“I have a cute one that you can borrow. It’s pink and lacy, so it’ll go perfect with your dress. Plus, it’s a pushup.” She’d started on my face, and my eyes were closed, but I could imagine the excitement on hers at the thought of getting me into girly underwear.
“I don’t need it to match my dress. Remember, nobody will see it. Besides, I don’t think I could fit in one of your bras.”
“It’s not necessarily about matching your outfit,” Beth corrected. “But you can’t wear the wrong color. A black bra might show through under your pink dress. Plus, your dress has a really wide neckline so your current straps would totally stick out. My bra can be strapless. It’s also a few years old. Back when I bought it, the ladies weren’t so big yet. It’ll be fine on you.”
At least her newest argument made sense. I didn’t have a problem with my plain old practical bra, but I really didn’t want it hanging out of my dress, either. “Fine,” I conceded. “I’ll wear your stupid bra.”
“And the matching thong?” The words were phrased as a question, but they were delivered as a command.
“No way, Beth. I draw the line at a thong. I don’t want to be picking my underwear out of my butt all night.”
“Do you want a massive underwear line cupping your cute little bum in that tight dress of yours? You know Cam and Brady will both be checking it out. They are guys, after all.”
“Ok, ok.” I sighed. “I’ll wear the thong. But let the record show that I am totally uncomfortable with wearing your old underwear, even if it is clean and hasn’t been worn in years.”
“Oh, the bra hasn’t been worn in years, but I’m wearing the thong right now.” Beth laughed at her joke as I reached out with my eyes closed to hit her, though I’m not sure what I got. “Stop, Bea. Don’t move!” she shrieked at me. “Do you want eyeliner over your whole lid?”
Half an hour later, Beth put her instruments of torture down and stood back to appraise me. “Wow, Bea, that boy is going to go crazy when he sees you,” she breathed.
“Which one?” I asked, frightened to see what she’d done to my face.
“Both.” She laughed and waited as I sat, unmoving, on the toilet lid. “Well, turn around and look already.”
I did as she instructed, and when I caught my first glimpse in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I looked like me, but just…more. I didn’t look like Angelica with my makeup painted on, but all of my features were very enhanced. Especially my eyes. Beth had given them this light and smoky look. It was amazing. I didn’t know how she did this stuff.
“Thank you, Beth. It looks beautiful.” I smiled at her.
“No, you look beautiful,” she corrected. “Now go get your dress on, so I can see the finished masterpiece. I still have to put on my face.” She turned me around and shooed me out the bathroom door.
My dress was really pretty, and I was actually excited to wear it. The dress was pink and lace covered the entire thing. It was form-fitting and had a wide, shallow scoop neck. It wasn’t super low cut in the front; it barely showed my collarbone. The neckline dipped with a V in the back. Not enough to need a backless bra but enough to provide ventilation for when I got hot dancing. It hit me above the knee and the sleeves were tight, coming down to just above my elbow.
I loved the dress because it was unique. Not too many girls wore dresses with sleeves nowadays. The best part is that the base material had some sort of spandex-like stuff in it. It was stretchy, which meant I could move in it without the dress riding up to my butt every time I raised my arms.
Beth walked into my room with the dreaded bra and thong combo, threw it on my bed, then walked back into the bathroom. I stared at the itty-bitty undies for a moment before giving in and putting them on. Then I slid my dress on quickly and zipped up the back. I opened my closet to grab the matching pink shoes Beth made me buy. I’d wanted brown ones because I knew I’d never wear pink shoes again, but she insisted that they had to match the dress.
At least I won in the heel department. Beth had picked out a pair of strappy stilettos. I’d shot her down right away. I’d break my ankle wearing that crap. But Brady was a lot taller than me, and I knew I needed a pretty major height boost. So after looking all day, we found a pair of strappy pink shoes with a four-inch wedge heel, and Beth was satisfied.
I put on my shoes and walked to Beth’s room since she had a full-length mirror. I opened her closet door to check out my final appearance. Beth walked in behind me. “Bianca Barnes, you look smoking hot.” She whistled a catcall.
