Loving You to the Stars and Back // Keith x OC //

The Family Dinner

118

~Athena~

I neatly braided my hair and tied it with a ribbon at the end as I waited to Keith to come over for dinner. It had been a long time since I've actually made an effort in looking a little more elegant and proper the way that my parents wanted me to present myself as. The thing is, being girly wasn't who I was, but because my parents were of high-class, I had to look the part. Like they say, fake it 'till you make it.

But this time, I felt a little more comfortable fixing myself up like this. It's nice once in a while. Besides, I wanted to make myself presentable in front of Keith since this was the side of me he hasn't seen yet.

I dressed in a white flowy dress that went down as far to my knees with a wide neckline that revealed my collarbones. Its flowy sleeves went past my elbows, embroidered with delicate lacing on top of the fabric. My favorite part of this dress was that it had pockets that are well-hidden. They wouldn't be noticed at first or even second glances.

The thought of showing this elegant side of me started to make me feel nervous.

What if he doesn't like it?

What if it looks too girly?

What if I put too much makeup?

It was just my usual foundation, mascara, and pink lip gloss, along with a little bit of eyeliner and a hint of blush on my cheeks.

I groan, anxiously thinking about all these things, worried that Keith might not like what he sees. This might be all too much. Just as I was thinking about this, the doorbell rang throughout the house.

"Sweetie! Keith is here!" I hear my mother call from the first level of the house. Mom was never really the loud type of woman, but when she gets overly excited, she'll be hollering.

I panic, knowing that I didn't have time to redo my makeup or fix up my hair the way I felt comfortable with. Immediately, I took out the ribbon and undid my braid. The braid left little waves in my hair which looked decent, so I just went with it, took my ring and slipped it in my dress pocket as I rushed out of my room.

I walked down the stairs, holding the railings as I did. My heart was pounding against my chest as my eyes were glued to the steps in front of me. There was no turning back at this point. What added more to my nervousness was the fact that Keith would be breaking the news to my foster parents and my biological mom over dinner. They haven't noticed the ring since I came home because I've hidden it from them to make it a surprise.

"Athalia," my real mother called out to me in a small, soft voice. "Look up." I look up to see the little drone floating in front of me. I stopped in my tracks to look into the lens of my mother who resided inside the drone. "Smile a little."

I let out a chuckle as I averted my eyes away from her. "Sorry, I'm just feeling a little nervous. I feel like I've outdone myself preparing for this dinner and I'm worried that Keith wouldn't like this side of me."

"I once felt like that with your father," my mother replies. "It's okay to feel nervous, Athalia. Just take a deep breath, remain positive, and smile." I looked up at the drone seeing that although there was no evidence of her emotions from the outside, it felt like she was smiling back at me. "Keith loves you for who you are and not how you look like. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks, mom," I said with a smile, feeling a little better with her pep talk. 

"Keith is waiting for you downstairs," my mother continued. I nodded my head as she moved out of the way, allowing me to continue my way down the staircase. Thanks to her little pep talk, I felt more relieved. My worries started to fade in the back of my mind as I got closer to the end of the stairs.