Chapter Nineteen

Warning: fluffiness ahead, my dears

"From this slumber she shall wake when the true love's kiss the spells to break."

LUCY

I might have lied to Clayton about having to clean. It was for both of our own good, too, because my hair really needed a nice wash and preparation for the evening. Maybe it was wrong of me for wanting to make sure I looked more presentable that night, but oh well. I was about to glamorize myself.

Well, more like J.K. was going to glamorize me. Let me face it, I wasn't the best at doing my makeup unlike her. She said it was because I wasn't wizardly and that apparently she is.

"I was thinking we'd curl your hair and frame your face with braiding the front pieces back." J.K. touched my blow-dried hair, her fingers slipping through effortlessly. "And then with the makeup keep the eyes soft and then a plum colored lip."

She was thinking big with this transformation, which I appreciated, but we only had an hour and a half before Clayton was scheduled to appear at my doorstep. Jacklyn Kate might have been dreaming too high.

My face must have screamed worry, because she instantly gave me one of those reassuring smiles of hers.

"It won't take that long, so lose the face. You're going to look so beautiful tonight that Clayton would be blind and stupid if he didn't want to snatch you up." She was quick to add, "not that you aren't that ridiculously pretty already, of course."

I flipped my hair, sticking my tongue out. "Well duh."

We chuckled together and then she went straight into her makeover mode. That mode was quite a scary one, in my opinion. Her eyes seemed to bore into every pore imaginable on my face, full of fiery determination. She had that crazy glint behind them, and the fact she had a makeup brush clamped between her teeth didn't help her insane appearance.

It felt like ages passed as I sat in the same position. My butt was starting to hurt, yet when I tried to squirm into a different position, J.K. fixed me right back to where I was.

Was Clayton really worth all of this trouble?

Thankfully the moment I blushed was right after J.K. applied a vibrant pretty shade to my cheeks.

Of course he was worth it. I could imagine the night in my head already. We'd be sitting in the back of the theater, chowing down on popcorn, laughing together at the film. His arm wouldn't slip around my shoulder, but instead his hand would make his way to my knee. His thumb would leave small gestures of comfort and warmth, gliding back and forth across the skin. He didn't have to do a lot to make me happy. Something as small and gentle as that was enough to make my whole week. Then we would go out to eat, and he'd assure me that I could get anything I wanted, no matter the price.

Okay, maybe I was thinking way too much into tonight. I knew I was setting myself up for disappointment. There was still that part of me that clenched onto the idea that all of that could actually happen, though.

"You look so good, damn." J.K. took a few steps back to admire her work. She did one of her own hair flips. "I should get paid to do this, really. I'm a wizard."

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, hey, hey. Quit acting like I was some beastly creature you turned into a princess. I've been a princess my whole life, thank you very much." I pursed my lips into a duck face. I knew J.K. hated those.

She scrunched her nose. Payback was sweet. "Alright. Fair enough."

After ushering me up to avoid looking into the mirror, she did a little curtsy to me. My brows furrowed at this act, but I soon grinned.

"I wouldn't say you're a princess right now though." A sigh fell out of her. "You're a queen.." Then she must have looked at the time, because her eyes bulged a little bit, leaving me little time to relish in her sweet comment. "Okay put your outfit on! Quick, quick. Chop, chop."

Thankfully we already chose my outfit days ago. We actually went shopping for about two hours looking for a good skirt and top combination that wasn't overly expensive. The skirt was pretty and flared out to about my mid-thigh. It was a soft pastel purple, which happened to be my favorite color. The shirt hugged my chest and cropped right below my belly button, exposing a small hint of flesh. It was nothing too much, nor too little. It was perfect and made me feel perfect.

"Now take a look at yourself, girly."

I wasn't expecting too much when I turned around towards the mirror. In fact, I thought I'd look like my ordinary self with a little bit of makeup on. But in a way, I didn't fully appear like myself. Instead I looked older -- much more mature for my age. Don't get me wrong, I still looked youthful and fun, especially with the berry lip color, but I appeared more like a young woman.

For so long I had feared growing up and becoming an adult, graduating high school, and having to go to college. Yet when I stared back at myself, I felt that fear in side me dwindle the tad bit.

"Wow. . ." That's all I could muster out.

J.K. held a smirk up. "Damn straight wow. That's my best friend!"

I would have laughed at that, but the doorbell sent a shiver down my spine.

He was here. Clayton was here.

Before I could even press my skirt down and give myself another once over, J.K. began pushing me out of my bedroom towards the front door. My parents were sitting in the livingroom, both sending knowing grins my way.

"Well, don't you look nice." My mom sent me a wink.

My dad just smiled, but his eye looked to have twitched. "This must be a date."

J.K. and I glanced at each other, but I ended up just remaining silent.

"This is definitely a date, Mr. and Mrs. Walker." J.K. blurted out, giggling like crazy.

Rolling my eyes, I headed towards the front door to open it. The butterflies in my belly were especially present during that time. It almost felt like I was suspended in air, falling and falling.

"Hey, Clayt--"

Instead I was met with a stupid smile and boy holding his leg in the air, jokingly reaching out to shake my hand.

