"What are you going to wear?" Zoe asked me. She was sitting on my hotel bed, flicking through the pages of a magazine she brought along with her from California. Apparently, a five seasons old CosmoGirl is still fascinating her.
I shrugged. I was standing at the small closet the hotel room provided that held all my dresses, blouses, and anything that wasn't supposed to be folded or shoved into the drawers. I ran my hand along the many fabrics of my wide variation of dresses. Most of them were blue, since it's my favorite color. I probably have every type of blue-colored dress in there. Ever since I was in my early teens, I grew a love for dresses, but I didn't start buying and wearing them until probably my high school years. I guess I didn't feel like I was good enough to wear such beautiful dresses, but I always looked at them in the stores or online.
I pulled out a baby blue, sleeveless, cut out dress. The skirt was lightly pleated, and the bodice was supposed to hug your upper body. The dinner was at six--yes, dinner. Harry had texted me two hours earlier to let me know--and the dress looked too daytimey. I only wore that dress once, and that was to a friend's birthday party lunch. So I hung it neatly back inside, tucking the skirt between two other dresses so it didn't look messy.
A dark blue, sheer fabric caught my eye--but then I remembered that it was the cocktail party dress I had bought a few years back to wear to a costume party. It was a sort of mistress dress with a navy blue fabric skirt and it tied around your neck. There was a large gap inbetween the sheer straps; that was were the white corset was. The dress was tied with a silver belt. I don't really know why I still had it; I only wore it that one time. Perhaps I could donate it? I'd give it to Zoe, but knowing her, the only things she'll ever take from me is my money and shirts. Gosh, I love that girl. Cue sarcasm.
After hanging that one back--and making a mental note to donate it or reconstruct it into a new dress--I plucked three more dresses out to compare, and all of them were blue. I guess the dress I'm wearing the this friendly date will have to be blue either way.
The first one was a royal blue dress with about two inch straps. Like the previous dress, the bodice was supposed to hug my upper body and the skirt was very lightly pleated. I bought it because it had a heart cut out on the back, which was so the trend then. Remembering that, I also wore this dress several times. To be honest, it was one of my favorites, but it was worn too many times to be qualified to be worn again on a date with Harry. Bye bye, royal blue dress.
The second was another royal blue dress with sheer layers and an asymmetrical skirt. Zoe bought me this dress for my birthday last year. It came with a gold-silver belt that I often reused to wear with jeans and other dresses. That was a possible choice, but then it was too overused--the asymmetrical skirt and all--nowadays. So that was a goner, too.
Zoe jumped off the bed and came by my side. She pointed to the dress she bought me that I'd hung on the door knob for now. "Hey, I bought you that!"
I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, for my birthday last year. I'm choosing which dress to wear for the dinner, but I can't find one yet. I'm still looking."
Zoe's eyebrow shot up. "Why won't you wear that dress?" she asked, pointing to my birthday dress.
I sighed. "Zoe, that style is way too overused these days. So many girls wear the whole high-low skirt now, and it's getting old. I'd still wear it, but not to dinner with Harry." I told her. Then I added, "And if you weren't reading a magazine that had last fall's trends, then maybe you'll know what the trend right now is."
She rolled her eyes and snorted, but I just laughed. The corner of her lip pulled up and she left the room, shaking her head and stifling a laugh. I shook my head again, chuckling under my breath.
Back to business.
I held up the third dress in my hand: a bright cerulean blue dress, also with a retro, pleated skirt and fitted top. It had long sleeves and a creamy, lace Peter Pan collar. It was extremely nice enough to wear to dinner with Harry, but I decided to keep my options open, so I set that to the maybe side.
Next, I pulled out two pale mint dresses: one was a mint green with sheer panels and collar with lace top and a sheer, flowy skirt; the other one was a mint blue lace sleeveless dress. I remembered buying these two at a sale in Nordstrom's back in California a few months ago. Once I tried them on, I fell in love with how cozy it was and how nice it made my figure look. To be honest, I wasn't the prettiest girl of the crowd, but I won't call myself unattractive either. I guess I'm a bit more on the average side with my natural ombre hair and lean frame. But other than that, there wasn't anything too special. Zoe was by far much prettier than I was. I guess guys likes the mysterious black hair and soft, curvy figure. Again, I'm not trying to bring my self esteem even lower; I'm just stating my opinion that I'm average and Zoe's a little more than average. Nothing more, nothing less.
