Sway Me (book 1)

Chapter Fourteen- A date

14. A Date
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One would think that the date with Stefano tonight meant more to Giulia than it meant to me. Maybe it did. It was like she was desperately trying to save me from turning into an old spinster, trying to salvage my pathetic love life into something.

"Stefano will certainly flip!" she gushed, doing a little victory dance as she stepped away from the mirror.

"I certainly don't want anyone breaking their neck for me," I responded dryly, causing her to roll her eyes. I sighed before turning my focus back to the mirror to look at myself.

My mouth spread wide open. I think Giulia might have performed a miracle. It looked like I didn't have any makeup on, but it did at the same time. How did she manage to highlight my facial features so perfectly? Giulia might just be some sort of makeup genius. She could literally start a career with this. "How did you do that?" I asked, completely bewildered. And my hair, how did she manage to straighten it to complete perfection? I had no idea it could be so slick. And I hadn't realized before that my hair had grown a few inches.

She giggled. "Magic, mio amore, magic! Now go try on the dress. It's almost 8:40. He'll be here any moment now," she said as she carefully pulled me out of the bathroom.

"There's still a good twenty minutes. I'm sure we can chill a bit," I stated matter-of-factly.

She frowned. "Millie, when was the last time you went on a date? An actual date, not those study dates you go to with your course mates dressed in tracksuits, your hair in a messy bun."

"I—" I began but froze up. I couldn't defend myself. She was right. I hadn't been on an actual date in forever. Maybe in high school, I did, but I can't really remember.

"Of course, you can't remember any because it has obviously been a century," she said with a smack of her lips. "We're wasting time, Millie. Try on your dress so we know if it fits properly. Then we might have a chance to fix it," she added as she passed me a black dress. It was made of suede material, definitely high fashion. I don't remember shopping for this dress the other day. "I know what you're thinking, but I've been saving this dress for something special, and I feel this is special enough. You're literally going on a date!" she gushed at the end.

I sighed before unzipping the dress and putting it on through my legs. I turned my back to Giulia, asking her to help me zip it back up. "What if this outfit isn't appropriate? I might be overdressed. We might be going to the movies or something," I pointed out. I could feel her lacing the dress. It had a corset at the waist, and she laced it but not too tight. Then I heard the zip move up and stop, and I knew she was done. I turned to face her.

"Beyond gorgeous!" she gasped. "And you're not overdressed. It's a dinner date, I confirmed. Someone is trying to make a big impression. Come on, you should go look at the dress in the mirror. You look breathtaking."

"Okay," I breathed and walked over to the bathroom. I did look breathtaking, better than I thought I looked for Cole's party. The dress had an off-the-shoulder look, sleeveless, with a little V-cut at the center. My cleavage was exposed, but not too much that it looked outrageous. The corset waist really made my waist look small and my hips more pronounced. The dress was knee-length with a bit of a slit at the side. "Thank you so much, Giulia," I giggled. I actually giggled. Maybe I was really getting into this. I really looked good. I might as well feel good, and Stefano did seem like a really good person.

"Someone is finally getting excited for the date," she smiled. And a knock came to the door. "Come in!" Giulia responded.

We walked out of the bathroom as the door opened, revealing Sir Aldo.

"Good evening, Sir Aldo," Giulia and I chorused. He smiled.

"Good evening, Miss Giulia and Miss Emily. Stefano has arrived. He's waiting downstairs," he announced.

"Oh! Ten minutes early. I like how this is going," Giulia snickered. "Thank you, Sir Aldo. She'll be coming down soon," she added. Sir Aldo smiled before excusing himself. "It's just a date. Relax, have fun, create memories," she advised.

"Fine," I smiled.

"Come on, let's not make him wait too long," she said, gesturing at the door. I exhaled deeply before walking out of the room.

I descended down the stairs with Giulia following me from behind. When we finally got to the bottom, Stefano was there, standing dressed in a suit and talking with Giovanni, who was dressed in a suit as well, about something I couldn't hear. There was maybe a glass of vodka in his hand. They hadn't noticed my presence yet.

"Stefano! The date can start now," Giulia said to get their attention.

"A date?" Giovanni said as he turned to face us, and then his eyes were on me as if he was piercing into my soul. He continued to stare intensely at me as though time had frozen. What was going on now?, did he have some sort of problem with me or something?.

"You look gorgeous, Emily from America," Stefano complimented, causing me to tear my eyes away from Giovanni and back at Stefano, the only person that should have my attention, I am not going to let Giovanni mood swings ruin my own mood.

"Thank you," I smiled shyly. He looked good as well, and it turns out Giulia was right. I wasn't overdressed.

His suit looked quite fitted on him, and I hadn't noticed it earlier, but Stefano had a bit of muscle. His hair was even more curly and styled exquisitely. His eyes literally shone. I thought that only happened in stories, but it was happening now. He looked dashing. I was actually going on a date with this attractive person who looked like he just jumped out of a romance novel. It felt unreal.

"The date is with Emily?" Giovanni said out of nowhere, and there was a frown on his face. Did he think I was unattractive for someone to actually ask me out on a date?

"Yes!" Giulia cheered happily. "She looks stunning, doesn't she?" she added with the same enthusiasm.

"Yes. She does," he responded dryly, his jaw locked. He clearly still had some issues to deal with, but why were his issues directed at me? He could have just responded with a bit more life.

"Shall we leave now?" Stefano asked. I nodded.

"Of course," I voiced, and then Giovanni left the room immediately.

Stefano took my hand in his, and I swear at that moment, my stomach did a little flip.

"Have fun, both of you! Stefano, treat her well. Bring her back in one piece, unless her mother will have both of our heads," Giulia said dramatically.

Stefano and I chuckled, and then we walked out of the house.