Long Ago // Connor McDavid

Ten

My feet still ached as I sat in the dressing room waiting. I kept leaning down trying desperately to make my converse as loose as they could so my feet wouldn't fall off, but I guess that's what I get for wearing brand new 6 inch heels to prom.

The room I sat in was nice and bright, it was filled with men's suits and dress clothes everywhere, I didn't know that shopping for a suit could be this overwhelming.

As I continued to wait impatiently, I ran my hands over my exposed legs, feeling the texture of the spary tan I had gotten for prom. It was the first spray tan I had gotten and it actually looked nice, considering I was as pale as a ghost originally. It helped with the royal blue colour of my prom dress, making me "look like a black princess" at prom, in the worlds of a wasted Connor.

"So?" I heard Connors voice call.

I looked up to see him infront of me, in yet another suit. It felt like he had been trying on new suits forever even though he had for only an hour or so, which was still incredibly long.

This suit was a deep navy blue, and I almost mistook it for a brown colour. He had on a pale baby blue dress shirt underneath along with a patterned blue tie. It looked almost the exact same as all the others he had tried on, but nonetheless he looked good, as he always did.

"That one looks the nicest!" The tall, scrony sales clerk butted in, stating his opinion yet again.

I looked away from the sales clerk, who was now looking at me waiting for my input on Connors outfit. "I like that one too" I said, giving Connor a reassuring smile.

He stared passed me at his reflection in the mirror, adjusting the suit and having a look at it from all angles. The sales clerk walked over and he and Connor once again talked about all the possibilities to make this suit 'the one' for Connor. I stopped paying attention as I knew that the conversation would be the same as it was for the past hour, going back to admiring my tan.

I fiddled on my phone for a few minutes, checking snapchat and my email before I noticed out of the corner of my eye Connor infront of me. He had his bottle of water in his hand and the tie I had last seen him in. "Ready?" He asked.

I nodded putting my phone back into my purse and standing up, a wave of pain hitting my feet in the process.

"Did you get the last one you tried on?" I asked, wrapping my arm through his.

"Yeah", he quietly said. "I got the whole outfit".

I nodded again as he walked over to the counter to pay where the sales clerk was waiting for him frantically. Connor looked nervous, something he had looked for the last little while, especially this past week. I could tell by the tone of his voice and facial expression that the panic and stress was really starting to hit him, especially since he was currently buying his suit for the NHL draft. He didn't even look this bad at grad or prom, which were a mear few days ago, but now the reality of what was going to happen in the next few weeks seemed more apparent than ever to him.

I tried not to stare too much at him. I wanted to see and know how he was feeling all the time, and no matter how many times he said he was "fine", I knew he wasn't.

Once he payed and shook the hand of the sales man, thanking him for the 100th time for his help, we headed out of the mall and too the parking lot.

Our conversation was not up too par either. I knew how we has feeling so I tried not to push and force anything, not wanting to add anymore stress to how he was already feeling.

The car ride was queit yet again, just the sound of the country music and Connors blinker when he had it on. He didn't look at me as much as he normally did. He would always sneak a look at me as he drove, especially at red lights.

Contemplating what to say to not make things so tense, i skimmed his face for a mear second before he pulled into a sharp left turn.

"You excited? It's pretty soon" I asked, immediately biting my lip.

There was a long pause as I looked at Connor, he let out a deep sigh and ran his hands through his dirty blonde, messy hair.

"Yeah, I am. Nervous, but still excited. I've did a lot to get here". He quietly said.

"Yeah you have" I quickly responded. "At least you'll have Dyl with you, right?" I tried to reassure him, knowing that being with Dylan always put him at ease.

"And you" he looked at me as he said it, giving me his warmest smile before focusing back on the road.

A smile spread across my face as I reached for his hand that rested on the console in the middle.

"You'll always have me". I told him, not noticing how cliche and cheesey that sounded until after I said it.

"Yeah eh?" He teased.

"Shut up" I said as I gave him a playful punch. I noticed that his genuine smile was on his face, making me feel better and a lot less stressed too. I hadn't seen that smile in awhile, and boy I had missed it.