"Jacob?" I exasperated.

Jacob crossed his arms the best he could with his prosthetic leg in grasp. "Well, I don't feel very welcomed back."

J.K. thankfully stepped in front of me while peering towards the driveway. "You're so annoying, ugh. You're supposed to be Clayton! They have a very important movie and dinner date tonight."

Before Jacob could even say anything, Clayton's car pulled into the driveway. J.K. squealed, Jacob was wallowing in whatever emotion he was feeling (I didn't really care), while I stood there frozen. It took all of my courage to swing that door open, yet it wasn't even Clayton. Of course I loved having Jacob around, but it felt like he was just there. Sure, it might have been around three weeks ago, but still. I thought a monthly dose of Jacob Walker was enough every now and then.

"Shit, okay. Um, move, you." I swatted past Jacob.

Clayton and I needed to leave as soon as possible before Jacob gets his hands on him.

"I love you too, sis. Great to see you once again." My brother yelled out as I rushed to Clayton's car.

I could hear him rustling with his leg, probably to put it back on so he could come over and have a chat with Clinton -- Clayton. Jacob was known for leaving an effect on people. The whole name nonsense was not one I needed Clayton to know about with me. Whoops.

Clayton opened his door to get out, and I quickly waved my hands in the air for him to stop. If he wanted to not be beaten by a club leg, he needed to stay in the car. His face was full of different emotions, but mostly confusion. Of course the reveal I wanted at the door was ruined. The image of Clayton taking in my appearance head to toe at the door made my cheeks flush. If only things had went as planned. . .

"Hey, Clayton!" I said a little bit too high-pitched after opening the passenger door. I definitely took notice of how clean his car was. Did he clean it up for me? "Sorry, I just think it's best if we  left now. I didn't expect Jacob to be back home today."

I could see Clayton's face fall in a ghastly expression. He dared to flick his gaze over to the front door, where Jacob was defiantly peeking out of a crack in the door.

"Your brother scares me." He finally breathed out. There was a long silence, just with the radio in the background, until our eyes met and we chuckled. "I'm surprised he just hasn't come over here yet--"

"Yeah, he's coming out now. Please, let's go." I couldn't help but laugh. Jacob looked like a crazy person. I knew at this point he was just acting the way he was as a show. Clayton did not know that though.

When he saw Jacob walking down the porch steps, he zoomed out of there so quickly. Clayton wasn't one to drive so recklessly, but I could tell he was a little bit on edge. Okay, maybe a lot on edge. It wasn't until we were halfway to the movie theater that another word was said. It wasn't an awkward silence before then, per say. It was comfortable, especially since one of my favorite songs started to play on the radio.

"Well, that was an experience." Clayton glanced over at me, his smile dazzling as ever. It made me melt in my seat. "I didn't get to say hi to your parents though."

I shrugged even though his eyes were on the road now. "It's alright. I'm sure you've seen enough of my dad for about a year after seeing him shirtless."

He snickered. "Cut the guy some slack. When your mom cooks the way she does, I understand completely."

It was so easy with Clayton to laugh. He didn't even have to say a joke and there I was, chuckling along side him. He made me feel more comfortable than any other guy I talked to. I appreciated that immensely.

The movie started at five-thirty, so we were in a slight rush to make it on time. Thankfully we made it just five minutes before it started, enough time to get some popcorn and drinks. The whole walk in I forgot how I looked and what I was wearing, but when I caught Clayton sneaking a peek at me, you could bet your lucky stars I was as red as I could get.

After he paid for our tickets and goodies, we handed our tickets to the attendant and they directed us in the direction of our theater. On the way there I was hyper aware of how close Clayton was walking next to me.

He smelled so damn good. I nearly let out a sigh.

Before I realized what was happening, Clayton used his free hand to place it on the small of my back, guiding me because I was too lost in my thoughts to realize I nearly passed our theater.

I gave him a sheepish smile.

Before I reached to open the door, he beat me to it like the gentleman he was.

"Why thank you, kind sir." I giggled against my wishes. Darn Clayton and his effect on me.

Ours eyes connected, and I expected him to be smiling or chuckling with me, but instead his expression was soft and serious. His tongue ran along his lips while his eyes danced along my face. I wondered what he was thinking about.

"You're so pretty. . ." he finally said.

I sucked in a breath. It was a small compliment, but it definitely made me stand up a little bit taller. "Thank you."

There was that smile again. "Anytime, love."

- - - - - - - - -

The movie was God awful. Unlike what the trailer portrayed, it turned out the movie was actually a musical as well; one of my least favorite kind of genres. Not that I didn't enjoy people singing, it just became a problem when they sang every single word.

Thankfully, Clayton was there beside me to entertain me. There wasn't anyone else in the theater which had surprised me at first, but eventually became understandable. So we weren't scared to goof off and talk to one another.

Midway into the film, Clayton stood up and sang out, "I'm in a theater and I'm singing!" which cracked me up beyond belief. He was becoming better and better as the days went on in my eyes.

