41 - Glorious

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

The following morning, I woke up, strangely calm for someone who was internally panicking. It was already half past eight, so I only had one and a half hours to get ready. I felt comfort in knowing I would be seeing Forrest and Ivy, but I had no idea how their parents were like. Although Forrest said that they would "adore" me, I doubted it.

After eating breakfast and taking a quick shower, I stood in front of my closet, stressed. With dresses not an option, I could only choose to wear a blouse with pants. One of my best blouses was a violet long-sleeved, sheer button-up and the most appropriate pants were wool, black ones. After putting them on, I scrunched my face in disapproval. They didn't exactly flatter my body whatsoever, but they did make me look nice in a straightforward way.

I dried my hair with a blow-dryer and combed it repeatedly until it was no longer knotted. And because I really wanted to look presentable, I decided to apply a bit of make-up. With just a few swipes of mascara and a few dabs of red lipstick, I was finished.

By the time I sprayed on some perfume, my phone vibrated with a notification. Without hesitating, I checked the text message and the time. It was fourteen minutes before ten.

Hey june, i'm heading there now :-)

I swallowed down my nerves and replied okay!

Making sure I had all my essentials in my purse, I took one last look in the mirror. My hair was actually cooperating, my lips were brighter than usual, and even though my thighs were hating the pants, the outfit was refreshing – different from the t-shirts and sweatpants I often wore. Maybe it was safe to say that I looked pretty decent – perhaps beyond that.

I waited in my living room for roughly ten minutes before Forrest arrived. He didn't have to, but he got out of his car and made it to my front door. I was surprised to hear him knocking.

Right as I opened the door, I was greeted by his dazzling smile. "June! Hey, wow." His eyes instantly went down my body, causing heat to creep up my neck. "You look absolutely lovely." He leaned in to kiss my cheek and I melted.

"Thanks," I offered a weak smile, "You look pretty good yourself." He was wearing a dark-orange sweater over a blue plaid shirt along with denim jeans. The sleeves were rolled up, and the sweater fit him very well, making him appear even more handsome than usual.

"Well, I'm flattered," he dramatically said, bringing a hand to his chest. My smile grew. "Anyway, shall we get going?"

I nodded. "We shall."

Minutes later, we were in his Corolla, on our way to a place that could possibly help me more than I wanted to expect. Just a look at the boy next to me sent a thrill through me. "So," he started, "did you happen to finish the puzzle?"

I was tempted to say that I did, but instead, I told the truth. "Nope. I left the pieces untouched."

"Well, we'll get it done sometime soon," he replied. "Oh, by the way, Ivy has no clue that we're together now. Quite frankly, she shouldn't be very concerned with my love-life, so if you can, try to keep her from knowing for as long as you can. Maybe we can mess with her a little bit. But if you can't resist from bragging about your new boyfriend," I rolled my eyes, "then I'll understand."

"Okay, first of all, are we really official?" I raised a brow. "Don't you still need to take me out before we start using the term boyfriend?"

"Ouch," Forrest pouted, "and here I thought you were excited to call me that."

I laughed. "Let's just save that for the future. We don't need to rush."

"So . . . does that mean I can't call you my girlfriend?"

"Aren't we supposed to be low-key?"

"Only around Ivy, though."

My lips curved. "Something tells me you're the one who wants to brag about having a girlfriend."

"Well, duh. Especially if it's you."

Wow. "Is there ever a moment when you're not sappy?"

"Yes, actually. But you totally enjoy my sappiness – don't even lie to yourself."

"If by enjoy, you mean want to throw up from, then yes, I definitely enjoy it," I retorted, and he pouted again. It was actually fairly cute whenever he did that.

"Jeez, June, way to bruise my ego."

I mentally thanked God that he wasn't being serious. He acted like he had so much self-pride, but I wouldn't be able to stand him if that were actually the case. "Can you just drive?"

Minutes later, we were going down a road I wasn't familiar with. Outside, it looked like such a radiant day. The sun was out, trees were gently swaying, and I was there to witness the undemanding beauty of nature. Forrest, for some reason, kept the radio off, allowing a comfortable silence to wrap around us. As nervous as I was, I didn't let it show.

"We're almost there," he muttered, and I caught sight of the church. The closer we got, the more awe swept over me. It was glorious, painted neutral shades, and it stood high. Parts of the roof were pointed upwards, and there was a bold cross just above the entrance. The diamond windows were long with opaque glass, and the wooden double doors beckoned everyone to enter. There were a few individuals lingering outside, and many vehicles were already parked.

It took Forrest a couple of minutes, but he eventually found a clear space to park in. "Wow," I exhaled. "This church is so nice."

"Yeah, we're pretty fortunate to have it." Forrest shut off the engine and removed his seat-belt. "Anyway, let's go."

"Are we late?" I asked a few moments later, walking slightly fast. I squinted, sunshine coming down on us a little too harshly.

Forrest shook his head. "No, the service starts in ten minutes. I just want you to have some time to meet my parents."

I nodded slowly. Once we reached the doors, Forrest held one open for me, and I took a deep breath.

Here we go . . .

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net