Dressed For Death

CHAPTER 20

JULIETTE

3 weeks later...

Winter finally took place in the city as the snow painted the streets white. It was Christmas Eve and excitement was bubbling in my belly.

I applied a light coat of mascara and finished preparing myself before Hayden would be here to pick me up.

He had this Christmas party with the station and I was his date. When he first told me, I was lowkey panicking because my wardrobe does not have a large quantity of beautiful elegant dresses that would be appropriate for the dress code of this soirée.

I didn't lose time and I went to go shopping for dresses for this party. I finally found the one that matched my complexion perfectly and made me feel beautiful.

The color of the dress is a deep forest green that matched my fair skin and red hair. It hugged my body to all the right places and it had a slit that made it practical to walk with. I loved it and I was almost certain that Hayden would be on his ass when he'll see me.

It's not every day he'll have the pleasure to see me dressed up so nicely. He's habituated to seeing me only in sweatpants and a sweater most of the time, but he never judged me for that. And I hope so because I will always choose comfort over being uncomfortable in overpriced clothes.

My phone buzzed on the counter and I picked up to see that Hayden texted me to say that he was waiting for me outside. I grabbed my coat and walked out of my apartment. When I arrived downstairs, Hayden was blowing his hands, trying to fight the cold air with some heat.

I pushed the door open and walked outside, his gaze snapped to mine and he smiled at me. He opened the passenger door for me and I climbed in. When he climbed back into the car, he grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it.

"You look beautiful, sunshine," He said to me and I looked away from him. His hand got a hold of my chin and forced me to look back at him. I was trying to hide the evident blush on my cheeks when he complimented me, but it never pleased him whenever I did that.

"Don't hide from me, sweetheart" He whispered and I bit my lip in response. He softly brushed my cheek with his fingers and then pushed behind my ear the strands of hair that were slightly hiding my face.

Hayden turned back his attention to driving off to the party while I toyed with the edges of my purse. Anxiety was bubbling inside of me. I never liked big gatherings I loathed them. I never felt like I belonged there. It always made me feel out of place for some reason.

Hayden took my hand in his and rubbed it with his thumb while he continued driving to our destination. The gesture reassured me immensely.

Once we arrived, I got out of the car and Hayden offered me his arm. I grabbed it and we walked together inside. The warmth of the building was very much welcomed.

Hayden took off my coat and gave it to someone. When he turned back around, I could've sworn he stumbled a little bit at the full sight of me in my dress. I blushed even harder than I did in the car.

He walked up to me and didn't hesitate when he grabbed my face and kissed me deeply. My eyes widened before I closed them and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Carefully, butter biscuit, or else you might have some lipstick on your lips" I whispered against his mouth and he chuckled.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take" He responded before he leaned against my ear and whispered "Though I would rather have lipstick elsewhere"