❛ In a storm in my best dress,
Fearless ❜

- Fearless, Taylor Swift

Reese asked me out formally last week, but we had to postpone it since he was still grounded.

To my luck, we landed on Valentine's Day.

So, not only is it our first date together, it's also our first Valentine's together.

When Reese and I made things official last week, we knew that our relationship wasn't going to be normal. A good example of that would be that, right now,  we're getting ready for our first date together. I had always imagined my hypothetical boyfriend ringing the doorbell and getting a first look at my hypothetical perfect outfit for my first date, but I can't imagine that with Reese. No, this is what's right for us, me helping him button up his shirt like an old married couple.

I already have my brand new blue dress and I start doing my makeup, and Reese begins arguing with his mother about where she placed his favorite socks.

I finish applying my mascara and grab a sheer lip gloss from my makeup bag. Reese finally finds his socks and comes into the bathroom as well to look in the mirror as he touches up his hair.

I pause putting on my lip gloss to stare at him. He rarely gets dressed up, but he looks damn good if and when he does. "You look snazzy," I say with a smile.

"I'm only doing this for you," he says and then turns to me. "I don't know how I feel about your hair like this." He messes up my hair which I meticulously straightened for this ocassion. I immediately back away from him and flatten it back with a pout

"Hey! I did this for you!" I retort, pointing to my tidy hair.

He cocks his head at me, "Really? I mean, you look beautiful, but you know I like your hair when it's all wavy 'n stuff."

"Yeah, but you playing with it all the time was pretty much the only reason I ever liked it," I mumble. Back when we were 9 or so, Reese would play with my hair every chance he got and it wasn't the teasing kind that the kids at school would do. Reese got bored of pulling my hair out from my scalp when he turned 5, after that, he would touch it like it was the most hypnotizing thing he had ever seen. I distinctly remember the one time he was convinced my hair was some type of wig and tried to rip it out just to see.

Just like right now, he's twirling a golden strand between his fingers and studying it with his dilated green eyes.

Our moment is interrupted by Dewey stumbling into us as he enters the bathroom.

"There's only one bathroom in this house..." Dewey states awkwardly, trying to tell us to get out in the nicest way possible. He's been weird around Reese and I ever since we told everyone we were a thing, but I'm just brushing it off as him just needing time to get used to it.

"I'm sorry, Dewey," I say and stuff the contents of my makeup bag back in to exit the bathroom.

"Can't you hold it for a few minutes? Fart-head," Reese scoffs, shoving Dewey on his way out.

She continue getting ready and Lois stops us as were leaving the house to give us some strict rules. No speeding in the car, no leaving the diner, and to be back home in an hour—preferably less.

They're definitely tedious rules, but this is Reese we're talking about, Lois is just doing what she can and hoping that he'll obey.

Reese grabs my hand to drag me out of the front door as Lois continues barraging us with instructions.

"Close your eyes," he says as we exit. "I have a surprise for you."

I don't have much time to react as his hands go up to cover my eyes. He leads me out on the porch, and a part of me thinks that I shouldn't trust him as much as I do.

"Are we going to my house?" I ask as he turns me to the left and we continue walking.

He doesn't reply, however. He just removes his hand away from my eyes to reveal my front porch, and the grand display of gifts at the front door.

The first thing I notice is the massive teddy bear, its brown fur looks so fluffy that I just want to jump on it. Next to it is a couple heart shaped balloons, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, and a box with a pretty pink ribbon.

"Oh my god!" I exclaim. I do my best not to jump right into the gifts and turn around to face Reese, who is sporting a massive grin. An adorable one at that. I grab his beaming face in my hands. "You did this?!" He nods enthusiastically. I pull him into a deep hug, and his slender arms wrap around me as well. I let out a breathy laugh.

I can't remember anyone else doing this much for me. Not my parents, not my friends. But Reese has gotten me the most thoughtful christmas gifts, and arranged the best surprise birthday parties along with his brothers. I can't believe I've been missing out on all the great Valentine's.

"Happy Valentine's day," he says softly through that sweet smile of his. I look at his warm green eyes, glistening from the glow of my porch light. The sun is starting to go down, and it's painting the most perfect picture. Him, by my front door, smiling proudly at me, the delightful scent of the rose bouquet, the hues of the sunset.

I take my gifts in, and we begin driving to the restaurant. It's one of those rides that I'll never forget. It wasn't that long, only around 20 minutes or so. But there's something about rapping along to Beastie Boys and eating your Valentine's day chocolates with your favorite boy that just makes you feel like you're on top of the world.

Julio's Diner is a charming little diner downtown. I've only been there once before with my Mom when I was a kid, and the only thing I remember is the delectable sundae I had. I never told Reese that little memory I have, so he thinks all I know is that it's 'the most romantic dine in town'—his words.

We scarf down our food and share a delightful sundae, which was the cherry on top for the whole date.

It's kind of crazy to think about how this is technically our 'first date', because of the amount of times we've hung out together. Regardless, it still checking all the wonderful first date boxes.

I'm reaching for the last bite of my vanilla sundae when an a stout old man walks out of the kitchen, yelling orders at the employees. His eyes scan over the not so large diner and he does a double take once he gets to our booth. His eyes turn into saucers.