“I look like a piece of bubble gum,” I retorted. I actually thought I looked pretty good, for me, but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of admitting it.
“Good thing Cam has a major sweet tooth,” she said. I shook my head and laughed as I walked out her door and down to the kitchen. I was getting hungry, and it was going to be at least another hour before we ate dinner. I needed a snack. I was opening the fridge, when I heard Beth holler from upstairs. “Bianca, don’t you even think about eating right now! You’ll ruin your lipstick!” Forget twin sense; she had eyes in the back of her head. Just like a mom. I smiled at the thought but shut the refrigerator door.
The doorbell rang. Beth was still getting dressed, and Dad wasn’t here, so I walked over to answer it. I paused for a moment, nervous that it might be Cam. We hadn’t spoken since yesterday in the bathroom. I opened the door and tried to hide my sag of relief when it was Brady standing on the porch.
“Hi, Bianca.” Brady gave me the once-over. “You look stunning.” He smiled, then glanced at the stairs, where Beth was making her grand entrance. She had on a blue floor-length dress with capped sleeves and a skirt that was full but not fluffy. She was walking down delicately, one hand on the rail and one holding up her skirt, so as not to trip on it. She looked like a princess. This scene belonged in a teenybopper movie about prom night.
“Thanks, Brady. Come on in.” I opened the door wide for him as Beth approached us. “Are we waiting for Cam?” I looked at Beth, not sure what the plan was.
Brady cleared his throat and reached for Beth’s hand. “Actually, Bea,” he started, a nervous look on his face. I was confused at the action. Why was he holding Beth’s hand? “Beth and I have decided to go to the dance together. I’m sorry to ditch you. You look so beautiful. But I thought maybe it’d be better if you and I didn’t go as dates.”
Brady led Beth through the front door, and she grinned over her shoulder. Then she blew me a kiss and shut the door behind her. What the hell just happened? Did I really get stood up by the nicest boy in the world, right before the homecoming dance? This could not be happening. Even the universe, which hated me so much, wouldn’t be this cruel to me. Would it? I was on the verge of tears, and crying would ruin the amazing makeup job that Beth had done. I guess it didn’t matter since I wasn’t going to the dance anyway. I was about to hyperventilate when the doorbell rang again. I reached to open it, yelling angrily as I did. “Beth, if this is your idea of a funny joke, you can shove it up…”
The door flew open, and my heart stopped beating. My entire body froze up. Cam was standing in front of me, looking like a model from a men’s magazine. He stared at me, in all his godlike glory, wearing a dark blue suit with a pink tie. One that almost exactly matched the shade of my dress. His hair was messy, in that perfectly styled I-want-you-to-think-I-don’t-give-a-crap kind of way. His blue eyes were sparkling and his smile was wide, his adorable dimples quickly melting my frozen body into a puddle of mush.
“Hello, Bebe. I was wondering if I could get you to join me at homecoming?”
CAMERON
Bebe opened the door, and all rational thought left my brain. She was cute every day, but tonight she looked beautiful. Radiant. Sexy as hell. Her dress hugged her curves in all the right places and showed off her amazing legs. Tight as it was, the dress still managed to scream classy, not slutty. Beth had obviously done her makeup, and Bebe’s eyes looked so vibrant, I could have stared
at them forever. If it weren’t for her lips. Man, those lips. They were covered in a pinky-orange color and had a layer of something shiny over the top. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into a kiss and see if they tasted as good as they looked.
Common sense returned. I smiled at her and managed to speak. “Hello, Bebe. I was wondering if I could get you to join me at homecoming?” She stared at me; it seemed like forever. Her eyes were shiny, as if she’d been about to cry before I rang the bell. Brady showing up at the door and stealing Beth away was all part of the plan. I’d been standing on the porch outside when it happened. We didn’t want to wait too long before I rang the doorbell. Specifically, to avoid the meltdown that was apparently on the verge when she’d opened the door.
I stepped over the threshold and shut the front door behind me. She still hadn’t uttered a word. “Please, Bebe, say something. Anything.” My voice was soft and pleading. I was so nervous that she still hated me for deceiving her. Bebe pursed her lips together, then shook her head no. She reached up and pressed a finger to her eye, keeping a tear from spilling onto her face. I waited for the gentle letdown, but she surprised me.
