In Memoriam ✓

Chapter Seventeen: Young And Beautiful

Mallory

I sat at my vanity, nervously chewing on my fingernail and agonising over necklace options. The wrong choice could wreck my outfit. I loved making Reid's jaw drop when he saw me looking good, and jewellery options were no laughing matter.

I could almost imagine my boyfriend, if I closed my eyes. Leaning over my chair, his chin just above my shoulder as he pointed to the one with the blue gems, explaining that it would compliment my eyes best. I looked at the necklace silently, holding the gems up so they glinted in my bedroom's light. I chose the blue one, in the end.

When I went downstairs, Cleo was in sweatpants on the sofa, watching a Disney movie. She looked at me and gasped. "You're looking like a whole snack right now, Mallory."

I adjusted the hem of my dress, looking through my hair at her with a smirk. "Thanks, Cleo." I spun to show her the backless element, and she cheered, whooping like I was getting laid. But Reid and I were taking it slow, for now.

"Go get him!" Cleo cheered. "Like I said, if you need someone to knock some sense into that boy, I'm your girl."

I smiled gratefully at my best friend. "Thanks for having my back, Cleo."

"Any time, love. And remember," Cleo advised, "This is Reid we're talking about. He loves you. There's nothing to worry about as long as that remains true."

I resisted the urge to tell her that it wasn't true anymore. Love was a long way away from what I wanted. Emotionally blindsiding myself into thinking we were fine, wasn't working. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself as a surge of anxiety enveloped me.

"Hey," Cleo got up from her seat to hug me. I clutched onto her for support. "It might not be okay now, but it will be. I know it will be. Someone with a heart as big as yours needs to share it with the world. Okay?"

I managed a tiny laugh, wiping my eyes. "Okay, Cleo. I trust you."

Fifteen minutes later, I was smoothing down the skirt of my blue dress and tapping the toe of my heel on the concrete pavement as I waited for Reid to show up. At last his car pulled up, and trepidation clawed at my chest. I felt my heart beat quicker as I locked eyes with Reid, who was lounging in the driver's seat.

I opened the door, sitting in the passenger seat as I adjusted myself, closing the door. Reid grinned broadly at me, his eyes lighting up. "Hey."

"Hi." I replied, smiling back nervously. It had been almost a month since I got ready for a date, excluding the times I went out with Reid since the accident.

Reid's eyes wandered down my figure, and he exhaled lightly. "You look more gorgeous than anything I could dream up."

I smiled, adjusting my necklace. "Does that mean you dream about me?"

"Every night." Reid replied humorously, which made me laugh. I tried to push away the thought that I actually dreamed about him. When you loved someone, everything about them became so dear. His face, his eyes, his nose.

I glanced away from him, taking in the street. Once I peeked back at Reid again, I found him already looking at me. I reached out to flick his nose, and he gave me a surprised smile in return. "Are we going, or do you want to spend the night looking at me?"

"I wouldn't mind looking at you. Don't worry, I chose a good restaurant." he replied, driving off. He peeked at me, giving a broad smile. "I wanted to properly take you somewhere for ages."

"For some reason, it's hard to believe that you used to dislike dating." I commented, touching my hair.

"That was in high school, when I was a clueless junior," Reid replied, smiling reminiscently, "University is a whole new thing."