Reckless Passion

Chapter 22

— Chapter 22 —

Song Themes For This Chapter: Toxic – Britney Spears; My Heroine – The Maine

— Rose —

“How do I look?”

Amanda scans me from head to toe and purses her lips while I stand there, anxiously awaiting her answer.

“Hot.”  She grins.

“Hot as in ‘just right hot’ or hot as in ‘Louis is going to want to shove me into the nearest private corner and do sinful things to me hot’?”

Amanda rolls her eyes as she steps closer to me and straightens my top just a touch.  “Relax, Rose.  You look great.  Perfect for a casual date… this is a casual date right?”

I look up at her with wide eyes, suddenly panicking.  “Oh god, I don’t know!  He didn’t tell me!”

Amanda quickly places her hands on my shoulders, eyeing me with her calm expression.  “Calm down.  It’s probably casual then if he didn’t say anything.  Most, if not all men will tell you if they want you to dress up, otherwise they’re happy in whatever you show up in.”

I sit down on the edge of her bed with my hands in my lap as I let out a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding.  I had changed back into my purple top when I arrived and wore my sandals with a small cork heel on them.  I did my own makeup and used Amanda as my audience.  I only applied my usual light makeup, mascara and sparkly lip gloss with the slight addition of eye shadow.  I was going to straighten my hair but I didn’t want to completely doll myself up if it was a “casual” date.  I also remembered that Louis mentioned he liked my hair as it was.

My eyes dart up to Amanda at the sound of the doorbell.  A smile forms on her face as she grips my hand and yanks me from the bed and down the stairs in haste.

Amanda lets go of my hand and moves beside me to allow me to open the door.

Louis slowly lifts his head once I open the door, his eyes trail me up and down as his lips slightly part.  His black t-shirt is fitted to his chest and torso; the short sleeves cut off just after the curves of each of his shoulders.  The shirt and the beanie taming his semi-long, thick hair were things I had yet to witness him in; the tight blue jeans however, were familiar.

“H-Hi…”  I nervously smile.

He blinks and meets my gaze as if I’ve just snapped him out of a trance.  “Hey.”  He breathes.

Amanda shoves me further out the door and to avoid falling into Louis, I awkwardly step forward and off to the side allowing her to come up beside me as she pulls the door closed behind her.  Her mother was home but thankfully she wasn’t nosy and usually didn’t pry into Amanda’s business or interrogate us about what we were doing.  Amanda’s parents were pretty easygoing unlike mine.

“Uh, Louis, this is my best friend, Amanda.”  I gesture towards her and Louis.  “Amanda, this is Louis.”

Louis shifts his eyes to her and gives her a quick nod to acknowledge her before his eyes are back on me.  Amanda gives him a smile.  I already feel slight tension starting to build up.

“Well, we should get going.”  I eagerly state, rushing over to Louis and gently grabbing him by the arm.  “I’ll be back later, Amanda.”  I turn halfway as I call out to her.  “Thank you so much for covering for me.”

“No worries, Rose.  Have fun you two!”  She cheerily replies.

I give her a quick wave before I turn my back to her and start to walk away from the house as I hear the door open and close, signalling that Amanda had gone back inside.