“Holy shit, you’re really fucking good. The detail on this is amazing. I’m sure he can do this, but I’ll need you to add some notes. Colors, textures and such. I think I just found a new friend. I might need to hire you to sketch for me.” She said.
I smiled wide. Then asked her, “Do you mind if I add a few extra things to this order?” I asked her.
Her eyebrows rose. I thought back to last night. Landon had asked if I would chose him to show what I was wearing. I told him no… I wanted him to be surprised. I wanted to make this time better than ever. Nick had found me alone in the kitchen and confided in me that Landon had wanted to try to match with me, and when I rejected him he chose Nick. I told Nick that I would let him know later today what to encourage him to get. I thought about it and I could sketch Landon a mask that would go with mine, and also a tie and handkerchief that matches me. I could have her make it and it would be the same material and everything. I could give the items to Nick and he’ll give them to Landon. I’m sure Nick will come up with something. With my mind made up I leaned closer and explained the details. When I was done her eyes were lit up with excitement and she nodded her head enthusiastically. The party would be in five days. She told me to return in three days at closing time. She took my measurements and everything and then I was on my way back home.
When I got back I was met with wide eyes and disappointed expressions. When they saw me return without anything, they thought it was a bust. I shrugged and said that I was sure that I would find something in time. I wanted all of my plans a secret, I wanted to surprise everyone… well except Nick, I needed him in on this. I excused myself to go change and texted Nick to meet me in my room.
When I came out of the bathroom from changing my clothes Nick was in my room sitting on the bed waiting for me. I knew better than to change in the open because he rarely knocks. “What’s up?” he asked.
I smiled, “I need your help with something and you have to keep your big mouth shut.”
He looked at me warily, “is this going to get my ass kicked?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “No. now listen, remember how you told me that Landon wanted to kind of match?” I asked and he nodded. “Well… I found this small shop and the owner is going to make a dress we designed together. She knows someone that makes masks and jewelry and stuff so I drew my own and she’s going to have it done for me.” I explained.
“That’s cool.” Nick said genuinely.
I nodded happily unable to hide my enthusiasm and Nick gave me a big smile. “Well… I asked her to make Landon a tie and handkerchief that matches my dress and I also sketched a mask for him.”
Nick’s mouth dropped open, “that’s fucking awesome.” Then he frowned, “how is that going to work?” he asked.
I gave him a smug smile, “that’s where you my dear come in. you’re going shopping with him. You’ll see what he buys, etc. and then you will come up with something clever as to how you’re going to provide his mask, tie, and handkerchief. I’m picking the stuff up two days before the party. We can find a way for me to give it to you discreetly.” I explained.
He nodded, “I’m in. when he finds out he’s going to be fucking ecstatic.”
I smiled, “I hope so. Oh, and I’m going to need one more favor.” His eyebrow went up in question. “Well does he still have the set that he got me for the last New Year’s Eve party? You know the one with Landon and Lucy engraved?” I asked hopefully.
His other eyebrow went up. “Is that a serious fucking question? You know he fucking does…” he looked thoughtful for a second before he smiled, “you want me to steal it and give it to you?” he asked. I nodded. “I’ll do it but I won’t be able to do it until the night of, he’ll know it’s missing if I try to do it before that and he’s going to fucking flip.”
I nodded, “that’s fine. You can give it to the person who I chose to be the one to see me even though you’ll have an idea of some of my color.”
“Who did you choose?” he asked.
I smiled wide. “Max.”
He smiled back and stood holding out his hand, “it’s a deal Lucy. You better knock him dead.”
I smiled back, “that’s the plan. Thanks Nick.” I didn’t take his hand. Instead I threw myself at him and hugged him tight. He lifted me off my feet and planted a kiss on my forehead.
“I’d do anything for you two. At least this time it’s for something cute and romantic.” He told me. He left first and I waited a few before I went downstairs. I never had to try so hard to hide my excitement.
