Redamancy | ✓

N I N E

❥❥❥

CHECKING MY APPEARANCE in the mirror once more, I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and then pursed my lips together, staring into my reflection with scrutinising eyes.

It was almost as though everything about my appearance was wrong, my shoulders slumped and the light in my eyes dimmed. There were times when a Caleb made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the room. With just one adoration filled look and the sweeping motion of his eyes, I felt content with myself. Now? I felt as thought I shouldn't even bother trying.

Dabbing the edges of my painted lips, I cleaned off any smudges and concentrated closely on making the lines sharp and bold. Once finished, I discarded the wet wipe into the bin and with a clutter the lid of the bin closed.

My dress was beautiful. With a slit that ran up the left leg and the silky material flowing around me, it was elegant yet daring. It almost seemed too perfect for me. I felt as thought I was doing injustice to such a stunning dress.

Pulling me from my negative train of thoughts, the doorbell had rung, signalling the arrival of Seth. I smiled softly as I made my way down the steps and spotted the faint outline of him as he stood patiently on the other side of the door.

If it weren't for him, god knows how miserable I'd have felt going alone. I was obviously still hurt and raw over the fact that my own boyfriend wasn't taking me, but I shrugged the thought off. He had an excuse, it wasn't one that I'd liked very much, but it was still an excuse.

Pulling the door open with one stubborn jolt, I came face to face with my escort for the night-Seth. I held down a gasp as I took in his suit clad form. I didn't think I'd ever seen him look so...suave. When I'd first opened the door, I hadn't met his eyes, he was more concentrated on trying to figure out how to tie his tie.

A stubborn dark curl swept across his forehead and much like the rest of his hair-was messily sprawled on top of his head. His looming figure stood tall and strong and his broad shoulders were perfectly in line with each other. His jaw was peppered with stubble but he looked good like that. I think I preferred it much better than when he wore a clean shave.

My eyes caught onto the way he tugged on the silky black material once again and I refrained from laughing as I forced a hand to contain the laughter that urged to be released as I eyed him with an amused look. When he'd suddenly began to curse under his breath, I decided that I should step in and offer my services. "Need some help with that?" His eyes snapped up in an instant and locked with my own.

His soft lips parted and I didn't miss the way his eyes wavered over my figure with appreciation. "Beautiful." I swore he had mumbled under his breath. And then I realised that in actual fact, he did.

My chest tightened in what felt like delight. My smile returned and I watched as Seth shifted his weight onto his right foot and nervously ran a hand through his messily dark locks.

I stepped towards him and noticed how he stiffened as I lifted my hand up to reach for his collar. The scent of his dark cologne wafted around my nose as I focused on the piece of the black silky material. Wrapping it around my fingers, I began to loop it. I could feel his eyes on me and it was then that a wave of heat swept up my neck.

The proximity between us was daringly close, but I didn't bother to step away and neither did he. It almost felt...comforting. Once I'd pulled the material thought the middle of the knot, I tugged it gently and grinned at my work. "All done." I whispered, my voice soft and barely audible.

Focusing on anything else but him, I took the time to admire the way the stars twinkled in the sky like fairy lights. It was both enchanting and almost surreal. "What are you thinking about?" Seth suddenly asked, his deep voice filled with curiosity as he watched me through soft eyes.

Shifting my gaze to face him, he stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets, I sighed and offered him a smile. "It's just such a nice evening." I shrugged, almost as if it was nothing. Seth grinned down at me and as he did so, I noticed the piece of ink that poked out on his skin. "And I'll make sure it stays like that." My heart warmed at his words.

"Shall we?" Seth offered me a hand and I accepted it gladly. Leading me to his car, he opened the door for me like a gentleman and shut it behind me when I was seated. I waited from him to join me and patiently waited.

Swiftly clipping his belt into the socket, he turned the key and the engine roared to life. Moments later we were off. "Can I give my opinion on something?" Seth asked. Turning my head to the side, I matched his gaze.

"Sure." I nervously stared at him. Seth took a deep breath and hesitantly released a deep sigh. It was almost as if he was unsure about his next words, but regardless of his doubts, he asked the question. "I asked you if you loved Caleb a while ago..." My breath hitched in my throat as I remembered the question. "You didn't answer me."

I didn't say a word. "And I can't help but think to myself that...why the f*ck you'd stay with a guy who treats you like th-..." I cut him off with a sharp tone.

"I do." And my words were true. I did love Caleb. Words weren't enough to express how much I loved him.

Seth's lips sealed and I watched as his knuckles whitened due to the iron grip he had on the steering wheel. I was thoroughly surprised to see that he didn't utter another word after that and a part of me was curious to know why he even cared.

We'd arrived at the parking lot of the school and I urged to get out of the car before the awkward tension could grow even more. Before I could, Seth's voice had stopped me. "I'm sorry" I pulled my hand back towards me to rest on my lap. "I didn't mean to be so--intrusive." Shooting me an apologetic look, I felt my eyes soften.

Without thinking I reached towards him and placed my hand on top of his own. It rested upon the steering wheel that was held beneath his iron grip. My skin burned the moment my hand had made contact with his but I didn't flinch.

At that very moment I looked up, our eyes locked and the atmosphere around us grew thick. Seth's eyes didn't shift and I found that as much as I tried, I couldn't bring myself to look away, let alone acknowledge the way my heart began to furiously pound against my chest.

❥❥❥

Did you like the chapter?
Let me know in the comments!