100 Days to Live

Eight

I smile and pull out Mom's old wedding dress, holding it up to my body in front of my mirror.

Wouldn't this be cute to wear! I giggle and put it back, grabbing a pink frilly dress (shown above). Much better!

The clock on my phone reads 4:45. Perfect! Just enough time to get ready, and maaaaybe watch a show!

After taking my time to get into my dress, do my hair and put on some basic makeup, my phone starts to ring. 

I pick it up to answer it, a smile upon my face. "Hulloooo?" I chime with a giggle. "Who is it?"

"Are you soon ready, Emma?" James says, his voice sending chills down my spine. 

For  second my heart stops when I realize the time on my phone now reads 6:02. I didn't think it'd be so late already!

"Emma?" He repeats after not hearing a response. "I'm outside the front door."

I freeze and hang up my phone, the dead silence echoing throughout the house. After a moment, I race down the stairs to not keep my date waiting any longer.  

As I'm about to open the door with my finger tips on the cold metal of the doorknob, my phone starts to ring again. I stop to answer it, then open the door. 

"Hellooo?" I answer my phone, my voice ringing out from the occupied space in front of me. "James!"

He extends his arm after hanging up the phone. "Sorry about that, you took a while to answer the door so I thought I'd ring you again to make sure you're actually coming. I, um, bought you these." James hands me a beautiful bouquet of pink flowers. 

My smile lights up my face as I happily take them. "Thank you! They even match my dress!" 

He smiles and extends his hand, leading me towards the car parked along the street. "This way, M'lady." He opens the passenger side door and waits for me to seat myself before closing the door. 

If only Sophia and Maralynn could see me now! They'd be jealous, and proud! 

I quickly whip out my phone to snap a selfie for the gram when I get home later. 

James quickly hops into his seat of the car, both of us fastening our seatbelts. In a quick movement, he starts the car and shifts into gear, driving off. 

"Where would you like to go?" He asks softly, almost as if he doesn't care.

I stop to think for a moment, not really sure. "Oh...I didn't think of that one. What about, oh! Subway!"

He hesitates before answering, trying to think of a decent response. "You remind me of a child sometimes, you know that?"

"James....Subway is in the other direction."

His grip on the steering wheel tightens as his knuckles turn a shade lighter, his jaw tightening as he starts to get visibly upset. He takes a quiet deep breath, relaxing his muscles to not give off any hints of anger. "It's fine. I know a better place. One you'd like more. Have you ever heard of New York Fries? They have absolutely delicious food there."

But...I wanted Subway. 

My shoulders slump in defeat. "I guess that's fine. It's not too far from here, is it? I need to be back before eight." I mutter that last part, not wanting to ruin the fun that may lay ahead on my first date. 

The rest of the drive passes by silently as he speeds down the nearly vacant road, neither of us thinking of something to say. 

He parks the car in an empty parking spot, shutting off the car and stepping out after unbuckling the both of us. 

I'm not a baby, I can do it myself. But it's fine! He's just trying to be nice. It's very kind of him!

I open my door and step out, leaving the bouquet on the seat where my rump was mere moments prior. 

When he takes my side, his cold, bony fingers wrap around my hand in an attempt to show a little affection. 

I smile as we enter the place, the air smelling like fresh, warm gravy and fries. Yum!

We head up to the front to place our orders without saying a word. 

James orders a medium fry as well as a plain hot dog, while I order a large bacon poutine. 

He pays for his and walks off to wait while I awkwardly shuffle around, trying to find my wallet to pay for my food.

After a moment, I realize that I left it on my nightstand. "Hey, um, James...I, um, may have forgotten my wallet?"

He lets out a very audible sigh that catches the attention of many as he grabs out some cash and hands it over to the cashier. "For hers," he says, emotionless, a blank look upon his face. 

I stick my hands in the pockets of my dress, smiling. "Thank you!"

The workers continue to make our food as my stomach growls. "I can't wait! It smells so good!" I look up at James who can't help but crack the tiniest smile. 

They hand us our trays of food with a smile.

We slowly head over to a window table to eat, tucked back in the corner of the place. 

The moment I sit down I start to dig into my fresh fries, covered in hot gravy and melted cheese with sprinkles of bacon and chives.

My fork drops. 

"Emma? You okay?"

A cold, furious gaze is hitched to mine as my heart stops beating, him quickly approaching. 

Smoke exits his ears, his face a dark crimson while his knuckles turns a shade of white I've never seen on a living human before. His footsteps echo throughout the beat down restaurant as he gets closer, and something tells me that he isn't here for food. 

Don't forget to drop a vote, comment, and leave a follow if you enjoy! <3

©Kristalia Raven 🌟