Who She Is

~53~

Alyx's outfit and hair and the bouquet he gets her^

(It's October 26th! Amaya's birthday! Happy birthday to a character I've worked hard on creating. I take full credit for her, even when she's not exactly our favorite. I'm so glad I brought her and my story to life. She's not 'real', yet she inspires me. Also I'm soooo excited for y'all to read this chapter!! I worked super hard on it, so let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!!)

Alyx's POV

When I get home, only my mom's personal car is in the driveway. She must be at work. I text her to make sure she remembered to put me on her insurance, to which she replied she did.

I want to hurry and get ready, so I can leave a little early and maybe get her some flowers. I don't even know if she likes flowers, or if she's allergic to a certain kind. A quick text wouldn't hurt.

'Random question. Are you allergic to anything?'

'No.' I read with a sigh of relief. Good. 'Also, I'm at Elaine's, so pick me up here.'

'Okay. I'll see you later.'

I wonder what her favorite flower is. Maybe I'll get a different variety bouquet. Yeah, that should work. I decided to take her bowling, and then I'd take her to get ice cream. Fuck, I hope she likes ice cream. I don't know her at all, and I hate it. I'm just trying to keep it simple like she asked, but I don't know if she's going to like any of this. She might not even like bowling. I'm just going to try to remain optimistic about this.

I quickly throw my clothes off and turn the shower on. I make sure to be squeaky clean before climbing out and drying off. I rush into my bedroom to get dressed. I throw on a navy blue button down that still looks casual and roll the sleeves up some. I throw a pair of jeans on with some white shoes. I quickly tie the laces and grab a jacket even though it's a little warmer today than it has been all week. I spray a few spritz of the cologne Amaya likes on me.

I grab the wallet my mom bought me last Christmas and put my license in it. I grab the money I've been saving for this day from my dresser drawer and shove it in the wallet, too. I put it in my back pocket and head to the bathroom again. I brush my teeth and run my brush through my hair. I decide to style it a little different and run some gel through it. I scrunch my fingers in it, creating a curly look. Not bad. She did like when my hair was wavy the other day, so maybe she'll like it.

I take a deep breath and look at myself in the mirror. 'You got this, Alyx,' my inner monologue tells me. 'You don't have to be so nervous. You've hung out with her plenty of times. Just don't do anything to make a fool of yourself, and everything should go well. You just need to manage convincing her to be yours. Don't fuck it up with your awkwardness. No pressure, though.' I shake the thoughts away. I pull my phone out to check the clock. It's time.

I rush downstairs to see Mom setting her stuff down on the counter. I must not have heard the door shut when my thoughts were too busy harassing me. Her eyes flash up to mine when she notices me.

A big grin stretches across her face. "Aww, my baby looks so handsome. Come here." She starts walking toward me with her arms stretched out. She wraps her arms around me, pulling me in a hug. I let a playful groan out but return the hug. She pulls back and says, "And I can definitely tell you put some cologne on."

"Did I overdo it?" I ask, grabbing my shirt.

"No, it smells nice. And look at your hair. I can tell you really like her. I can't believe you're going on your first date. You grew up so fast." She looks like she's about to cry.

"Mom-"

"I'm okay! I'm fine." She rubs her forefinger under her eye, gathering the tears that were about to fall. "I want a picture."