I smiled, looked down at my red dress and looked back up. I hadn't indulged in something so pretty in a while and I loved the feeling of actually buying something that was meant solely for me. After Dad had to go to the Hospital, the majority of my income went into paying his bills, but now...I had enough money saved up to actually go out and buy a nice thing or two for myself.
I stepped out of the dressing room and caught Flynn's attention. He leaned back against the wall and said, "That's a good dress." He murmured as he looked at the deep red, loose dress that hung nicely on my tall frame. It had those 'cold-shoulder' sleeves that were really in fashion and a sort of deep neckline. It reached to my ankles and I felt like I was wearing some sort of light cloud.
"I know right." I twirled and looked at myself in the mirror. I felt happy. I didn't know having work could feel so good. I mean, part of the reason was the Flynn had agreed to accompany me, but the other part was that I had no work, absolutely none.
I noticed his smile at me, his dimples showing up. I stepped back into the dressing room and shut the door. For a few minutes, the image of his smile lingers in my head, sending shivers down my spine, but after a moment, I compose myself and change into my previous dark blue jeans, and a simple tee shirt. I walked back out, the red dress in my hand and started moving towards the main shop, Flynn trailing behind me.
This boutique was at the edge of the town, and honestly, the only nice shop in town. The other shops were mainly sports and ski equipment. I had never really required any 'nice' clothing before so I would just order them as and when necessary.
But I had talked to Jen again, and she had said that the best way to get over work blues was to pamper yourself, so here I was.
I move to the counter and quickly pay. I turn to Flynn while the lady at the counter is handing me the change. He was near a small stand at the edge of a counter peering at the various snow globes. They were really pretty. They had a metal base and scenes of mountains and snowflakes in the middle. The metal base twirled onto the glass globe as if it were ivy, making an enthralling pattern.
"Those are quite pretty, aren't they? We just got them." The lady, an old woman, with round spectacles, says as she looks at me. I take the cash, nod, and smile.
"Hey Flynn, let's go, I am starving," I say as I move towards the exit. He thanks the lady and we walk out.
"You know what I don't get?" He asks later, as he munches on his fries, in the dingy deli that smells strangely like pickles.
"What?" I ask, sipping on my vanilla milkshake.
"Have you never bought a dress before?" I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion and try to think back to the last time I had bought a dress.
"I have," I say straightforwardly. I remember buying a bubble-gum pink, puffy dress for Prom in high school.
"Right, you looked like you had won some sort of lottery back there. So happy." He stretches on the 'so' and laughs. I roll my eyes and continue munching on my lunch, French fries with a tomato pesto sandwich.
"It was a really pretty dress." I murmur against the straw and look at him. He tilts his head and looks at me.
"So, what's your story?" He asks, picking up a fry, dipping it ketchup and putting it in his mouth.
"My story?" I scoff. I lean back and begin thinking where to begin.
"So, where do I start?" I ask, leaning on the tables with my elbows and looking at his deep, brown eyes. He quirks his eyebrow up and questions how long my story actually is. I laugh and say, "Actually, not very long."
I almost started telling him, but then I paused. "You know, it's really weird if I just talking out of the blue? Maybe...can you ask questions so that I don't ramble?" I squeeze my hands into fists.
"Okay. How was High School for you?" An easy question. I let out a breath.
"Not that bad, actually. I loved studying, I had friends, I got a couple of scholarships, I was doing really well, you know? But then Dad started having attacks of schizophrenia, and his Parkinson's got really bad. I had interned at the hospital that summer itself, so they let him in for minimal pay, but it was still hard for mom to manage without him. She really lost it, in the middle. So I had to start working part time. I used to work at the beach, making people wear life-jackets, helping them learn how to jet-ski, etc. It was fun. But then Jen got into acting school, you know? And she wasn't the brightest bulb in the box so she had to pay full tuition. And I was happy she was achieving her dreams, but I was the one who stayed behind with mom. We barely got by that year. So...I decided to just skip college, stay back, and help her. Dad got better, but the doctor's still thought she should stay in the hospital until the end of September for this year. So...I was constantly worried about both of them for the majority of my life." I realized I had rambled even though he had asked me a proper question.
"Wow, my respect for you just increased by at least a 100 points. "He tried to lighten the mood, but whatever I had said, hung deeply in the air between us.
=
"I had a really good time," I say as I walk out of the deli after a really filling dinner. We pause at the end of the lane and turn towards him. I knew the end of the day was approaching but I just didn't want to end. Just yet.
"So did I. I didn't know that shopping could be this fun." I feel a deep blush creep onto my cheeks as he says that. I turn away and start walking, quite quickly. I feel a sharp tug at my hoodie as he pulls me back.
"You're avoiding looking me in the face." He says that in a deep, offended baritone. He tugs at my elbow to make me turn around. I oblige and face him. He was tall, I notice, and I gulp at the proximity.
"I mean, not really," I say, as my eyes dart anywhere but his face. I keep a solid glance at his baseball tee's emblem. It was a small blazing baseball.
"You're literally saying that while not looking at me. You do suck at lying." I finally look at his surprisingly soft but sharp eyes. His mouth opens a bit as he whispers, "Your eyes are beautiful."
I smile, and he leans down, and everything stops for a minute. Everything. The night air stills as I reach up, rising onto my toes. The kiss is soft, not quick as if the night would last forever, and there was nothing like tomorrow. I melted into the warmth and finally let go of the fist I had made of my hands. My heart was pounding, and so was his, I found as I placed my unfurled hands on his chest. He smiled into it and I moved away.
"I like you, princess, I really like you."
[A/N: I promised more of Flynn, didn't I? Ugh, I love this...it's soo cute. I didn't really like how the mid-sections of the chapter turned out, but I will edit it later. Thank you so much for 100 reads, it means SO MUCH TO ME! I am so utterly thankful for all you wonderful people taking out time to read this rag-tag book by a 17-year-old. Thanks! Smiles, K.]
