The Difference Between Getting and Needing

f o r t y

The dress code for the banquet was black tie-optional which pretty much indicated that you should look your best. In most cases, the "optional" at the end of that phrase was irrelevant. I kept that in the front of my mind when choosing what outfit to pack for this weekend, thus I decided on a dress that had never failed me before.

As I changed out of my robe and shimmied the figure-hugging maxi up my body, a strangled noise came out of Gus across the room. Once I secured each thin strap on my shoulders, I looked over to see him ogling me.

"You're wearing your naked dress? Really?" His question was laced with a mocking discontent.

"Yeah, it's my faithful fancy dress." I shrugged, sparing an indifferent glance down at my attire.

It was all sarcasm. I wasn't the least bit apologetic about it, nor did Gus disapprove of it in the slightest. There were very few things in my closet that made me feel as confident as this dress did. From the slit up the side of one leg, the buff color that blended right into my skin tone, to the slinky ruched fabric that clung to every contour of my body from chest to hem. It was my favorite, for how anytime I put it on I felt unstoppable. Plus, it totally hypnotized Gus.

He grumbled to himself as he tore off his sweatpants and swapped them for his black slim-cut slacks. With crossed arms and an eyebrow raised in amusement, I watched him hastily button up his crisp white dress shirt. He tucked it into his pants, secured the belt, and when he reached for his suit jacket hanging on the back of my desk chair, I spoke up.

"Do you need help with your tie?" I asked in a teasing tone.

"Maybe."

I rolled my lips into my mouth to hide my grin, his stubborn gaze catching mine momentarily as I approached him. He silently draped the black skinny tie around his neck and I handled the rest, tweaking the two ends of the silky faux leather fabric until the knot was in the center. I could feel his eyes undressing me, but I kept my head down to playfully spite him.

Before I stepped away, I spotted the gold pin stuck in the left lapel of his jacket. It was a custom family crest I had designed for him to wear to our senior prom, and I gifted it to him on the day of. The fact that he still wore it from time to time stirred up distinct, tender nostalgia that warmed me from the inside out.

Gus huffed, finally gaining my attention. I pursed my lips in response, which prompted him to groan, "So you're gonna go tonight looking like that and I'm just not supposed to get a boner in the middle of fucking dinner?"

"Aw," I cooed dramatically as if this were a serious inconvenience for him, patting him on the chest in a consoling way. "I can't help it that you can't physically contain how much you love me. That's your problem."

His head dipped like he wanted to kiss me, but my mother's unmistakable foghorn of a voice thundered through the house and severed the moment.

"Bayla, you have sixty seconds to get down here!"

I gave him a cheeky smile and pecked his lips anyway. While I put on my nude heels, some lipstick, and a mix of gold chain necklaces, Gus slipped into his prized black Saint Laurent boots that I swore he would marry if I wasn't in his life.

As soon as the two of us were fully dressed and ready to go, we descended the stairs hand-in-hand, but our left ring fingers were bare like they had been since we got here. I didn't like it at all.

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Whatever my expectations were for this ceremony, they were immediately blown away when we got to the venue. The building used to be a library built in the late nineteenth century but had since been renovated into a beautifully regal space that was popular for hosting weddings, galas, proms, and so on. I was fairly certain they still held actual balls here, and I thought those were a thing of ancient history.