Lauren watched as a look of amazement flashed over his face. She smiled shyly. She was wearing a sparkly purple spaghetti strapped dress that reached just above her knee. There was a matching shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Though she was already 5’6”, her black high heels boosted her up two more inches. To finish, she had pulled her blonde hair into a French twist and curled a few tendrils around her face.
“You look…uh…wow,” Nick breathed.
“Thank you. You look good, too,” Lauren replied.
As soon as they got in the car, Nick explained that she was a surprise. “No one knows you’re my date, but they’ll be so excited to see you.”
Memories flashed into Lauren’s mind of the first time she had met the guys. She remembered that Brian told Nick to hold onto her and never let her go. The next day, her mom came home and kicked her out because of Nick. She gave up speaking to Jessica for him. Nick said something, abruptly snapping her back to the present.
“What?” she asked.
“I said, you really do look nice,” Nick replied. “What were you thinking about?”
“Us before you-“ She stopped, remembering she had told him to leave the past alone before. There was no need to make him feel any guiltier. “Us before…”
“Before I slept with Rachel,” Nick finished flatly. “You can say it, Lauren. It was my mistake. I just don’t see why you can’t forgive me.”
“Fine! I forgive you!” Lauren said, realizing he was going to keep bugging her until she did. Besides, she wasn’t sure how long she could continue hating him.
“You do?” Nick said.
“Yes, I do. Now I’m going to sleep. Good night.”