Nerds With A Chance [A Logan Lerman Fanfic]

Chapter 9

“Zeph you look amazing. Gorgeous. Magnificent. Exquisite. Impeccable,” Damien squealed dramatically, sorting through my hair with a happy hum.

I grinned at him, blushing redder and redder.

Even though I was positive he was lying to make me feel better, it was nice to be complimented like this every once in a while.

“So you like the dress?”

“Love it,” I promised, smoothing out a small crease, looking down at the dress which he had bought or me as my birthday present.

Apparently, Damien had spent ages parading the malls of Vancouver, only to find that nothing suited my persona.

Whatever that really meant.

So Damien retold the extravagant tale of how he had scoured the small boutique shops, looking for the perfect item. If I had known this was what he was up to two days ago, when I was up to my eyebrows in work, than I would have stopped him.

Either way the dress was flawless.

And I wasn’t arguing.

It was a ruched bandeau dress, coloured a ‘perfect shade of white’ (according to Damien even the color white had different shades). But instead of just cutting off like any old bandeau, it had straps of material coming off, hanging off my shoulders.

But the only reason why Damien, himself, had deemed it perfect was because of the paint splattery patterns splashed onto the white, resembling the album cover of one of my favourite bands; ‘Cage The Elephant’.

A small black tribal looking little elephant had even found its way stitched onto the left corner of the dress.

I knew Rachel was in cahoots with this whole thing as well, because one: she had practically got on her knees and begged me to attend this birthday party that wasn’t even mine, and second: her gift was completely matching to Damien’s dress. I mean who else would give somebody a random bag full of random things that looked like it had been hastily bought and chucked together into a Walmart shopping bag (despite Damien’s scolding.)

“Aah! Logan’s here! If he asks about me, remember to say I was just passing by,” Damien suddenly exclaimed, turning in a full circle before he seemed to place his destination of where to go, “Okay, I’m going to make a tres casual exit. Stay put.”

“I’m not a dog,” I laughed back.

He rolled his eyes as per usual before hurtling out my room as if his life depended on it.

On interest, I pressed my ear to my hotel door, eavesdropping on Damien’s less than smooth getaway.

“Oh! Damien?”

Logan, I registered in my mind.

Damien’s reply came back hurried and a little breathless, “Uh… hehe. Hi. Uh. Just you know, going for a walk.”

“From Zeph’s room?” Logan’s voice laughed back good-naturedly.

“Yes. I mean no. I mean…. I gotta go.”

Silence.

Thinking Damien had made his hasty retreat; I stepped back from the door and grabbed my phone from the counter top inside the small hotel bathroom, gripping onto it tightly trying to ease my gradually building nerves.

I took several deep breaths that were instructed to me by Damien. And soon enough, a small series of tentative knocks sounded on my door.

Just as I was about to say something, my courage plunged into my heart.