Bebe stepped close enough for our chests to touch. She lifted her arms and slowly ran them through the short part of my hair before grabbing the back of my head and bending it forward. She paused, just for a moment, as our noses touched, and looked me in the eyes. Then she closed hers and smashed our lips together.
I was completely taken aback. I’d walked over there expecting to grovel for forgiveness, and instead I was experiencing something that I had waited two very long years for. I quickly regained my senses and returned her kiss, with all the pent-up emotion that I’d been carrying around for so long. I wrapped one arm around her waist and the other firmly across her back, pulling her tight against me. Her body felt like a glove that fit perfectly.
She parted her lips to run her tongue across mine, and a small groan escaped my throat. Her lip gloss absolutely tasted as good as it looked. The kiss was intense and passionate, and I never wanted it to end.
Eventually, she pulled away from me with a glint in her eye. Her cheeks turned red when I smiled at her, and she looked down, embarrassed by being so forward. I kept one arm around her waist and used the other to tip her chin up. “What was that for? I expected to get my butt chewed out, not get my lips chewed up.”
She giggled bashfully, and she shook her head slightly. “A wise boy once told me that when I figured out who my secret admirer was, I should skip the talking and go straight to kissing him. Then, if there were fireworks, I was supposed to kiss him a lot more.”
“Sounds like a very, very, wise boy,” I agreed. I spun Bebe around and pressed her back against the door, trapping her in place. “And were there fireworks?”
“It was like the Fourth of July.” She grinned. “I guess that means I’m supposed to kiss you again.”
“Sounds good. Except I was supposed to kiss you first. You kind of stole my thunder.”
“Well, I don’t mind if you show me your thunder now…” she teased.
I threw my head back in laughter, and she snickered as she followed up her previous comment. “I suppose that did sound a little dirty, didn’t it?”
I leaned in close, until our lips were grazing, and spoke softly. “How about I skip showing you my thunder, and we just kiss some more?”
Her body shivered and her breath hitched as I closed the last millimeter between us, sealing our mouths together. Much more gently this time. Her lips parted, and I lost myself in the moment. This was better than I ever could have imagined it. And trust me, I’d imagined this moment many different times. Finally, after who knows how long, I broke our kiss. “We better get going. Brady and Beth are waiting across the street at my house. Beth said something about needing my mom to take pictures or you guys would be toast?”
Bebe laughed and nodded her head. “They decided to wait for us, huh? What happened? Why didn’t you guys just tell me you were going to switch dates?”
“When Beth and I proposed our plan to Brady yesterday, you still weren’t talking to either of us. Believe me when I say that I showed up tonight not sure if you’d slam the door in my face. It was a risk I was willing to take.” I pulled her in to a hug and placed a kiss on her forehead, and she leaned her head against my shoulder.
“I’m so glad you did.” Bebe let go of a deep breath before continuing. “I’m sorry I was so stubborn, Cam. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you and run away yesterday. I should have thrown myself into your arms. Right when the JV team finished their song. Props on that, by the way. I expect a full report later on how you managed to pull that one off.”
“I have mad magic skills, Bebe, and a magician never reveals his secrets,” I said, giving an evil laugh. She wasn’t buying my explanation, so I told her the less exciting truth. “Or, maybe I threatened each of them that they’d stay on the JV team an extra year if they didn’t participate.”
“I suppose that’d be enough to motivate me.” Bebe playfully hit me on the chest, but I grabbed her hand so she couldn’t pull it away.
“I’m the one who needs to apologize to you, Bebe. I’ve been in love with you since the day we met. You hit me in the head with your basketball, on purpose, and I knew from that moment on that there would never be another girl for me. You were it. I tried so many times to show you how I felt, but you were completely oblivious, no matter what I did. I wasn’t sure how else to get through to you. I should have been man enough to just come out and say it.”
Bebe shook her head. “Cam, it’s not your fault I’m dense. I’m equally to blame. I should have picked up on the signals, or at least been a little more honest about my feelings.”