I looked at the mint green one closely--it was a bit light to be worn out to dinner, but I haven't worn it yet, and it's super pretty. Toss that one to the maybe's. Now the mint blue was also nice, also hasn't been worn yet, and also was a little too light to be worn out at night. But then again, lace was a little overused too, just like the high-low skirt. I don't want to be too typical on the date with Harry.
Wait, what did I just say? Date? No no no no no, it was nothing more than a friendly dinner. And it's going to stay that way because there are so many reasons why, I can't even say it all here. So, sorry for my bad usage of words; I had meant dinner, not date.
Back to the point: I don't want to be too typical for the dinner with Harry. I wanted to wear something nice, something that Harry hasn't seen so many times and assume that I'm a follower, which I'm not! I follow the trends, of course, who doesn't? But I don't want to tip the boat too much; get my drift? So like I said, something classy and edgy because I want to say that I can wear my own clothes with pride, not because I have to copy the fashion these days or I'll be knocked off the cool list.
Anyways, the lace mint blue is a no-show, sorry. Maybe I can wear it the next time Zoe and I go shopping or out for lunch. I hung the dress back in the closet next to most of the rejects. I scanned the rest of the blues really quickly, but most of them I've already either worn, not good enough for the date, or just not what I want to wear. Now I have no other choice but to find a different color. I think I'll stick to a color close to blue; possibly black or something along that line.
I chose a lace bodice, tutu skirt dress. The top was a lacey white with a sweetheart neckline with no sleeves, and the skirt was black and had sheer layers. There was a thick band around the waist that tied the dress together. Classy and refined, sweet and subtle. Obviously going into the maybe pile, which is now three dresses full. The next also had a black skirt, and it had a dark silk, floral print top. A bit too elegant; I should probably wear that to parties with champagne or art gallery parties and such, but not to a dinner with Harry.
After putting back all of the dresses that I didn't find to my liking in the closet, I looked at the three dresses that were laying on my bed. The first was the cerulean dress, the second was the mint green one, and the third was the black and white dress. After a long discussion between three sides of my brains that were rooting for each dress, I finally came upon the mint green dress. Sure it was light, but hey, I'm going to surprise him. The blue and black and white dress will have to settle for second and third place, though they were extremely close.
I cleaned everything up and hung the dress on a hook on the back of the bedroom door. I retrieved a fresh pair of under garments and my special bottle of shampoo and conditioner that I always use and went to take a shower. After cleaning myself up and freshening my pores, I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my body securely and stood in front of the mirror. I could hear Zoe walking into my room and the sound of sliding drawers. Zoe must be looking for something. Anyways, I put some leave-in conditioner in my hair for extra softness and wrapped it all up in a towel to soak up before grabbing my coconut scented lotion. I lathered that creamy stuff onto my body before letting my body air dry. I slipped on my undergarments and pulled my make-up bag out of the cabinet under the sink. I applied a very thin coat of concealer under my eyes and around my nose to blend my skin tone and rubbed a bit of moisturizer on my face. After doing that, I grabbed a big brush and swiftly applied two swipes of blush onto my cheekbones to give it a natural fair look. I often blush a lot or my cheeks get very fired up, but a little blush won't hurt. I brushed a fine layer of mascara over my eyes, sweeping outwards instead of up to give my lashes a more dimensional look. Then I added eyeliner to the corner of my eyes, drawing the tip a little upward. I drew a thick line on my waterline on the bottom lid, while the top lid only had half a line. I usually use my pencil eyeliner to draw directly under the lashes so it makes them look darker and appear more instead of on top of the lashes where you can notice the line. Tonight, I did both--directly on the lashes of both lids, half a line on the top lid, a full line on the bottom, and a little curved tip on the corner of my eyes. I guess you could say it made my eyes pop out a little more, but my eyes are brown, so whatever floats your boat.