I went back to the store in three days as planned and she didn’t disappoint. The dress looked amazing! I tried it on and it fit perfectly. She also had the masks and Landon’s stuff ready. I stuck around for a little while discussing shoe choices. She recommended a few stores to me and gave me her card, Melissa Jones. I promised that this wouldn’t be the last she’s seen of me and made my way home. When I got home Landon and Nick were in the back practicing football so I ran upstairs and hid my packages. I snuck the stuff I got for Landon into Nick’s room and put it on the shelf in his closet. I sent him a text telling him where it was. That night in bed, Landon asked me what has me so happy. I just smiled and shrugged. He gave me a curious look but dropped it. Everything was turning out perfectly.
This was the last day before the party and I still needed shoes. I tried the stores Melissa recommended and some that I’ve been to with Mel and Erica. I was having such a hard time. I was about to admit defeat, and wear something I already owned when I saw them. The most perfect shoes to go with the dress. I asked the sales lady to get them in my size so I could try them on. They were exactly what I needed for my outfit. When I put the shoe back in the box, I looked at the tag. Christian Dior and holy shit they were expensive. I held them in my hand for a few minutes before putting them back and leaving without them. There was no way I could afford them. I think the shoes I wore last year would go ok with my outfit. My disappointment was evident but I didn’t let it get to me too much. I still found everything else I needed. I would get over the shoes.
When I got home I ran into Nick, “why the frown, Charlie Brown?” he asked.
I sighed, “nothing.”
This caused him to sigh and he threw a hand on his hip, with a wave of his hand he demanded, “Out with it. Tell me what’s wrong.”
He wasn’t going to drop it. “I found the perfect shoes for tomorrow.”
He frowned, “So…“ He looked down at my empty hands confused, “where are they?”
I laughed, “Still in the store at the mall. They were expensive and well…” I told him letting the sentence hang.
Nick shook his head, “it’ll be fine. I’m sure you’ll look amazing either way.”
I smiled at him, “thanks Nick. I’m going to try.”
We all stayed up playing pool together and laughing. Everyone was excited and comments were being thrown back and forth trying to guess what we all were going to wear. No one came even close to guessing mine and it made me even giddier. Sleep that night was rough. Landon slept in his room tonight which I didn’t mind. It was rare he let me keep my bed to myself. It was probably better for him because I would’ve probably kept him up with my fidgeting.
I was dragged to the spa once again by Erica. I got my hair done in an elegant up do and I opted for red nail polish this time and Erica’s eyebrows flew up. “Hmm, I’m more than a little curious now. We’re going bold today huh?” she asked.
I smiled and shrugged, “it’s something a little different is all.” Was my only response.
When we returned home, my anxiety kicked in. I didn’t feel so confident anymore. We had the option of going with Dean in the limo or getting picked up on our own. I decided to go on my own. I washed up and sat down on my bed, and didn’t move. I didn’t think I could do this. What if everyone thought that I looked ridiculous? I decided to do my makeup. I went for the smoky eyes look. I took my time since I wasn’t really good with this type
of stuff. There was some trial and error but eventually I got it where I needed it to be. It took me so long that when I was actually done, there was a knock on the door.
Landon and Nick had left. Erica, Mel, and Hailey were almost ready to head out. Dean dropped Max off to me, and he left to go to the party.
“You’re not even dressed yet Lucy.” Max pointed out.
I sighed, “I know. I’m getting dressed now, don’t worry. We’ll make it.” I reassured him.
I pulled out my dress and stared at it. What am I doing, will it be so bad if I showed up with my sweat pants? It took me five minutes of giving myself a pep-talk before I built up the courage to put the dress on. At this point, we were the only people left in the house. Max said he would be right back and I put on the dress. It was long sleeved and floor length. The front dropped into a low V cut. The right side of the dress was royal blue and silk. It crossed over onto the left side at the waist. The rest of the left side was all silver lace and had a nude lining the exact shade of my complexion, so it gave the illusion you were looking at my skin. The lace design was a beautiful flower design. There was a slit in the front that came up a little above my knee. My hair was done in a loose twist on the right side going back into a side bun. The twist was done so that it looked like I had flipped curls in layers. Max came back into the room and handed me a box.
