
Chapter 269: Penny
“I was there,” he blurts. “The gala. You were…” His jaw drops slightly. “You were incredible.”
I thank him, laughing softly. He smiles shyly back, but before he can say another word, I feel Asher stiffen behind me. And on my other side, Boomer subtly steps closer.
The poor waiter flicks his eyes from Asher’s cold expression to Boomer’s deadpan stare and practically jumps. “I–I’ll just get your menus,” he stammers and vanishes into the kitchen like he’s afraid of getting tackled.
Asher doesn’t say a word. Just slides into the seat beside me, placing his hand back on my thigh like a silent claim.
I elbow him gently. “You scared him.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to.”
He just shrugs, completely unapologetic. “He looked like he wanted to marry you.”
“Because I danced well.”
“Still.”
Everyone starts ordering, the table breaking into little conversations and bursts of laughter. The waiter comes back more composed and jots everything down quickly, avoiding eye contact with Asher like he’s facing down a military inspection.
The food comes fast and in waves. There’s miso soup that smells like warmth and comfort, edamame tossed with coarse sea salt that we eat by the handful. Boards of fresh sashimi–pink slices of salmon, pale buttery yellowtail, ruby–red tuna. Spicy tuna rolls drizzled in aioli, eel brushed with
sweet soy glaze, crunchy tempura rolls with avocado and cream cheese melting inside. There’s tamago that tastes like fluffy sugar clouds and dumplings pan–seared to perfection.
The warmth of the sake spreads through the group like wildfire, and my dad insists on a toast. He raises his little porcelain cup and says, “To Penny. For not only chasing her dream, but catching it and dragging it center stage.” Everyone clinks glasses and echoes him. I press my hand over my mouth to keep from crying again.
Throughout it all, Asher stays close, hand lingering on my knee under the table, gaze always on me
when I laugh, or eat, or tell a story about the rehearsal. He listens like I’m the only voice in the
room. He brushes a piece of rice off my lip with the pad of his thumb and smiles when I blush.
Across the table, Mila leans into Boomer’s shoulder, their conversation low and intimate. Max has stolen Piper’s gyoza and is pretending it’s his. Rooster is deep in argument with Anna about whether shrimp tempura counts as a real shrimp dish. Asher’s parents talk quietly with mine, exchanging
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Chapter 269: Penny
stories and laughter like they’ve known each other forever.
And somewhere in the chaos of it all, I realize: this is family.
This is what it feels like to be loved from all sides.
Dessert arrives late but no one minds. There’s mochi in every flavor and a surprise chocolate lava cake that my dad insisted on adding. Everyone sings–not well–and I cover my face while they clap. Madame Loretto appears out of nowhere just as we’re served the last bit of sweets, eyes narrowed. She mutters, “Don’t let them give you a big head, child,” before handing me a tiny velvet box with a pair of pearl earrings tucked inside. “These were given to me after my first big show. You are and have always been one of my best students, Penny. And tonight you made me proud.”
I hug her with tears in my eyes. She grunts but lets me.
Eventually, we all begin to say goodnight, full and buzzing with sugar and salt and love. Asher stands behind me as I hug each person one more time, his hand brushing up and down my back like he can tell I’m starting to drift.
He leans down and whispers against my temple, “Ready to go home, princess?”
And I nod, my heart already racing.
Because there’s one part of the night still left to unfold.
And I want to live every second of it–right next to him.
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