"Hey, why's that guy looking at us?" I ask Reese absentmindedly. I don't think I have ever felt unsafe with Reese, cause no matter how scary the situation is, he still finds a downright insane way to deal with it. Hell, he's been through war and back at this point, I'm sure he can handle whatever this small town throws his way.

He turns to look at my field of view and his eyes lock with the old man's.

"You!" his gruff voice sounds.

Before I know it, Reese grabs my hand and begins launching the both of us out of the diner.

"Wait! I didn't even finish my sundae!" I yell. I don't even notice the fact that we haven't even paid for our meals.

"Just run!" he orders frantically.

He pulls the heavy door of the diner and practically pushes me out.

My shoes splash on the wet pavement. I was enjoying our little date too much to notice that it had started raining outside. The cold droplets of rain prickle at my bare shoulders. I was certainly not expecting rain today when I put on canvas sneakers and a short light blue dress. I just hope I don't ruin this brand new dress.

Reese doesn't hesitate grabbing my hand and running as fast as he can away from the diner. I put my track and field skills to good use and keep up to his pace. I can't even tell where he's taking us, I'm just sure that this is not where we parked the car.

"Who was that?!" I ask as were running.

"I'll explain later!"

Before I can interject, he yanks me into a narrow alleyway. I'm greeted with the pungent smell of cat piss and wet garbage. But at least the rain isn't showering on us here. Classic Tess, always looking for the silver lining—I think.

I pause to catch my breath, and he does too, leaning against the disgusting wall. I instinctively push him away from the mold and graffiti riddled wall.

"So, are you gonna tell me what the hell that was?!"I ask.

"That was the manager of the place, I dumped road-kill in their stock once, ended up getting a bunch of people sick and the place almost closed down. He saw me, but didn't get the chance to track me down," he recalls casually, "until now."

My eyes widen in bewilderment. How could he say he replaced people's food with road-kill so casually? My stomach turns as I imagine the burger I had just eaten as that. "You what?!"

"What?! I just wanted to see if they'd fall for it!"

"You're insane—" he cuts me off.

"Look, I know what I did, alright? And I regret it." My expression contorts at that. When has Reese ever acknowledged his reckless actions? Let alone said he regretted them? "I mean, look how our date turned out. I just wanted to take you somewhere that serves good food, and I know you like that whole retro diner feel. God, I'm an idiot." He stares down at his shoes in despair.

My heart melts at how upset he looks. "Hey, I did love the food, and the retro vibe. It was the best date ever, really," I say softly and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

His green eyes look up at me under the dim light. He sighs and takes my hand in his.

"Come on, I think we've lost him," he smiles.

He pops his head out of the alley and looks around to make sure there's no one there, and he turns back to me and gives me a look that says 'It's safe'.

He's still holding my hand, and he counts down from three with his other to signify when we should start making a run for it.

Three.

Two.

One.

We both spring into a sprint, our feet splashing on all the puddles. We make it to the parking lot where Hal Wilkerson's car is waiting for us, and we slow down into a halt.

We burst into a flurry of exhilarating laughs, and I grab onto his shoulders to steady myself. All this running has erupted a dosage of endorphins in me that I didn't know I needed. His hands rest comfortably on my waist.

Our eyes connect and our laughter begins to dissipate. The only sound I can hear now is the sounds of our ragged breaths mingling together with the pattering rain.

One of Reese's hands moves up to touch my wet hair. "It's curly again," he says in almost a whisper. Staring at my hair, darkened and unruly because of the rain. His eyes are so focused that it makes my breath hitch in my throat, he's looking as if my hair is the most mesmerizing thing in the world.

His hand stays interlocked with my hair, and he cups my face, still staring at me in the most dizzying way.

My own hands make their way to the crook of his neck, and I slowly begin to gravitate closer to him, bringing my lips to his.

His other hand makes its way to swim in the sea that is my hair, and he lets out a deep breath at the sensation of our interlocked lips, making my stomach erupt in knots.

His lips taste faintly of the vanilla sundae we just had, and I relish in the sweetness of it. Somehow tasting it on his lips is multitudes better than the real thing, and it makes me wonder what all of my favorite desserts would taste like. The thought makes it hard for me to stand.

It makes me forget about the stressful situation we had just gone through, instead, I am fully immersed in how enamored I am with him. Our lips part and reattach while the rain trickles inbetween us, and I'm certain better than any rush of endorphins I could ever get. I could give up all the good things in the world if I just had him.

We finally part and he presses his wet forehead against my own.

"I love you, do you know that? I haven't been saying it enough," he says after a moment of silence. His lips are swollen from kissing and his beautiful eyelashes soaked with rain, it's now my turn to be hypnotized by him.

My heart flutters and I can't help but let out a flustered smile. "I love you too," I reply. I don't think I've said the words 'I love you' in my entire life nearly as much as I've said them to him ever since he confessed.

He opens the passenger door of Hal's beaten up car for me and I get in, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world nonetheless. He takes the long route home to avoid passing by the diner on the way.

He runs his hands through his wet hair, now all flat from the rain. I couldn't be more glad that I'll be spending some extra minutes in the car with him, because the more time we stay in the car, the more I can admire his gorgeous profile. It's driving me absolutely crazy, like I would dine and dash a million times again with him. Heck, I'd commit all the felonies in the book! I guess that's the effect he has on me, it's making me feel fearless.

author's note:

Please ignore the formatting issues, stupid wattpad wouldn't let me fix them.
sorry about the long wait and the short chapter