“Nick said to give this to you.” He said.
I opened the box and inside was a pair of satiny peep toe pumps with a bow on the back. The heel was royal blue and sparkly. I squealed and took them out and put them on my feet. They were perfect. He found my shoes. There was a note inside. Every Cinderella needs a fairy godmother. You’d be surprised how unforgettable you are and how much information you could find just from calling a store. The rest of what you requested is in here. I smiled wide. I took out the necklace, earrings, and bracelet and put them on. Max gave me a thumbs up. I took that as a good sign. I swiped some red gloss on my lips and grabbed my mask and we headed to the party.
Before we got out of the car we put on our masks. Mine was mainly silver with hints of blue. The design was similar to the lines of the lace on the dress that was between the flowers. It covered half of my face. It covered both eyes and the entire left side of my face. There was a very thin string to hold it in place that wasn’t visible to anyone looking. Landon’s was very similar but the design wasn’t as delicate. His was manlier and it covered the right side of his face. When we entered we gave over our coats. I received some lingering stares from the staff and that helped boost my confidence. When we entered the main room there were a ton of people already there mingling. I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and went to find Dean. It took a while but we finally found him. Well Max did, because he knew what he was wearing and which mask was his.
“You look stunning Lucy.” Dean complimented me when we reached him.
“You don’t look so bad yourself there.” I threw back, and he didn’t. He was filling out his suit like it was made for him. My mom totally fucked up there.
He pointed towards the other side of the room, “I’m sure you’ll find the others somewhere over there. Good luck.” He said.
I was sure I’d find them. Between knowing what Landon’s mask looked like and Mel’s red hair I had faith they would stand out. It took about 10 minutes of walking around but I spotted bright hair and made my way towards it.
As I was approaching behind her I heard, “did Lucy get here yet?”
I stopped behind her and cleared my throat. Erica turned first and her jaw dropped. “Holy shit, you look fucking amazing Lucy!” she squealed. They all looked great.
I started trying to compliment them when Hailey asked, “Where the hell did you find this getup? I need to get there stat.” she said.
I told them about the shop and how Melissa had sat with me and designed it. She got it done in three days. They all demanded that I give up her information as soon as we got home and I laughed. I had hoped to get her some more business after the amazing job she did. We walked around and mingled with other people. More woman than I would’ve thought asked about the dress and I was spreading Melissa’s information like crazy. The fact that she was able to pull this whole thing off and on such short notice left more than a few people impressed. We had just grabbed fresh drinks and were talking about some of the other masks and outfits we saw when someone came up behind me. I saw the huge smiles on all of their faces and had a pretty good idea who it was.
“Lucy?” I heard behind me.
I smiled, Landon. “Says who?” I asked
“I’d know you anywhere. Now dance with me.” He said.
I smiled and turned and he gasped. He looked me over slowly before visibly swallowing. He took my hand and pulled me to him and landed a kiss on my lips. He pulled back some and ran his finger down the collar of my dress. “I think we match.” He whispered.
I smiled and nodded. “I would agree with that.” I said fingering his tie. It was the same silk royal blue as my dress and the knot was silver. The royal blue handkerchief was peeking out his breast pocket.
“I like this too.” He murmured touching the L’s on my necklace. “I’m happy you wore it. I take it you recruited Nick since he gave me this stuff.” He said and I nodded. “For once I’m ok with you guys being close.”
