If We Were Perfect (herophine)

Chapter Eleven: Anything Away From Here

PART ONE
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Josephine
Friday Night

PROM

Hero still hadn't saw my dress. He only knew that it was light blue and lacy.

I stare at myself in the mirror and smile at my reflection. I loved how this dress looked on me. It looked stunning. My hair and makeup weren't done yet, Hadley said she'd help me do my hair before we leave. She was good at doing hair, and I was good at doing make-up. We had our individual things that we were good at.

A knock sounds from the door, and I jump, startled out of my daze.

I shake my head and move close to the door.

"Who is it?" I shout, pressing my ear into my cupped hands.

"Hero, I have to go to the bathroom. Are you almost done?" He shouts from the other side of the heavy wood slab that separates us. Damn, I didn't think he would be home for a few more hours.

Come to think of it, did he even leave this morning?

I panic and struggle undoing the zipper of my dress. The strapless gown was tight across my breast. So tight, I couldn't even wear a bra underneath.

After spending a minute trying to get the zipper undone, I finally shimmy my way out of the dress. The light blue lacy falls to the floor and pools at my bare feet. I look down, then around the room, how do I get out of here without him seeing the dress?

I scan the room quickly, then fold the dress up, shoving it into the bottom of my makeup bag. I don't say anything to him as I pull open the door and push past his broad frame, heading right to the staircase. I wish I could've saw his reaction. It had to of been priceless. I smile, then look around the hallway momentarily, before entering Hadley-

I mean, Mine and Hadley's room. She turns away from the vanity set up on her dresser, then looks to me.

"Finally, I was waiting for you to get up here so I could start on your hair. What took you so long?" She ask, then turns back to the mirror momentarily. She pulls back a strand of her hair, pushing it behind her ear.

I set my bag down on my bed, then reply, "I was trying on my dress, but then Hero had to go to the bathroom, so I had to take it off and hide it."

She nods, muttering a soft oh.

"You're still going with Joe right?" I ask, grabbing all of my things. Brushes, foundation, concealer and bronzer and highlight. I move it all over to the dress, then head over to Hadley so she can do my hair. I made sure to leave it greasy so it formed better and stuck together with our her having to prep it.

"Yep, but he hasn't told me anything. He didn't even tell me what time we were going to meet up." She replies, bringing the straightener to my hair and slowly twisting it, making my hair flat and straight.

"Dickhead." I whisper with a smug smirk. She chuckles.

"So first, I'm going to straighten your hair, then I'll braid it, maybe make it into a braid crown, maybe something else..." she starts, but her words trail as she decides what she's going to do to my hair.

I close my eyes as she pulls and tugs at my long, brown hair.

A few minutes later, her voice whispers in my ear, "Open your eyes Josephine."

I open my eyes and my hair. It was stunning. Curled. Two small, thin braids from the side of my hair wound their way to the back and were tied into a tight hair elastic.

"Hadley! I love it! It's beautiful!" I squeal, jumping from my seat and hugging her.

"Okay. Time for makeup." I tell her, grabbing my makeup and sitting it next to the small chair.
***
Two hours of fixing each other's makeup and hair later, we grab our dresses and I leave the room, giving her privacy to change. I stand out in the hallway, praying that Hero doesn't walk upstairs and see my dress which is currently dangling from my arms. I heat footsteps coming up the steps and realize that my thoughts went against me and brought him up here. Shit.

"Josephine?" He ask, stopping before stepping into the hallway. He couldn't see me. Thank god.

"Don't come up, I'm wearing my dress." I half-lie to my boyfriend, hoping that he wouldn't come up anyway.

"I need my tie, I left it in the upstairs bathroom, can you hand it to me?" He ask. I shrug and push open the bathroom door. Maybe I should get dressed in here? I wouldn't have to wait any longer.

I grab the tie off the shiny, grey countertop, then exit the bathroom, putting my hand around the wall. A second later, he snatches it from my hands. I hear his heavy steps going down the stairs.

I head back into the bathroom and pull on my lacy blue dress. The material is soft and feels like a fresh pair of satin sheets. I can't zip the zipper by myself. To secure the dress from falling down, I wrap my arms around my chest, right under my breast, and cling onto the material.

I waddle out of the room and down the hallway to mine and Hadley's room.

I push open the door without knocking, knowing she'll have the dress on by now, and close it behind me. Hadley is holding up her dress the same way I am. I laugh to myself and she joins in a second later, "Come here, I'll zip you up."

She moves closer to me and I zip up the back of her dress. Once she adjust it so it's comfortable, I spin around and let her zip up the back of my dress. The moment the zipper sound stops, not only my arms fall, but so does my heart. I look to the mirror and spin, letting the dress wave around me.

Tears come to my eyes as the realization hits. This is it. Prom is in two hours. Graduation is in less than 48 hours. I'm done. I made it. We made it, together. The words sound corny in my head, but I don't care.

"Can we go show Hero?" I ask, wiping the tears away from my eyes with the side of my hand. She nods, taking my hand and leading me out of the room. The two of us go down the stairs, Hadley calls for Hero.

He walks around the corner the same time I come to the bottom of the stairs. He's inches away from me. He doesn't have his normal scent that I loved so much. Instead it was soft. And minty.

"Holy shit." He whispers. He slowly grows closer to me. His hand cupping my cheek, pulling me closer to him. I slowly kiss his lips, his arms move to the back of my dress and pull me closer against his body. I pull out of our kiss and look into his shimmering green eyes. Those damned green eyes which tug at my soul till nothing was left.

His touch made me crazy, but I couldn't act on my temptations. Not when everyone was home.

He brings his lips to my ears and whispers ever-so softly, "You are stunning."

I smile, then look up, "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

He chuckles, then picks me up and spins me around like a Christmas top.