Miles and Alya: A Love Story

Preparations Part 2

*Alya's POV*

I stepped out of the fitting room for Miles to see the dress. I was only halfway out the door when-

"Wow. You look, wow," he breathed. His mouth was hanging open as he kept looking at me. "Alya, you're beautiful," he said, clearly thinking out loud. He got up from his chair and stood in front of me. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear he whispered, "Now I've got to look just as great don't I?" I took a step back and put my hands on my hips.

"I'm afraid so, pretty boy," I replied. We both laughed, and I took a step further. I put my hands on his shoulders and looked at him thoughtfully. "I just hope you have something decent to wear," I joked.

After we left the store, we walked a bit further to his house.

"This is it," Miles announced, gesturing to the gorgeous dark blue Victorian style house in front of us. It was the same house I rode past every day on my way to Keaton, but I had no idea he lived here. I had always thought it was some historical site, or something.

"You live here?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound rude.

"Yeah. My great-grandma left the house to us when she passed last year, she didn't want the city to take it," he explained.

"So it is a historical site," I replied. I felt a little stupid having him explain all this to me.

"Yeah, but the city couldn't really change anything she'd written into her will so...." He trailed off, smiling to himself.

"I guess we should go in," he offered. He grabbed my hand as we walked up her pathway to the porch. He opened the door, and I followed him inside. I mentally gasped. This place was, wow. That's the only word to describe it: wow. The entryway was beautiful, soapstone floors and a grand staircase, crimson painted walls, it was just beautiful. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling.

"Miles, sweetie? Are you home?" A voice called from the kitchen.

"Yes mom," he called back. A shorter woman with long, flowing dark hair hurried in from the kitchen. She came up to Miles with her arms outstretched.

"How was scho-" She stopped when she saw me, and smiled.

"Miles! You finally found a girlfriend!" She exclaimed looking back and forth between us.
Things got quiet for a second.

"Hello, Mrs. Lennox, I'm Alya." I greeted her. She gasped.

"This is the girl you're always talking about?" She asked Miles excitedly. I turned to face Miles,

"Oh, you have?" I asked him playfullly.

"Mom, Alya is here to practice for the showcase, we'll be leaving at about six."

"Alya, I would be more than happy to do our hair for tonight," Mrs. Lennox offered. I'm pretty sure all this meant that I was the first girl Miles' had ever brought home before, and I thought It was all kind of cute.

"I'd love that Mrs. Lennox, thank you." I responded.

"Please sweetheart, call me Sydney!" She exclaimed.

"I'd be happy to Sydney." I replied ,smiling at how sweet his mother was, and how genuinely excited she was to see her son with a girl.

"Miles, you go upstairs and get a head-start practicing while I start getting this lovely young  lady ready for her performance tonight." She affirmed. Miles gave her a tiny mock-salute as he turned to walk upstairs.

"Thank you so much, for everything, but can I ask one more favor?" I asked a little bit nervously.

"Go right ahead." She replied as she started walking upstairs, she then motioned for me to follow.

"Would you mind doing my makeup as well? I'm not exactly fantastic for doing anything bolder than this." I said, pointing to my face.

"I was hoping you ask. Miles and my husband are never very willing to let me do anything to them," She joked. I laughed at her reply.

"Thanks again, Sydney. You really don't need to do any of this," I assured her.
She led me into a large bathroom that was probably the closest thing I'd ever seen to a spa.

"Go ahead and change before I fix your hair. I'll be back in a minute to start working my magic!" Sydney announced as she left the room. I pulled the dress out of the bag. After changing into it, I stared into the mirror above the vanity. I just started thinking, I'm not sure what about. Me, Miles, tonight- something in that range I'm sure. I thought I'd be nervous about tonight, but the fact that Miles was singing with me, it just makes me feel safe. There was a knock on the door.
"Alya, are you ready?" Sydney asked through the door.
"Yeah Sydney. Come on in." I replied. She opened the door with two makeup cases and a whole other bag for my hair.
"You look beautiful," she told me. She pulled up a stool for me to sit. after about N hour of hair and makeup, Sydney was finished. She had my hair in big loose curls, and my makeup was done much darker than I would normally wear. I wondered what Miles would think about it.

I walked out of the bathroom quietly, which was nearly impossible in the shoes I was wearing. I wanted to surprise Miles, I walked down the hallway to where Sydney had told me his room was. The door was halfway open, I saw him lean over his bed to set down his guitar. He picked up a picture from his nightstand. It was- it was a picture of us. Jax had taken it about a month ago. We had been sitting in music class before the bell had rung and Jax was imitating Julie as a joke. He was snapping pictures left and right on his phone. I'd forgotten about him taking a picture of me and Miles. I came up to the doorway. I knocked lightly on the doorframe. He jumped, clearly startled by my sudden presence. He turned around, and let out a silent gasp.

*Miles' POV*
I turned around, halfway expecting to see my mother. Alya stood in the doorway, wearing the dress she'd picked out earlier, and a pair of heels my mother hadn't worn in years. I'd never seen her hair like that before, or her face. But underneath all that, I could still see my beautiful, wonderful Alya.