Picture Perfect ✔️ [Slowly Editing]

32:"Brody, I-"

The next day, I dragged Andy out to the beach to teach her how to surf.

Today was the last night in Ecuador, and I think it was safe to say that I would miss this place a lot. Brody and I haven't had much time to go out lately because we were both studying for the remainder of our finals. After tonight, we would be leaving at six in the morning to head back home. Valerie and Brody have been keeping in touch, and even though Brody claims that his mother is the one always texting him, I was almost positive it was the other way around.

Brody Parker was a Momma's boy.

It was eight o'clock in the evening when Andy rushed into our hotel room breathless.

"Get dressed." She ordered. I anxiously got up from my bed, eyeing her carefully.

"I am dressed," I replied, looking down at my pair of shorts and my t-shirt.

Andy shook her head, sighing loudly. "No, I mean like dressed. A hot dress and some pumps, fix your hair, because we're going out tonight." She huffed, rummaging through her dresser drawers.

I scurry towards my dresser, looking through all of my clothes. I knew I had at least one nice dress because Anden and Cora slipped one in my suitcase without my acknowledgement on the day the girls came over.

Finally, after a few moments of searching, I found it.

The dress I wished Cora and Anden had left alone, buried at the bottom of my closet. The dress they stuffed in my suitcase was a red, off-the-shoulder, high-low dress. It was gorgeous, but I had never worn it because I didn't find an occasion to wear it. It was such a formal dress that I never even thought about wearing it before, considering the fact that I gotten it from Collette as a moving gift.

It was beautiful, but I had no use for it - up until now, I guess.

I watched Andy as she ran into the bathroom with her dress and a bag of makeup in hand. I quickly changed into the dress and a pair of nude pumps I had stashed. In the window beside me, the sun gleamed, reflecting off of the ocean beautifully. I was left breathless at the sight.

"Gracelynn, we have to hurry!" Andy sighed, her toothbrush hanging out of the side of her mouth.

I took a deep breath before I rushed alongside her into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

---

We walked together out of the hotel, Andy dressed in a pair of jeans and an off-the-shoulder ruffled long-sleeved crop top. Our heels clicked against the concrete confidently, but I wasn't feeling confident. I felt a bit off, like someone was missing.

And I don't even feel embarrassed admitting that the person who was on my mind was Brody.

Brody was missing.

Brody was missed.

Okay... I missed Brody.

Andy grabbed my arm and dragged me into the plaza we had seen when we went on that tour a few days ago. Before I can question anything, Andy leads me up the stairs and opens the large doors. Immediately, Latin music fills my ears. I could hear a mariachi band somewhere off in the distance, probably practicing for their time to get up on the stage.

"Why are we-" I managed before I was pulled around a corner.

My eyes were immediately captured in a pair of stone eyes.