I stopped after my eyeliner session to take a break and let it dry. I peeked out of the bathroom to make sure no one was there--I wouldn't mind if Zoe was there, we change in front of each other all the time, but you never know if someone else is there--and tiptoed to grab my dress. I stopped halfway before going back into the bathroom to pull out my Conair curling iron out of my suitcase and ran back inside, locking the bathroom door just to be safe. I plugged the curler in to let it heat up while putting on my dress. I smoothed the skirt out and took a quick look at my reflection. So far so good, I have to say, I looked pretty good. Now to finish the last of my makeup, I took out my Baby Lips chapstick and swiped it over my lips, adding one more layer on my bottom lip as I always do. Then I grabbed my natural, pale pink lipstick and grabbed a small lip brush, taking three swipes from the lipstick to dab onto my lips. I really love the color; it was a very light salmon pink, and it had a natural tint to it to make it seem like you're not even wearing lipstick. In fact, sometimes I fool myself and apply another coat until I realized that I already had it on. It was that unnoticeable, but so worth it.
When I finished that stage, I put all of my makeup away and unwrapped my hair from my towel turban. I shook it out and dried the ends with the towel, soaking the remainding water. Once my hair was fully dried, I picked the curler up and wrapped a strand around it. Repeat that about twenty more times, and I've got a head full of curls. The top of my head was a little wavy and as it got down to the middle section, that was where the curls started. I managed to make my curls loose, and the ends of my hair very curly. I braided back the pieces of hair closest to my face and pinned it with bobby pins. I unplugged the curling iron and set it aside to cool off. I came out of the bathroom and went to my smaller luggage where I kept all my jewelry and accessories. I pulled out my favorite Mint Love bracelet from Dorothy Perkins and slid it around my wrist. I added my Lauren Conrad bow ring and an Aldo ring. Once my jewelry was on, I grabbed my red Cambridge Satchel and stuffed my iPhone, wallet, my cards that I always keep in a separate pocket, an extra Baby Lips chapstick, a tube of mascara, my small traveler size bottle of lotion, a pack of fruity mints, and a small bottle of pepper spray. Living in a whole new continent...You never know what might happen to you.
I packed the last few items I needed--like hair ties or pads, cause, ya know, I don't know when I get those stuff--and grabbed my new Burberry coat I bought before I left California. I swung it over my arm and stuffed my feet into a pair of Charlotte Russe ankle booties with a small collar. I love collars.
(click external link on the side under the cover to see the page for Tiffany's outfit!)
After another round of checking down things I had and making sure I looked presentable, I walked out of the bedroom, ready to show Zoe my new masterpiece; aka, my face and dress.
I knocked on her door and she opened it right away. Her head was bobbing up and down and she was scrolling through her iPhone. Zoe walked back to her bed and sat down on it, never having lifted her head of the entire time. I cleared my throat, trying to catch her attention. When she didn't reply, I found her 4-inch stuffed chameleon, that she keeps with her at all times, and threw it at her head. Her head snapped up, eyebrows scrunched together with a What the hell? look. Well that caught her attention.
I leaned most of my weight onto my left leg and did a small pose, twirling around a bit. Zoe smiled and ripped the headphones out of her ears.
"Oh my gosh, you look amazing!" she exclaimed, running over to me. She covered her mouth with her hands, probably to show me how excited she was, and oohed through her fingers. She spun her finger in a circle, motioning me to twirl around again. I did and bent my knees at the end like a curtsy. She clapped her hands and squealed while I just laughed at her reaction.
"Do I look all right?" I asked her.
"All right? You look fabulous! Incredible!" she said, throwing her hands in the air. "You look absolutely gorgeous. Harry is so falling for you tonight."
I was in the middle of turning around to leave the room when her statement stopped me. I slowly spun back around to face her, my eyebrow lifted and the corners of my lips turned down. Zoe gave me a confused look.
"What?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Harry is not falling for me. He doesn't even like me--"
"Oh, sure, Tiff." Zoe cut me, rolling her eyes. She folded her arms and cocked her hip to the side, giving me an Are you seriously talking bull? face. "Harry totally likes you; it's so obvious. Everyone can tell."
