Enough

by Pacheco, Briana

  He pulled into the parking garage and opened the door for me.

  “You don’t have to keep opening the door for me. I have hands.” I said. He gave me a sexy smile and slipped his hand in mine. We walked into the crowded building and headed toward the movie theater.

  We spent a few hours here watching movies and doing couple things until my phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. It’s Bryan.

  Me: I can’t talk. What is it?

  Bryan: Dad found out about Giovanni.

  Fuck me. I panicked.

  Me: How much about him?

  Please don’t be everything. Please don’t be everything.

  Bryan: Everything.

  Fuck! I don’t know how I feel about that. I didn’t want anyone to know. Now my dad knows. Just fucking great.

  Me: I’ll call u later, k?

  Bryan: K

  I put my phone away and watched the rest of the movie. After that, we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. We talked about everything that was on our minds until two-thirty when Alex asked me when the last time I went shopping was.

  “I mean, the last time you went crazy shopping to unload.” He said. I thought about that day. I maxed out my credit card, Mom got pissed because that was suppose to be used for emergencies and she grounded me.

  “The day after Zach and I broke up.” I said. He gave me a cocky smile then grabbed my hand and brought me to the closest clothing store next to us. “What are we doing here?” I asked as we walked into Macy’s.

  “Get whatever you want.” He said.

  My eyes landed on cute heels on the wall. They’re perfect. But no…

  “I can’t.” I said. Alex walked me over to the shoes.

  “Can I help you with anything?” A young blonde worker asked as she stocked up new arrivals.

  “Yes. Anything she wants, ring it up.” Alex said. I looked over at him with my jaw on the floor. The blonde girl stood face to face with me and studied every detail of my body.

  “Love those heels. Size six?” She asked. I nodded. She grabbed the shoes I was eyeing on the wall and handed them to me. “I know the perfect dress to go with them. Follow me.” She told Alex to look for things for himself because it’s going to be a while. I looked back for him not to go and for this to stop but he was gone. Dammit.

  Jessie–the blonde–was very helpful on finding the perfect outfits. She picked out dresses and matched the perfect shoes with them. I was in awe of everything.

  “He must really care about you.” Jessie said looking at necklaces.

  “This is all too much. I’ll just take the first heels you picked out and that’s–” We were at the front of the store when I looked across to the other side of the mall and my eyes landed on a beautiful, white strapless dress with blue and silver designs across the top.

  It’s the dress I thought about for prom. It’s my dream dress.

  “That is beautiful.” Jessie said eyeing the dress the same way I did.

  “I’ll be right back.” I said handing her a box of heels. I don’t know where she put the rest of the clothes and shoes but right now that dress is all I cared about. I walked past everyone and stood in front of the window. It’s the right height so my reflection makes it look like I’m wearing the dress. It’s beautiful. It’s beautiful on me. Damn, this is perfect.

  My eyes sifted to a corner of the window and I saw a reflection of a little girl. She was staring at the dress, wide-eyed too. “Any girl who wears that will look like Cinderella.” She said.

  “It’s beautiful.” I said. She turned toward me with a toothy smile. “Is your parents around here?” I glanced around and didn’t find anyone watching us so that means her parents must have turned around for a second and she slipped past.

  “Mommy is coming.” She said pointing down the crowded area.

  “Amanda?” An older woman with bags full of stuffed animals walked over to us. Oh, thank god. I didn’t want this little girl to be lost.

  Alex walked out of Macy’s with bags in both of his hands. I hope none of that’s mine. He reached us before Amanda’s mother and glanced at the little girl standing in front of me.

  Amanda stared at him when he stood by my side.

  “Hi.” Alex said smiling down at her.

  She smiled and looked at me. “Is he your prince?” She asked.

  I caught his eye and smiled. Something like that.

  “Yes.” I said. She tugged Alex’s shirt and he bent over. She whispered something in his ear which made him smile. He nodded and said ‘Alex.’ He nodded again and said ‘Emily.’

