Finding Jemima

I can't help falling in love

JEMIMA

I was pulling out sweatpants from my draw when I heard max come in and close the door behind him.

"Emmy what are you doing?"

"Getting changed, so get out"

"Jem, Matty meant to say how beautiful you look"

"I look stupid"

"NO, you look fucking amazing"

"You have to say that your my brother"

"No, I'm max, I don't have to say anything"

"Whatever, I'm not going"

"Jem come on, I'm in a penguin suit for Christ sake"

"You look handsome you dork"

He walked over to me slowly not taking his eyes off mine. "And you look god damn gorgeous, and I don't have to say that, I want to say that." I turned my face from his, but he turned it back with his finger. "What's wrong? You've hardly spoken to me this week"

"I don't know, my heads all over the place, what if they don't like me, what if he's told them about everything or they've seen it on the news, don't think I haven't seen it plastered everywhere! what if they take one look at me and think I'm an ugly, skinny scarred freak. what if they think I'm too common and I'm not good enough for him?"

"Stop, if they don't like you tough shit, and if he's as sweet and nice as you say he is then it won't matter to him what they think."

"Fine, why do you always know what to say to me max" I sighed dramatically

"So your coming?"

"Can you help me first?" I asked nervously

"Sure what do you need" I really needed to listen to his heartbeat to calm me down, but I couldn't. I skimmed my fingers over his heartbeat and he looked down at them.

"Can you see my scars?" I asked him timidly, he took my arms and turned them over, I had bought new purple bands and beads to match the dress, Sandra had picked them out with me.

"Well you can see this one slightly, and maybe the newer one but only if your looking for them" he observed my wrists, I looked down and fiddled with them.  He walked over to the side and picked up some white and clear beads and put them on my wrists. "There now you can't see them at all"

"It's not too many, it's not obvious"

"It looks fine, elegant with a little punk rock edge, just like you" he said stroking my cheek, I smiled shyly at him "so we good to go?"

"What about the burn marks?"

"Battle scars remember, I presume he's seen them already, he's seen you in a tank top Emmy!"

"There's one more thing" I shifted awkwardly "I can't reach the zip to do it all the way, it's too stiff, it's stuck." I looked at the floor again.  He turned me around and gently moved my hair to the side, and carefully did the zip all the way up to my neck. I turned back around and he was looking down at me, leaning down so our faces were centimetres away from each other, he didn't move away and nor did I. He rearranged my hair back playing with the wavey ends.

"I like the purple, it suits you"

"Thank you"

"You really do look amazing" I blushed and I could feel my cheeks warming up. "Come on princess let's get you to the ball" he smirked placing a tender kiss on my cheek.