THEA

Chapter Twelve

My fingers run over the beautiful black fabric, and a large smile reaches my face. It's perfect. I slide it off the hanger and feel the material between my hands and sigh, it is so soft too. I remove my sweat pants and zip up hoodie I am currently wearing, and throw them onto my bed for they will be used later for pajamas. I quickly choose under garments that will match the dress and will not show.

I slide it on, the smooth material feels nice against my skin. It is tighter up top, but flowing into a mermaid style dress. It is sleeveless, only three inch straps holding the dress on my shoulders. It's neckline is lower, almost exposing too much for my personal taste, but my favorite is the large slit. It started mid thigh and goes all the way down, letting my legs peep through when I walk.

It is a simple dress, but very sophisticated in my eyes. I grab a small necklace from my jewelry box, which is practically empty because I never bother with jewelry. Once I'm set, I open the door and see Maggie with her eyes wide and her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my word, you are stunning Thea, simply breathtaking!" I hug her, and smile down at her, since she is so much smaller than me. She wiggles out of my arms and goes to the bag, to pull out high heels, and when I say high, I mean I could touch the top of a skyscraper.

"This is where I draw the line with a big, fat, no."

"But please Thea! It will bring the outfit together and make your pale legs look absolutely amazing!" She wines, and gives me puppy dog eyes. I never fall for puppy dog eyes, but I want to please Maggie, so I take the heels with a sigh and slip them on. I hold up my arms and I apply some clear deodorant and some perfume.

Grabbing a small silver bracelet on my way out of my room, I clip it on, and I'm ready for the evening. I open the door, and spin around for Maggie to which she claps for me with a wide smile, making me laugh. I grab my phone, a clutch, and keys before I head to the door. I grab chapstick from my side table, applying some quickly and throwing it in my wallet.

"Goodbye, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Go woo him honey!" She yells and gives me a thumbs up and shoos me away. I shut the door and head down the hall, deciding on the elevator today instead of stairs with these massive heels. My feet already start to hurt and I regret the decision to put these on.

Once I'm down to the ground floor, I walk, or more accurate, wobble, to the doors, where I push them open to see Lucca leaning on his car, his head down, as he looks at his phone. Suddenly nervousness floods me, and I wonder if I should hobble away while he's not looking. Before I could choose, he looks up, his chocolate orbs widening and his hands almost slipping from his phone.

"I-I, um, wow Thea. Just wow."

"Is that a bad wow or a wow-wow?" I ask as he continues to stare me up and down. Is the neckline too low that he thinks I'm looking for something more or does the dress not look as nice I thought? Worries run through my mind but I stop myself. Why does it matter what he thinks? I'm in it for the free meal.

"Wow, as in you are the most breath-takingly stunning woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." My face almost heats up, but I stop myself from blushing and I give him a large smile.

"You're not too shabby your self," I reply as I set my hand on his tux and smooth it out, even though it doesn't need it. His large hand sets on the small of my back as he leads me to the side of his car, where he opens the door for me. He takes my hand, and guides me down into the seat, which is much needed and appreciated with these heels.

Once I'm in, he closes the door and heads around to the other side and hops in and once he starts the car, the engine purrs as it rises to life. I buckle in as he takes off, and I thank myself because he is going quite fast. We speed through an area of town I'm unfamiliar with, and we stop at a large fancy restaurant called Tony's.

Lucca turns the car off as he opens his door, racing around to open mine. He shoves the keys in his pocket, the valet staying to the side, most likely knowing he is parking there. I stand up from the car, and my feet ache once more. I smile through the pain as his hand once more finds the small of my back and leads me inside. He passes by the man who would seat you, and heads for the back.

We find a small table out in the back corner of the restaurant, secluded from the other tables, which I quite enjoy. He pulls my chair out for me, which I thank him with a smile, before he pushes it back in and sits across from me. As I sit, I realize most of my leg is showing from the slit, my pale legs on view for everyone to see, which makes me uncomfortable, but I couldn't move my legs without flashing anyone.

I pick up the large menu, and scan over it, my eyes narrowing on my favorite dish. I close the menu and set it down. That was easy. Lucca has already chosen, and has his menu set down too.

"What have you decided on, belle?"

"King crab macaroni and cheese, which is my favorite, what about you beau?" His eyes widen, as he hears me speak French, along with him. A light blush spreads on his defined cheeks, probably only speaking in French because he assumed I only knew English. The light blush that covered his cheeks made me give him a light laugh.

"What did you order Lucca?" He clears his throat before answering me.

"I ordered the, um, steak." I nod, I love steak. I grab his large rough hand, that was laying atop his menu, and I squeeze it slightly.

"Thank you for this dinner, I can't tell you the last time I've been out, or even been to an actual restaurant." His eyes widen when I say I can't remember the last time I went out, but snaps out of it as he nods and smiles. He grabs my hand and kisses it before looking up, his dark chocolate orbs looking into the window to my soul.

"Of course, mon chéri, it is my pleasure." I can't help but blush at his words, no matter how hard I try not to. I thought this was supposed to be a platonic dinner, but the way my heart thuds loudly in my chest, and the sparks I feel at his touch makes my heart think otherwise, at least for me.