Juliana

42. My princess, forever and always

I walked up the front porch steps with Juliana's corsage in hand. My parents soon followed behind.

"Come on in, y'all!" Aunt Grace greeted us at the front door. Jules was in her dress and everything, waiting patiently in the foyer.

"Hey, Sweetie." I kissed her cheek.

She smiled up at me, "Aunt Grace, where's Robbie's boutonniere?"

"It's in the kitchen; I'll go get it for you." Aunt Grace turned on her heel and walked in the direction of the kitchen.

While we were waiting for her to get back, I took the corsage out, and I slid it gently on Juliana's wrist.

"You're my princess, forever and always." I kissed the top of her head and pulled her in for a hug.

Aunt Grace returned with my boutonniere, and Jules put it on me. Everybody took a billion pictures, but then Jules and I were finally on our way to Prom.

I opened the car door for her and closed it once she was in the car.

"Drive safe!" Mom called yelled as I got in the driver's seat. I shook my head. Mothers... what would we do without 'em?

***

Per my request, the DJ played a slower song and all the couples started to flood out onto the dance floor. Juliana had been by my side all night, and I felt more than lucky to have such a stunning girl by my side. I wanted to show her just how special she was to me.

"Juliana," I held both her tiny hands in mine. "May I have this dance?"

"Yes. Of course." She smiled and her eyes lit up. I took her hand and led her onto the dance floor.

I rested my hands on her hips, and her arms found their way around my neck. I started swaying us gently, slowly going in a circle.

"You know, Robbie, it's been one crazy ride for us this year." She said, looking me in the eyes.

"Sure has, and I know going to colleges that are over twelve hundred miles apart from each other isn't going to be easy."

"Yeah, but we'll make it."

"Remind to remind you of that when we have our first fight." I winked at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Thank you for making this last year of high school so memorable for me, Robbie. Thank you for Prom, for all the Kylie drama, for being there for me... most of the time. And thank you for reminding me how to have fun once again. You know... after everything with Daddy." She smiled again.

"Well, you know, I need to tell you thank you too... just for everything."

We danced in silence for a little bit, but then Jules spoke up again. "Have I ever told you how much I love your eyelashes?"

I smiled and chuckled. "No. Don't think you ever have, actually."

"Well, I love them. In fact, it could be part of the reason I've stuck around for so long. You just don't see eyelashes like yours."

"Not sure if I take that as offensive or not, but since we're at Prom, I'll just not take it to heart. Since you admitted to loving my eyelashes though, I must say that I love your eyes. They were the first thing I ever noticed about ya."

"Really?"

I nodded my head, and then the song ended.

***