  “Amanda.” The older woman stood behind Amanda and put her hands on her shoulders. “You can’t run off like that. I’m sorry if she bothered you.” She said.

  “She didn’t.” I said.

  Amanda grabbed her mom’s hand and glanced at me. “Bye, Emily.” She then stared at Alex a little longer and I think I saw him nod. “Bye, Alex.” She turned and her mother apologized again before leaving.

  “Let me help you with that.” I said grabbing a few bags from Alex. “I really hope that’s not mine.” He raised an eyebrow at me. It is. “I told her I only wanted the heels.” I sighed.

  “She must be a bad listener.” He said. I rolled my eyes. He’s fucking with me. He was looking at the photo booth a few feet away from us with a smile. “Do you wanna do one more thing?” He grabbed my hand and we walked over to the booth and waited for the people inside to finish.

  “What did Amanda tell you?” I asked.

  “It’s a secret.” The people inside came out and grabbed their photos.

  Alex held the curtain open for me and we stepped in. We looked into the camera and smiled. Click.

  “You’re really not going to tell me?” I asked. He kissed my cheek and I smiled. Click.

  “She said she can’t wait to get older to have a prince like me.” I found his eyes and smiled. Click. He cupped the right side of my face and I leaned into his touch. I love the warmth he gives off. We stared into each other’s eyes. Click.

  He leaned in as close as he can get. “I love you.” He said as he brushed his lips on mine and held me. Click. “I will never get tired of saying that.”

  We were lost in the moment when we heard someone knocking on the outside and coughing loudly. We grabbed all the bags and got out.

  “Are you done?” A large man and a petite redhead asked at the same time. We nodded, grabbed the long double strip of the photos and walked backed over to Macy’s.

  I got a sharp pain around my stomach when we walked past the restrooms. Cramps. They’re a bitch.

  “Alex, can you wait one second?” I asked.

  “Did you forget something?”

  “No.” I said. “I’ll be right back.” I handed him the bags and headed into the bathroom. I took a Midol and fanned my face when I felt myself getting hotter.

  “Everything okay?” Alex asked as I left the bathroom.

  “Getting hot.” I said trying to grab bags from him.

  “I got it. Come on, you probably need fresh air.” He said not letting me grab any bags. I tried again but he shooed me away. Once we got to the car, he put all the bags in the trunk and drove out of the garage quickly. When the cool breeze fit my face, I felt better. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes.

  Alex’s hand laid on my leg as ran his thumb over my skin. “Better?”

  “Yeah.” I said.

  The sun was already setting by the time we got home to find Bryan’s Jeep parked outside. Damn. When Alex parked, I opened the door and got out before he could help. He gave me a pouty face then opened his trunk.

  “I got it.” He said grabbing all the bags in one hand.

  I tried grabbing some but he told me to open the door instead. I would have said something back but bit my tongue. Bryan was leaning against the living room entrance when we walked in. Alex walked over to the stairs. “I’ll bring these upstairs.” He said after saying hi.

  “This is a nice surprise.”
I said.

  “He wanted to see you.” Bryan said pointing into the living room and moving out of the way, just enough to see his dad standing there.

  Taylor walked over to me and pulled me into a deep hug.

  “I heard what happened. I know there isn’t anything I can say that can change things but if you need anything from me I’m here.” He said.

  When he let go of me, I looked over at Mom and Bryan. This is so weird…and awkward. I don’t know what to say or do. “Thank you.” I tried then crossed my arms over my chest. “Um…I know you’re my father…please, don’t take this personally but I already have everything I need.” I said trying not to sound ungrateful. “I don’t need you to step up and take place of the last one. I still think of you as my best friend’s dad and eventually I’ll get use to the fact that your mine too. Just not right now…I still need time to process this.” That’s sounds about right. Taylor nodded.

  “I had a feeling you’d say that.” He said. “I understand what you mean. Just know I’m here if you need anything.”

