Between the Days and Nights ✔

Chapter 24: Let's Salsa

Tam

"If you wear that to this, I might not speak to you for the rest of the month," Vinh warns me as I come out of my closet in my normal pair of jeans. On top, I wear a t-shirt that has a tomato dancing with a chili pepper with the words Let's Salsa printed below.

"Oh, thank god," I drawl sarcastically as I roll my eyes.

"Hey, watch it. If you're not careful, you'll lose me," he cautions me before wrinkling his nose, "And then you'll be stuck going on dates with clothes meant for lonely nights with Lifetime movies and ice cream."

I groan, "Fine, I'll take from my skirt pile." I push aside the shirts hanging above to reveal a whole pile of skirts, tight, plaid, or fluffy. I go for the fluffy.

"That looks great!" I hear Scar say as she gives me a thumbs up at my outfit with a fluffy blue skirt and lavender satin tee.

"You know, normally, I wouldn't condone this, but since it's Damon, what the heck. You can let him into your lady garden, even if it's your first date," Vinh lectures.

Scar tugs on his sleeve and he turns to look at her. She smacks the side of his head and tells him, "She doesn't need your permission to have sex, dork."

"Yes, she does. I'm her best friend and I have her best interest at heart," he responds proudly with a puffed up chest.

I laugh as they bicker on and silently hope that I can have that with Damon someday. Despite the troubles they've gone through to reach this point, they're perfect for each other and it's obvious to anyone in the same room.

They fit like two puzzle pieces, which thinking about it now sounds like a cliche, but anything else that fits -lock and key for example- sounds like an innuendo.

They leave after, and I go downstairs to sit and wait for Damon to come. My mom sits down in the sofa chair and stares at me. I give her a puzzled look.

She decided to take the night off and relax with a cup hot tea and a whole lot of Asian dramas to catch up on. I suggested a few Korean ones she has yet to see.

"Đi chơi với bạn trai mà tại sao nhìn buồn quá vạy?" Her eyes fill with concern. She probably thinks I'm still affected by the Jeff kidnapping incident. She doesn't know that I've grown used to trauma. "Why do you look so sad if you're going out with your boyfriend?"

"Tuần rồi con học thi nhiều quá thôi," I lie to her, telling her that I am just tired from studying all week.

The truth is, I had realized earlier today that I won't be seeing Silas at all. It hurt to see him at school, but seeing him at all was good enough. I just want to make sure he's okay.

He had grown a bit... apathetic, it seems. He doesn't respond when Pam screams in his ear, his friends can't get a straight answer on anything, and it looks like he never gets sleep. At least I could sleep at night, most of the time.

I get a text from Damon saying that he was outside, I open the door to see him standing in front of me, wearing a nice lavender button down tucked into black pants. In his hand is a beautiful bouquet of pink peonies-my favorite.

"Wow, you look amazing, Tammy," he breathes as he gapes at my plain outfit. I laugh as he hands me the bouquet. As I turn around to put it away, my mom snatches it from my hands.

"Đẹp quá ha!" she studies them. "So pretty!" She turns back to me and wiggles her eyebrows, as if to say I like this one.

Luckily, Damon was a bit too busy bowing nervously to see her expression, I push for him to turn away and we walk to his car. He stops and laughs.