Be My Juliet [on hold]

Chapter 9: Ugly Sweaters and Stolen Kisses

I close the door gently then spin around to face Jess.  Her smile is so wide and I can tell she is ready to explode.  "Okay what?" she manages to squeal.

"What?" I ask, trying to calm myself.  Dan invited me to a party?

"You know exactly what!"

"He invited me to a holiday party." I smiled, sitting on the couch as Jess freaks; I had no idea she was this much of a fan.

"That's awesome Pen!" she takes the spot next to me, grinning widely.

"So I need to find a Christmas sweater..." I start as Jess quickly jumps up.

"Ugly, funny, or cute?"

"Surprise me."  Jess disappears into her room, rummaging through her closet until she emerges with a pile of green and red.  She dumps it on the floor, and then holds up different options.

After a while, we finally agree on an evergreen sweater complete with a reindeer and snowflake pattern on the front.  I keep on my black leggings and Jess does my makeup for me while I do my hair.  I keep it simple- deciding to leave it in its naturally pin straight look with a deep side part.  Once Jess is done with my makeup, I peer into the mirror to make sure I look presentable.  She has done a dark brown smoky eye; making my boring grey ones pop out.  My lips are their natural berry shade; the color slightly enhanced.

"Do I look alright?" I ask.

"Definitely.  What time are you going?"

"He is picking me up at 7."

"Alright, it's 6:30 now.  Are you eating before you go?"

"Probably.  What is there?"

"We don't have much.  Are you okay with peanut butter and jelly?"

"Always."  I smile, walking into the kitchen to gather supplies.

"I'm going to get groceries now, if you want to wait."

"No, I'm perfectly happy with a sandwich."  I respond, spreading chunky peanut butter on a piece of wheat bread.

"Cool.  If I'm not back by the time you're gone, have fun tonight!"

"I will."  I call as she walks out the door.  "See you later."

"I hear Jess reply, "Goodbye" as I take a bite of my dinner.  I finish it quickly, and then pack up my bag with some money, my phone, and my keys.  As I walk into the lounge, I hear a knock at the door.  I open it and find Dan wearing dark skinny jeans paired with an intricately patterned black and white sweater.

"Ready to go?" he smiles as soon as he sees me.

"Yup!"  I reply, walking out of the door and locking it behind me.  He grabs my hand, swinging my arm as we walk to the elevator.

Once outside the building, we hail a taxi and Dan tells the driver the address.  "So whose party is this?" I ask.

"An old friend from university."  He smiles.  As soon as he says this, I immediately get nervous.  What if his friends don't like me?  I get the feeling of butterflies raging in my stomach as we pull up to a red light.  "Are you alright?" Dan asks sweetly.  Shit, he noticed.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  Just not good with new people." I reply awkwardly. 

He squeezes my hand and smiles.  "You'll be fine." The car starts moving again, and we continue to talk for the entire ride.  As we pull up to our stop, Dan quickly pays the driver before I get a chance to.

"Hey, I was going to pay!" I say, taking out my cash.

"Nope, too bad.  I already did." He smirks as we get out of the car.  We walk up to an amazingly carved wooden door with a giant wreath hanging in front.  The door is outlined in a string of multicolored Christmas lights and I can hear the cheesy music from outside.  Dan squeezes my hand before ringing the doorbell.  A tall boy opens the door and smiles.