Infinite

Rose Gold- Part 3

Houston, Texas, in the Clarke Home, Friday, December 20th, 2030, at 5:30 pm

Rachel

I finish touching up my makeup and hair as I check myself out in the mirror on the wall next to our dresser. Lucas had a garment bag waiting for me on the bed when we came home. I'm not sure why he's spoiling me so much. Perhaps it's because he's excited about our pregnancy. Whatever the reason is, I am thoroughly enjoying the princess treatment.

The dress he chose for me is a navy blue cocktail dress with an asymmetrical neckline and long sleeves. I have my shoulder exposed while my left is covered, and the skirt of the dress stops mid thigh. It flairs out subtly past my hips, allowing me to twirl it around. The fabric is textured with a rippling pattern throughout. I pinned my hair back into a low flowering bun with several curls pulled out so they fall down the side of my neck. My bangs are loosely curled away from my face and fall just below my ears.

"Wow," Lucas whispers as he leans against the frame to the bedroom door. "You look incredible, Rachel." He gazes at me adoringly as he soaks in my appearance, his smile growing more and more devilish. "We don't have to go, we can just stay here," he says seductively as he places his hands on my hips and pulls me against him.

"As much as I would love for you to take this dress back off of me," I say in a breathy tone. "I am far too excited to go out with you tonight."

Lucas swallows and his gaze intensifies. He looks delicious in his suit. His lips curve into a sweet smile before he gives me a firm kiss.

"Me too, we should get going." He tugs on my hand and practically drags me downstairs. I giggle at his eagerness, feeling like we're in high school again. Lucas told me that he made reservations for dinner, but that's all he gave me no matter how much I tickled him. He has much more will power than I do.

#

I admire the Christms lights as we drive through the city. We don't usually get snow in December here, it was nothing like being in New York. Lucas and I used to walk around the city together when he would visit me over break, spending as much time out of our houses as possible. The lights of the city begin to disappear as we travel out of town.

"Wait, where are we going?" I turn to Lucas and see that he has a wide grin on his face.

"We are going to dinner." Lucas shrugs nonchalantly but doesn't make eye contact with me.

I can feel the anticipation building in my gut as we get farther away from the city lights. A beautiful observatory comes into view as we drive down a thin dirt road lined with tall grass. It's jutting out in the middle of the field like a bright white light, while the sky remains black with wisps of deep blue and violet behind the twinkling stars. I stay silent as Lucas parks the truck in a small clearing beside the building.

He hops out without saying anything and runs over to open my door. I grin at his chivalry as I take his hand and step down from the truck.

"What on Earth are we doing out here?" I exclaim as a cold breeze blows through the field. I snuggle into Lucas to keep warm, and he responds quickly by wrapping his arms around my back. My body is encompassed by warmth and security as he walks me up to the observatory.

"We are having dinner," he whispers into my ear, opening the doors. The room becomes engrossed in darkness as Lucas lets the door close behind us. I can't see a thing, but I can still feel Lucas' arm around my waist.

I hear a clicking noise behind me as some lights along the floor illuminate a walkway covered in pink rose petals. I follow them as they continue across the room, stopping at a small rounded table with a long white tablecloth. There's a small picnic set up atop the table with yummy snacks and a bottle of what looks like sparkling cider.