Now it was my turn to give the Are you seriously talking bull? face. "What?" I said incredulously. I scoffed and added, "No, he doesn't like me. And it isn't obvious in any way because he doesn't like me! Maybe as a friend, but you guys are wrong. I think he prefers taller, slim, blond girls with a pretty round ass. And me? My ass ain't that round."
Zoe was quiet for a second, then raised her eyebrow, moving to the side to look at my butt. I laughed and pushed her shoulder. "I was kidding! Gosh!"
Zoe cracked a smile, her insanely perfect teeth showing between her pink lips. "I know. I was just teasing." She did a double take at my butt. "But your butt is pretty round. And I heard that Harry doesn't discriminate girls; he likes natural girls, too. And he said his other half would be a brunette." Zoe took a lock of my curled hair and held it in front of my face. "Brunette!"
I slapped her hand away playfully and rolled my eyes. "I'm not really a brunette. My hair is just really burnt."
"Not really. Your hair is dark brown at the top, so your roots are brown. And your hair isn't that burnt; it's quite pretty that color. Ombre." Zoe stated, tapping her lip with her index finger. I sighed and walked out of the room, Zoe following me. I was tired of this crap. Whether is was true or not, I don't think I'd go out with him. It's just that our lives are too busy and complicated, it'd be hard to keep a relationship maintained. Besides, I really don't see myself with anyone for quite some time. So sorry to those who thought Harry actually liked me, but it's not going to happen. I went inside the kitchen and opened the mini fridge the hotel provided us and pulled out a small water bottle. I uncapped that and downed half of it within ten seconds flat. New record! Zoe sat on one of the counter stools and leaned on the granite, supporting her upper body with her elbows.
I suppose Zoe gave up on the idea of Harry and I, because she asked me when Harry would be here.
"Six. He'll come by to pick me up." I looked at the microwave clock and saw that it was only 5:32. A little while before he actually got here.
"You know, Harry and Niall live, like, three doors down or something."
"So? He's getting ready, I think. Plus, it's easier access for you to stalk Niall and make him fall under your spell." I oohed, wiggling my fingers close to her face trying to sound all magical. I giggling when she whacked my hand away and scoffed.
"No way. Is Harry coming yet?"
"Hey, don't change the subject!" I laughed, pointing at her. I took a seat on the stool across from her, leaning forward. "So, how are things with Niall?"
Zoe gave up, once again, since she knew I wouldn't let this go. She leaned back into her chair and let a small smile slip across her face. Her eyes fell to her hands that were fiddling on her lap.
I gasped. "You like him!"
Her head snapped up. "Uh duh, of course I like him. Who wouldn't? He's super friendly!" she said, trying to defend the both of them. Her cheeks grew pink, something that I have never seen before. You see, Zoe was always confident with boys. She loves boys, boys loves her. She's never been single for too long, but she's also never had a relationship for too long either. I don't think she's ever had a massive crush, the ones where you truly like that guy for everything and stuff. Zoe's only likes them for their looks and a little bit of their personality, that or they liked her and she just wanted to go out with them. But this? The whole blushing, fiddling with her hands, and trying to change the subject?! When did that happen? It could only mean one thing:
"No, you really like him! Like a crush! You actually like Niall!" I said excitedly.
I watched her eyes grow wide, probably because of my crazy reaction. She rubbed the side of her head and sighed.
She nodded in defeat. "Yeah," she said, admitting it. "I guess I do. But what am I supposed to do? I've never liked a guy like this! You've got to help me!" she growled, pulling me by the neck of my dress. I slowly unwrapped her fingers from my dress and set them down, letting her sit back in her seat. "Sorry," she murmured.
"It's okay." I told her.
"But please help me? I really like him." Zoe pleaded.
I sighed softly, sitting up straighter. "Well," I started. "Maybe you should go slow on this one. Remember all your other relationships? They happened so fast, and then they're gone." I paused to see if she was following, and she nodded in response. Her expression told me that she was listening one-hundred-percent. I continued. "So I suggest that you get to know Niall. All the other guys, I bet you barely knew their favorite animal."
