Doing The Dance (Jackson Avery Fanfic)

twenty-three

I know this is advertised as a Jackson Avery fanfic, and honestly, I didn't think I'd get this far before getting them together but this setup is necessary for what's to come. I haven't run out of steam on it yet, so don't lose hope! It's coming and soon

2015

"You ready to go?" Luke asked me as he entered the locker room, only a minute after I had. In response, I turned and punched him in the arm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"The entire hospital knows what we're doing tonight, thanks to you!" He chuckled.

"We're going out to dinner Tay, that's it"

"On a date" His grin made me roll my eyes.

"So it's a date to you too?"

"You're an ass"

"An ass that's taking you on a date" To prove his point, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I chuckled and pushed it off, finally spotting the bag he had packed for me that morning.

"This better not be some skimpy dress. It's 15º outside" He rolled his eyes.

"You have a coat for a reason. Go get changed, I'll meet you out here once we're both done. And don't even think about running" I chuckled and took the closed bag to the ladies' bathroom to get dressed. I pulled out a deep red wine-colored dress and held my breath as I ran the material through my hands.

I knew this dress, and I knew it well. I'd held onto it for years but to be completely honest, I hadn't worn it in a long time. It was a dress older than my cancer. I think the last time I had worn it was at my high school graduation. It was a dress that my foster mother had bought for me before she died. This was a dress belonging to a girl I didn't even know anymore.

Luke can't have known. He was given full access to my closet to pick something out and I had foolishly forgotten about this one. Because now I had to wear it with chemo hair and no boobs. I was only afraid once I put it on that all I'd be able to think about was the girl I used to be.

I swallowed the tears that formed and pulled the dress onto my body, facing away from the mirror until it was zipped and I was wearing the heels Luke had picked out. These ones made me smirk. They were a pair I had once danced in and I had to admit, they paired really well with the dress. I took a deep breath and turned to look at myself.

"Oh wow" I breathed. This was the moment I needed because when I looked in the mirror all I saw was me. I didn't see the girl who used to own this dress. My own ability to grow as an adult from eighteen until now meant the dress filled out in ways I didn't need breasts to do, and I wasn't convinced this would fit me if I still had them. I guess once I quit dancing, my body gained the normal weight it should have and I found the dress hugging my curves, curves I didn't know existed. It fit perfectly and the shoes looked great.

A single tear slid down my cheek as I realized Luke might not have known what he was doing, but he knew exactly how I'd look in this outfit. I fixed my hair and made my way back into the main locker room, just in time to see Luke emerge in a white button-up shirt, black dress pants, and a bowtie the same color as my dress.

"Woah"

"I was gonna say the same. I picked good" I blushed and looked down at the ground to hide my smile.

"I wore this dress to my high school graduation. I wanted to wear it when I graduated medical school but I had changed so much that I couldn't bear to see myself trying to be that girl from high school again" I looked up and saw Luke's face drop, his mouth opening wide.