Empty Spaces

Date Night Prep

It took Sylvie over 45 minutes to decide on an outfit and by the end of it Stella was laying on her and Kelly's bed surrounded by discarded clothes. It wasn't that Sylvie didn't like her friends style or clothes, they were just very different to what she was use to wearing and so everything she tried on, she ripped off almost as quick. First it was that the top was too baggy, then the jeans didn't feel 'right', next the dress was to night club look and not suitable for a first date. Stella disagreed, she thought Matt would really like to see Sylvie in the low cut, high rise, black dress which resulted in her getting the dress thrown at her head.

It wasn't until what felt like Sylvie's fiftieth outfit change that she landed on something she really liked. It was a thigh length dark blue dress that hugged her hips perfectly and revealed enough cleavage where she didn't feel overly exposed. She slipped on some short black heels and partnered the look with a small black over the shoulder handbag. She allowed Stella to curl her hair and do her makeup, requesting a more 'natural' look.

When they were finished she checked the time, noting it was 5:45 which gave her 15 minutes to spare. Finally she moved over to the full length mirror to finally get a complete look at herself, and when she did, she gasped.

It wasn't that Sylvie was self conscious, or didn't know she was pretty, but even she was shocked by how beautiful she looked. Stella came up to stand behind her and rest her head on the blondes shoulder with a smile. "You look stunning, Brett!"

Sylvie smiled at her friend and turned around to hug her tightly, whispering her thank you to her. She pulled back slightly and moved around to the door, heading out into the living area to wait.

One hour earlier: boys version-

Meanwhile in the other bedroom resided Matt, Kelly and now Bella. They had been outside talking about the plans and organising the reservation for the night for about 15 minutes when they heard the girls retreat into Stella's bedroom and so they took the opportunity to come back inside and enter Matt's room, their arrival noted by Bella who followed them closely. They kept the girl occupied by giving her Kelly's phone to watch YouTube kids while they spoke in code.

"Damn, I can't believe you finally grew the b-a-l-l-s to ask Brett out!" Kelly smirked, giving his friend a tap of approval on the back as they looked over Matt's clothing options.

The plus side was that Matt had a lot of clothes, the down side? Was choosing which one Sylvie would like best. They looked over them all, Kelly grabbing some out and holding them out to Matt before placing them back into the closet. This continued for a while before they heard a small voice behind them which caused them both to turn.

"You should wear those-" Bella pointed to his light khaki chinos and then moved her finger over to point at his white button up shirt. "With that. And a belt."

The men were shocked slightly at her observation, but within a moment Kelly had gathered all the essential items and handed them to Matt, as well as a black pair of dress shoes. "Well, you heard the girl, put them on."

Matt smiled at them both before he headed off into the bathroom and changed, putting some gel in his hair while he was in there and spraying on some cologne before he exited, giving a spin for Bella who just giggled.

"Damn, man. You did good, Bel." Kelly raised his fist to the girl who giggled and gave him a fist bump. Something they had been doing since the girls first week at the house. Kelly had used it as a way to keep Bella from scaring every time they raised their hands when gesturing or moving about and it helped a lot.

"You look very bossy." Bella stated with a grin as she looked at Matt, he laughed softly and thanked her, knowing she meant professional but not wanting to correct the girl on her compliment.

"Thank you, darling. Now, shall we head out and see Sylvie?" Matt asked, extending his hand to Bella who took it gracefully as she slipped off the bed and handed Kelly back his phone.

Currently time-

As they exited the room Matt felt his breathe catch in his throat the minute he saw Sylvie standing with her back to him by the kitchen bench. He moved forward, hand in hand with Bella still as he cleared his throat. He watched her spin around and he could help the way his gaze went over her entire body. He had always thought she was beautiful, but this? This was something else. She watched the way her checks turned a new shade of pink as he looked her over, finally his gaze resting back on her eyes.

"You look-wow. You look incredible, Sylvie." Matt spoke, very obviously starstruck and if it wasn't for the little girl currently standing beside him he was sure he'd have taken her right their on the table.

Sylvie smiled, biting her lip as she raised her hand to gesture to him. "As do you, very handsome." She spoke softly, her eyes never leaving his until a small voice broke the silence.

"I helped him pick! Kelly and him were picking out silly old man clothes, I knew you would like it!" Bella stated proudly, dropping the mans hand to high five Sylvie's hand that was outstretched before the girl moved over to stand with Kelly and Stella.

"Alright, you kids have fun! I expect you home no earlier then 9pm! We're all good here, we'll cook some spaghetti and watch a movie." Kelly called out to them as they moved towards the door, receiving a shy smile and nod from Sylvie but before she could exit Bella ran over and wrapped her arms around Sylvie's waist.

The young girl had tried to be strong, tried to keep her anxiety at bay but now that the two people she trusted most were leaving she felt herself fill with fear. It wasn't until Matt knelt down and rested a hand on the young girls shoulder did she pull away and look at him.

"Alright Teeny, we're just going out for a little while but you're gonna have so much fun with Uncle Kelly and Aunty Stella." He looked from the girl and over to the couple behind her, noting the tears that were obvious in Stella's eyes as he used the labels, his attention quickly turning back to Bella. "And we'll be home before you know it. When you wake up in the morning we'll be right here, in our room."

The term 'our' room didn't go unnoticed by Sylvie and it made butterflies bubble up in her stomach. Sure they had been sharing a room for a while now, but hearing Matt actually refer to it as both of theirs made her melt.

"You promise?" Came the small voice who watched the man with eyes full of hope. He nodded back at her which apparently was all she needed because she completely released Sylvie now and hugged Matt before moving away.

"We'll be back Bella, we promise." Sylvie stated, smiling at the young girl as she went over to Stella who instantly raised her in her arms. The young girl smiled and nodded, giving a small wave which was all the pair needed before they moved to the doorway. Matt opened it and allowed Sylvie to walk out first before he followed behind them, not before they heard the young girls voice again.

"Bye mommy and daddy!"