Obsessive Love Disorder

19

(A/N - Sooo... I lied! What I had originally planned to be one chapter has turned out to be so long that I'm going to split it in half.

Also... 10 THOUSAND READS??? WHAT THE HELL LMAO??)

October 18, 1996
Billy

I run through my mental checklist for the millionth time tonight.

Blankets? Check.

Pillows? Lots of 'em.

Snacks? Chips, cookies, and candy, all ready to go.

Movies? I cued up The Evil Dead, Candyman, and Poltergeist, plus a few others just in case she doesn't like any of those. 

Standing in my living room, I frantically run around to set everything up for a perfect date. Technically, our first date. Fuck, that just made me even more nervous. It doesn't help that I keep checking the time to see if it's any closer to 7:00. 

6:52

I take a shaky breath and run my hands through my hair. She's probably on her way right now. I made Tatum give her a ride to my house so she wouldn't have to walk. I would've picked her up myself, but I wanted everything to be a surprise. I laugh at myself a bit. The Billy from last year wouldn't have even considered doing all this for a girl, but here I am. 

I run over to a mirror in the front hallway, quickly checking my appearance. My hair is looking pretty good despite how nervous I am. I'm wearing a plain white t-shirt and a checkered red flannel over it, plus a pair of black sweatpants. I tried to choose something cozy just in case Charlotte wants to cuddle or something. Or maybe if she falls asleep on me. 

Oh, man. I hope she falls asleep on me. 

Ding, dong...

It's go time. 

I smile at myself in the mirror in an attempt to calm myself down a bit before walking to the door and pulling it open. 

"Hey- holy shit."

I almost trip over my own feet out of pure shock. 

Out on my front step, shivering in the chilly October air is Charlotte. Not only is she standing there, but she's wearing a dress. And makeup. And her hair has been straightened. And she looks fucking gorgeous. 

"Wha... What's all this?" I ask. She looks down at her feet, hiding a blush. 

"I want to go to homecoming. With you."

I blink a few times. "...Really?"

She nods, running her hands up and down her bare arms to keep herself warm. My eyes trace down the rest of her body, soaking in every stitch and detail.

Fit snugly to her frame is a dusty purple slip dress with black lace on the hem; the thin straps hang loosely on her shoulders, threatening to slide off at any second. It's surprisingly low-cut, which catches me off guard, but I'm pleased nonetheless. She's even wearing heels. Black heels that make her at least two inches taller. 

"It was my mom's," she speaks suddenly, snapping me out of my trance. "I don't really own any dresses, so I borrowed one of hers."

"You..." I can't even finish my sentence. I'm trying to find the best word to use without sounding too vulgar. I could call her hot, but that feels out of character. But she's not beautiful, no, she's much more than beautiful. 

"You're... captivating." 

She smiles one of her rare, genuine smiles. The ones I only ever get to see. It fills me with exhilaration. 

"Can I come in? It's fucking freezing."

"Oh! Oh, shit, yeah. Sorry!" I open the door a bit wider, inviting her inside and shaking off my stupor. She walks easily in her shoes, striding into the front hallway and looking around at the decor. I feel like a dick, but I can't help but stare at her ass in that dress. The combination of the fit of the fabric and the lift the heels provide... goddamn. 

"So... you want to go to the dance? What changed your mind?" I ask sheepishly, shoving my hands into my pockets as I follow her into the living room.

She turns around and grins nervously. "I just... wanted to. After all the nice things you've been doing for me, I wanted to do the same. I know you wanted to go, so I'm going to suck it up and put my anxiousness aside for tonight."

I briskly walk over and hug her as tightly as possible, rocking back and forth and planting small kisses along her neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She laughs and squeezes back, her small hands running up my back. 

"I feel slightly overdressed, though."

I jump back, smacking my forehead. "Fuck! I-I have a suit, I promise," I ramble, throwing my flannel off and running to the stairs. "It's my old church suit."

Her sweet laughter fades as I run into my room and throw open the doors to my closet, rifling through the clothes until I find a white button-up, black dress pants, and a tie. Luckily, I have one that almost matches her dress, which I'm sure she'll get a big kick out of. I throw the outfit on at the speed of light, spray on a bit of cologne, and sprint back down the stairs. 

I see Charlotte in the living room, smiling at the pillows and blankets I had laid out. "We can still watch movies and make a fort after the dance if you want," I offer, coming up behind her and running my fingers through her silky hair. She chuckles and turns around, eyes immediately landing on my tie. "Nice touch," she says, "And yeah. I'd like that a lot."

Suddenly, a loud honk is heard from the front of the house. Charlotte rolls her eyes and tugs my sleeve toward the door. "C'mon, Tatum and Stu gave me a ride over here. I guess they're getting antsy."

I laugh, quickly reaching and grabbing my red flannel off of the back of the couch where I had tossed it. I wrap it around Charlotte's shoulders, throwing her a wink. "Don't want you to die of hypothermia. Plus," I explain, "I'm sure you'd feel a bit more comfortable in something baggier like you usually wear."

The look in her eyes makes my heart leap out of my chest. Gratefulness, admiration, adoration. She looks at me like I'm her entire world. 

I hope she realizes that I always look at her the same way. 

I see Tatum's car parked on the street, headlights blaring over the dark street. I wrap an arm around Charlotte's shoulders and kiss her cheek delicately. "Are you ready?"

She breathes deeply and meets my gaze, eyes sparkling in the night like stars. 

"Ready as I'll ever be."