𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 - 𝐑𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦 𝐎𝐂

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐲

The dance is in a few hours but I'm still not ready and I'm freaking out! What if he doesn't like my dress or he stands me up. No, Rowan wouldn't do that. He's not like the others.

I'm sitting in Enid's dorm watching her get ready. I wish I had her confidence. She always knows what to say and finds it easy to get people to like her. Me on the other hand, if I could I back away into a dark corner where no one can see me and live there for the rest of my life I would be thrilled.

"Val? When are you going to get ready?" She turns around, careful not to burn her hand on her curlers.

"Five minutes, I'm doing something right now." My hands scribble answers on English homework I forgot to do the night before.

"Wait, was that homework not due for today?" Enid speaks to me in the mirror.

"...Maybe." I sheepishly move the homework to the other side of myself as she giggles.

*

"Enid, Which shoes?" I hold up a pair of white heels and another pair of beige heels. She squints her eyes and studies each shoe.

"Hmm... White." Enid claps her hands and walks off.

"You sure?!" I shout towards her.

"Positive!" She doesn't look back but instead continues walking.

*

Maybe this was a bad idea. What if he's gonna stand me up? What if I embarrass myself horribly? What if I trip and accidently send someone flying into a wall?! I can't do this. I pace back and forth quietly across the quad just before Rowan shows up. He looks nervous. More nervous than me maybe.

"Hey, you um- you look uh..." His face is filling up with the colour red, "...gorgeous..."

"Thank you, so do you. Should we go now?" My heart is jumping up and down. My stomach is doing somersaults. But somehow, miraculously it hasn't showed up on my face... Yet.

"Sure." I take his hand and we walk in silence towards the dance. It's not an awkward silence but instead a beautiful silence. Almost like the silence before a movie starts and the lights dim. It's filled with anticipation and wonder of what's going to happen now. We reach the doors to the dance and stop to look around when something catches my eye.

"Oh. My. God." I clasp my mouth with the palm of my hand.

"What? What's wrong?" Rowan gets a look of worry on his face.

"Look at that table." I point towards the food table and snap my fingers multiple times.

"What about it?" He looks confused and shrugs his shoulders.

"They have Iron Brew that's what!" I excitedly shake my hands in the air.

"They have wha-" Before he can finish his sentence I pull him towards the table and hurriedly pour 2 cups full of the fizzy orange drink.

"Here! Try it!" I push a cup into his hand and we drink in unison.

"I mean," He pauses to take another sip, "it's alright like."

"Alright, Rowan?! It's more than alright and I'll tell you that for nothing!" He doesn't react. He just stares at me. It's not a bad stare, more like the stare you give someone if you just fell in love with them. Oh. Shit. He just gave me that in love stare. Oh. My. Days. I bite my lip. "Rowan?"