Dinner actually went the same way as the movie. He took me to this overpriced Mexican restaurant, since he knew that was my favorite, despite the fact it was his least. The food was decent, not the worst I ever had, but the main dish was Clayton himself. He was so charismatic and care-free that night. If I didn't know better, I would assume he was putting all of himself out there for me, and I was adoring it all.

"Yeah, this food sucks." Clayton barely even poked at his food before coming to that realization.

I shook my head. "Nah, it's not that bad." I took a spoonful of refried beans into my mouth. Those are typically my favorite, but I made a face. "Well, okay, maybe it is a little bit suck-ish."

He frowned a little bit to my dismay. "I'm sorry tonight hasn't exactly gone well as planned."

Clayton had to have been joking. That night was one I probably wouldn't ever forget. "What do you mean? I've had a bunch of fun."

His head tilts ever so slightly. "Really?"

I nodded immediately. He had no reason to think otherwise.

"Well, that's good then. I'm really glad."

Eventually the time passed as we talked and talked, so the inevitable happened. It was nearing my curfew, and Clayton was determined to take me home earlier than that to please my parents. He wouldn't show me the check for dinner, since I wanted to at least pay the tip, but he would not have it. Jokes on him though, I left two dollars in addition to his tip money.

I don't think one word was said on the ride back to my house. Both of us enjoyed listening to the music, every once in a while humming the words and sending each other subtle smiles. Somewhere along the way Clayton's hand gently reached its way to my thigh. It scared me at first, the nerves I almost forgot about instantly coming back to me. My whole body tingled and it only increased when he gave me a reassuring, soft squeeze.

The moment my home came into sight, I frowned. I didn't want to go back. I wanted to keep spending time with Clayton and didn't want that night to end. I didn't want his hand to move.

"I'm really glad you could come out with me today." Clayton removed his hand from my thigh to turn off the car. We were consumed by darkness.

"Me too, I had a lot of fun."

The crickets sounded through the air as he and I just looked at each other. In the back of my head I was encouraging myself to make a move - any move - but before I could he opened his door. "We should probably get you inside."

I was a bummed, but he was right. I'm sure Jacob would peek out the window whenever my curfew came around, so it was good we got there a little bit earlier.

The stars were extra pretty that night surprisingly. It wasn't too often when you could see so many stars in the sky. I admired them while walking to the front porch, trying to keep my mind off what could happen as we said goodbye. A portion of me hoped it would just be a friendly goodbye hug, while the other yearned for the experience of my first kiss. I always daydreamed about what the kiss would be like, and the thought of it being with Clayton made my heart swell.

Our footsteps along the steps made the boards squeak slightly. When we made it to the front door, I turned to face him. My parents must have forgotten to leave the front porch on, but that was okay. I could still appreciate how handsome Clayton Hugh was in all his glory. At the beginning of the night his matching lavender button down was tucked into his pants, but at some point he untucked it, sort of like himself. He relaxed and let himself go, revealing characteristics I never saw before in him.

"Alright, well." He shuffled back and forth on his feet. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, yeah?"

My heart was racing faster than ever as he took a step towards me. I bit my lip and nodded.

His hands gingerly wrapped around my forearms, pulling me closer to him ever so slightly. I wanted to say something, anything, but I couldn't. All I could do was stare back at his eyes, watching as they bounced between my own and my lips. Before I could realize what was happening, he pressed the softest of kisses to my cheek. I thought that was the end of that moment, but no. Clayton went back and pressed another kiss to my cheek, this time catching a piece of my lips in the process. He lingered there briefly, then released my arms and took a step back.

Clayton's kisses left my cheeks tingling with nerves and excitement. If it weren't for the crickets and loud T.V. coming from inside the house, he probably would have been able to hear how loud my heart was beating in my chest.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he repeated. Except that time it didn't sound like a question.

Clearing my throat, I managed to grin. "Can't wait."

A goofy smile appeared because of that. "Have a goodnight, Lucy."

"You too, Clayton."

I watched as he walked back to his car, my head still spinning with all that had happened that evening.

I didn't get my first kiss, but that was okay because I got something even better: confidence that Clayton Hugh might actually like me as more than just a friend.

---- If you are interested in reading a completed short teen fiction, humor novella I finished, you can find it on the app Radish. It's called The Naked Dare and I'd appreciate anyone who thinks to give it a chance ---

GUYYYYSSSS, I was dying while writing this chapter. I love my babies so much, so this chapter made me extra happy. ♡ So much this is the longest chapter I've written for this book.

THE NEXT DEDICATION will go to a person who expresses their feelings about Lucy and Clayton's evening. I love knowing what y'all think in general, but I especially want to know about this chapter in particular and what happened throughout it. So let me know in the comments below! Don't be afraid to express how you feel. :)

This chapter dedication goes to @daralovespugs because the idea she had of the night was so cute and adorable. I want my own kind of Clayton too, girl. Thanks for the support I appreciate it!

Also guys it's my first Valentine's with a boy in my life, and I'm very lucky to have a great boyfriend. So guess what I got him for Valentine's? A Star Wars Death Star iHome speaker! Sorry this is random I'm just really excited to see what he thinks.

The next update should come soon guys, don't worry! Hope your 2017 is going super well, and Happy Valentine's day! ♡♡♡