"Just Friends?"

Chapter 17

BRANDI'S POV

I'm sitting on my bed wrapped in a towel watching Netflix on my phone, I'm on the fourth season of Grey's Anatomy and it's pretty intense. Dylan said he'd be back soon, but that was like an hour and a half ago. It is now 5:45 and so far all I've done is sleep and shower. I decide to get dressed and go downstairs, maybe Dylan is down there with the parents.

He's not in the kitchen or living room so I decide to go look on the back patio, not there either. What the hell Dylan! I'm walking up the stairs, when the doorbell rings. I walk back down and open the door. There's no one there, really I'm not in the mood for ding song ditch right now. I'm about to close the door but I notice the pink bag on the welcome mat. I crouch down and open it up, there's a note.

"Hey beautiful-
Do me a favor and get ready, put this on and be ready by eight. I'll be back at 8:05 to pick you up. I love you baby girl.
Love, Dylan"

I set the bag on the kitchen counter to check out my outfit of the night. It's a beautiful one shoulder, knee length, lavender dress. There's also a pair of white strappy sandals at the bottom of the bag. I put the dress against my body and sway back and fourth. My mom comes out of her room and pauses.

"That's a pretty dress. Where'd you get it?" She is smiling ear to ear, this is the most I've dressed up in months. I had no reason to dress up, I was always with Dylan at the movies or my house. Sometimes we went to parties but not the kind you wear fancy dresses to.

"Dylan bought it." I grabbed the note and handed it to her. I put the dress down and grabbed a water. "Will you help me get ready?" I ask, I know it's what she wants.

"Of course I will, I didn't really want to go to the country club another night anyways." She gleams.

Katy comes out of her room, "what's going on out here?" She walks over and stares at the dress. "Oh sweetie, that's beautiful. Where'd you get it?"

"Dylan got it for her." My mom speaks for me.

"My Dylan? No way." She can't believe it, then it hits her she was right. He treats me better than any girl he's ever been with. "I knew all those times I drug him to go dress shopping with me would pay off." We all laugh.

"We need to get you ready, you have two hours. Run upstairs and plug the curling iron in." My mom sends me up the stairs.

Katy yells up the stairs, "I wanna help!"

"C'mon Katy!" I shout back. Before I finish she's running up the stairs to help my mom get me ready.

My hair is curled, my legs are shaved, my makeup is done, I brushed my teeth, and I put deodorant on. It's time to put the dress on. I slip it on and it couldn't fit any more perfectly. My mom comes over to zip it up and push the inside ruffles down so it's not proofing out. Just as I finish slipping my sandals on, the doorbell rings. My mom and Katy go down to let Dylan in.

I walk down the stairs and it's like one of those cliché movies, Dylan turns around and stares at me with his big brown eyes. He looks so handsome, he's in a lavender suit shirt, tucked into his black slacks, with a black tie around his neck. He holds out a hand for me as I reach the bottom step. I ignore the flashes coming from my parents' cameras as he twirls me around. I let my mom snap all the pictures she wants before she lets us leave for our dinner reservations.

As soon as the door closes behind us, Dylan pulls me into a tight hug. I wrap my arms around his torso and bury my face into his collar. He wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me onto my tippy toes, then buries his face in my neck.

"You're so beautiful." His cold breath against my neck sends shivers down my spine.

I smile at his sweet gestures, "I love you."

"I love you." He breathes into my neck again.

He interlocks his arm with mine and walks me down to the car where he opens my door, then shuts it behind me before running over to the driver side.

This is going to be a night I will always remember.