Zoe sat up, opening her mouth to protest, but I held my hand in her face, silencing her. "You know what I mean." I said. She sat down, slumping very slightly. "Anyway, like I said, get to know him. Get cozy if you like, but not too cozy so you don't send mixed signals. You want him to know that you're interested, but you don't want to get into a relationship too fast. And never kiss him--lips or cheek--unless he does it to you first. Because if you do it first, he'll think that you're getting too comfortable and that might lead to another situation, and you don't want that. Unless he does it first, then that will show you that he's interested."
"How do you know all this?" Zoe asked when I finished.
"I pay very close attention to your relationships." I said, smirking. "That, and I've learned through past experiences with your sobbing and screaming whenever you had a break up." I snickered.
Zoe gasped and folded her arms, pouting. I reached over to pat her arm and smiled. "I'm kidding. I guess it's just logical to know something like that, ya know? But to be honest, I did learn a bit from your relationships."
She nodded in agreement when she realized my point and shrugged. She looked at me and grinned. "Thanks, Tiff. I really appreciate it a lot. I really like Niall." she said sheepishly.
"I know, babe." I said, rubbing her hand, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Now, whenever you need help or advice, talk to me. Well, because I'm the only person there is." I added with a wink. We both laughed.
By then, the hotel doorbell rung throughout the suite, chiming three times. I stood up and Zoe jumped out, a huge smile plastered on her face. Oh, this will be good. I walked to the door, my heels clicking on the marble floor, with Zoe trailing behind me, jumping up and down. I unlocked the door and swung it open to reveal a very fresh and good lookin' Harry Styles. A very, very good lookin' Harry Styles, might I add.
Harry wore an outfit similar to mine: simple but a hint fancy. His designer jeans hung effortlessly around his hips, his white tee was a little fitted so I could get an awesome view at his abs--which were looking mighty fine today--and he wore a dark blue blazer on top of it. His bracelets were around his hands which were hidden behind his back. His hair was extra curly today, but that made him look even sweeter with that childish grin he had on. A couple necklaces were around his neck, some under his shirt, another outside. Even when he wore his super white Converse and I wore my booties, he still managed to look a whole feet taller than me. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating, but he really was tall. That's hot.
Oh my gosh, did I just say that? Goodness gracious, Tiffany. Snap the crap out of it! What did Zoe say earlier? Harry likes you! And what did you say? Harry doesn't! So stick that on your brain and just say hello. Come on, Tiffany. He's standing right there!!!
"Uh," I mumbled. "Hi! Hi," I said a little softer after my first one, deciding that it was a bit too perky. Harry laughed and Zoe popped out from behind me.
"Hello there, Harry. Nice to see that you cleaned up. That's new." Zoe said with a serious expression, but I could tell she was just teasing him.
"Um, thanks?" Harry said. He scratched the back of his neck with one hand while the other stayed hidden behind his back. That hand came out and a bunch of blue forget-me-nots, tied with a silky white ribbon. He smiled cheekily. Zoe gasped and I opened my mouth in awe. I took the flowers from him and stroked the flowers.
"Oh my gosh, these are beautiful, Harry. Thank you," I said softly. I looked up at him and gave him a genuine smile. Then I laughed. "But why did you get me flowers?"
"Felt like it." he shrugged. "And I guessed that your favorite color was blue, since, ya know, most of your stuff were blue." His eyes traveled down my dress, and he smirked. "No blue today?" he teased.
"Ha ha, Styles. I wasn't feeling very blue today. Decided I'd go for some green."
"Go green!" Zoe shouted, pumping her fist in the air.
We both turned towards her, and Zoe shrunk back a little. Harry laughed. He jutted his head to the side. "Niall's in the room. You could go give him a visit if you want. I sort have told him you've be coming by. I think he's cleaning up right now." Harry said, chuckling. Zoe looked at me, her eyes asking for permission. I nodded and she bolted as fast as she could. Oh, the things that girl could do. Then I realized it was just Harry and I.
Scratch that. Zoe came back and pointed her finger at Harry. "She's gotta be back by ten, all in one piece. Got that, Styles?" she said sternly. Harry nodded, and I bet he was trying to stifle his laughter. "Don't you laugh at me!"