I rolled my eyes, “whatever.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me further away from the group. Carlos Santana’s song Maria, Maria was playing. He pulled me close to him and put his arms around my lower back and began to dance. Did I ever say this boy has moves? Our bodies were flush against each other. And he moved his hips to the beat of the song. I put my arms around his neck and followed his lead. At one point he put some space in between us and grabbed my hand to spin me then pulled me back into him, my back to his front and kept dancing. He placed a kiss on my neck and grinded against him. The music got faster and we danced to two more songs before we went back with everyone. James and Samantha found us and Nick grabbed Samantha and ran to dance with her. We laughed as they danced. Nick kept trying to hold her close and she kept moving away. At the end of the song he dipped her and kissed her cheek. She shook her head and came back. James told Nick he’d show him how it was done and took Sam back out to dance. I was gaping as I watched my father and her get a little too sexy on the dance floor. Yikes.
We all took turns dancing with each other and just having a good time. I got in a dance with James and Dean. While I was dancing with Dean I saw a girl go over to Landon for a dance. I didn’t know who it was, I couldn’t tell since the mask was covering her whole face. He went brought her out to dance. She tried to get close to him but he kept avoiding her advances. Dean saw where I was looking and shook his head.
“Jasmine is oblivious to Landon’s personality. All these years and she can’t tell for herself he isn’t interested. I heard they moved here, but I didn’t think she would still be hung up on him since he has a girlfriend and all now.” Dean said.
I sighed, Jasmine. I thought after the whole scene up at their last party she would have gotten the hint. But hey, I didn’t even recognize her so I guess she figured she’d get a chance at something with him tonight. Dean looked at his watch and told me that it was almost midnight. He needed to go and make sure everything was in place. I nodded and went back to where the girls were. We got more drinks and everyone headed to the numerous balconies. I hoped this time Landon would be with me when the New Year came in.
We found a good spot where we would be able to see whatever Dean had planned. We were out there for about 10 minutes before it was down to the last minute. I started to get anxious, not again. We counted down from thirty and when we hit 2 I felt hands grip my waist. I spun around and Landon was standing there ripping off his mask. He reached for mine and as everyone hooted and cheered for the New Year he leaned down and kissed me, hard. He put his hands on my ass to pull me close to him and continued kissing me. I pulled my head back to breathe and he g
rabbed the back of my neck and went back in. When he had thoroughly kissed me he leaned back and smiled.
“That’s the way we need to bring in every year.” He told me and I smiled back at him.
“That was gross, you two need a room.” Erica whined.
Landon nodded, “You’re right” he slapped my ass, “Let’s go get a room.” He said.
“Nope, wait. Hold on, I need pictures!” the hired photographer said. Landon pulled me to him and proceeded to put us in different poses for pictures. When the photographer was happy Landon grabbed my hand and led me to James and Samantha. We told them we were leaving, and he went to Dean to let him know the same. He gave us a knowing look, but didn’t comment. We took Max with us, because he was beat. We got our coats and got in the car. Max was out cold before we even pulled off. I went to put Max to bed and then went to my room where Landon was waiting for me. He was sitting on his bed with his phone in hand. He raised it and I heard the sounds of clicking. He was taking pictures.
“What are you doing?” I asked him.
“Memories.” Was all he said. I rolled my eyes and let him get his fill. When he was done, he tossed his phone and stood up. He came to me like he was a lion and I was dinner. “Lucy, do you know how you look in this dress?” he asked. I shook my head. “You look fucking beautiful and a bit too sexy. I need you.”
When he reached me he ran his hands all around me, I was confused. After a minute he became frustrated, “where’s the fucking zipper Lucy?” he asked impatiently.
I rolled my eyes and pulled down the zipper on my side. He sighed in relief and took the dress off of me. I was wearing one of Nick’s presents. This was one I’ve never worn before because I thought it was too sexy, I only wore it today for a confidence boost. He hissed and raised his hands. His eyes trailed over my body and he looked unsure.
Losing Her (The Lexington Series Book 1) Page 48