  After an awkward silence, he said goodbye to me and Mom. I walked both of them to the front door then Bryan turned to face me when his father was out of earshot.

  “It’s going to be awkward for a while, isn’t it?” He asked.

  “Probably.” I said nodding. But I’ll come around. Soon enough.

  “I see you and Alex had a good time today.” He said smiling. I nodded and then he surprised me by throwing his arms around me and hugging me tight. “Next time you should wear a sweater.”

  “Declan said the same thing. Must be a brother thing.” I said.

  “It’s not weird between us, is it?”

  It could be but I’m not falling head over heels for him and I’m not getting lost in his eyes. I’m over it. The feelings are completely gone.

  “No. It was at first but now I couldn’t be happier. Anyone would be lucky to have you.” I said. I don’t want to say anything that might seem to be incest so I kissed him on the cheek and hugged him. “I love you, Bryan.”

  “I love you, too, Em. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I nodded and said bye.

  I walked back inside to find Mom waiting by the stairs. “He just wants you to know he cares.” She said talking about Taylor.

  “I know. In no time we’ll be seeing eye to eye.” I kissed her cheek and headed upstairs. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you, too, sweetie.”

  When I reached the last step, I heard music coming from my room. I went in and found Alex lying on the bed on his phone.

  “Do you want to try something on?” He asked as I took off my heels and climbed into bed.

  “Do you just want me to get naked?” I asked.

  Alex sat up and gave me a look. Hopefully he says yes.

  “Amanda told me you have to try it on.” He got up and placed a bag on the bed. It wasn’t from Macy’s. It’s a big, plain, white paper bag. “And I promised you would.” Okay…

  “Fine but what would Amanda know what–” I thought about it. She only saw the white dress displayed in the window of the store. Alex didn’t get it. He couldn’t possibly have time to get it.

  I got off the bed and pulled out a big box from inside the bag. I looked at Alex. He just eyed the box and smiled. I pulled on the ribbon and flipped it open. There it was. The beautiful, white strapless dress is lying perfectly in the box waiting to be worn. “When did you get this?” I asked shocked.

  “When you went to the bathroom.” He said. The sneaky bastard.

  I gently touched the fabric and traced my fingers along the designs.

  “I can’t try it on.” I said.

  “Why not?”

  “It’s bad luck.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s only for weddings.” Alex said smiling. I took it out of the box and admired it. I guess I can. Just for a few seconds. “I’ll be outside.” I looked over at him. Is he serious?

  “Alex. It’s not like you haven’t seen me already.” I said. I unzipped the dress, took off my clothes and slid in. Alex zipped it up. I walked over to the mirror and saw how truly beautiful it is.

  Damn…I look good. Definitely like Cinderella.

  “One more thing.” Alex said walking over to the bags where he pulled out two more boxes. “Jessie said both of these go great with the dress.” Inside the two boxes were a pair of silver sparkling stilettos and a pair of baby blue sparkling stilettos.

  Ohmygod! More?! He has to stop.

  Alex kneeled down and grabbed a shoe from both boxes. “Let’s see if she’s right.” He slipped on the two different color shoes and stepped back. I looked in the mirror again. They’re beautiful. I lifted up the dress to get a better view. I can’t choose which one is perfect. Alex held up his phone and took a picture with a panty dropping smile. God…did he really have to…?

  I turned to see my back. The dress is low enough to see my tattoo. “This dress…” I looked back in the mirror and saw how the shoes matched the colors of the dress perfectly.

  “Was made for Cinderella I’m told.” Alex said walking up to me. “It was made for you.” He pressed into me and kissed me lightly on the lips.

  “You’re amazing.” I said against his lips. “Thank you for this.”

  Time’s up. I ran into my closet and took off the dress. I slipped into a tank top and shorts and brought the dress back to my bed. I folded it and slipped it back into the box and climbed into bed.

  Alex grabbed something off the nightstand and handed it to me. “This is yours.” He said.I looked at the pictures we took in the mall and studied them for a while. We look happy. I look happy. When was the last time I could say that?

