exception,” he says with a laugh. He takes my hand and leads me upstairs.
As promised, the second part of the surprise arrives a few hours later. Brandon had hired a professional hair and makeup team to come and help me get ready for the awards show.
Brandon makes sure I’m all set up in the master bathroom with the hair and makeup people and then sneaks off. I settle in and before too long I’m laughing and having a really good time with Trina, the hair stylist and Gina, the makeup artist. They are probably my age or younger and make it really easy for me. It actually feels like an old-school sleepover with all the hair accessories and makeup stuff scattered all across the counter as we try different looks and flip through fashion magazines.
Gina tries a few different things and I end up with a dusty smoky eye with different brown and gold tones. Trina messes with a few up-do looks but then we decide to do something totally different and we do a stick straight look and she actually gets out her scissors and gives me side swept bangs.
I say goodbye to the girls and then get changed into my dress. I turn to face the mirror and do a double take, hardly recognizing myself. I stare at my reflection for a long moment and run my hands along the front of the dress, smoothing away invisible wrinkles.
“Wow.”
I turn at Brandon’s voice and see his standing in the doorway of the closet, his eyes wide.
“Aww, you ruined my big entrance,” I protest. “I’m supposed to come down the stairs and do the whole big dramatic moment.”
“Sorry baby, but I gotta get dressed too. I don’t think you want me going to the party like this,” he says, looking down at his workout clothes.
I do my best to pretend to pout at him.
“Do you wanna do a twirl instead?” He asks with a smile.
“Yes,” I say, returning his smile. I do a slow spin and give him a seductive look over my shoulder before turning to face him again.
He comes closer and holds out a box. It looks suspiciously like a jewelry box.
I gasp. “Another surprise?”
“Oh I have a few more tricks up my sleeve,” he says. He opens the lid to show a beautiful diamond necklace. It sparkles like something straight out of a jewelry store commercial.
“Oh my-- Brandon, you can’t be serious!”
“Oh, I’m serious,” he says. “Come here. Let me put it on for you.”
I spin around again and hold up my hair as he puts the necklace on. His fingers linger and slide down my back. His hands settle on my waist as he pulls me against him and leans down to graze my exposed neck with his lips, sending a shiver down my spine.
I look up and catch a reflection of us in the mirror. The moment feels so surreal and the image staring back at me only makes it stand out more.
I feel something get pressed into my hand. I look down and see a smaller jewelry box. Its ring sized and for a moment my heart seems to jump out of my chest. I open the box slowly to reveal two diamond studs that are the same cut as the necklace, just on a smaller scale.
“They’re beautiful, thank you,” I whisper.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for coming with me tonight,” he says.
I reach up and kiss him softly.
Neither one of us makes a move to pull away for a long time but the awareness that we only have a little bit of time left to finish getting ready seems to hit and we separate. Brandon gives me one final kiss before he walks to the other side of the closet and starts to grab the things he needs to get ready.
I put my new earrings in and give myself one final look over, still not used to the new “glammed up” version of myself. For the most part, I normally feel pretty comfortable in my own skin and with my sense of style. This whole day has been outside of my normal comfort zone, but I have to admit, I feel pretty amazing right now. I glance over at Brandon as he starts to pull off his shirt and think of how lucky I am.
I don’t know why but suddenly the memory of the
As promised, the second part of the surprise arrives a few hours later. Brandon had hired a professional hair and makeup team to come and help me get ready for the awards show.
Brandon makes sure I’m all set up in the master bathroom with the hair and makeup people and then sneaks off. I settle in and before too long I’m laughing and having a really good time with Trina, the hair stylist and Gina, the makeup artist. They are probably my age or younger and make it really easy for me. It actually feels like an old-school sleepover with all the hair accessories and makeup stuff scattered all across the counter as we try different looks and flip through fashion magazines.
Gina tries a few different things and I end up with a dusty smoky eye with different brown and gold tones. Trina messes with a few up-do looks but then we decide to do something totally different and we do a stick straight look and she actually gets out her scissors and gives me side swept bangs.
I say goodbye to the girls and then get changed into my dress. I turn to face the mirror and do a double take, hardly recognizing myself. I stare at my reflection for a long moment and run my hands along the front of the dress, smoothing away invisible wrinkles.
“Wow.”
I turn at Brandon’s voice and see his standing in the doorway of the closet, his eyes wide.
“Aww, you ruined my big entrance,” I protest. “I’m supposed to come down the stairs and do the whole big dramatic moment.”
“Sorry baby, but I gotta get dressed too. I don’t think you want me going to the party like this,” he says, looking down at his workout clothes.
I do my best to pretend to pout at him.
“Do you wanna do a twirl instead?” He asks with a smile.
“Yes,” I say, returning his smile. I do a slow spin and give him a seductive look over my shoulder before turning to face him again.
He comes closer and holds out a box. It looks suspiciously like a jewelry box.
I gasp. “Another surprise?”
“Oh I have a few more tricks up my sleeve,” he says. He opens the lid to show a beautiful diamond necklace. It sparkles like something straight out of a jewelry store commercial.
“Oh my-- Brandon, you can’t be serious!”
“Oh, I’m serious,” he says. “Come here. Let me put it on for you.”
I spin around again and hold up my hair as he puts the necklace on. His fingers linger and slide down my back. His hands settle on my waist as he pulls me against him and leans down to graze my exposed neck with his lips, sending a shiver down my spine.
I look up and catch a reflection of us in the mirror. The moment feels so surreal and the image staring back at me only makes it stand out more.
I feel something get pressed into my hand. I look down and see a smaller jewelry box. Its ring sized and for a moment my heart seems to jump out of my chest. I open the box slowly to reveal two diamond studs that are the same cut as the necklace, just on a smaller scale.
“They’re beautiful, thank you,” I whisper.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for coming with me tonight,” he says.
I reach up and kiss him softly.
Neither one of us makes a move to pull away for a long time but the awareness that we only have a little bit of time left to finish getting ready seems to hit and we separate. Brandon gives me one final kiss before he walks to the other side of the closet and starts to grab the things he needs to get ready.
I put my new earrings in and give myself one final look over, still not used to the new “glammed up” version of myself. For the most part, I normally feel pretty comfortable in my own skin and with my sense of style. This whole day has been outside of my normal comfort zone, but I have to admit, I feel pretty amazing right now. I glance over at Brandon as he starts to pull off his shirt and think of how lucky I am.
I don’t know why but suddenly the memory of the
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