Real-ish

Let The Ruse Begin

Damian~

I am currently sitting in Grayson's car, listening to Cora and Grayson loudly sing the words to some song I don't know the name of.

Cora isn't bad, but they're both very loud. Drake and Todd appear to share in my sentiment. I smirk when the two have to cover their ears at a particularly high note.

"Oooooh! We're halfway Theeeere! WHOA! LIVIN' ON A PRAYER!"

I can't help when that smirk turns into a smile at how happy Cora is. I see Father smirk at me from the rearview mirror. He agreed to drive us all to the mall, though I don't believe even he anticipated the singing.

We arrive just as the song ends, and I snicker as Drake and Todd scramble out of the vehicle. I gladly exit the car, Cora following behind me.

I realize that we never discussed boundaries for public outings, but since we're in public that means that we should be romantic, right?

I've never been in a relationship before. How does one even act in a relationship? I don't exactly have the best role models. Father is a playboy, Grayson is the same, and the other two imbeciles are too caught up in themselves to know anything about a healthy relationship.

How would I even bring this up with her? All I want to do is make it real. I don't want her to act, to force herself. I know I certainly won't be. I suppose this allows me to say what I feel. Maybe she'll even dance with me at the gala if I gain the courage to ask.

I glance to my side where Cora has been walking quietly. She seems just as lost in thought as I am, though I'm not sure if it's over the same thing.

As the mall doors get closer I realize that we should probably get on the same page. I clear my throat around the awkward lump there.

"Hey, Dami," She pipes up, and I give her my full attention. "Um, we're going to be in public and I know it's a little soon and you totally don't have to act any differently than usual. I was just wondering if we should, like, hold hands or something." She rambles, her face flushed red. It seems we're on the same page after all.

I smile at her nerves, feeling relieved that I'm not the only one of us who's a little awkward.

"May I have the honor?" I ask, forcing my tone to be light. I hold out my hand, bowing slightly. She giggles, placing her hand in mine.

I hold her hand gently so that if she needs or wants to pull away she can. I rub my thumb over her hand like I've done several times before, and I watch her shoulders relax, her stride getting much more confident. It's an amazing sight.

We walk through the mall doors. I get hit with the usual mall smell, the food court, the scent of too many people in one place, and the perfume shop nearby. I can already feel a headache forming.

"Wow, it's so big. Where do we even start?" I hear Cora speak, not to anyone in particular. I smile at her wonder. I suppose she wouldn't have gotten to visit a mall very often when she lived in a small town.

"Let's go to Juniper first, then we can search for other dress stores with more options if you need them," I advise.

"Sounds like a plan, lead the way." She says casually. I like when she's casual. She has a certain kind of smile that just barely curls her lips.

I gently lead her around the mall, watching my family disperse to other areas of the mall. I also notice the amount of attention we're getting. I'm used to it because I've been doing this for a couple of years now. Still, I have hope that Cora won't notice.

I spot the store we're looking for and lightly tug Cora in its direction. It's not too busy right now, with only 2 people browsing. Perfect.

As we walk through the doors Cora looks around at all the dresses. She stops dead in her tracks before gripping my arm tightly. She then turns to me, a small amount of genuine fear in her eyes.