1,825 Days Without You

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Tristan's POV

The next morning, I am rudely awakened by the loud buzzing noise coming from my phone on the dresser. I groan loudly before reaching blindly over the side of the bed, attempting to find the phone. When I finally find it, I pick it up and roll back over on my bed. It takes my eyes a few minutes to come into focus, but once I see Elle's name, I answer.

"Hello?" I say, my voice raspy.

"Good morning Tristan, this is Elle. I just wanted to let you know that Andrew Wilde's party begins at eight o'clock tonight, but you are going to take Carmen to find a dress before. With that being said, please inform Carmen of the plan, and get ready," she says in an excited . How can someone be so peppy this early on a Saturday morning?

"Elle, its ten o'clock on a Saturday morning, can't I just take Carmen this afternoon?" I say groaning.

"No, because you will be heading out to lunch as well. So, please get up and make your way to the mall with Carmen. Also, amp up the PDA. The public needs to know you are exclusive now." She says before hanging up.

I roll my eyes before sitting on the edge of my bed, still tired. Five minutes later I am still sitting there staring at the wall. I force myself to get off the bed and walk the short distance across the hall to Carmen's room. I knock one time on the door before becoming impatient and shoving the door open.

Carmen yelps when I come into view.

"My gosh, you scared me!" She said hitting me on the arm.

I wince before saying, "Too bad. Elle called and said that I have to take you to find a dress or something then lunch, so meet me at the car in ten." I walk back to my room before throwing on a shirt and some jeans. I jog back down the stairs and grab an apple before making my way to the my car. About five minutes later Carmen comes rushing out of the house and into the car. We pull out and make our way towards the mall.

The mall is packed with people, as it's Saturday morning. We are supposed to be seen out together, so I'm prepared to take pictures with a few fans if they see me. We walk around the bottom floor of the mall looking for a shop to go into. Carmen spots a small dress boutique a few stores down and pulls me by my arm towards the store. I cringe internally when I walk into the completely pink store. A tall woman with bright red hair makes her way over to Carmen and I, and asks us if we needed any help. We described the event to her and she guides us towards the back of the store and begins to pick out dresses. Once she has narrowed her choices down to five dresses, she makes her way to the dressing room. The first few dresses are either too long, too short, or just plain. Remembering Elle's words from earlier, I keep my opinions to myself.

It is down to the last dress, and I am praying that it is okay. We have been here for thirty minutes and I honestly just want to leave. I'm tapping my knee in anticipation when I hear the sound of a curtain being ripped open. As soon as I look up, my jaw drops. She looked absolutely beautiful. The dress was a maroon like color, with maroon lace over it. It has a high neckline and long lace sleeves. The back was completely open, but the dress came just above her knees; not to revealing.

I walk over to her and put my hands on her waist before placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. "It's perfect," I say with a smile on my face.

She looked down timidly, but couldn't hide the red tint appearing across her cheeks. After muttering a small thank you, she returns to the dressing room to change back into her clothes.

We argue back and forth for a few minutes about who was paying for the dress before I slide my card to the cashier. Carmen is too busy defending her case to notice the lady handing over the bag. I grab the bag and thank the lady for her help before grabbing Carmen's hand and guiding her out of the store. We are making our way to the food court when I notice she hasn't said a word since we left the store. I turn my head to look at her and she's gives me a glare.

"What's wrong with you?" I ask confused about her sudden mood change.

Instead of answering, she continues to glare at me.

"Oh, so now I'm getting the silent treatment?" I say raising my eyebrow at her.

"I'm not giving you the silent treatment, I am just mad," she says quietly.

"And why are you mad?"

"Because I hate when people do things for me. I appreciate you paying for my stuff, but I want to pay for myself, okay?"

"Okay, fine. I will just be a terrible 'boyfriend' and make you pay for everything," I say putting air quotes around boyfriend.

She just laughs and begins to swung our hands back and forth when we reach the small Italian restaurant towards the main entrance of the mall. Telling by the large number of people pointing, whispering, or just staring at us, I can tell we've been noticed. I carry on like I don't notice; used to the feeling by now.

We get a seat outside, where the "paparazzi" can get a clear view of us. I tell Carmen about what Elle said concerning PDA, so we are sure to be 'loved up'. We actually end up having a good time, getting a few laughs in. Because of Andrew's party, we have to cut our lunch short. The waitress brings our bill over and I pay the bill before we leave the restaurant. A somewhat large group of fans are waiting outside, so I quickly chat with them and take pictures before I have to go. As we wait for the valet man to pull around my car, I grab Carmen by the hips and pull her to me before giving her a kiss on the lips. I make sure to kiss her long enough so that the fans can take pictures. We both pull away before I pull her back in to hug her. I plant a kiss on her forehead as the car is pulled up next to us. I thank the valet man and tip him before we pull of towards my house.