Same Time

thirty.

j a i m e e

+

"Come on, Jai. Stop being shy!"

I step out of the bathroom, sighing as I watch Libbie jump up and down squealing.

The moment I told her that my fiancé had insisted on taking us on our first date as husband and wife to be, Libbie insisted that she would help me get dressed up for it, despite the fact Shayden told me I didn't need to go all out.

"Damn girl, you're so hot." Libbie hums, looking me up and down as Taylor stays transfixed on his video game.

"Why's he even here?" I exclaim, pointing at him as she rolls her eyes.

"He told me he'd buy me food if I let him use my game console." She shrugs as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, "Taylor, be useful and tell her how hot she looks!"

I look down at the sleeveless dress that clung to all my curves and ended mid-thigh. Black lace embroidered the tight material and I felt so different wearing a dress instead of my usual hoodie and jeans. All my tattoos were on show, as were the scars aligning my back but my hair covered most of them.

Taylor looks away from the TV for a second before turning his attention back to it, "Shayden loves you in black, he'll have a boner by the time you've left the house."

My eyes widen at his explicitness but deep down, I appreciate the fact he didn't sugarcoat anything. Spending time with both Libbie and Taylor was awfully refreshing and reminded me of a time where this was the norm.

I hear a knock on my door and I start to panic.

"Shit. He's here. Shit, shit, shit. Libbie!" I rush, freaking out as if I'm going on my first date.

In all fairness, it feels like it.

"Babe, calm down." She tries to soothe me, handing me my bag. "Everything's in there. Go and knock him off his feet."

She leans over and kisses my cheek.

"I love you, Libb."

"I love you too, Jai. Now go and make me an auntie."

"Absolutely not." Taylor grunts, now stood next to me. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and guides me to the door, opening it to see Shayden smiling sheepishly at us. "Right I want her home by midnight. No funny business."

"Yes Sir." Shayden salutes him, before turning to me and holding his hand out. "Shall we, my love?"

I take it, grinning. "We shall."

+++

"God, I hate my hair." I groan, tugging my fingers through it as it started to frizz up. We'd just parked up near the Mall but Shayden swore that we weren't going shopping.

"Let me do it for you." Shayden offers, "Have you got a hair tie?"

I stare at him as if he's crazy at first before tugging a hair tie off my wrist and handing it to him nervously.

"Sit between my legs." He requests lowly, which I do once he's moved the car seat back.

We sit in silence as he tugs my hair back, taming the long, dark strands by pulling them into a braid. By the time he's finished and I've inspected them in the car mirror, my jaw dropped. "Holy shit, Shay. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"When Mom got sick, I learned how to do her hair." He shrugs, but his words warm my heart in a way that I didn't know was possible.

Our lips meet for a few moments, our lips moving naturally against each other. The wind rushes in through the window, making me shiver as goosebumps decorate all my upper body that's exposed with the strapless dress. A sudden realization hits me then. With my hair braided, all the marks on my back and tattooed arms are visible. And that thought is only accentuated when I feel Shayden's gentle fingertips tracing over them.