“This works, right?” I twist left. Then right. Then back again, trying to see myself from every possible angle. “I don’t look like I tried too hard? But also, not like I just threw something on? Like, I want to be hot, but effortlessly hot. Cool, but put together. Like, I?—”
“Okay,woah. You need to calm down,” Aurora cuts me off, flopping down onto her bed. “It’s just a date.”
I shoot her a glare. “First of all, rude. Second, I haven’t been on a date in… ever,” I admit, blowing out a breath. “I have no idea how this works.” I press my lips together. “I just don’t wanna embarrass myself. I like him, and?—”
“And you’re spiraling.” She smirks. “Deep breaths, babe. If you didn’t like him, you wouldn’t be having a breakdown over an outfit.”
I shoot her a glare, grab a pillow and chuck it at her head.
She dodges it, letting out a laugh. “So violent. I’m just saying, this is a good thing. It means you actually care about him. Unlike your ex.”
I press my lips together. “Jacob wasn’t that bad.”
Aurora snorts. “Since coming here all you’ve talked about was Ryan. Be honest. Did Jacob ever make you nervous?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
“Did you ever overthink a text? Get butterflies when he called? Debate for six hours over what to wear?”
I groan. “Okay, okay, point made.”
The relationship I had with Jacob was purely physical. I grew to be accustomed to it, to expect that to be what a relationship is. But from the moment I met Ryan, everything between us has been completely different.
We might have had a physical relationship, and snuck around at first, but it was worlds apart from what I had with Jacob. We actually talked and spent time together.
“You look hot,” she assures me, flashing me a smile. “He’s not gonna know what hit him when he sees you.”
I sigh, glancing at the mirror again. “But what if?—”
“Nope.” Aurora sits up, stabbing a finger in my direction. “We’re not doing this. No self-sabotage. You like Ryan. Ryan likes you. End of story.”
“My brother won’t like it,” I say with a harsh breath.
I still don’t know how we went fromonly oncetookay, let’s hook up in secretto now…in a relationship. All while my brother and my dad have no idea.
Aurora gives me a look. “You’re both adults. If Nathan has a problem with it, that’s a him issue. Besides, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
I blow out a breath. “I guess.”
“Good. Now, stop touching your hair before I physically restrain you.” She hops off the bed and grabs her curling iron. “Sit.”
I take a seat, and Aurora helps me curl my hair, fixing the pieces I couldn’t reach.
By the time she’s done, I’ve mostly stopped freaking out.
But then there’s a knock at the door.
My stomach flips.
I take a deep breath, smooth out my dress, and open it.
The door swings open and Ryan stands there with his hands in his pockets, dark jeans sitting low on his hips and a black tee stretched across his chest. His hair’s a little messy, like he ran a hand through it on his way here, and his eyes sweep over me in a way that makes my skin warm.
“Wow,” he says, dragging a hand across his mouth. “Fuck, Bels. You look?—”
Aurora steps directly in front of me, blocking his view before he can finish that sentence. “Alright, Romeo. Listen up.”
Ryan freezes.
