Reasons To Try |Completed|

Chapter 12

"Oh my god, Ria! You look so beautiful!" Tiffany told me. I always hated it when she called me Ria but she said she wouldn't be like everyone else and call me Lex or Lexi. So she originally called me Xanria but I expressed extreme hate towards that one so she shortened it and told me I had no choice on the nickname anymore. I guess it doesn't bother me much anymore since I'm used to it. Tiffany and I have been friends for the last 18 years.

I gave a sheepish smile. "You think so? I mean, I just wanna have fun." I told her.

She chuckled. "Well you can have fun while you have a million guys hitting on you." She tried flattery as she snapped a picture of me. She continued to do that until she had snapped the best one and then put her phone away. The fact that she even wanted so many pictures of me was kind of uplifting. Even though I'm a model, I've never really felt that pretty. I mean, I know I'm pretty but I've just never thought I was beautiful. I guess it's a little complicated.

I took one last look in the full length mirror before putting on my shoes. I was in a gold strapless flapper lookalike dress. I do have to admit though that when I looked at my reflection, I actually felt beautiful. I felt like maybe there was a reason Josh chose me, why Matt chose me. I pushed the thoughts of both the men out of my mind. I want to forget about them both for a little while, even if it's for just one night, that's all I want.

I grabbed my coat and Tiffany and I headed down the stairs. Ian was waiting at the bottom for us. He saw me and he graced me with an astonishing smiling face full of admiration. "You look..." He started his sentence.

Tiffany came out from behind me. "Hot!" She finished for him. I gave her a quick glance before smiling at her. She was always able to cheer me up.

I looked her up and down. "You actually look pretty hot yourself Tiffs. If I were to become a lesbian, I'd want to hook up with you first." I joked. Well, half joked I guess. We had tried some experimental things together when we were teens but we couldn't get passed the whole friendship thing.

She spun in place, letting her dress swirl out around her. "I do, don't I Ria?" She spoke confidently with her girly giggle.

Ian stood in spot and stared at her. I cleared my throat to get his attention and he quickly looked up, slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. I smiled at the thought of him getting worked up over Tiffany. It's not because she isn't pretty, I mean, Tiffany is georgous! It's just, Ian is a famous guy but he still has a thing for a small town girl like Tiffany. He always has though, if I'm being completely honest. Even when she was only a child I noticed him always watching her. And then I confronted him on it and he admitted his feelings for her. He's been in love with her for the last 10 years now. He will never admit it to her but to me, I knew even before I asked him about it.

Ian just smiled. "You two look very pretty." He told us. He then looked me up and down and frowned. "You should put some clothes on though." He told me.

I sighed and gave a slight glare. "I'm not five Ian, I can wear whatever I want now." I informed him. Did I not mention how protective Ian can be? Well, he's very protective of my image as well as my emotions. He was always trying to get me to wear more when I was little. It's not like I would be dressed badly either. I swear he would keep me looking like a nun if he could. Whenever I wore shorts, he would hand me a pair of pants. If I wore a skirt, he'd hand me a pair of pants. If I wore a spaghetti strap or halter top, he would hand me a sweater. It's just a very good thing I don't get overheated very easily or I'd be dead by now.

He sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes I hate it. I don't like having you all grown up." He told me truthfully. Sounds about right.

I nodded. "Neither do I sometimes but I can't go back in time so we both gotta deal with it okay." I told him, wishing secretly that I could go back in time and change many things. I never would have allowed Josh back into my life at the very least.