I looked at her a minute longer. I could have kept looking at her forever. But if we didn’t leave, then I’d never get to show off my amazing new girlfriend to the whole world. And the way she looked right now, she definitely needed to be shown off. Not to mention the fact that I was looking forward to dancing with her all night. Screw the fast songs. We’d be slow dancing to each and every song this evening.
I reached up and ran my finger across her lips. “You’d better fix your lipstick. Beth will be pissed at me if I’ve ruined all her hard work before we’ve even taken pictures. Plus, if you don’t fix it, I can’t mess it up again.”
“You’re very right. Only I don’t think pissed is a strong enough word. She’d go full crazy cheerleader on you.” Bebe pulled some lipstick and a tube of gloss out of her purse and walked over to the mirror above the foyer table to reapply. While she was doing so, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring that I’d bought her. Beth had grabbed it off Bebe’s dresser and handed it to me after she walked onto the porch.
Bebe finished fixing her makeup. “Ready?” she asked with a smile.
“One last thing.” I held up the ring, and her eyes narrowed on me.
“How’d you get that?” she asked in surprise.
“I had Beth bring it down. She handed it to me when she left.” I grabbed her right hand and poised the ring in front of her finger, then looked up at her before I asked, “Will you wear my ring, Bebe? So that everyone can know you’re my girl?”
“I’ve already been wearing it. All night, in fact, and on the other hand.” She winked at me, and I laughed at the implication. I’d been laughing like a dork all night, but damn, she made me so happy. She watched as I slipped the ring on her finger, then grabbed her hand. I was ready to start what would probably be the best night of my life, up until now. As I began walking across the street, she tugged on my hand, pulling me to a stop. I turned to face her.
“Just for the record, Cameron Bates, I love you, too.”
BIANCA
Two Months Later
“Hey, guys.” Brady was waving at Cam and me as he walked over to us in front of the bonfire. Cam’s chest was pressed to my back, arms wrapped around my waist. The fire was keeping me warm in the front, and his body was doing the same
behind me. I was wearing his basketball sweatshirt, but the night was chilly and it wasn’t quite enough.
“Hey, Brady,” I called back as I waved him over.
“What’s up, man?” Cam asked, holding out his fist for Brady to hit.
“I just dropped Beth off at the locker room. The cheer squad is meeting there first. They have some sort of big entrance planned.” Brady rolled his eyes, but I knew he thought Beth was adorable when she was cheering.
It’d been two months since Cam and I had gotten together. Beth and Brady had been dating almost a month, though they only made it official and exclusive two weeks ago. I’m so glad that Brady and I never kissed, because if we had, Beth would’ve never gone out with him. There are some lines you don’t cross. Kissing the same boy as your sister was one of them. Brady and Beth were the perfect couple, and if I wasn’t so happy in my own relationship, I might have been disgusted by how cute they were together.
Tonight’s bonfire pep rally was in honor of the season opening basketball games tomorrow. Both the boys and girls teams were expected to do well this year, and the excitement was buzzing through the air. When I’d learned that there’d be a bonfire tonight, I’d planned a little ceremony for myself. I reached into the pocket of Cam’s hoodie and firmly grasped the letter I’d written earlier.
I’d been such an idiot for the last two years. Cam and I were as happy as two kids in high school love could be. I could have been enjoying my new relationship a lot longer if my superstition and self-deprecation hadn’t gotten in the way. It was time to show fate that I was the boss of my own destiny. Cam and Brady were engrossed in a conversation about tomorrow’s game, so I pulled out the note and read it one last time.
Dear Universe,
I regret to inform you that I will no longer be able to subject myself to your harsh realities or your unfortunate turns of events. I’ve decided that I’m in control of my life and relationships. You don’t get a say anymore. The power you once held over me has all but vanished, thanks to my best friend and my best man. I’m locking up my superstitions, insecurities, and MOST of my pride (hey, I’m holding on to this honesty thing) and throwing away the key. In their place, I have decided to practice a little humility and self-confidence. I hope this letter finds you very discouraged and displeased, because frankly, you can kiss my butt.
Perfectly Oblivious (The Perfect Series Book 1) Page 23