  I put the photo on the nightstand and kissed Alex.

  “Today was one of the best days of the year.” I said.

  “Today was the first day of the year.” I stared at him. “I know what you mean.” He said pulling me into him. We stared at each other like lovesick fools for a while until Glad You Came by The Wanted played.

  Alex smiled down at me. “What?” I asked. Damn, I’m biting my lip and he sees it. We can’t do anything though. Not today.

  “Whenever I hear this song, it reminds me of you.” He said kissing the corner of my mouth then moving down to my neck.

  As he nibbled and licked my skin, I thought of a song. It’s a thing I do with Justin but I want to include Alex. I’m pretty sure Justin will get jealous but he’ll just have to accept it.

  “Did you see the thing Justin wrote on my wrist?” I asked when Alex pulled back and dropped beside me. He must know we can’t so anything because the family is home. They come around more often so it’s not perfect.

  “Yeah.” Alex said. “What does it mean?”

  “It’s a thing we do. We write song’s on each other.” I said. “Whatever comes to mind.” I laced our fingers together and stared at my wrist. The color is still not mine but it’s getting better. “Do you want to do it?” I asked looking at him.

  “It’s Justin’s thing.” Alex said running his thumb over my skin. “You probably shouldn’t throw in the boyfriend.” He found my eyes and I melted. I kind of expected that from him.

  “Alright, then I’ll tell you one song that means a lot to me. Don’t tell Justin.” I said with a wink. “Last Chance by Kaskade and Project 46.” I took a deep breath and held his eyes. “It’s what I always wanted.”

  Alex’s eyes searched my face trying to understand me and I promised that one day he will. One day, he’ll know everything about me.

  The good and the bad.

  26. Explain

  I felt something hot tickling my foot. Gizmo. I slipped out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Last night Declan and Scarlett were off with friends before they start getting ready to head back to school and Mom went out with Garrett so I brought Alex over hours after he left last night. The fact that he’s still in my bed, with clothes on, tells me I didn’t get what I wanted. I’ll try again.

  Today’s the f
irst real day back at school since the beginning of December. Thinking about school made me think about Mrs. Diaz. She must be fine or her husband would have told us something.

  My cramps are completely gone and my neighbor as Tiffany calls it left and will return next month. I don’t understand why my period only lasted two days. Maybe I’ve been too stressed.

  I walked out of the bathroom and over to my closet but bumped into someone. I would have screamed but the warm hands that caught me as I fell told me I was fine. Alex. I hit my elbow against the floor when I landed but I was fine.

  It’s still dark so I can’t see a thing. Alex felt his way around my body and I smiled. “You didn’t have to knock me down to feel me up.” I said.

  “You popped out of nowhere. Are you okay?” He asked with one hand on my hip. The towel is the only thing standing between him and my naked body.

  “I’m fine.” I said finding his face. “You know, everyone should still be sleeping…” I brought my lips up to his. He moved the hand from my hip up to my face then he pulled away from me.

  “They can hea–”

  “We just have to be really quiet then.” I whispered pulling off his t-shirt. He reached over me and unzipped a bag to grab a condom.

  That’s better.

  “Sometimes I think you use me for my body.” Alex said.

  “You might be right.” I teased.

  Alex slid his hand back down my body and pulled my towel open.

  I did my best to keep it quiet.

  ***

  We were on the floor, our limbs wrapped around each other until the alarm clock went off. I wrapped my hair towel around my body and stood up against my will. I’d rather be wrapped around Alex then heading to school right now. I’d rather do a lot of things than head back to school.

  Alex went into the shower as I got ready. Since the Macy bags are still on the floor, I picked out a cute pair of nude color pumps that went well with the light blue top and skinny jeans I wanted to wear.

  I crawled into bed and turned on the TV. Gizmo made his way to my left shoulder and nuzzled his head on my arm. “I can’t believe I’m going back to school.” I said petting his head. “I’m going to be okay, right?” He picked his head up and barked softly.