pretty in pink|| l.h.

08.

aria never knew prom could be this nerve-wracking; or at least, she didn't until she was standing at the door to the building dateless, and duckie-less. he pink dress almost matched her hair, but that seemed to be the least of her worries. she didn't want to see luke, and she didn't want this night to be a waste. it had taken most of her dad's paycheck, an old sewing machine, and half of her window curtain to make the dress of her dreams, so she wasn't going to just put the dress in the closet forever.

the dress was kind of her excuse to go to prom. deep down, she did really want to, but with all that had happened the past few weeks, it seemed stupid for her to go. however, she was not going to let luke ruin her night. aria opened the door and entered the building. it was cold, and she had a feeling that the looks she'd be getting from her fellow classmates would be just the same.

"aria, baby!" calum sauntered toward aria with open arms, his bolo tie swinging with each step he took. "may i admire you on this fine evening?" he was unnaturally happy, and aria gave him a skeptical look.

"duckie, you look... interesting. who'd you steal the tie from?"

"that's for me to know and for you to never find out, my dear." he held out his arm for aria, and she took it gingerly. as the two walked toward the dancing hall, the room got significantly warmer. aria let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. she was quite glad that she got to spend this time with her best friend. the two made their way into the ballroom, and songs aria couldn't be bothered to listen to filled the room with bass as the pair looked around. nobody seemed to notice them, and that was the way aria liked it.

aria stood silently as luke approached her. "hi." he was dressed in typical prom fashion, and his tie was already untied. it was pink. almost as if he knew.

"hi," aria returned, and luke stuck his hand out for calum to shake. calum laughed for a moment until aria gave him a pointed look. he relented and finally shook luke's hand. aria could tell that calum still didn't like him, and probably never would, but this was a start. "listen, luke. it's done. it's over with. i'm fine." luke made a point to make eye contact with aria. "you can join your friends now." the three of them all looked to where ashton was grinding on a girl, and luke visibly cringed.

"i wish that was true." luke began, and he paused for a moment to put his hands in his small pockets. "you told me you couldn't be with someone who didn't believe in you, but i did. i just didn't believe in myself." aria raised her eyebrow, not believing that he meant any of this. "i love you. always."

luke kissed aria's cheek, and left the ballroom. aria noted that this felt like a scene from a john hughes movie. she looked at calum, whose eyes never left his feet.

"the man came here alone." he looked up at aria hopefully. "and if you don't go to him right now, i'm never taking you to a prom again! this is an incredibly romantic moment and you're ruining it for me." he urged aria on, and aria looked back. luke was gone. aria hugged calum, something the two rarely did, and looked at him, her hands on his shoulders.

"duckie..."

"go, aria!" aria patted calum's shoulders, and as she ran off to the parking lot, calum caught the eye of a girl he'd never seen before. he made his way over.

"hi there, they call me the duck man."

aria ran out to luke's car, just before he got in. the two of them faced each other, and before anything else, luke smiled. "you look pretty in pink."

they kissed, and it was just like '80s movie magic.