TWENTY FOUR

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"You don't know babe
When you hold me
And kiss me slowly
It's the sweetest thing"
—Daniel Caesar

     After the presentation, Susanna and I parted ways. She left for her session while I couldn't wait to get home and relax—oh wait . . .

"Shopping time!" Holly chirped. She took my hand and dragged me through the gates of school and to her car.

     "Wait up sunshine!" We both stop in our tracks by the car. Reid comes rushing towards us. He approaches me and smiles. "I'm so proud of you today baby," he kisses my nose and caresses my cheek, and action that makes goosebumps raise on my skin.

     "How'd you know?" I ask curiously.

     "Jake just happened to sneak in the class and captured a video."

     "Ohh, well thank you. It feels like a whole weight was lifted off my shoulders!" We both lean and share a gentle kiss that makes my nerves go haywire at the sparks.

     "Ahem," Holly clears her throat. Reid and I part and scowl at Holly.

     "Oh stop. Reid, give her to me! We have to go get our dresses."

     "Dresses?"

     "Prom babe," I say. A mischievous smirk appears on his face.

     "Alright. Tell me the color of your dress and I'll match my tie," he gives me one last kiss. "Be safe."

     "Okay, SHO!" Holly motions with her hands. Reid's arms go up in surrender and he walks away to the guys. "And so the fun begins," Holly whisks me in the car and doesn't shut her trap until we pull up to the mall.

     Holly being Holly, we move from store to store and I've resulted in keeping my shoe laces untied and tucked in my sock so I don't have to keep retying them. We've tried on so many dresses I've lost count—and none of them struck our fancy.

     "C'mon Mere! This is it, I can feel it!" We're standing outside of yet another dress shop. Holly grabs my wrist and leads me through racks of dresses. I'm surprised to see that this store has no tacky dresses. Their all elegant and graceful, like what you'd see a runway model wearing. I finally steer away from Holly and check out the store on my own. I find myself moving toward a section of Sherri Hill dresses. I've always seen them online and have dreamed of wearing one!

     I scan the rack until I find one that practically screams my name. I gently pull it off the rack and rush toward the dressing rooms.

     "You find one?" Holly shouts from the stall next to mine. I begin taking off my outfit, replacing it with the mermaid styled gown. The dress was advertised as 'ruby red,' but in my opinion it seemed much more deeper than that; more crimson. The neckline plunged down showing the little cleavage I have. The little red crystals on the chest caught the light just right, scintillating their reflections across any object besides darkness. This dress made me feel confident, and when I looked in the mirror, there was a princess staring back at me with a smile on her face.

     "Yes! You?"

     "Mhm! Ooh I'm gonna look so good, Jake won't be able to keep his hand off me—"

     "I'm done!" I cut her off.

     "Me too!"

     In an odd unison, we both exit our changing rooms and assess the pieces of fabric that clung to our bodies.

     "Geez girl! Reid is gonna have such bad blue balls!" Holly teases. I involuntarily blush at the compliment.

Grinning, I give her a once over. Holly's dress matches her personality just right; a beautiful lavender ball gown flows around her legs as she twirls. The top portion of it is bedazzled in the finest jews that capture the sunlight just as her green eyes do. Silky fabric pools just above her ankles. But the best part was her smile. "Jake is gonna be just as bad, cause you look gorgeous Holly!"





Reid: Meet me in front of your house in 20 ;)

Me: Okay? I have a feeling you're up to something . . .

Reid: Just wait and see baby.

     I roll my eyes and head to my closet to change. I wonder what's happening?

20 minutes later...

Reid: I'm around the corner baby, don't forget your jacket.

     I grab my precious leather jacket and head downstairs. As promised, Reid is standing with his bike at the curb. I run toward him and hop on his bike. The smell of his cologne and the warmth of his body taunted me as we left town to wherever he was planning. We manage to make good time and arrive at a meadow just on the outskirts of town. The scenery is amazing; green grass taking over a whole field with little clusters of flowers, trees overhang the edge of the meadow with their leaves falling ever so slowly.

     Reid intertwines our hands and takes me to the edge of the meadow—a cliff.

     "Reid, don't get me wrong I love you, but are you gonna say 'if you jump I jump?' because you're batshit crazy."

     This earns me a hearty laugh as he throws his head back and clutches his stomach. I love making him laugh, the sound of him happy makes me warm. "Babygirl that's not why I brought you here."

     I look over at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Then why—" he stops me and turns my head back to the scene and my jaw drops.

     "That's why." I gasp and stare in wondrous awe. The sky was kissed with shades of pink, purple and red. The sun just setting behind the mountain peaks. The golden rays cast upon my face warming up my cold cheeks. I wrap my arms around my torso when a second pair set on mine.

     "It's beautiful," I whisper to myself and Reid. His plants a small kiss on my neck that makes me become flustered.

     "It is," he says looking straight into my eyes. I watch as he shoves his hand in his pocket and pulls out a red velvet box. He takes one knee and grasps my hand.

     "Since the first day I've met you I knew there was something more. You weren't just any other girl, you were Meredith. And I was determined to dig deeper. In the process I've managed to do something I never thought I was capable of: I fell in love. Meredith Anna Hills, I'm so in love with you the thought of not being with you fucking hurts," he pauses and opens the box. A beautiful ring glistens and draws tears from my eyes.

     "This isn't a proposal—at least not yet, but this is a promise. I promise my heart to you. I promise to love you to the max and never betray you," He trails off and slips the ring on my fourth finger.

     Not wasting anymore time, I jump into his arms and we both tumble to the ground. I straddle his waist and rest my hands on his pecs. I lean down till we're only a breath away.

     "I promise," I whisper against his lips before we move in sync. The kiss is drowned in love and passion. I moan into the kiss as his hand trails underneath my shirt and his fingers run over my spine. I rake my fingers through his silky hair and tug. When we reluctantly pull away, our foreheads rest against each other.

     "I'll love you forever babygirl."

     "I'll love you forever too, Reid. So-o-o, does this mean you're my boyfriend?" I ask. We've always acted like a couple, but never made anything official. Now that a ring has come into the equation, it means that he's fully committed himself to me, and me to him.

     "You'd like that wouldn't you?" Reid asks with his signature smirk. I slap his chest playfully and he laughs.

     "Of course you're my girlfriend."

     "And you're my boyfriend!" I say enthusiastically. Truth be told, I'd never thought I'd ever say those words.

     "Yes babygirl. Now, let's get home. It's getting pretty late."

     I look around and notice that the sun has completely set. The colors of the sky have vanished into a light navy blue and tiny stars begin to dance across the night sky. The temperature decreases drastically, causing me to shiver and snuggle closer to Reid.

     "Aw, just a little longer?" I pout. I love stargazing. And now that I have Reid, it'll make the whole experience 10x better.

     "Okay my angel, just a bit longer." He props himself against a tree and I lay in between his legs. I turn my head slightly and pick up the sound of his heart beat. The steady rhythm makes me sleepy. I let my eyes slip closed. A sleep that consists of no nightmares, and no darkness. Instead, replacing it with visions of the future; my future with the man I call my boyfriend.

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