"Yes, sir." Harry said. Then his eyes widened just as Zoe's face grew red with fake anger. "Ma'am! I meant ma'am! Yes, ma'am."
"You bet it, Styles." she said as she started to walk away. Five feet later, she shouted, "No sex!"
I groaned. I'm still a virgin! I can't believe she would say that. I even told her that I planned to stay pure for a long while. Goodness. Sometimes I question why i'm best friends with this crazy lady.
Harry just chuckled and stepped a foot past the threshold. "Can I come in?" he asked.
"Yeah, but I don't think there's anything new. You're staying in the exact same suite as me." I said, moving to the side to let him pass. I closed the door and let him follow me towards the kitchen. "Let me put these in some water." As I found a small plastic container and filled it with water for the flowers, I noticed that Harry came early. It was only 5:54 right now. I heard him take a seat on one of the stools Zoe and I occupied earlier. "So, where are we going?"
"No where special." he said. I had to admit, I felt a little sad that we weren't going to do anything exciting. I thought he might take me to see Big Ben or something like that since I'm new here. I mentally scolded myself for having my hopes up too high. "After dinner, though, I thought I'd take you to a little fair in the center of London. If we have time, we might take a trip to see Big Ben? If Zoe won't cut my head off, that is. Big Ben is pretty nice at night. I suppose you know what it is?" he asked me without waiting for an answer. "Big clock tower thing?" he clarified terribly.
I laughed at him while setting the makeshift vase to the side and picked my bag up. "I know what the big clock tower thing is, Harry. I think I know a lot about England, probably since I've studied it since I was twelve years old. But thanks for explaining what it is to me--very specific."
Harry nodded and followed me towards the door. "You're welcome."
I scoffed. After I locked the door, hiding the spare key under the mat and texting Zoe that we're leaving and that the key was outside for her, Harry and I departed for the dinner we waited so long for.
Or maybe I was the only one who had waited so long for this. Who knows. I only like him as a friend, and vice verse. Let this friendly date begin!
IMPORTANT! MUST READ! URGENT! EMERGENCY! OH MY GOSH, JUST READ THIS BELOW!!!!!!!!!
Hey everyone! I know in my last chapter, I said that this chapter would be only about the date, but I got so caught up in filling all the details in and getting everything right. But hey, at least you'll be extra excited to read the next chapter, which I absolutely guarantee will be all about the date--since I left off before they went on the date--, right? Right...? And another thing: I said that I had to get a specific number of comments, votes, fans, and reads...and I guess no one likes my story enough to vote, comment, or fan, huh? That resulted in not updating for about three weeks, which to me, I don't mind, honestly. I've got other things to do (homework, projects, packing because I'm moving to a new house, and so on) than update all the time, and I don't really know if anyone appreciates what I've spent so much time on. This chapter? This took over two weeks. I've spent so much planning, and in between that, I'm making a small post to show the outfit choices for Tiffany's friendly date with Harry, and on top of that, I've got homework and some many things to do! Not to mention, my birthday was on Saturday, the 22nd. I'd really like it if I had some sign that readers liked my story; all you gotta do is comment! Or even vote and fan! Just to let me know that this isn't going to waste, and that my hard work and my time is being wasted either. So I beg of you, please comment, vote, or fan to show me that you are an active reader, that you do like my story, and that you do want another chapter up because you like my story! These things aren't easy, ya know. You've got to plan, edit, type, edit, plan, think, type, et cetera, et cetera. So please do one of those simple three things (vote, fan, comment) to show me that you are reading and that you do like this story. This will very much help me get another chapter up (like the guaranteed date chapter! will Harry admit his feelings, that might or might not be true, to Tiffany?) To conclude this very long author's note, I just wanted to say a small thank you for reading my stories. I hope you guys like it, and please vote/comment/fan to get a new chapter up! I really like doing this, but seeing as I don't have as much time as I did in the summer, I'm trying really hard, so a little support would be lovely! Thanks again, and sorry for bringing so much of this out on you guys, I just wanted to let you know what's been happening. Okie, thanks, love you guys! Kiss kiss! xo.