I Choose You

29. Bliss (Edited)

Edited

After the conversation Aiden and I had a few days ago, I finally agreed to be in the Prom Fashion show with him, because after his unbelievable revelation to me, I couldn't turn him down. Aiden had tugged at my heart strings, he had made me feel worthy of beauty, in a way that no one else ever had. Not even Evan. But what made me agree to be in the show with him, wasn't the fact that Aiden had stood by my side and told me how beautiful he thought I was. It was the fact that he was going to be right there with me...through it all. Because in the past few months, the one thing that—despite all of our ups and downs, trials and tribulations—has never changed, is the fact that Aiden is my rock. He's the person that always gets me through the hard times, the good and the bad, the ups and the downs. He's always there, no matter the circumstances, and I will forever be in debt to him for that. For being the person that I need him to be, and for always coming back to me...even when I don't deserve him.

"You ready?" Aiden asked, as I looked over at him, staring into his eyes. I could feel the confidence behind his voice as he stared at me, and I nodded curtly.

We both turned, opening the doors to his car and heading into the chilly night. We were parked in the back lot, near the gymnasium entrance, and upon feeling the nearly freezing temperatures make contact with my skin, I made a run for the gym doors, leaving Aiden in the dust. We were headed to our interviews for the fashion show which were taking place in the auditorium, of all places. And of course, since it was an interview, I had to dress fancy for the occasion—something I wasn't quite too fond of. Autumn had picked out my outfit, and right now I was seriously regretting ever agreeing to wear it.

She had dressed me in a high—waisted, mid—thigh, grey, knife—pleated skirt, pairing it with a pair of black see—through tights, a maroon colored sweater, a white infinity scarf, and a pair of cute black booties. She'd also forced me to wear mascara (which was usually the extent of my makeup routine) and lip—gloss, and had insisted on curling my hair, so that it bounced in ringlets on my shoulders every time I took a step. As much as it pained me to admit, it was actually a really cute outfit, but curse Autumn for picking an outfit that practically had me turning into a popsicle in these below freezing temperatures.

"Geez, slow down!" Aiden laughed, as I stood in front of the double doors, shaking my legs and crossing my arms over my chest to try and get some warmth into my body.

God, I was so cold.

"I'm going to kill Autumn," I muttered under my breath, "she just had to pick a stupid outfit that had me wearing a skirt in twenty—degree weather."

Aiden was silent for a moment.

"I think you look beautiful, Em,"

I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I turned to look at Aiden. The sincerity on his features literally had my heart melting in my chest. And I don't quite know what possessed me to do it, but I intertwined our fingers together, pulling him close and tilting my head to rest against his arm as we walked towards the auditorium.

I hoped that Aiden knew what that gesture meant.

The auditorium was nothing short of huge. As you walk in the sight of the control booth is the first visible area. It was fitted with controls for lighting, sound, and projection to the stage, along with a computer that controlled all the microphones and the retractable projector screen. Directly in front of the stage was the center row of seats, and to the left and right were the outside rows. The rows were comprised of approximately 200 seats that went through the letters A—K. The stage was your classic wooden stage, with matching navy curtains to go along with our school colors.