The Bad Boys Neighbour

A Special Person

But my hope was running low
You appeared out of nowhere
Yeah it was more than an illusion
More that I can ever know

-House Of Cards, Tyler Shaw

••••••••••••

I straighten my dress and look in the mirror. I take a deep breath out to calm my nerves down. My phone buzzes and I pick it up to see a message from Ally. She's already at the venue. The doorbell rings and I quickly check my hair for the 100th time before going downstairs to open the door.

My eyes meet Calebs and I instantly smile. He looks perfect. "Dani." He says breaking our trance. "You look absolutely stunning." His words somehow have an affect on me. My cheeks blush a bright pink colour. I put my head down until the colour disappears. "You look amazing as well." I say slowly looking up. "I know." I roll my eyes at his comment. There goes the perfect moment.

We walk towards his black Ferrari and he kindly opens the door for me. I sit inside the car and my stomach starts exploding. Butterflies erupt and I try my best to not scream. "Thank you for making it on such short notice." I nervously say. Why is it so hard for me to talk to him right now? 'Maybe it's because he looks like a model'. My inner voice says. "Anything for you." He winks. If only he knew how much of an impact his words have on me.

I look outside and see guests walking inside the venue. They all look amazing. Caleb parks the car and before I can get out, he runs to my side and opens the door for me. He grabs my hand and leads me inside. "Act like you love me if you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of all these couples." He whispers smiling. Trust me, I'm not acting. What am I saying? Snap out of it Dani!

I spot Ally and she quickly walks over to me. She looks gorgeous. She's wearing a dark red long dress with a small train at the bottom of her dress. Her hair is neatly curled and her makeup is flawless. "Dani, you look stunning!" She squeals. "Me? You look gorgeous." I smile at her. Brain comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. Wait, Brian is her date?! Her cheeks tint a pink colour and I smile at the beautiful couple.

"Caleb, I didn't know you came with Dani?" Brian voices. I look up at Caleb and see his signature smirk planted on his face. Before I could hear his response, Ally pulls me further inside the venue and spins me around so I'm facing her. "Brian asked me out last week and I obviously said yes so I invited him here. My parents just met him today and I'm so scared. What if they don't like him?" I blink a few times to process what she just said to me. "He's a great guy. They're going to love him. Also, why didn't you tell me?!" She pinches my cheeks and laughs.

"Listen to me, at 10 o'clock, I'm going to play our favourite slow song an-" before she can finish her sentence, I cut her off. "The one we used to slow dance to with our dads when we were younger?" I say almost choking. How does she still remember this song? "Yes. You are going to dance with Caleb and I'm going to dance with Brian. By the end of the song, you better kiss him." She reveals and my jaw drops. "No way! You guys are a couple and Caleb and I are just friends." I shake my head vigorously.

"We have been waiting for this moment since we were six years old. You're never going to climb out of the friend zone is you keep playing it safe." Ally says. There is no way I can kiss him. I don't even know if he likes me or not. "You better kiss him Dani. Make your father proud. You promised him you would have your first kiss to this song before he passed away. He's watching over you." Tears flood my eyes but she quickly hugs me and wipes them away.

I'm going to do it. If dad was here with me right now, he would want me to do it. If I'm going to kiss someone, it's going to be with this song. Ally lets go of me and I nod my head. "I'll do it." She cracks a smile at me and then leaves.

Someone puts their hand on my shoulder and as I turn around, I see Caleb smile at me. "May I have this dance?" He shouts over the music. I chuckle and slowly wrap my arms around his neck and he places his hands around my waist. Our eyes lock as we move closer. Soon enough, there is no space between us.

I glance over at Ally and notice that she is visibly shaking. As soon as their skin makes contact, she relaxes. I smile and look back up at Caleb. His minty fresh breath fans over my neck sending shivers spiralling down my back.

A couple songs pass and I eye the clock. Five minutes to ten. I look over at Ally again and she nods singling me to calm down. I take deep breaths and continue to get lost in the music. The next few minutes will change everything. Either for the better or the worse.

The next song plays and my breath hitches. The memories of my dad flood back to my brain. I look up at Caleb teary eyed and his eyes soften. "Are you okay?" He wipes away my tears and knits his eyebrows together. I just smile up at him and he relaxes. "I promised my dad that I would only dance with someone special to this song. This is the moment my dad knows I'm all grown up." Tears stream down my face. Caleb moves away from me but I pull him back closer. "You are that special person." I say.

"What if I'm not. I don't want to ruin this song for you." I cup his cheeks with my small hand and smile. "You are more than special to me. I'm willing to take this chance. I'm willing to make this work." Caleb beams at my words. I look at Ally and she nods her head signalling its time. Ally leans in and kisses Brain. I slowly lean in and place my lips on top of Calebs. My stomach churns and bombs and fireworks explode. I hope I made the right decision dad...